Under Fire (Corps) [Paperback]

W.E.B. Griffin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Corps | Publication Date: December 31, 2002

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

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 736 pages
• Publisher: Jove (December 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515134376
• ISBN-13: 978-0515134377
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 3.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (83 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Military > General
  • #52 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > War

More About the Author

W.E.B. Griffin is the author of more than thirty epic novels in five series, all of which have been listed on The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly and other best-seller lists. More than forty million of his 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 counter-intelligence 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 is a member of the Special Operations Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Army Aviation Association, and the Armor Association. 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. He is the co-founder, with historian Colonel Carlo D'Este, of the William E. Colby Seminar on Intelligence, Military, and Diplomatic Affairs. 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect member of the Corps Series--But fire the publisher, February 8, 2002

By 

Glenn B. Knight - See all my reviews

This review is from: Under Fire (Hardcover)

Whenever a new volume in "The Corps" series is published my life is on hold until I finish reading it. I'm hooked and all of the characters are friends of mine or are people I really dislike. Griffin takes me, holding my hand all the way, to that segment of time when our Marine heroes are saving the world from (fill in the blank) and having fun in the process. This version fit the style and tone perfectly and was oh so well worth my time. But I have one serious complaint--apparently no one at the publishing house read this book before sending it to me. Beginning in the first chapter where our hero Captain (Former Major) "Killer" McCoy is repeatedly identified as Corporal McCoy there were just too many errors and typos. I have read rough drafts with fewer words left out of sentences and fewer factual errors (Factual errors of the kind that show up in early drafts and are dressed up in the final product--these were never identified). The author got it right but the editors at the publishing house must have been on vacation. I am distressed, disturbed and find myself in disharmony--the publisher owes me an apology for the lack of professionalism they exhibit in this product. Mr. W. E. B. FIRE YOUR PUBLISHER!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What happened to WW2?, January 15, 2002

By 

Tom Bellohusen (Westmoreland NH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Under Fire (Hardcover)

I'd be happy to give this book 5 stars if it weren't for one thing. It leaves to many unanswered questions for devotees (and I'm a hardcore fan)of the series. How did McCoy and Pick get out of the Gobi desert? What happened to Jack (NMI) Stecker?
Why hasn't the Corps. sent McCoy through college? Where's Charlie Galloway? The questions go on and on. I think the author has skipped a book, and I hope he addresses some of these questions in the next installment. I also hope we don't have to wait another 4 years til it comes out. As for what we do get in this book, it is as compelling a read as the rest of the series. You'd best catch up on your sleep before bringing it home, because it takes 2 days to read, and you can't put it down til the last page.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars W.E.B. Griffin has done it again, January 14, 2002

By 

Ed Evanhoe (Antlers, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Under Fire (Hardcover)

UNDER FIRE, the 9th book of W.E.B. Griffin's "Corps" series, moves from World War II to the prelude and opening days of the Korean War. As in previous "Corps" and "Brotherhood of War" novels, Griffin uses actual historical events as background while skillfully putting his characters into the action.

In UNDER FIRE, he uses the intelligence failure that allowed the North Koreans to mount a surprise attack, and the sad state of our military at that time, as the opening, following with an excellent description of the mauling our troops received during the early days of that war, finishing by using a highly fictionalized account of a little known, but highly successful special operation to clear the Inchon Approach Islands of North Korean troops prior to the Inchon Landing. To this end, Griffin uses many of his characters from previous "Corps" novels -- Ken McCoy, Ernie Zimmerman, Fleming Pickering and his daredevil son, "Pick" Pickering, and others.

Overall, UNDER FIRE is a "page turner" that offers insight, via Griffin's well developed military fiction writing style, into the beginnings of the Korean War and Korean War special operations.