Listen free for 30 days

  • Twilight of the Gods

  • War in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945
  • Written by: Ian Toll
  • Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
  • Length: 36 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (37 ratings)

1 credit a month, good for any title to download and keep.
The Plus Catalogue—listen all you want to thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts, and audiobooks.
$14.95 a month plus applicable taxes after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Twilight of the Gods cover art

Twilight of the Gods

Written by: Ian Toll
Narrated by: P.J. Ochlan
Try for $0.00

$14.95 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $52.62

Buy Now for $52.62

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

The final volume of the magisterial Pacific War Trilogy from acclaimed historian Ian W. Toll, "one of the great storytellers of war" (Evan Thomas).  

Twilight of the Gods is a riveting account of the harrowing last year of World War II in the Pacific, when the US Navy won the largest naval battle in history; Douglas MacArthur made good his pledge to return to the Philippines; waves of kamikazes attacked the Allied fleets; the Japanese fought to the last man on one island after another; B-29 bombers burned down Japanese cities; and Hiroshima and Nagasaki were vaporized in atomic blasts. 

Ian W. Toll's narratives of combat in the air, at sea, and on the beaches are as gripping as ever, but he also takes the listener into the halls of power in Washington and Tokyo, where the great questions of strategy and diplomacy were decided. Lionel Barber of the Financial Times chose the second volume of the series (The Conquering Tide) as the preemiment book of 2016, calling it military history at its best. Listeners who have been waiting for the conclusion of Toll's masterpiece will be thrilled by this final volume.

©2020 Ian Toll (P)2020 Recorded Books

More from the same

What listeners say about Twilight of the Gods

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    30
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    26
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    30
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best series yet.

There is so much detail packed into this series that you can almost feel like you’re there. By far the most detailed history of the pacific war ever written.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful end to the trilogy….

Ian Toll has crafted a masterful trilogy on the Pacific War filled with knowledge and insight which could, at times, be gleaned from one’s own research but thankfully presented by the author in his generous volumes for history buffs to enjoy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

making history come alive

very good narrator performing a flowing narrative history of one of history's most doomed wars. Brlliantly written and enjoyable. Ian Toll makes the key characters come alive.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

thumbs up way up

loved it
great summary of the big storys and small
a great final book thumbs up

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Dr. Schtick
  • Dr. Schtick
  • 2020-12-20

Food for WWII History Buffs

Way more than an ordinary human needs to know about the war in the Pacific. Perfect for Buffs like me.

My father survived 2.7 years on the USS Baltimore. All his tales of Kamekazis,. typhoons and giving Hershey bars to children in the ruins of Hiroshima are in the book just as he described. So too the less than wonderful sides (racism) of many shipmates. As a Jew he was in many fist fights with antisemites, especially from the South. He came home to the Bronx very committed to fighting racism.

The Epilogue is particularly insightful.

BTW, Dad survived all the above, had 3 kids, 10 grandchildren and 1 great grandson when he was killed by a texting driver at age 91. Kamekazis couldn't kill him but a texter did.
Please don't text while driving.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

79 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Benjamin Casey
  • Benjamin Casey
  • 2020-09-14

Amazing Details

Picks up right where the last one left off. The narrative and organization create a great flow to this long book . You can almost feel yourself zooming in from the overall picture of the war down to buck privates and seamen.

I’m one of those wwii avid reader types and was worried about reading long chapters on battles I was pretty familiar with . Toll brings new perspectives and details about the Pacific War. From the bloated flies of Saipan infesting an admirals dinner offshore to an in depth look at Japanese social psychology for waging war this book brought to light the war in the Pacific . I also appreciate Toll’s research on the logistics involved in the Pacific Theatre.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for eclectic reader
  • eclectic reader
  • 2020-09-19

War is hell

As with the two prior volumes I felt I was experiencing the Pacific war through the eyes of the Americans and the Japanese. The brutality and otherworldliness of the fighting seemed more immediate. It certainly Leaves the reader with a sense of the horror of war. One can't look at a successful war as a grand thing
US naval and air superiority means there is never any doubt that Japan will lose the war. The Japanese challenge is reconciling its defeat with its national character.
The brutality of the amphibious landings on Iwo Jima and Okinawa show how terrible the battles were for both sides. Clearly the American population advantage and industrial capacity make the outcome inevitable but the Japanese character makes its surrender difficult even after the atomic bombs. Even the emperor's decision to surrender was meet with a threatened coup.
Neither MacArthur or Halsey comes off without character flaws.
The book ends with the return of the American veterans. They faced challenges getting home and greater challenges when home. Clearly the war changed America in ways never expected. Woman experienced more freedom and we're often unwilling to return to their former roles. Ultimately that post war freedom and the introduction of the pill in the sixties gave birth to contemporary feminism.
The returning Black soldiers faced special challenges. The equality they had experienced at war was often rescinded when they returned home. The struggle for a colorblind society is an ongoing challenge.
I found the book thought provoking and I appreciate the time and effort poured into it by the author.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Anthony Rionda
  • Anthony Rionda
  • 2020-10-12

Superb

The writing places you in the SW Pacific, Iwo Jima, and Tokyo Bay. A great finish to an already superb series.

The bravery of boys charging into battle, fighting enemies both real and psychological, is quite impressively told by Toll.

General Wainwright’s reaction, after 3 years in a POW camp in Japanese occupied China, to the USS Missouri leaves the reader understanding how awesome the US war production was in 3 short years.

Superb!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Tyler Stout
  • Tyler Stout
  • 2022-05-02

Makes me ashamed of what I think are hardships.

The commitment shown by the men and women of the WWII era is awesome. We owe a debt that can not be repaid.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for heyskipper
  • heyskipper
  • 2021-04-11

Outstanding

I have an advanced degree in military history. I found all three of Mr. Toll's books on WWII in the Pacific well written, very competently performed, and entertaining. So, all I can say is Outstanding! I wholeheartedly recommend all three books with no reservations for others who have any interest at all in this subject matter.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Skeeterbait
  • Skeeterbait
  • 2021-12-02

Difficult questions of the cause, reason, & purpose of the Pacific War are answered

Twilight is an epic, super detailed narrative exploring not only major battles but more importantly, “why” events occurred leading up to Pearl Harbor and the difficult decisions concluding the Pacific war. There’s considerable redundancy that fluffed up the book’s length but I found the repetition acceptable as it aided understanding, especially behind-the-scenes political maneuvering. Discussion of major errors by both the Japanese & Allies is brilliant and an eye opener. I’ll never forget this edifying read. Great research!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Amazon Customer
  • Amazon Customer
  • 2021-02-16

War Writing's Finest Hour

This series about the Pacific War is the finest combination of writing about strategic and personal stories that I have ever read . . . and I read almost exclusively about the history of war and its leading historic figures. The cast expanse of this trilogy is breathtaking but it reads smoothly and efficiently. I learned so many new details about all of the battles that it is almost like I had never read anything previously about the Pacific War.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Patricia
  • Patricia
  • 2021-01-20

Great depth great narration solid story line

I have read hundreds of accounts of the Second World War and this ranks as one of the best series I have every read or listened to during my quest to understand what truly occurred during this period in American History.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Robert Audet
  • Robert Audet
  • 2022-12-18

End of the pacific war historical trilogy

400,000 Americans paid the ultimate sacrifice in WWII. Now we have huge factions in both parties who want to make it all for naught—deprecating American exceptionalism and greatness for a global world order that subjugates instead of elevates the people.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for dgrv
  • dgrv
  • 2021-10-18

Reference book about the war in the Pacific

A brilliant conclusion to the best, most complete works I've seen about the War in the Pacific. I learned so much, everything is contextualised and the writing covers every level from individual experiences to International strategy and politics.
A clear and powerful work of synthesis about a very complex period, including, here, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, the drop of the atomic Bombs and the subtle and difficult secret inside negotiations between the war and peace parties in Japan.
This is a must-read for anyone interested in this period and willing to invest the time. You will not regret it.
I really liked the audiobook and the interpretation, although I regret the absence of an accompanying pdf with maps and statistics, that would have really helped. This is my biggest misgiving about it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!