Battleground

 

Battleground – W.E.B. Griffin

The multiple W.E.B. Griffin series of books are a bit odd.  What I mean by that is that I mostly enjoy them yet I really can’t put my finger on exactly why.  This particular book is Book 4 of a 10 book series titled “The Corps”.  I’ve also read a 9 book series by the author titled “The Brotherhood of War”.  By the titles, you would be correct in assuming these are military books, yet there really is very little “war” in these books. Nor is there really much of a story.  You would think that military books that don’t have much of a story nor battle action wouldn’t hold much appeal. Strangely though, these books tend to hold the reader’s interest.

This series of books revolve around several soldiers in the Marine Corps during World War II.  This particular book takes place before and during the battle of Guadalcanal.  Again, though, very little fighting or descriptions of the actual battle are included.  Instead, author W.E.B. Griffin focuses on the intricacies and politics that exist in the American armed services.  We learn an awful lot about how soldiers interact and the expectations around military protocol and just what all is involved when one is in the Marine Corps during the World War.  We read telexes, top secret documents, and are privy to conversations with Secretary Knox and General MacArthur among others, and get a strong feel of what life is like in between the battles.

This book (which picks up where Book 3 leaves off) leads up to Guadalcanal.  The U.S. Military is still licking its wounds from the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, and the political brass is scrambling to decide the next plan of action.  Again, not much about Guadalcanal itself, yet we do get to meet several soldiers that somehow will play a role in the conflict. Some soldiers we’ve met in earlier books, some we’re meeting for the first time.  Sadly, I have a hard time keeping track of who is who from the past books, yet Griffin does a good job reminding his readers of the necessary background so we can keep up.

Of course, when you’re telling a story about soldiers a long way from home, there’s an awful lot of sex in these books as well.  An awful lot.  I mean – really an awful lot.  This is actually a strike against the series for me.  It seems a bit far-fetched that every time a nurse, a secretary, a WAC, or someone’s sister is introduced in the story, it’s only a matter of a few pages before she’s in bed with one of the soldiers with a torqued up libido. Perhaps I’m naïve from watching too many old movies that were heavily into censoring what respectable young women are supposed to be like, but according to Griffin, every woman in his books will eventually be buried in a Y-shaped coffin.  It’s a bit much. I guess you could make the argument that such encounters are more fun to read about than a detailed military strategy of an amphibious landing of a small island in the Pacific. As I said, I DID enjoy the book, so go figure.

Critics argue that these books by Griffin are more of a military soap opera than they are a good, realistic story, and those critics have a fair point.  Like many others, though, I actually find a lot in these books to enjoy.  So give the author credit for a unique idea.  I really don’t know any author that is so successful at these type of adventures where such little adventure actually happens.  Outside the bedroom that is.