Empire and Honor

Honor Bound, Book 7

By: W. E. B. Griffin, William E. Butterworth IV

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 19 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

October 1945: The Germans and Japanese have surrendered. For Cletus Frade and his colleagues in the OSS, it should be time to pack up - but they have far more important things to do.

Chief among them is the protection of their assets, especially the human ones. In the closing months of the war, the United States made a secret deal with the head of German intelligence’s Soviet section. In exchange for a treasure trove of intelligence - in particular the identity of the Soviet spies in the U.S. atomic bomb program - his people would be spirited to safety in Argentina. Only a handful of people know about it. If word got out, all hell would break loose, and the U.S. would lose some of its most valuable sources and secrets.

Meanwhile, in Argentina, a U-boat captain pops up out of the blue and surrenders his submarine and crew. And in the American Zone of Occupation in Germany, a young counterintelligence agent pursues an unusual assignment perhaps a little too vigorously. The consequences of both actions will affect not only Frade and company, but everything they’re working on.

Now things are really going to get complicated.

Filled with the special flair that Griffin’s fans have come to expect from him, Empire and Honor is another rousing adventure from one of our finest storytellers.

©2012 W. E. B. Griffin (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Griffin Is the Emperor of WWII Historical Fiction

Who was your favorite character and why?

Griffin generally introduces new characters in each book. Empire and Honor introduces Lt. Jimmy Cronley. Jimmy is the "little brother" of the lead character Cletus Frade. Griffin portrays Jimmy's strengths without making him a superhero. He also reveals Jimmy's weaknesses without making us dislike him. Well written and truly believable.

Any additional comments?

The Honor Bound Series is the best WWII series that Griffin writes and among the best of any authors. I really like this series because Griffin takes the reader to places in South America they would not normally go to. His books are detailed, the characters believable, and the story lines interesting.

Empire and Honor is an excellent addition to this series and kept me engrossed throughout. Many books start slowly and take time to get into the book storyline. Not with Griffin. This book gets the reader involved from the beginning and keeps them there. Each book in the series can be read as a stand-alone book. Griffin does an excellent job of bringing new readers up to the basics of prior character relationship and interaction. However, the full details of each character can be best understood and appreciated by reading the books in order.

So if you start with this book, enjoy. The storylines make for a fun read and Scott Brick always narrates an excellent listen. Once you finish this book, you will get even more by going back and working through each book in order. That will be time well spent and provide a better understanding of the effects of WWII on Argentina.

Looking forward to Book 8!!

What did you like best about this story?

We love Cletus! The whole series is terrific!

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Scott Brick is my favorite narrator.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes! Now I want to know what happens with the sub!

Griffin the master of military historical fiction

This is book seven in the honor bound series and the books keep up the high standard of Griffin. In this volume the stories moves from WWII ending and the beginning of the cold war. Griffin puts real people and their role and actions into the story to make it seem even more authentic. Peron and Evita make a greater appearance in this book than in the last book. The respect that Griffin has for Argentina come through in this series and I have learned more about Argentina because of it. I look up information mentioned in the story to see what is true and what is just the story. Griffin's description of the country and customs is throughout the series. The tension builds in the story as the cold war starts up and we add a new character , Cletus's friend from Texas, Jimmy, a Lt in CIC stationed in Germany. The story hangs at the end and we have to wait for the next book to continue the story. It is better to read the series in order but Griffin tries to make it a stand alone as much as possible for a series book.

Surprising Good Sequel

Where does Empire and Honor rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is near the top and that's a pretty good thing

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

As always it left things that needed answers, but then it's a series

Which character – as performed by Scott Brick – was your favorite?

He did a very nice job with all, Peron was nicely done

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

(don't fly for me Argentina?-just kidding) As the last world war ended a cold war began and in Argentina Cletus Frade calls on all his resources to try and stop Nazi's from selling uranium to the Soviets.

Any additional comments?

This is the best one in the series in a long while formula driven it picked back up a lot of loose threads from prior books, Peron is back in the picture in an almost believable plot twist. Cleatus however acts likes he's hungover the whole book, grumpy and over reacting.
Went a bit too far I thought, but his "little brother" is straight out of the mold and excellent.
I enjoy the series a great deal

Great book

A very interesting book. I had no idea all of this was going on. History buff must read.

A lot of gaps filled in

As usual I enjoyed the book by W. E. B. G. BUT this time I got really tired of the argumentative and childish tantrums of the main character. He is now a senior officer and by now should be displaying a lot more mature behavior. Let the guy grow up! It made the book irritating to listen to. This is the 1st time that I have given this anything besides 5 stars.

Good Story, bad performance

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, but they will have to suffer with Scott Bricks terrible reading

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

yes

What didn’t you like about Scott Brick’s performance?

He does not know how to pronounce words/places that are not native to the english language, plus his style is very irritating.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

no

Empire & Honor. Excellent

Love it. Can’t wait for the next one. The characters believable and the story very well lauded out.

Those who like the prior books will like this one

WW2 spy thriller with an Argentinian/OSS twist. Unusual take which works well. Read the first few novels first to get the best picture of what's going on.

Dropped the ball in the end.

Things went along just fine and toward the end, details were left out as if they were in a hurry to finish the book. Biggest disappointment was things were left hanging so you don't know if they rounded up the missing Nazis, married off Jimmy and Martin recovered and Peron was made president. Needs another book to complete the series.

On the other hand, Scott Brick is superior in creating vocal identities. Way to go Scott!