The Majors (Brotherhood of War) Review

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(More customer reviews)There are two kinds of book series: Ones that can more or less be read in any order (James Bond comes to mind), and ones that work better when read in order of internal chronology. Griffin's "The Brotherhood of War" is the second kind of series, and it's virtually impossible (and certainly unfair) to review one of its "middle" books *except* as part of the larger series. _The Majors_ doesn't match the standard set in _The Lieutenants_ and _The Captains_, but it's a workmanlike entry that keeps the series moving.
"Brotherhood of War" is, as another reviewer said of a different volume in the series, a "military soap opera." It's concerned, for the most part, not with battles but with the rhythms of Army lives and careers: changes of post, changes of assignment, promotions, decorations, unexpected reunions with old comrades, and so on. The series has, by now, upwards of three dozen significant continuing characters . . . six or eight of whom qualify as major (in significance, not rank). That's a lot of fictional lives to keep straight and a lot of storylines to keep in motion, but Griffin pulls it off with considerable skill. _The Majors_ keeps you abreast of all the main players from the earlier books, and adds several new ones. Its a fast, satisfying read, and left me eager to pick up _The Colonels_.
That said, _The Majors_ is a step down from _The Lieutenants_ and _The Captains_. There're a few gunfights, but no big combat scene like the mountain battle in Greece (Bk. 1) or the commando raid into North Korea (Bk. 2). Craig Lowell and Sandy Felter, whose growth as people and as officers gave the first two books much of their depth, are less compelling in _The Majors_. Felter has become more of a plot device than a person. Lowell is in danger of becoming what he threatened to be early in _The Lieutenants_: an insufferable twit with more money than brains. The rest of the main characters fare better, but none of them has the kind of life-changing story arc that Felter got in Book 1 or Lowell got in Book 2.
If you loved the first two books in the series, _The Majors_ will have plenty to keep you interested. If you found yourself wishing that the first two books had more shooting and less soap opera, you'll be even less satisfied this time around.

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Summoned to help beat back the guerrilla forces of Ho Chi Minh, a group of American soldiers finds themselves in the heart of the secret war in Indochina, where they reach for the heights of glory while assisting the French. Reissue.

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Retreat, Hell: A corps Novel Review

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(More customer reviews)A major improvement over the mediocre Under Fire, Griffin returns to form with Retreat, Hell! He shows his usual impeccable attention to detail and histoical accuracy, which was sadly lacking in Under Fire.
This novel covers the peiod in the Korean War in which the situation turned around for the UN forces and the overextended North Koreans were chased back across the 38th Parallel with the US Army and its allies in full pursuit. The Pick Pickering-is-MIA situation is resolved in an imaginative way I didn't see coming; a couple of new characters are introduced who seem very interesting (and don't I just wish Griffin could rewrite the Brotherhood of War series to integrate them into it!); and a character is killed off in a way that is utterly consistent and tragic, with the potential for serious impact on others in the next book. Good writing.
I have to admit that I find what Griffin is doing with Ken McCoy a little disconcerting. He seems to think McCoy's name is Mac MacMillan and that he is running Task Force Able. However, as Griffin seem to have no intention of crossing any Brotherhood of War characters over to The Corps (given what he has his characters doing, I would have expected at least passing references to the activities of MacMillan and Mouse Felter, if not to Duke Lowell and his panzers), I suppose there are no grounds for complaint.
The timeline is heading into the final confrontation between Truman and MacArthur. The one thing that surprised and disappointed me, given El Supremo's frequent appearances and conversations with Brigadier General Pickering, is that there is no sign of the animosity that was building, not even at the Wake Island Conference (or 'summit') between Truman and MacArthur; at which he has Pickering present at Truman's orders. Both men commented extensively on it in their autobiographies, but their dislike for each other is absent here. Griffin usually has a better feel for interpersonal relations between major real people than that.
Griffin also, which earned him my respect, addresses the issue of medals for valor that are awarded for other than the type of actions for which they are supposed to be presented. The problem was epidemic in Vietnam, but I didn't realize its roots went back to Korea. This subplot, involving Ken McCoy, Billy Dunn, Pick Pickering and General Clyde Dawkins (and I wish we saw more of The Dawk), offers an informative look not merely at the process by which medals are awarded, but also at the warrior ethos which permits warriors to accept them - or not.
The bottom line: While I wish W.E.B. Griffin would go back and finish the World War II portion and the interbellum part of this series (in particular the sections dealing with McCoy's time at the Command & General Staff College, how and why he was reduced in grade from major to captain when by time in grade he would have been in the zone for promotion to lieutenant colonel, how on earth the cowardly, self-serving Macklin was promoted and why he wasn't run out of the service, and whatever happened to a number of characters I care about), this book is a page-turner I gulped down in one afternoon. The tempo is fast and the visual melody sharp and clear. It's well worth reading, and more than once.
The trouble is, now I have to wait impatiently for the next one!

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The Shooters (Presidential Agent Novels) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the fourth book in the Presidential Agent series and it introduces a new plot. The first novel had a story about a stolen airliner. The next two concerned the kidnapping of an American diplomat in Argentina. This novel is set in the same period of a few weeks when all these adventures occur but has a new plot line. The first one-third is marred a bit by excessive exposition in filling in the back story of the first three books. It is a bit annoying as new information about Charley Castillo is included, along with the summary of the previous books. Because of that, the reader who knows the story cannot skip the exposition. Once that section is over, about a third of the way into the book, the pace picks up and this is another good yarn. A couple of unlikely developments suggests more sequels to come. The characters are interesting and the plot is good but this is a half step below the others. Another reviewer suggested that the other series are better and I agree. Still, if you like WEB Griffin's novels, you will enjoy this one. It is all set in South America and does mention the damage from Hurricane Katrina that occurred in the Gulf Coast area that is the setting of parts of the earlier books. I recommend it but will probably not reread it like I do many of the others

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The #1 New York Times-bestselling series returns with a story as up-to-date as the headlines.The novels of W. E. B. Griffin featuring Delta Force officerCharley Castillo and his band of troubleshooters have won wide praise for their realism, action, and "punchy prose that connects like a right hook" (Chicago Tribune).Now, still in Argentina tying up loose ends from his investigation into the UN oil-for-food scandal, Castillo is startled when a young man is marched into his office at gunpoint, caught trying to sneak through the fence. It turns out he's an American officer, a lieutenant assigned to the embassy in Paraguay. A key agent for the DEA has disappeared while trying to interdict drugs and very little is being done about it, for phony diplomatic reasons. The lieutenant's heard of Castillo, knows what he's done, and wants his help in getting the agent back. More than that, he's got an innovative plan for dealing with the drug lords themselves.Intrigued, Castillo gets permission to try it, but the President has just one warning for him: Don't get caught. Charley couldn't agree more-but it might turn out to be something easier said than done. . . .Filled with Griffin's trademark rich characters and cutting-edge drama, this is an exceptional novel by "a writer of true virtuosity and talent" (Fort Worth Star-Telegram).

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