Warning of War: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A great story but with a few holes
Review: ***WARNING - Nitpicking Plot points ***

Again James Brady gives us a great story about Marines in action against unbelievable odds. Again, his book will probably disappoint military history buffs due to bad editing.

Though I loved the story of Captain Port and his ad-hoc group struggling to get out of China, as a military history buff, I couldn't get past some of the glaring inaccuracies.

Marine Officers' swords have never been strong enough to behead a man with one chop.

Marine Infantry units didn't carry flamethrowers until well into 1943.

Even fanatical 1st Sergeants will set aside uniform regulations to take care of their Marines.

His intercepted radio reports talked about things happening in the weeks following Pearl Harbor that didn't really occur until well into 1942.

Am I nitpicking? Probably. But if you're going to write a piece of historical fiction, then its crucial to get the facts straight. Even though its a great story, it lacks credibility because of these holes. I enjoyed reading it except when these errors popped up.

Great story for people who want to root on the good guys. Not so good for military history buffs. Try reading the first novel in "The Corps" series by WEB Griffin instead.

Rating:
Summary: No Guns of Autumn
Review: I was disappointed in this book. The story is of a detachment of Marines getting themselves and any other Marines they can get to join them out of China after war with Japan breaks out.

Since there is nothing from the author about how much of this tale is true, I am assuming that much of it is fiction and thus the lower grade. Along with the Marines come fortuitous stragglers including a paleontologist who seemingly knows every inch of Mongolia - as well as the language There is also a White Russian prince who aids and abets the detachment when they get to Russia as well as teaching the Marines the handy dandy Molotov cocktail when it happens to be the perfect weapon.

Thus the story seems contrived. Additionally, the star of the book, Captain Port, does something in the end of the book that does not fit the Marine's personality at all and truly seemed contrived.

If I could believe more of this book were true, it would be much better in the truth stranger than fiction genre. As pure fiction, however, I found it lacking. There was some good background material about China and the times that made it more palatable and worth finishing. For those who, like me, loved Guns of Autumn, this was a major letdown.

Rating:
Summary: Great Idea Poorly Executed
Review: The premise for this WWII novel is excellent, however the execution is awful. This is just about the worst written historical novel I've ever read, and I've read a bunch. The story is based on a Marine Corps myth, which the author notes there is absolutely no record of, or any of the participants, in any USMC records. A number of readers seem to have totally missed this distinction, and think it really happened! Oh well... the story starts by establishing wartime Shanghai, the far eastern city of spies, where American soldiers mix with British administrators, exiled White Russians, and diplomats of all shades and stripes. When a warning of imminent war with Japan is sent out to all American forces in the weeks prior to Pearl Harbor, it becomes clear that the American units will need to retreat from China, which is largely under Japanese occupation. Although most of these troops are concentrated in various bases, there are a few isolated outposts. This is where Cpt. Billy Port, USMC comes in.

The younger son of a prominent and somewhat notorious Boston family, Port is highly regarded in the Marine Corps for his works with Gen. "Chesty" Puller in Central America. The first part of the book establishes the lush life of Shanghai and his comfortable living, including an "arrangement" with a beautiful young White Russian exile woman, and weekly tennis matches with an American-born, UCLA educated, Japanese officer. No points for guessing that the latter part of the book will pit friend against friend... When the warning of war comes, Port is tasked with traveling across China to gather up the far-flung American units, and lead them to safety. To do so, he handpicks a small unit and sets up a convoy of four trucks and his Bentley convertible for the mission.

The unit he assembles is part central casting, part improbable fancy. There's a Mexican sergeant who's gimmick is that he served with Pershing against Pancho Villa and talks about it incessently. Somehow this manages to be as equally irritating to the reader (because it's not funny), as it's meant to be to the other characters. There's "Sparky" the radio guy, the grease-monkey/mechanic, a big brave lummox carrying the heavy gun, a bunch of anonymous BAR grunts, a college-boy Naval reserve lieutenant, and (I'm not making this up!), his Chinese butler, a world-famous French race-car driver, and a White Russian alternately referred to as "General", "Count", and "Prince" Yusopov. Along the way, they pick up a female Chinese doctor, and a British Catholic priest/paleontologist. Now, an able writer (such as George MacDonald Fraser) could have had a lot of fun with this wild and wacky cast, but Brady just isn't up to it. These characters either seem to serve no discernable purpose (such as the Naval officer), or are very convenient devices (the Russian teaches the Marines how to make a Molotov cocktail and just happens to have a brother at a monastery where sanctuary is available at a critical time, the English priest just happens to know the whole country like the back of his hand and speaks the dialects, etc.).

The bulk of the book is one extended chase scene, as this motley band of brothers makes its way across the Chinese country, skirmishing with bandits, ducking Japanese Zeros, suffering in the elements, and ultimately, racing for the Soviet border. The action sequences are far and away the strongest parts, from ambushing a pursing patrol, to facing down huge bandit hordes, it's good stuff (if somewhat predictable). Alas, the bulk of the book is riddled with cliche, repetition (for example, the term "top sergeant" is explained several times), and awkwardness (for example, every time Port meets with his "staff", Brady feels compelled to run through the roll call of who is present). It's the kind of story that might work better as a film, where one is a little more forgiving of hokiness and the dialogue would be much tighter. In any event, Port's race across China is a promising idea for a story, but this book just doesn't deliver the goods.