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Retreat, Hell!  By  cover art

Retreat, Hell!

By: W. E. B. Griffin
Narrated by: James Naughton
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Publisher's summary

It is the fall of 1950. The Marines have made a pivotal breakthrough at Inchon, but a roller coaster awaits them. The bit in his teeth, Douglas MacArthur surges across the 38th parallel toward the Yalu River, only to encounter the Chinese in full force, who drive him back in turn. Back and forth, the bloody tides of war shift, and swept along with them are Captain Ken McCoy and Master Gunner Ernie Zimmerman, caught in the fight of their lives; Brigadier General Fleming Pickering, working desperately to mediate the escalating battle between MacArthur and Truman; and Pickering's daredevil pilot son, Malcolm, lost somewhere behind enemy lines, and maybe lost forever.
©2004 W.E.B. Griffin (P)2004 Putnam Berkley Audio

Critic reviews

"The author has a knack for smoothly combining fact with fiction, giving his work a realistic veneer." (Booklist)
"Veterans of the series will enjoy finding old comrades caught up in fresh adventures, while new-guy readers can easily enter here and pick up the ongoing story." (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Retreat, Hell!

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Retreat Hell

I did not know that the book was abridged. WEB Griffin books need the extra verbage as he has many threads going in the background, which makes his stories ones that "you can't put down". Abridging his works ruins the story.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Retreat Hell

I have been a fan of Griffin for many years and maintain a vigil to watch for more editions. The characters have become family members for my son and I over the years. My only comment is that the book seemed to be a little shorter than previous editions with these characters. Griffin's style is create alot of detail during the first 70% of the book and rush towards conclusion. This is also true in this novel. Wonder how many he will turn out in his lifetime?

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Griffin is Gritty

The grit and gristle of combat comes home cleanly in Retreat Hell. Although Griffin has given up his American residence for the land of Argentina, he seems to remain committed to the ideals of the Marine Corps that gave him his start. This book includes a warm personal anecdote regarding one of the generals involved, and the characters we met in Griffin's earlier WWII sagas are back in fine form. The book is enjoyable and well-narrated.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

WEB Griffen

Any book on or about Marines passes muster with me. This is one of many books in a series, but could be read independently and one will still enjoy the basic military story. Easy listening without thought required. Highly recommended.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great powerful characters.

This is a great book and I love the characters WEB delivers. This is a must read for any young man or woman coming of age so they can believe in our country and the people behind the reasons we make war.
The story made me wish I had considered government service.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great

great factional fiction. a must read for every American. Take the time to read it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

If you could sum up Retreat, Hell! in three words, what would they be?

Fantastic, Suberb, Accurate

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ken McCoy. I just like him. He is honest and does his job to the best of his ability.

If you could take any character from Retreat, Hell! out to dinner, who would it be and why?

General Fleming Pickering Just listening to his storys about the Corps

Any additional comments?

I have not read or listened to anything that W.E.B. Griffin writes that I did not like. I do like some series better than others The Corps and Honor Bound are my favorites so far. I do like the Army one but have not started the collection by Audible yet. Want to finished the other two collections first.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I like Dick Hill & James Naughton for WEB Griffin

Would you listen to Retreat, Hell! again? Why?

I like the author and have read alll of his books. Prefer to listen after I have read so as to allow the performer to color what my imagination may have missed. A poor performer can and will ruin the best book.

What about James Naughton???s performance did you like?

Nuance and timing

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book

Just finished the great book. Couldn't hardly put the IPOD down. Have a second of W.E.B. Griffins. To Listen to soon i load it to the IPOD. Thanks for the Great Book. My Father And I Love them.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Story

I enjoyed the book, it seems well researched and tied in well with the actual events of the time. I did have a problem with two things, it seemed to end abruptly and I wanted it to go on a bit longer and the narrator kept pronouncing 10th corps as "EX" corps. Apparently, he's not familiar with Roman numerals.

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