During World War II, Americans showered adulation on Douglas MacArthur, George S. Patton--and upon William F. Halsey Jr. Afterward, biographers flocked to chronicle the generals' lives; less so the admiral's. Now this stellar work, which seamlessly blends deep research and shrewd analysis, emerges as the most complete and sophisticated Halsey portrait.-- (05/01/2016) [An] impeccably researched, objective, and eminently readable biography of the fighting admiral...[Hughes] has succeeded, magnificently, in this well-written, fascinating biography.--Keith Robinson Military History (02/01/2017) A complex, thought-provoking, and profoundly illuminating story.--Joseph F. Callo Weekly Standard (07/04/2016) Hughes uses this expertly researched and well-written biography to look underneath the layers of popular culture and try to understand the man behind some of the US Navy's biggest WW II successes as well as its biggest controversies.--J. C. Rentfrow Choice (01/01/2017) This new biography presents a fascinating reappraisal of one of the most important, yet subsequently neglected, military commanders of World War II.--Robert Guttman HistoryNet (08/26/2016) Smartly written...[It] deserves to supplant E. B. Potter's 21-year-old Bull Halsey as the standard life of its subject...Hughes is an entertaining writer and an incisive observer.-- (06/03/2016) A superb biography of a famed but elusive subject whose accomplishments and failings, virtues and flaws, have never been so persuasively captured. This compelling portrait of Halsey will stand for a generation or more as the preeminent life story of one of America's greatest seamen.--Richard B. Frank, author of Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle Hughes's biography of Halsey replaces the generalities about 'the greatest generation' with a hard-hitting, thoroughly researched, and very persuasive account of Halsey's command in the Pacific War at a time when the success or failure of the whole effort against Japan hung in the balance. His is an essential and very readable revisionist portrait of one of America's most famous naval leaders.--Ronald H. Spector, author of Eagle Against the Sun: The American War with Japan In this remarkable work, Tom Hughes masterfully portrays the maturation of the U.S. Navy through the life and times of Admiral Bill Halsey, from the sailing of the Great White Fleet to the Japanese surrender aboard his flagship, the USS Missouri. A must-read for anyone interested in World War II naval strategy and the colossal challenges encountered in conducting joint maritime warfare in the Pacific as experienced by one of the most audacious and controversial commanders in naval history.--Phil Haun, Yale University