Call to Arms

The Corps, Book 2

By: W. E. B. Griffin

Narrated by: Dick Hill

Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

The attack on Pearl Harbor swept America into the raging heart of the war. The stormy South Pacific presented a daring new challenge, and the men of the Corps were ready to fight. An elite fraternity united by a glorious tradition of courage and honor, the Marine Raiders were bound to a triumphant destiny....

©2008 W.E.B. Griffin (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“For some of us, reading The Corps series is like eating popcorn at the movies: you can never eat just one kernel, and you can never get enough. Griffin captures the smell of the smoke of battle as vividly as if one were on the beach at Guadalcanal.” ( The Philadelphia Inquirer)

“This man has really done his homework.... I confess to impatiently awaiting the appearance of succeeding books in the series.” ( The Washington Post)

Character Study in World War II Setting

Would you consider the audio edition of Call to Arms to be better than the print version?

Yes, the difference between what a character thinks rather than speaks is better in the audio version

Who was your favorite character and why?

Kevin McCoy - over coming obstacles

Which character – as performed by Dick Hill – was your favorite?

Kevin McCoy

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

No

Guns and sex you can't beat it

Plot and intertwining of characters along with facts mixed with fiction, all add up to great listening entertainment as you roll down the highway.

Oohrah!!

I thoroughly enjoyed the book having read it many years ago, and I enjoying it again listen it on audible

Review yon needed

Great book still entertaining. If you want a longer review I expect compensation. It that or stop telling me how to do my reviews.

The way the story is told.

I have enjoyed everything about his books. I will continue to buy everything he writes.

The USMC Goes to War against Japan, and Itself

One of the things that stands out in my mind about Griffin's writing, and The Corps in particular, is how he writes about the institution as a sum of its parts, made greater or lesser by the situation and how those parts interact. I did not read this installment until it made its way onto Audible, due to an inability to find it sooner. But nowhere else is the above assertion more clearly seen than in this account about how the USMC struggled to cope with the shock of Pearl Harbor and the need to hit back.

From the moment war is declared, Griffin's characters are witness to the efforts of the marines to prepare for the impending Pacific War. Pilots are being rushed through training; new units are being assembled; and perhaps most dramatic, new ways of fighting are being proposed. And here, the centerpiece of the novel, the marines' internal conflict over the Marine Raiders, as both a viable combat doctrine and a serious political threat to the existence of a postwar corps comes to light.

Occurring as it does at a time and in places where action is light, this book for the most part is an establishing point for the cast that the reader will follow through the series, in marine aviation and the shadowy world of the corps's own covert operations. There is much space given over to the personal lives of the characters and their own personal conflicts, ranging from a pilot's infatuation with another pilot's widow, to a marine officer's dealing with an inexplicable loss of sight, to an intelligence officer's misgivings at being instructed to spy on a superior. The raiders' trial by fire is almost a postscript to the individual dramas that lead up to it.

It's quite an engaging war story, considering how little shooting actually goes on. It's a story as the name suggests, about the corps, told in the often irreverent, humorous, occasionally dark, sort of way, that evokes the tone of the sort of larger than life tale you could expect to be told you by someone spinning it as they go. This impression is helped greatly by Dick Hill's narration; one could easily imagine him, telling the individual tales as though they were his own, or recounted from someone who was there, with a "so there I/he/she was..." grandeur, and maybe a wink.

It is well worth a listen if you're familar with the series, but have either not read its beginnings or have forgotten and contemplate a reacquaintance. If you're new to the series, it is worth starting with Semper Fi, especially given the rather modest member pricing. I can't wait for the third book's release.

Excellent Series, but where's the rest?

What did you love best about Call to Arms?

It is just an excellent book and series. It has given me much more appreciation for what the military does to keep us safe. The book moves along quickly with a great plot and always keeps you wanting more. A lot of authors seem to get last towards the end if a story and don't do a very good job of creating closure. W.E.B. Griffin on the other hand, does an excellent job of finishing what he starts.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I really like Pic Pickering (not sure of the spelling) as an aviator myself, it has been very interesting following his path to aviation.

Any additional comments?

It would be very nice to see the series continued. It seems to be well liked and popular. I for one would like to get the rest of the series.

WEB Griffen

being an Army Vet. I absolutely am fascinated by these books. I first started with the brotherhood of war series and being a former aviator enjoyed it more. If you want to read books and like me dont have time then listen to these good stuff.

I've these stories

I love all of W EB Griffin stories they have quite a bit of military garble in them but they have great background stories for those of us who just like a good story

A truely outstanding series of fictional history.

The characters are all well developed. The story brings you into the history of WWII.