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The Corps #2
Call To Arms
The attack on Pearl Harbor swept America into the raging heart of the war. The stormy South Pacific presented a daring new challenge, and the men of the Corps were ready to fight. An elite fraternity united by a glorious tradition of courage and honor, the Marine Raiders were bound to a triumphant destiny. Now, the bestselling author of the acclaimed BROTHERHOOD OF WAR saga continues the epic story begun in Semper Fi. A story of lovers and fighters, leaders and heroes--the men of the United States Marine Corps...
356 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
868 people are currently reading
1104 people want to read
About the author
W.E.B. Griffin
351 books1,299 followersW.E.B. Griffin was one of several pseudonyms for William E. Butterworth III.
From the Authors Website:
W.E.B. Griffin was the #1 best-selling author of more than fifty epic novels in seven series, all of which have made The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and other best-seller lists. More than fifty million of the books are in print in more than ten languages, including Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, and Hungarian.
Mr. Griffin grew up in the suburbs of New York City and Philadelphia. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1946. After basic training, he received counterintelligence training at Fort Holabird, Maryland. He was assigned to the Army of Occupation in Germany, and ultimately to the staff of then-Major General I.D. White, commander of the U.S. Constabulary.
In 1951, Mr. Griffin was recalled to active duty for the Korean War, interrupting his education at Phillips University, Marburg an der Lahn, Germany. In Korea he earned the Combat Infantry Badge as a combat correspondent and later served as acting X Corps (Group) information officer under Lieutenant General White.
On his release from active duty in 1953, Mr. Griffin was appointed Chief of the Publications Division of the U.S. Army Signal Aviation Test & Support Activity at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Mr. Griffin was a member of the Special Operations Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Army Aviation Association, the Armor Association, and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Society.
He was the 1991 recipient of the Brigadier General Robert L. Dening Memorial Distinguished Service Award of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, and the August 1999 recipient of the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, presented at the 100th National Convention in Kansas City.
He has been vested into the Order of St. George of the U.S. Armor Association, and the Order of St. Andrew of the U.S. Army Aviation Association, and been awarded Honorary Doctoral degrees by Norwich University, the nation’s first and oldest private military college, and by Troy State University (Ala.). He was the graduation dinner speaker for the class of 1988 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
He has been awarded honorary membership in the Special Forces Association, the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, the Marine Raiders Association, and the U.S. Army Otter & Caribou Association. In January 2003, he was made a life member of the Police Chiefs Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and the State of Delaware.
He was the co-founder, with historian Colonel Carlo D’Este, of the William E. Colby Seminar on Intelligence, Military, and Diplomatic Affairs. (Details here and here)
He was a Life Member of the National Rifle Association. And he belongs to the Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Pensacola, Florida, chapters of the Flat Earth Society.
Mr. Griffin’s novels, known for their historical accuracy, have been praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer for their “fierce, stop-for-nothing scenes.”
“Nothing honors me more than a serviceman, veteran, or cop telling me he enjoys reading my books,” Mr. Griffin says.
Mr. Griffin divides his time between the Gulf Coast and Buenos Aires.
Notes:
Other Pseudonyms
* Alex Baldwin
* Webb Beech
* Walker E. Blake
* W.E. Butterworth
* James McM. Douglas
* Eden Hughes
* Edmund O. Scholefield
* Patrick J. Williams
* W. E. Butterworth
* John Kevin Dugan
* Jac
From the Authors Website:
W.E.B. Griffin was the #1 best-selling author of more than fifty epic novels in seven series, all of which have made The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and other best-seller lists. More than fifty million of the books are in print in more than ten languages, including Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, and Hungarian.
Mr. Griffin grew up in the suburbs of New York City and Philadelphia. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1946. After basic training, he received counterintelligence training at Fort Holabird, Maryland. He was assigned to the Army of Occupation in Germany, and ultimately to the staff of then-Major General I.D. White, commander of the U.S. Constabulary.
In 1951, Mr. Griffin was recalled to active duty for the Korean War, interrupting his education at Phillips University, Marburg an der Lahn, Germany. In Korea he earned the Combat Infantry Badge as a combat correspondent and later served as acting X Corps (Group) information officer under Lieutenant General White.
On his release from active duty in 1953, Mr. Griffin was appointed Chief of the Publications Division of the U.S. Army Signal Aviation Test & Support Activity at Fort Rucker, Alabama.
Mr. Griffin was a member of the Special Operations Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Army Aviation Association, the Armor Association, and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Society.
He was the 1991 recipient of the Brigadier General Robert L. Dening Memorial Distinguished Service Award of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, and the August 1999 recipient of the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, presented at the 100th National Convention in Kansas City.
He has been vested into the Order of St. George of the U.S. Armor Association, and the Order of St. Andrew of the U.S. Army Aviation Association, and been awarded Honorary Doctoral degrees by Norwich University, the nation’s first and oldest private military college, and by Troy State University (Ala.). He was the graduation dinner speaker for the class of 1988 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
He has been awarded honorary membership in the Special Forces Association, the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, the Marine Raiders Association, and the U.S. Army Otter & Caribou Association. In January 2003, he was made a life member of the Police Chiefs Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and the State of Delaware.
He was the co-founder, with historian Colonel Carlo D’Este, of the William E. Colby Seminar on Intelligence, Military, and Diplomatic Affairs. (Details here and here)
He was a Life Member of the National Rifle Association. And he belongs to the Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Pensacola, Florida, chapters of the Flat Earth Society.
Mr. Griffin’s novels, known for their historical accuracy, have been praised by The Philadelphia Inquirer for their “fierce, stop-for-nothing scenes.”
“Nothing honors me more than a serviceman, veteran, or cop telling me he enjoys reading my books,” Mr. Griffin says.
Mr. Griffin divides his time between the Gulf Coast and Buenos Aires.
Notes:
Other Pseudonyms
* Alex Baldwin
* Webb Beech
* Walker E. Blake
* W.E. Butterworth
* James McM. Douglas
* Eden Hughes
* Edmund O. Scholefield
* Patrick J. Williams
* W. E. Butterworth
* John Kevin Dugan
* Jac
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
June 7, 2020
Historical fiction. Ken McCoy is brought back to the US following the outbreak of World War II. He debriefs several Marine intelligence officers and is granted an assignment to the Officer Training Course on the recommendation of an intelligence officer that he met in China. He also learns how to hobnob with the wealthy.
September 22, 2019
The story of the 2d Raider Bn's Makin Island raid, and the lead up to it, told with the usual cast of The Corps. It's an amazing story brilliantly told. I really got hooked by these Corps books, to the detriment of a lot of stuff I should be doing Don't start them unless you have time, because they will carry you straight through all of them.
January 25, 2022
Ken “Killer” McCoy and his fellow marines return in the second volume of The Corps series as Griffin chronicles the Marine Corps trying to rapidly bring itself up to war footing after Pearl Harbor. All the characters from the last book return. Banning is blind; Pickering is in flight school; and McCoy gets drafted to spy on a fellow marine whom many in the corps believe is either a secret communist, insane, or evilly determined to destroy the corps by transforming the marines into a version of the British Commandos called the Marine Raiders. The problem with this existential threat is that the evil commander has the ear of president Franklin Delano Roosevelt—so much so that the president’s own son is a high ranking officer in the raiders.
Griffin continues to make the internal marine politics just as exciting as most writers make a battlefield. He also pays some attention to the spouses and girlfriends of active service marines, showing how the war impacts the civilian members of marine families. This touches upon the area where Griffin is weakest—his marines and their girlfriends fall in love at first sight and never look back. He does a better job with relationships that were established before the series began. And of course, he does his best job showing people maneuver and grow within the structures of the corps.
If you’re looking for a book that makes the internal operations of the marine corps breathlessly exciting, this is a good series to look at. I’m already anticipating the next novel.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
Griffin continues to make the internal marine politics just as exciting as most writers make a battlefield. He also pays some attention to the spouses and girlfriends of active service marines, showing how the war impacts the civilian members of marine families. This touches upon the area where Griffin is weakest—his marines and their girlfriends fall in love at first sight and never look back. He does a better job with relationships that were established before the series began. And of course, he does his best job showing people maneuver and grow within the structures of the corps.
If you’re looking for a book that makes the internal operations of the marine corps breathlessly exciting, this is a good series to look at. I’m already anticipating the next novel.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
August 9, 2014
American World War II action — both at home and in the Pacific — from December 1941 through August 1942. The non-fiction prolog is critical to understanding much of the dialog in the novel. A military theorist having presidential pull results in the creation and use of special forces of the U.S. Corps called the Marine Raiders. This is the story behind their controversial creation and their first action on a small Pacific island. I later learned that this was the second of the ten-book Corps Series, but reading the first was not necessary to appreciate this one. This book was recommended by librarian Nancy Pearl in the "World War II Fiction" recommendations of Book Lust, and was seconded by my appreciation of the author's later book Death and Honor, of his Honor Bound Series.
November 23, 2015
Anytime you read a Griffin novel, he's going to get 'technical' with regards to the military and its weapons, military speak, and terms. His footnotes often help if you're not sure what the terms mean. I enjoy these types of novels because I am a military brat. I can relate to the emotions of Western Union telegrams of the injured or casualties to the families.
This series is focused on Pick, McCoy, Banning, and some other characters who wind their way around the world with their billets and orders to rank up and with purpose. The relationships between these friends are endlessly chaotic when apart, but eventually they gain the momentum of caring, sharing and a bond that keeps them together. There is much to learn about these characters and I really love them all when I read these books.
These novels may not be good for civilians who have no knowledge of the military and are looking for an easier read. This one was a good one but I've found I need to slow down to fully enjoy the story.
This series is focused on Pick, McCoy, Banning, and some other characters who wind their way around the world with their billets and orders to rank up and with purpose. The relationships between these friends are endlessly chaotic when apart, but eventually they gain the momentum of caring, sharing and a bond that keeps them together. There is much to learn about these characters and I really love them all when I read these books.
These novels may not be good for civilians who have no knowledge of the military and are looking for an easier read. This one was a good one but I've found I need to slow down to fully enjoy the story.
Read
February 10, 2013An excellent book. Number two in the series, giving me more historical knowledge about the immediate aftermath of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I appreciate the way in which WEB Griffin writes these books to both entertain and inform. I will now start on the third book!
August 26, 2010
As nice as the first volume of this series. Honest Story of a Marine that does not do the stuff we've already read a million times about, loyal but not hyper-patriotic, very pleasant to read!
November 11, 2020
I'm only giving this three stars. I've mentioned in other reviews and I'm standing by it here as well. I don't like fractured story telling. You become interested and invested in Character A, they're interesting and have. . . oops, now you're reading about Character B, somewhere else doing something else completely unrelated. So far, like flies at a picnic, we've buzzed the main players Ken McCoy and Pick Pickering but by the end of the novel Ken's brother Tommy has a supporting role. Newly promoted Gunnery Sergeant Zimmerman. Captains Banning and Carstairs. Ken's girl Ernie. I don't mind a character rich environment but to disolve focus here and refocus over there 👉 often giving the current focus only a chapter or two. Griffin is a good author I just wish he did less of this. . .
Anyway, the book. It's literally a call to arms. We're witness to the creation of and insane politics, back stabbing and grand standing surrounding the Marine Raider battalions (something along the lines of the British Commandos, a do or die, the mission above all group). The Raider idea is not universally loved. Obstacles are placed in the way. While that's happening Pickering and his new friend Dick Stecker, son of Capitan (formerly Gunnery Sergeant) Jack NMI (No Middle Initial) Stecker are at the Naval air station at Pensacola going to flight school to become Marine fighter pilots. There some story devoted to Banning getting home safely and a myriad of other side stories.
The book almost feels. . . Crowded. There's too much going on. But, I really like McCoy and Pickering so I'm going to push on.
Anyway, the book. It's literally a call to arms. We're witness to the creation of and insane politics, back stabbing and grand standing surrounding the Marine Raider battalions (something along the lines of the British Commandos, a do or die, the mission above all group). The Raider idea is not universally loved. Obstacles are placed in the way. While that's happening Pickering and his new friend Dick Stecker, son of Capitan (formerly Gunnery Sergeant) Jack NMI (No Middle Initial) Stecker are at the Naval air station at Pensacola going to flight school to become Marine fighter pilots. There some story devoted to Banning getting home safely and a myriad of other side stories.
The book almost feels. . . Crowded. There's too much going on. But, I really like McCoy and Pickering so I'm going to push on.
April 9, 2022
The usual great historical fiction from the pen of W.E.B. Griffin...The continuation of the story of a "Mustang" USMC officer, an old China hand, and his fellow marines rapidly bringing themselves up to war footing after Pearl Harbor...Strong representation of the Corps search for identity as the push from the highest levels of government comes for the Corps to become a unit of commandoes, or "Raiders" in America's terminology and the institutional inertia that fights change...Good Stuff and looking forward to part-3!!!
November 6, 2017
I got so lost in this book and its characters. Griffin knows his subject. Getting ready to read #3 Counterattack.
February 29, 2020
Book 2 of 10 in W.E.B. Griffin’s “The Corps” series. Although Griffin always does a very good job catching his readers up to what has already happened in previous installments, I still maintain that if one is going to read any of the books in this (or any of the author’s) series, you really should go all out and read them all from start to finish. So if you happened to grab this book at a garage sale, make the small sacrifice of finding and buying book 1 and reading that one first.
There are criticisms of this author’s style from both sides of the fence. One side claims that he’s too technical when it comes to the intricacies of war and goes into far too much detail when describing battle weapons, and military jargon. The other side claims that these books are really nothing more than soap operas with soldiers. Both of these criticisms are fair, yet I never found the book to lean too heavily on either side and found the book enjoyable overall.
This book of the series focuses on a select group of soldiers that are part of the marine corps and tells us a tale of their comings and goings as young men in the early 1940s as World War II begins to grip the nation. This small group is young, cocky, and smarter than most. Because of their smarts, their actually low-grade officers rather than enlisted men. How much they age in the next eight volumes, I have no idea, but in this book their quite green, quite adventuresome, a tad immature, and have an awful lot of sex on the brain. This volume takes place during 1942; beginning right after Pearl Harbor was attacked and the U.S. is finding themselves a willing, yet slightly scared participant. Ironically, a book about soldiers in 1942 such as this one features very little actual conflict. Yes, there is somewhat of a plot. The main character Lieutenant Kenneth “Killer” McCoy is being recruited to be a part of a group of commandos that is led by an individual who is allegedly showing signs of instability as well as possible communistic leanings. McCoy’s objective is to sniff around and find out if this leader is, in fact, a threat to the U.S. armed services and the American way of life.
Truthfully, though, there’s really not much of that story here. Instead, we read an awful lot of romantic escapades among the soldiers. Some are in serious relationships, some are in puppy love, and others are just looking for a loose woman to frolic with whenever the time seems right. So, yes, there are almost as many women within these pages as the men, and you know without a doubt that we’ll see these relationships take many ups and downs in the subsequent novels.
I should also point out that the fact that you know you’re only reading a “chapter” of a much larger story by completing this book takes away the feeling of incompleteness. Had this book been a standalone story, most readers would have been rightly let down at the fact that there really isn’t a complete story being told here. I confess that I’m glad that as I’m reading this series, all of the books have been written. I don’t think I would enjoy this if it were a “new release” and I had to wait a whole year or so before I could continue the story. The story here is good, but not THAT good. I would classify this book, and all of the other books by this author, as “light reading”. They’re fun excursions, but nothing that will stay in your brain for any length of time, nor win any sort of literary awards.
There are criticisms of this author’s style from both sides of the fence. One side claims that he’s too technical when it comes to the intricacies of war and goes into far too much detail when describing battle weapons, and military jargon. The other side claims that these books are really nothing more than soap operas with soldiers. Both of these criticisms are fair, yet I never found the book to lean too heavily on either side and found the book enjoyable overall.
This book of the series focuses on a select group of soldiers that are part of the marine corps and tells us a tale of their comings and goings as young men in the early 1940s as World War II begins to grip the nation. This small group is young, cocky, and smarter than most. Because of their smarts, their actually low-grade officers rather than enlisted men. How much they age in the next eight volumes, I have no idea, but in this book their quite green, quite adventuresome, a tad immature, and have an awful lot of sex on the brain. This volume takes place during 1942; beginning right after Pearl Harbor was attacked and the U.S. is finding themselves a willing, yet slightly scared participant. Ironically, a book about soldiers in 1942 such as this one features very little actual conflict. Yes, there is somewhat of a plot. The main character Lieutenant Kenneth “Killer” McCoy is being recruited to be a part of a group of commandos that is led by an individual who is allegedly showing signs of instability as well as possible communistic leanings. McCoy’s objective is to sniff around and find out if this leader is, in fact, a threat to the U.S. armed services and the American way of life.
Truthfully, though, there’s really not much of that story here. Instead, we read an awful lot of romantic escapades among the soldiers. Some are in serious relationships, some are in puppy love, and others are just looking for a loose woman to frolic with whenever the time seems right. So, yes, there are almost as many women within these pages as the men, and you know without a doubt that we’ll see these relationships take many ups and downs in the subsequent novels.
I should also point out that the fact that you know you’re only reading a “chapter” of a much larger story by completing this book takes away the feeling of incompleteness. Had this book been a standalone story, most readers would have been rightly let down at the fact that there really isn’t a complete story being told here. I confess that I’m glad that as I’m reading this series, all of the books have been written. I don’t think I would enjoy this if it were a “new release” and I had to wait a whole year or so before I could continue the story. The story here is good, but not THAT good. I would classify this book, and all of the other books by this author, as “light reading”. They’re fun excursions, but nothing that will stay in your brain for any length of time, nor win any sort of literary awards.
February 18, 2010
I am trying really hard to like these books. The theme of this series is wartime, WWII in the Pacific. The characters are military men and the women in their life. The story takes place in the US for the most part in Florida, California, New York and Washington. I like the story line and some of the characters, however, I am not sure I like the author’s style.
First, some of the military reference in the book is so technical, I find myself skipping over it. It does not really interest me and I wonder what value it is adding to the plot.
The other thing that really annoys me is the author will skip time and move people around and you don’t find out until they appear. A few times I ask myself, how did he get here? It is confusing because I always think I missed something. When I go back, however, I realize the author has skipped time and things have happened he hasn’t told us about. He never tells us. We’re just suppose to assume the character jumped on a plane and arrived at his/her destination a few days ago and all is right in the world. Maybe the author does it to shorten the book but I find it extremely frustrating.
I’m still thinking about whether or not I’m going to read the next book in this series. I am wondering what happens to some of the characters and their relationships, but is the suspense enough for me to buy the next book? I’m still wondering...
June 13, 2017
This is the 4th time I've read this book and it keeps getting better and better. I love the characters, the story mixed with the facts of the second world War is fantastic. I'm only in my late 30s and don't know much about the war but I know enough. My dad introduced me to this author and I've read almost all his books. This series is my second favorite. Ken McCoy and Malcolm Pickering are so different but are the best of friends who met at Quantico in Semper Fi. Their story continues in this book along with a few other characters. It deals with how The Raiders got started and also about Malcolm 'Pick', going to flight training.
I'm not good with describing how good this novel is but to give you an idea, I usually read romance and this is far from romance as you can get. Of course their is a little romance but it is so minor compared to the complexity of the main story of the Corps. I hope that helps and urges you to read a wonderful literary masterpiece!
I'm not good with describing how good this novel is but to give you an idea, I usually read romance and this is far from romance as you can get. Of course their is a little romance but it is so minor compared to the complexity of the main story of the Corps. I hope that helps and urges you to read a wonderful literary masterpiece!
February 13, 2020
'Call To Arms' begins right where 'Semper Fi' left off. Most of this story is setting the stage for Marine Corps involvement during WWII through a special unit called the Raiders. At the end of the first novel, I figured there would be a lot more combat action in this second novel, but I was mistaken. Instead, there was a lot more character development.
'Semper FI' and now 'Call to Arm's are not really war stories about war in the traditional sense, but are more about the people involved. Through Griffin's great dialog and narrative it is easy to get attached to the characters, so if something befalls one of them it will be easy to shed a tear. However, if the characters were paper thin it would be a very boring story so far.
W.E.B. Griffin's story telling ability is top notch and even though I was hoping for more action I am thoroughly enjoying the direction the series is going in.
'Semper FI' and now 'Call to Arm's are not really war stories about war in the traditional sense, but are more about the people involved. Through Griffin's great dialog and narrative it is easy to get attached to the characters, so if something befalls one of them it will be easy to shed a tear. However, if the characters were paper thin it would be a very boring story so far.
W.E.B. Griffin's story telling ability is top notch and even though I was hoping for more action I am thoroughly enjoying the direction the series is going in.
October 7, 2018
CALL TO ARMS (Book 2) is a seamless continuation of SEMPER FI (Book 1). CALL TO ARMS fills in some of the backstories in SEMPER FI so it’s important that readers start with SEMPER FI.
The chapters in CALL TO ARMS jump back and forth between different characters, places, and events; but I did not find it confusing. The primary story in CALL TO ARMS is the formation of the USMC Raiders. W.E.B. Griffin uses official records and eyewitness accounts by former Raiders to write an interesting historical fiction about the formation of the USMC Raiders. As with all Special Ops, there was resistance and resentment to the formation of the USMC Raiders by line officers. CALL TO ARMS highlights that resistance and resentment.
CALL TO ARMS is not as good as SEMPER FI, but still worthy of my 5-star rating.
Two books down . . . eight more books in the series to go.
The chapters in CALL TO ARMS jump back and forth between different characters, places, and events; but I did not find it confusing. The primary story in CALL TO ARMS is the formation of the USMC Raiders. W.E.B. Griffin uses official records and eyewitness accounts by former Raiders to write an interesting historical fiction about the formation of the USMC Raiders. As with all Special Ops, there was resistance and resentment to the formation of the USMC Raiders by line officers. CALL TO ARMS highlights that resistance and resentment.
CALL TO ARMS is not as good as SEMPER FI, but still worthy of my 5-star rating.
Two books down . . . eight more books in the series to go.
December 29, 2023
Call to Arms picks up where the last left off, and leads us through the events after Pearl Harbor. A little slower than Semper Fi, we find McCoy in San Diego and Pick in Pensacola for the majority of the story. Griffin's research is top-notch, and the details around the military training, strategies and maneuvers really help the series come to life. These books leave me wanting to read more about the US role in WWII, so I will forgive the cheesy depictions of relationships and the eye-rolling dialogue that often comes out of the women's mouths. Another good installment in the series.
September 11, 2010
This series stunk! I read the entire series hoping for some kind of combat action, but was disappointed time after time. The main character seemed to miss every major action of WWII...the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the invasion of the Philippines, etc. I would not recommend this series to anyone I liked!
February 28, 2016
Griffin's narrative & character description flow easily, colorfully, content is well researched & believeable -> I recommend reading both books "Semper Fi" (book-1) + "Call to Arms" (book-2) together.
December 30, 2009
Read this book years ago----love all of this authors books
October 18, 2020
this is a damn good sequel!!! bt one thing bothered me a lot there was jus not much action, may be some more action and i would hav had given this a full 5!!
November 20, 2019
4.5 rating. My first read in “The Corps” series, but certainly not my last. Absolutely fantastic: plot, characters, history - hard to put down.
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September 2, 2019Call to Arms begins 11 days after the bombing on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. It follows the career of Second Lieutenant Kenneth McCoy and the people and events that touch his life in the months following the bombing on Pearl Harbor. Second Lieutenant Kenneth McCoy is wounded fighting in Shanghai just before the bombing on Pearl Harbor, ending up with the nickname "Killer McCoy." He is sent back to the States, and is ordered to spy on a Colonel Carlson, who has strong ties to the President's son, James Roosevelt. Colonel Carlson is gathering a group of elite fighters, similar to the British Commandos, to be called the Raiders. General Lesterby and Colonel Wesley are concerned that Carlson is a communist, crazy, or both, and they worry about what that could mean for the Marine Corps. They send McCoy to spy on Carlson and to find proof that their suspicions are correct.
McCoy is dating a woman named Ernest "Ernie" Sage, who he met through mutual friend, Second Lieutenant Pickering. McCoy refuses to marry Ernie because he does not think that a Marine officer about to be sent over seas should be married. However, she does move to San Diego with him, where he is stationed during his Raider's training.
McCoy is impressed with everything Carlson talks to him about, and thinks he is a good Marine. He enjoys being a part of the Raiders. He and Zimmerman are important parts of the training of the volunteers, getting the weapons and helping making the strategic plans. The Commandant finds out about the plan to discredit Carlson and that his name was used to recruit the key players and quickly and quietly puts and end to it. Hoping that he stopped it before Carlson caught wind of it, theCommandant sends Major Banning to find out how much if anything Carlson knows. His findings were that Carlson had most likely heard the scuttlebutt, but did not know that McCoy was the spy. Banning, knowing McCoy from Shanghai, knew that McCoy was not happy about having to spy on another China Marine and vowed to try to get him out as soon as possible. Banning came though and got McCoy a transfer out as a linguist, but McCoy wanted to stay and be with Carlson on their first mission as Raiders. Carlson and McCoy had a successful mission on Makin Island, and upon their return Carlson signed McCoy's transfer. When Carlson was leaving he told him to tell Rickabee, which was McCoy's contact during his mission, he said hello. McCoy immediately knew Carlson had known all along that he was the spy. Carlson said, "You're a Marine officer. A good Marine officer. And good Marine officers do what they're told to do, to the best of their ability."
McCoy is dating a woman named Ernest "Ernie" Sage, who he met through mutual friend, Second Lieutenant Pickering. McCoy refuses to marry Ernie because he does not think that a Marine officer about to be sent over seas should be married. However, she does move to San Diego with him, where he is stationed during his Raider's training.
McCoy is impressed with everything Carlson talks to him about, and thinks he is a good Marine. He enjoys being a part of the Raiders. He and Zimmerman are important parts of the training of the volunteers, getting the weapons and helping making the strategic plans. The Commandant finds out about the plan to discredit Carlson and that his name was used to recruit the key players and quickly and quietly puts and end to it. Hoping that he stopped it before Carlson caught wind of it, theCommandant sends Major Banning to find out how much if anything Carlson knows. His findings were that Carlson had most likely heard the scuttlebutt, but did not know that McCoy was the spy. Banning, knowing McCoy from Shanghai, knew that McCoy was not happy about having to spy on another China Marine and vowed to try to get him out as soon as possible. Banning came though and got McCoy a transfer out as a linguist, but McCoy wanted to stay and be with Carlson on their first mission as Raiders. Carlson and McCoy had a successful mission on Makin Island, and upon their return Carlson signed McCoy's transfer. When Carlson was leaving he told him to tell Rickabee, which was McCoy's contact during his mission, he said hello. McCoy immediately knew Carlson had known all along that he was the spy. Carlson said, "You're a Marine officer. A good Marine officer. And good Marine officers do what they're told to do, to the best of their ability."
June 6, 2019
This is the second book in the series.
This book centers on our hero who was going to get out, but found himself in to go on and do more good than being on the front lines of this war they found themselves in. We get to learn more about our heroes family, his love, and his friends, which he's learning is starting to add up.
The plot and the main character along with some of the many (and I mean MANY) sub characters are good but there is only one main battle and it happens at the very end where it feels like a side add on to the story. The author goes on to do much description even when it doesn't add anything to the story line and once again it seems very long and drawn out story. The characters, which are reoccurring, you get to like, bond with and start to understand, but there are so many characters it gets very confusing.
There are more books in the series, but this is much better than the past series I read. Although, if the plot lines aren't decreased and some descriptions cut back which make it boring, I'll have to shelve reading the series unfortunately.
This book centers on our hero who was going to get out, but found himself in to go on and do more good than being on the front lines of this war they found themselves in. We get to learn more about our heroes family, his love, and his friends, which he's learning is starting to add up.
The plot and the main character along with some of the many (and I mean MANY) sub characters are good but there is only one main battle and it happens at the very end where it feels like a side add on to the story. The author goes on to do much description even when it doesn't add anything to the story line and once again it seems very long and drawn out story. The characters, which are reoccurring, you get to like, bond with and start to understand, but there are so many characters it gets very confusing.
There are more books in the series, but this is much better than the past series I read. Although, if the plot lines aren't decreased and some descriptions cut back which make it boring, I'll have to shelve reading the series unfortunately.
October 14, 2020
this isn't my first read through of the book, and while I do enjoy the story, there's a couple things I noticed this time. Griffin is ridiculously redundant and the editing is not great.
1)how many "Ernie's" does a series need? two Ed's?
2) is it possible to not "recap" a characters entire history twice in each book? (no other characters middle initial/name is used, so why is Jack Stecker's (sorry... NMI Stecker) every time he shows up?
editing:
at the end of Book One, Ken gets back to the Foster from the Phillipines (and wherever in between) on January 17. the first chunk of Book Two with Ken and Ernie take place on Jan 7-8.
2) Carlson specifically says he doesn't want married men. barely a couple chapters later, McCoy's new married with a kid on the way boatmate is a Raider.
Pretty sure there are other things.
good read. just some holes.
1)how many "Ernie's" does a series need? two Ed's?
2) is it possible to not "recap" a characters entire history twice in each book? (no other characters middle initial/name is used, so why is Jack Stecker's (sorry... NMI Stecker) every time he shows up?
editing:
at the end of Book One, Ken gets back to the Foster from the Phillipines (and wherever in between) on January 17. the first chunk of Book Two with Ken and Ernie take place on Jan 7-8.
2) Carlson specifically says he doesn't want married men. barely a couple chapters later, McCoy's new married with a kid on the way boatmate is a Raider.
Pretty sure there are other things.
good read. just some holes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2021
I spent the young adult years of my life as a Marine (3 active duty, 3 reserves), and was born two years before the Pearl Harbor attack; I followed the war through black & white newsreels from beginning to end while a child in Washington D.C. In this book, I enjoyed learning about Marine Corps activities in the immediate aftermath of Pearl Harbor. Licensed as an instrument, commercial pilot, I enjoyed the insight into flight training for Marines and the formation of the Raiders at that moment in history. I could relate to the characters and their activities and all seemed to fit the officers and enlisted I rubbed shoulders with. And most senior officers and noncoms during my stint were veterans of WWII. A half-dozen made an impact upon my character that lasts to this day, and virtually all are now deceased. So, if you like war stories and want to learn something you don't know about WWII, I highly recommend this book. I intend to read others by this author, spacing them among my diverse reading list because the novel was enjoyable. It did not take me five weeks to read it, for I now read six or more novels, usually in different genres, in rotation on my Kindle.
February 8, 2018
4.25 stars ~ So refreshing to go back through the older Griffin books ( The Corps series was launched in the 1980s). Those that lament the newer books (including me), basically written by Griffin Jr, really should start with this Marine Corp series and the Army series (Brotherhood of War). These series can be started with any book, as Griffin generally reiterates a lot of character background. That being said, I think you'd enjoy these and appreciate them more if you read them in order. The books are generally long, historic fiction in nature, and they can get somewhat technical(but not overly technical if you are interested in WW2+ military reads). The cast of characters are what make the stories enjoyable / entertaining and educational.
May 10, 2019
Interesting take on the Raiders
The most interesting part of this story was the controversy and action of the raiders. The rest of the story was a lot of fluff in my opinion. The setting up of the main character as this perfect specimen and the awkwardness of the romances and sexual activity was overboard for me.
The most interesting part of this story was the controversy and action of the raiders. The rest of the story was a lot of fluff in my opinion. The setting up of the main character as this perfect specimen and the awkwardness of the romances and sexual activity was overboard for me.
July 18, 2019
Where oh where is the war in these books? A lot of repetitive stuff in this book about McCoy and banning, pickerton and Zimmerman and nothing else. Talks about the raiders for some time and gets all technical about all the stuff that goes with making a raiders group. I hope counter attack has more action in it instead of this book.
December 17, 2020
Great military read!
W.E.B. Griffin knows how to write a military novel. I could not put this book down! The amount of details the author provides the best I have read! The story is unusual in that it is a story about military and while being trained before entering combat...but you will still be enamored with the story!
W.E.B. Griffin knows how to write a military novel. I could not put this book down! The amount of details the author provides the best I have read! The story is unusual in that it is a story about military and while being trained before entering combat...but you will still be enamored with the story!
January 28, 2021
Griffin just can't get his heroes into the action. They keep getting promoted and trained-- but this series isn't a battlefield series at all.. at least not in the first three volumes... Deals with military red tape and reorganizing things... Focuses entirely too much on sexual conquests... and far too little on actual fighting. See review on other titles in this series I have read.
Also-- there is a reference to John Wayne war movies in 1942... Well, he hadn't made those films yet.
Also-- there is a reference to John Wayne war movies in 1942... Well, he hadn't made those films yet.
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