Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 416 pages
- Published by: Jove December 1, 1993
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0515112690
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0515112696
-
Book Dimensions:
6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
- Weighs: 7 ounces
From Publishers Weekly
Set in 1942, the sixth book (following Line of Fire ) in Griffin's series about The Corps revolves around a war bond tour featuring Marine heroes of the Guadalcanal campaign. Series fans will recognize the central characters, among them Marine general and presidential troubleshooter Fleming Pickering, his fighter pilot son Pick, and movie mogul Homer Dillon, a Marine for the duration. Griffin has Marine Corps lore and trivia down pat, and he uses the bond-tour story line to convey the public-relations aspects of modern war. Essentially, however, the novel succeeds because the alcoholic and amorous exploits of its stateside heroes could be mink-lined wish fulfillment for the fantasies of the average soldier--most of the "close combat" here takes place in various bedrooms.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
An epic novel of
World War II--and the brave men and women who lived through it.
Reader ReviewsIn this,the sixth volume of The Corps series,Griffin seems to have all of his characters introduced and is now starting to utilise them in some action. The novel picks up at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal with Billy Dunn and VMF-229. The Marines are hanging on to the field (and the island) by a thread. After several battles in which the Japanese are soundly defeated,our heroes (Dunn , Jake Dillon , McCoy,Zimmerman,and "the Easterbunny") are all returned to the States. We see an expansion of Jake Dillon's role as the tour director for a War Bond tour featuring the Guadalcanal Aces and Ken McCoy's idiot brother Tommy. The novel introduces the Guerrilla potential of Wendell Fertig on Mindinao and also the problem of the Gobi desert weather station required by the Navy and sets up the next two novels in the series,which I happen to like better than this particular episode. I gave this particular installment 4 stars based on the character development of many of the minor characters in the series. Griffin really brings people to life--I feel as though I KNOW some of these individuals in real life. I do get a bit bored at times with "Pick" Pickering's poor little rich boy behavior,and some of the Scotch guzzling scenes get on my nerves. In spite of these few warts,I really enjoy these books as much as any I have read. Perhaps if Griffin had given us a little more firsthand smell of gunpowder and sped things up a little more I would have rated the book 5 stars. Overall highly recommended!
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