[Raellus]

I highly recommend James D. Hornfischer's Neptune's Inferno, about the naval side of the Guadalcanal campaign. Just the prologue is beautiful. As he rightly points out, it was really the only part of the Pacific War during which both sides were operating from positions of parity. The naval casualty figures from the year-long campaign are nearly identical.

Actually, all of Hornfischer's work is very good- his Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors about the Battle off Samar (part of the larger Leyte Gulf battles) is excellent.