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Summary and Reviews of Under Fire by W.E.B. Griffin

Under Fire by W.E.B. Griffin

Under Fire

A Corps Novels

by W.E.B. Griffin
  • Critics' Consensus (2):
  • Readers' Rating (9):
  • First Published:
  • Jan 1, 2002, 544 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jan 2003, 736 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

Griffin leaves World War II behind and thrusts his readers deep into the heart of the Korean War.

Through eight books, Griffin's bestselling chronicle of the Marine Corps has proven itself to be one of the country's most enduring and popular series. Now Griffin leaves World War II behind and thrusts his readers deep into the heart of the Korean War.

June 1, 1950: Captain Ken McCoy's report on probable North Korean hostilities meets with so much bureaucratic displeasure that not only is it promptly suppressed, but McCoy himself is kicked out of the Corps. At least two outfits, however, are not impressed by such infighting: the fledgling CIA, which promptly hires McCoy; and the North Koreans, who on June 25th invade across the 38th parallel. Immediately, veterans scattered throughout military and civilian life are called up, many with only seventy-two hours' notice. Fleming Pickering and his daredevil son Malcolm, Ed Banning, George Hart, Jack Stecker, Jake Dillon, Ernie Zimmerman for them, and their sweethearts and wives, names such as Inchon, Pusan, and the Choisin Reservoir will acquire a new, bloody reality, and Korea will become not only a new battlefield . . . but their greatest challenge of all.

Filled with the crackling realism, adventure, and rich characters that are his hallmarks, Under Fire is further proof, as Tom Clancy says, that "W. E. B. Griffin is a storyteller in the grand tradition."

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Reviews

Media Reviews

Kirkus Reviews
The ninth paean to Griffin's Marine Corps (Behind the Lines, 1996) makes for a whopping 32 blockbusters on his shelf the Honor Bound, Brotherhood of War, Badge of Honor, and Men at War series.

Publishers Weekly
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.

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