Semper Fi: Book One in The Corps Series

My brother in law is a retired US Marine Lt Colonel. I remember his mother, my mother in law, reading this series and loving it. Maybe that is why it took me 20 years to try it! I knew it to be accurate, but never imagined it to be as entertaining and addicting as it is.

The main character is a reluctant hero who has killed in pre-war China out of self defense and self preservation. He is a humble man, barely out of high school, yet with a talent for languages and a raw knack for espionage.

My daughter married a young man who discovered he had a peculiar talent in languages while in seminary. He had gone through college never knowing his ability, so Griffin's hero is not so far fetched after all.

Griffin introduces us to the Corps through men and women most of us can identify with. There is intrigue, romance, action and a realism that comes from his own experiences and is still historically accurate.

Dick Hill is masterful. I have not always been happy with his narration, but in this book he is fantastic.

I am really glad i purchased this book!

keep wanting more

the development of key characters through an entire generation; a perfect blend of military history, politics, and the inner workings of what the US Military once was

the right guy for the right book

On the rifle qualification when Captain Stecker dropped next to McCoy and there was a understood respect between two professional.

To read/listen to only this book in the series is just wrong, I have read this series so many times I can't remember, each time is as fresh as the first. Now that my eyes are not so good, listening has just made it better. Please record the remaining series in this and the Brotherhood of Arms, both great perspectives on a lost generation of the military professionals and a well developed story line.

There is no doubt in my mind that I first picked up this series when I was way too young, impressionable minds and all. So it shouldn't be surprising that it indeed left a fairly big impression. While I was still first learning about some of the events covered in this series, I was enjoying this colorful take on the men who made up the corps, which played such an instrumental part in the triumphs and tragedies of the Pacific War. The most notable thing I think I took away from the series then, was a more skeptical view of institutional figures like Douglas MacArthur, and a whimsical appreciation for the accidents of fate that come together to create the history we take for granted. Not bad for a series that according to Wikipedia, can't even settle on the given names of some of its recurring characters, right?

The great shame, so many years ago, was that I could never find audio versions, unabridged or otherwise, of the first two books. And now, here they are, and dirt cheap in audiobook terms at least. And read by Dick Hill no less! The great thing about W.E.B. Griffin is that by all accounts, he wrote about things he'd experienced or people he knew well had gone through, so these books have the feel of a good, larger than life war story, the "let me tell you about the time I..." kind, a sort we're not likely to see many more of any time soon.

Reading this book for the first time, I was taken with some of the details; how the US and other allies coexisted with Axis forces in China in 1941, how much of the military establishment remained absolutely convinced of the ineptness of Japanese soldiery, and the brutality and corruption present in the armed forces. You can also get a hint at the strength of the organization which saw a war coming and strove to prepare, reaching into the enlisted ranks and out to the unlikeliest civilian recruits to find officers with the skills necessary to win. It's a lively tale worth revisiting, and certainly a rather painless try at this unbeatable price. I had thought Audible was planning to release the series at a steady pace, but it appears that is not to be, I hope to see the next one out soon.

This is one of W E B Griffin's best. I immediately downloaded Book 2 in the series and requested that Audible get Books 3 thru 6 ASAP. Griffin weaves fictional characters with historical figures and events to tell a great story.

Some of Griffin's other books on the OAS.

Dick Hill does a great job with these books. It makes me think that he may have been in the Corps at one time. I've listened to the John Rain series by Barry Eisler and the Reacher series by Lee Child.

This performance is 5 stars start to finish.

Get the full series on Audible ASAP.

This s an interesting story that flows smoothly. Easy to follow and leaves one wondering what will happen next. It builds the characters personalities well.

The beginning drags a little. It needs more action or controversy. A run-in with the Italian leadership would have been good at this point. My biggest disappointment is how the book wraps up. There is too much missing after McCoy gets to the Philippines. How did he make it out? What about the trip back to the US and DC. What was Ernie doming while waiting/worrying if he had been killed. A post Pearl Harbor chapter about Pickering's activities is needed. It seems like two or three chapters are missing from the end of the book.

McCoy the main character and the most interesting. Pickering seemed much different in this earlier book than in the later ones. Everyone will find Stecker interesting although he is a small part of Semper Fi.

Dick Hill does an excellent job. At a few points, a bit more energy would be nice, but overall it was better than most.

Nice but incomplete

yes, I guess so, since without reading the other books of the series you get an unfinished history.

He's a very good narrator

No. But the Pearl Harbor and Philippines parts are very interesting

I really subject matter of the Corps series, I Have folloewd Ken McCoy's career in the Corps and all of the other characters. I enjoy the closeness of the historical facts tha are incorporated in WEB Griffin's books. along with the stories.

The plot kept me interested. I have read the books numerous times and have them on DVD. I have been waiting to get them on my iPod for a long time. I am glad that they are finally available. These books are like good friends coming to visit and spening a couple of days with me.

Out of other Narrators I have listened to including W. E. B Griffin and other authors, I really appreciate listinging to Dick Hill. I have read all the series of Griffin many times and have them memorized more or less. Dick Hill makes them really enjoyable, the only eay they would be better if there was a woman doing the woman parts.

If I had the available time. I can not listen while I m at work, but I am an avid listener when I am driving or working out.

Great characters and compelling story lines that carry through a whole series.

Enjoyed the early portion of the

Great reader. Talks like the GIs I remember.

I have listened to the first three books in this series. They are primarily centered around the love lives and political intrigues of Marines at every level of service. While it is true that Griffin is a good story teller, do not expect a lot of the type of human drama associated with operations or battles. The first three books are primarily concerned with the preparations for war in the Pacific Theater, with far too much emphasis on several characters (Marines) that spend most of their time five star hotels drinking expensive booze and cavorting with buxom girls. These are not stories about Marines hitting a beach or taking an enemy-held position, they're about Corps politics. I suggest another venue if you are looking for a deeper understanding of battle, courage and confronting a well-entrenched enemy. However, if you like a good "soap," these books will be enjoyable to you.

W.E.B. Griffin would have you believe that nothing ever happened in the history of the Corps without the inclusion of a good humping. This may be his fantasy of the Corps but it demeans and belittles the men and women who have served with distinction. As a Marine in a family of Marines, I wanted this to be good. The first few chapters killed that hope. The glory of the Corps in WWII will never fade away. This book should and has.