Amazon.com
Having wrapped up World War II with 1999's In Danger's Path, bestselling military author W.E.B. Griffin now deploys his Marines in Korea with Under Fire, the ninth volume in his Corps series. Back are familiar characters from Griffin's previous Corps books--daredevil pilot Pick Pickering, his Scotch-sipping father, Brigadier General Fleming Pickering, Capt. Ken "Killer" McCoy, and Master Gunner Ernie Zimmerman--with historical figures including President Harry Truman and General Douglas MacArthur making appearances as well. It's now 1950, and with Communist forces making their presence felt below the 38th Parallel, Griffin's plot centers on Gen. Pickering, now high up in the newly created CIA, and Ken McCoy as they work behind MacArthur's back to covertly pave the way for an invasion of North Korea.
Readers who crave nonstop battle action and excitement may find it hard to stick with Under Fire, as Griffin takes the time to detail the background leading up to one of America's least-remembered modern wars. Griffin writes for the true armed forces aficionado, filling his prose with realistic descriptions of procedure, gear, and materials, an alphabet's worth of acronyms, and an ex- soldier's ear for military dialogue. Look for more sharp, authentic writing in this series' next installment. --Benjamin Reese
From Publishers Weekly
After eight books in the popular WWII Corps series, Griffin's latest kicks off on the Korean peninsula, where forces from the Communist North have just stormed over the 38th Parallel. Within a few weeks, the old team is back together, most under the steady command of Brig. Gen. Fleming Pickering, whom President Truman recalls from the helm of Trans Global Airways to assume the CIA's top Asian post. As the U.S. Army flounders to contain the North, Pickering struggles to restore Washington's faith in Comdr. Douglas MacArthur and his daring proposal to invade at Inchon. Meanwhile, as Capt. Ken McCoy and Master Gunner Ernie Zimmerman skulk behind enemy lines, seizing a crucial island in preparation for the invasion, a new calamity breaks out: Pickering's son, daredevil pilot Malcolm ("Pick"), gets shot down over a North Korean rice paddy. This new entry in the series moves more slowly than previous ones, as Griffin who served in the army in Korea sets up the historical elements of the conflict and positions all his characters. But once he gets going, he writes with even assurance and a keen eye for military camaraderie and nuance, offering galvanizing drama and a respectful yet irreverent treatment of military procedure and attitudes, not to mention plenty of Scotch. As the book ends with U.S. forces digging in for battle and Pick still missing the dean of the American war adventure has left himself room for plenty of action ahead. National television and ad campaign. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Griffin is moving on; he's shifted the setting of his latest military adventure from World War II to the Korean War. Capt. Ken McCoy is thrown out of the Marine Corps when he suggests that North Korea might attack and then hired by the newly minted CIA when it does. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From AudioFile
WWII has ended, and the Marines created by W.E.B Griffin in his masterful series, The Corps now find themselves in Korea, learning the hard way that strategic decisions will be made in Washington, not on the battlefield. Reader James Naughton has a daunting task in trying to keep the huge cast of characters distinct, and he succeeds with the primary ones who have been featured throughout The Corps books. Unfortunately, condensing a Griffin novel is not an easy task, and despite Naughton's verbal skills, the action awkwardly skips from one country to another as characters are quickly introduced and just as quickly disappear. Wisely refraining from using overblown accents, Naughton presents the military jargon and the realistic Marine dialogue in a manner that will hold the attention of listeners who have come to regard Griffin as the finest contemporary military writer. J.L.C. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
From Booklist
Griffin's dozens of novels about macho military men in combat situations occasionally make best-seller lists. One subset of Griffin's oeuvre showcases the U.S. Marine Corps, in which the typical plot features a lower ranking officer who has connections with top brass, even the president. The leatherneck's combat actions, always detailed with the exact weapons and tactical plan he carries into battle, therefore pulse up and down the chain of command. In this instance, Captain Ken "Killer" McCoy, a protege of ex-OSS officer Fleming Pickering, who knows a senator, who knows President Truman, has reported to General MacArthur that North Korea will be invaded. The report disappears, McCoy gets busted to the ranks (detailed in page upon page of "drama" hinging on marine protocol or breaches thereof), and the Communists start pouring across the thirty-eighth parallel. Truman, suspicious of MacArthur, gets wind of the report, and appoints Pickering and McCoy to the CIA. Boats, bullets, and carrier-launched avengers and corsairs make up the balance of this expansively told story. Should prove to be popular fare among fans of the genre. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
Griffin leaves WWII behind and thrusts his readers deep into the heart of the Korean War.
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