Taylor Anderson‘s Destroyermen series is based on an interesting premise. In a freak accident during the Battle of the Java Sea at the opening of World War II a pair of US destroyers, built at the end of the first World War, flee Japanese forces and sail straight through a rip between worlds. They arrive in an Earth with talking cats and a late Renaissance level of technology. They go from obsolescence to cutting edge.

On the bright side, there are talking Velociraptors on top of the talking cats. And the raptors want to eat everyone. Okay, maybe that’s not a bright side. But at least it helps everyone get friendly fast enough.

Mayhem quickly ensues, providing plenty of humorous cross cultural moments, fast paced action sequences and thoughtful considerations of how the world might be different if one thing changed.

To be fair to both reader and author, Anderson is not a trained writer and, at times, it shows. He can be a little wordy and sometimes gets distracted from his plot while reveling in the details of developing technology or firearms use.

But for the most part the Destroyermen series delivers exactly what you would expect from a series with its premise – good action, fun characters and a healthy does of humor.

That’s not to say that the series has no depth. Quite the contrary. It has a very impressive amount of it. In particular the character of Chief Gunners Mate Dennis Silva is well explored and carefully developed. The world also shows a great deal of thought and consideration.

On top of that, if you’re one of those that likes a good long read, the series is already on its seventh book, and looks to have at least one or two more in it. Anderson shows a lot of talent in juggling an ever growing cast and giving everyone enough screen time.

If you enjoy light, fast paced and action packed reading, the Destroyermen series is well worth your checking out.