Customer Reviews

By Order of the President [With Earbuds] (Playaway Adult Fiction)

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

WEB Griffin does it again with this great new series set in modern times. If you have not read other WEB Griffin books, it is important to understand that his military readers treat his books like military history, instead of military fiction. Until now, most of his military books have dealt with WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.

This new series displays his knowledge of the modern military. BY ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT continues the Griffin mode of only writing 5 star books. It deals with all new heroes from Special Forces, other military, and Homeland Security. This new series has all new good guys, some of whom we recognize, and all new bad guys. Carlos Castillo and his friends are modern heroes, fighting international enemies. Be sure you read the dates on the chapter headings, or you will think that Griffin is changing military history, instead of just providing "flashback" background information.

The military community waits restlessly for each new Griffin book, wishing that he would write more than one a year. But don't despair, he already has 9 books each in his Army and Marine Corps series, and 7 in his two series about the OSS. There is also an excellent Police series. They are all worth re-reading each time a new book comes out in the series. This is the only author whose books I re-read on a regular basis.

WEB Griffin is truly the dean of American Military story tellers, because he makes you live the experience, and has wonderful inside stories, that are only shared by military people with their friends. If you really want to know about how good our military guys are, you need to read all his books, but each one is a pleasure to read on its own.

Web, I liked this one, if you're reading this, PLEASE finish one of your other series first. There are plenty of other people who can handle the Special Forces novels.

I waited almost 15 years for the "last" Brotherhood of War novel. I've read and reread my copies of that until the things fell apart, not to mention the copies my squad leader in Korea never returned.

You couldn't even finish WWII with the cast of the Corps, and instead skipped to Korea. For God's sake, does Charley Galloway marry Catherine, and what the hell does Weston do about his love life problems without having Pick Pickering kill him for nailing Martha?

I've been waiting for a fifth in the OSS series for a few years now.

We don't know if von Wachstein makes it back from Uruguay alive in the Blood and Honor series.

Finish something else first!!!!

All of us Griffin fans have put up with a lot over the years while enjoying the bottom line: the characters and the story. We suffer through much of the following in each series: a fifth of each book rehashs previous books; suffer through the fact that apparently a tenth of the American officer corps is wealthy or from old main-line families; suffer through little inaccuracies; and we have to wait up to a year before the next novel comes out - although he does not appear to have finished a series since B.O.W. The series have, however, become formulaic - one could change McCoy's or Frade's insignia and they could be dropped into any of the other series without any real disruption.

The latest, `By Order of the President' is so full of factual errors and apparent editing mistakes that I can not recommend it in good conscience. I really get the impression that Griffin is taking advantage of his readers. The myriad of mistakes makes it hard to read, particularly for those of us who are professional Soldiers and in the intelligence business.

On page 67, DTG is `1545, 7 March 1981'. The next subchapter DTG is `0740, 7 March 1981', eight hours earlier. Oops. The editing errors continue throughout the book.

The real mistakes are hard to believe. He has the Commander, 11 ACR worried about Soviet T-34 tanks coming through the Fulda gap in 1981! I seem to remember being worried about T-63s, T-64s, and such. Page 72 refers to a `Baker Troop', yet the US Army had not used that phonetic term since WWII. Griffin appears to be confusing old Marine terminology with the modern Army. On page 73, a photo caption from the regimental newspaper of 1969 refers to a character as a `WOJG'. In 1969, we had had the numbered Warrant Officer ranks of today for some time. It gets worse - he has a character using a cell phone in 1981, for God's sakes! Later he refers to Warrant Officers as `CWO-3' and `CWO-4' - which are how the Navy/USMC refers to their Warrants. Towards the end of the book he mentions how a `CWO-5' is paid almost as much as a Colonel. The most current Army pay chart shows the difference between the most senior CW5 and a junior COL at almost 2000 dollars a month - in favor of the Colonel; a little more than `almost'!

Page 117: Castillo is on the promotable list for LTC, and that he goes to the bottom of the list to be promoted only if `...some Special Forces LTC retires, or gets dead or promoted...". What crap - the US Army promotion policy has not reflected that system since the 1930s.

Page 121: the story segment is taking place in January 1991, and Griffin refers to the `Boeing AH-64B'. I seem to remember that in 1991, they were still McDonald-Douglas produced, and we were flying the AH64A model.

Throughout the book, he has modern military characters referring to people as `sonofabitches'. Not since the early '60s have Soldiers used that as a negative descriptor. We tend to use the word that starts with `mother' and ends with something else.

He constantly has Soldiers referred to, or using, only their initials for their first and middle names. That's a USMC thing. In the Army, we use full first name, middle initial, and last name. There are a few exceptions to the initials rule, but it tends to be Soldiers like LTC H.R. McMaster - and when you are a war hero, you can pretty much do as you please.

He mentions the `2303d Civil Government Detachment' - we do not have any organizations like that - even if they are used as cover. I think he meant to say the `2303d Civil Affairs Detachment'. Another left over WWII / 1950s term.

He mentions the `Counterintelligence Corps' - we do not have a separate CI Corps anymore, and no one uses that to describe the CI forces we do have.

He talks about General Officers having `...one solid stripe down the seam of their trousers...". On the Army Green uniform (Class A's), US Army Generals have a double stripe down their seam, the rest of us have a single stripe.

He talks about XVIII Airborne Corps Soldiers wearing black berets, and implies that there are only two colors of berets in the Army - back and green! I think that if you go to Fort Bragg, you will see a whole lot of maroon berets being worn by paratroopers, and then in Ranger Battalions, you will see a lot of tan berets. No to mention, the obvious errors like having Soldiers stationed at Bragg wearing desert BDUs all the time on Post. And someone needs to tell Griffin that no one in SOC calls '1st SFOD-A' the `Delta Force' - that's the movies. Professionals call it just `Delta'.

And since when are the people of Somalia described as `Somalians'. My spell checker does not even recognize it as a word. When we were not using other terms like `skinnies', we called them `Somalis' as does the National Geographic. What would Griffin call Afghans, "Afghanians"?

It goes on and on throughout this book - glaring mistakes about military life and operations. For an author who is touted as being able to describe what it is like as a Soldier like no one else, he needs to go back to Army 101 and see how we live now - not in the 1940s/50s - all must be based on Griffin's service in the '40s and `50s. And last, but certainly not least - the whole premise of the Castillo character is just plain silly. To think that a Major in the US Army has the ear of the President and regularly orders General Officers around like Charlie does is stretching the basic WEB format a bit too much.

I wanted to enjoy `By Order of the President', but every other page in my copy is marked up with red pen marks as I highlighted mistakes and inaccuracies. Could have been another great guilty-pleasure read by Griffin, but ...... Not this time! Very disappointing.

WEB Griffin books have a habit of causing me problems. I like them too much. When I start one, I tend to get very little else done until it is finished. Unfortunately, this latest offering has the same property and they always seem to come at inconvenient times like during exams, or when a major project is coming due. It's worth the price.

This is the first book of a new series. Instead of reaching back into history, it tackles real issues now. It does so with all of the traits that have come to be expected of Griffin's books. These trait have rightfully been condemned as formulaic but, in this case, the formula works.

The focus of the book is the war or terrorism. This is a much more difficult war to portray than the second world war, Korea or Vietnam. Its nature is such that the role of intelligence and the lack of intelligence are even more problematic than normal. This gives an even greater opportunity for Griffin to write about the special operations types he obviously loves. It also provides an opportunity for his to take a critical and sometimes scathing look at the cultures of the communities who gather, process and disemminate that intelligence.

As is to be expected in a Griffin Book, the protagonist is the wealthy playboy type. This device is used so often by him that it would be laughable were it not for the fact that it works and works well.

Another characteristic of his work is here in full force as well. It is certainly not politically correct. Griffin pull no punches in defference to race, national origin or religion. He calls them as he sees them and is likely to offend some people. The same people who are offended, however, miss the fact that he is also very respectful of those from other races, nations and cultures. The key to his treatment of people is how they behave and not the color of their skin of nation of origin. Are they honorable? (by Griffin's standards)

I hope that this is just a taste of things to come. I look forward to seeing more of Castillo and seeing the bad guys lose.

I've read most of Griffin's stuff. I find his books interesting, particularly if I presume he gets the details of cultures, and lands, and so forth right.
I do object to the permanent technique of having one of the main characters be rich as a three-armed King Midas.
Having bags, buckets, and trucks of money usually allows the characters to skip annoying practical issues.
Need a plane? Write a check for one.
Get a room in wartime DC? Hell, your old man owns the best hotel in town. No more hotbunking in a phone booth.
Need a drink? There's a case of Famous Grouse in the corner.
How about a woman? The next one you meet will fall irretrievably in love with you, taking off her panties while giving you her last name.
Nobody lives in a Motel 8, watching basic cable and wondering how he's going to stretch his per diem to the end of the month.
Now, something has to be done to get Our Heroes from one important place to another. In the old romance novels where the hero sees all at Waterloo, he must be a staff officer, required to ride to wherever what's happening is happening. He's never a battery commander who sees only smoke and shapeless forms in the smoke and doesn't know if the battle is lost or won for about two more days.
Griffin has the same problem, but makes far too much use of wealth and friends who can give each other promotions or orders from, say, training new recruits to snooping and pooping in darkest Africa.
Still, if you like whiskey, and sit up late with a Griffin book, you'll have a terrific read.
It's fun, but it's not serious.

I have read all of Griffin's books and agree with another reviewer that we all want to see more novels in the Marine Corps and Badge of Honor series. Still, this is a new character and sounds like the first of a new series. Castillo could be the son of Cletus Frade or related to Ilse Lowell. Griffin has melded several of his themes in this new novel. The action is fast and the technology rings true. The FBI Academy bookstore has all the Badge of Honor series on sale. The New York Times published a supercilious review of this book by someone who has obviously never read another WEB Griffin novel. There are plenty of fans around for the other books and this will sell quickly. It is a combination of military and police work. The characters are all new but the skills are still there. Let's hope Butterworth (Griffin) keeps his health and keeps writing. he hasn't lost his talent.

I have read all the books written by W.E.B. Griffin and some of them more than once. This latest offering is very good and a must read for Mr.Griffin's fans. All the usual ingredients are there. However, as a commercial pilot, I regret the frequent inaccuracies in the air traffic control language and other aviation related descriptions used. This being said, the book is very good and difficult to put down.
We are all waiting for a second in this new series and one more in all the others! I miss the old friends of the previous series!

Having never read Griffin before, I was looking forward to a thrilling story. Unfortunately, this book is plagued with a ridiculous plot (acknowledged throughout the book by several characters), shallow characters, and an ending that we all expected.

Griffin is clearly familiar with his material, but he seems entranced by the idea of constructing a terrorist plot that is so outlandish that no one will believe it--and therefore maybe it will be carried out? The plot is dragged reluctantly along by characters who would rather gesture than speak. Griffin's military characters are constantly being described as making this gesture or that gesture. The reader comes away wishing someone would speak up and tell them to keep their hands to themselves.

He also spends a surprising number of pages giving us a laborious introduction to the story's hero, Charley Castillo. Given the depth of the background, you would expect the reader to be intrigued by Charley. But Charley is so shallow--and his actions so unbelieveable--that I found myself looking for someone more interesting in the story. Alas, no one is to be found. All the characters are given lengthy introductions that are only an inch deep. At times I found myself wishing the terror plot might succeed in order to spare others from having to ever read of them again.

Equally as disappointing is the ending. By this time in the novel, the reader can predict exactly what is going to happen. There are no surprises; indeed, there is nothing at all exciting about the ending of this novel. The good guys win; the bad guys lose. What Griffin obviously plans to be clever twists even end up being predictable.

If you're looking for good bedtime reading, however, this may be your book. It's got all the makings for a good night's sleep.

I enjoyed the author's "The Corps" series and thought I would give this one a try. I was very disappointed. One of the things that make a book like this work, at least for me, is confidence that the author has done his homework. In this case that means he has done some research on the military, intelligence community and foreign policy organizations. I was shocked right off the bat when Griffin got almost all the military organization facts wrong. First Angola isn't in CENTCOM's territory it's in EUCOM's. There is no Far East Command (at least since circa 1955) it's Pacific Command, Alaska Command is a subcommand of Pacific Command not a regional command. All this and more on page 26. The CIA sub regional chief (what's that?) for Southwest Africa works for Forbes. OK lets say your an expat or local government official in Angola, Namibia or Zambia and someone gets off the plane from Forbes magazine. What is your first thought?? It's Probably, what in God's name is someone from Forbes doing in Angola (Zambia/Botswana/Namibia). How many articles a decade does Forbes write on Namibia?? That's what I call good, common sense, low key cover for the Agency. An Army Major gets shifted from SOF to COS Luanda, yep happens all the time. In fact it doesn't happen, I doubt that it's ever happened. The COS is black, and as the author knows all black people look alike. As a result the COS/Military Attache can go to the airport wearing an old black suit and get away with pretending to be a local driver. The MILATT probably goes to the airport on official business several times a week and knows the management and security personnel on sight and they know him. Putting on a black suit wouldn't help. Our hero checks into a Luanda hotel using his authentic German identity. This is actually a good ploy. Then the author ruins it by having our boy wonder immediately start sending e-mails to contacts in the states. Of course he uses a clever open code along the lines of "tell uncle Bill that aunt Martha will have the package for him". Even the Angolans would figure out he's using an open code in about 30 seconds; even if they didn't know what it meant. Thus making our boy wonder someone of interest to local security. I could go on and on. I am not saying you have to be a National Security Council staffer to write an international thriller but it would be nice if the author spent an hour on the web researching his topic.

Yes, Griffin uses his typical devices to tell his story, but the book is still a pleasurable story to read.

What is NOT so pleasurable, is the huge number of editing and proofreading errors. Much of this book seems to have been sent to an offshore editing and proofreading concern. There are so many
spelling, gramatical, and typographical errors, that I was distracted from enjoying the story. I eventually (after reading the book 8 times) was able to digest the story and enjoy it.

Despite Griffin's formulaic devices, and despite his heavy use of poetic license ... a 3 star general greased up and carrying a weapon on a Delta Force mission is just not believable ... the story is engaging, and Griffin's respect and admiration for the military and it's growth into the 21st century is laudable.

The publisher needs to show the same respect and admiration for the folks who fork over hard cash expecting a high quality product in Griffin's genre.

The publisher needs to invest in a 6 Sigma program. The publisher fails to show the proper respect for the author and his readers. I hope the publisher reads the reviews shared here, because it can only lead to a better product.