‘DE-173: Book II’, by J G Bell, is the intriguing sequel to DE-173, and the novel takes us back to our heroes in Atlantis whose mission is to time travel around the world, correcting changes to the timeline that were perpetrated by an evil organization. I’ve included my review of the first book below, simply because it applies in so many ways to this one. Unfortunately, that includes the incredible need for further editing. The story is great, plain and simple, and well plotted out, but the constant ‘stops’ as the reader runs into errors in both spelling and grammar are distracting to say the least. But, I STILL recommend it. The characters are well developed, believable, and frankly, fun. I love the visits back in history and especially in Book II, a visit to the worst shipping disaster in history. I commend the author for including it, because in all honesty, very few people today are even aware it took place. The reader who thinks the Titanic was the saddest nautical disaster in maritime history is in for a rude awakening.

In spite of the editing issues, I have no regret purchasing this novel. It’s still a great yarn, and hopefully there will be a third BETTER EDITED book to follow.

Below is the review of Book I:
DE-173, by J G Bell, is yet another take on the USS Eldridge’s reputation as a test ship for the United States Navy during the Second World War. The many stories (and movies) purport that the ship was used in experiments during 1943 to develop a cloaking device (yes, like the Klingons have) to render the destroyer invisible to the enemy. An interesting concept, expect that the existence of radar at the time would have made an invisible ship pretty much useless. A far better approach would have been to try and make the ship invisible to radar (as is done today), which would have been a potent tool for night battles which the Japanese Navy excelled at during that time.
The real USS Eldridge, DE-173, a Cannon class destroyer escort, was named for Lieutenant Commander John Eldridge Jr., a hero of the battle for the Solomon Islands. Eldridge was laid down on the 22nd of February, 1943, at the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, in Newark, New Jersey. She was launched on the 25th of July 1943, and commissioned on the 27th of August, 1943, with Lieutenant C. R. Hamilton, USNR, in command. Her service record makes it very clear that she was not in the Philadelphia area at the time the ‘experiments’ supposedly took place, and rather than disappearing and re-appearing as she does in the books and movies, her real history is much less exciting. On the 15th of January, 1951, Eldridge was transferred to Greece under the Mutual Defense Assistance Act and renamed Leon, D-54. She was decommissioned on the 5th of November, 1992, and was eventually sold as scrap to V&J Scrap Metal Trading Ltd.
Now, back to the review – sorry; got sidetracked by the ship’s history. J G Bell has taken what was an interesting story and turned it into something even more fascinating. This time, the ship has turned up in the lost city of Atlantis (of course!) and has allowed a group of people to start messing with Earth’s timeline. A team consisting of military members from various nations, working with colleagues from Atlantis, diligently work to restore the timeline and prevent further attempts by the ‘bad guys’ (I don’t want to give anything away so I’ll leave it at that) to change life as we know it.
The story flows smoothly, the character development is good, and I love the premise and ending. So what happened that I only gave it three stars? I’m glad you asked. The book desperately needed another few rounds of editing. I don’t mean for subtle things that only the purists would notice. I mean biggies! I’m looking forward to reading Book II – this one is that good – and I hope and pray that an attempt was made to appear as though someone edited it.

Review by Daniel Lloyd Little – November 7, 2017 ( )