W.E.B. Griffin books - anybody else tired of them?

[Jeff423]

I've just finished the last 2 books in the "Presidential Agent" series and am very disappointed in them. I've never thought he was a great writer but I did think he wrote nice page turners which were good for passing time in airports, etc.
I think now he is just recycling the same book over and over. His books have always been much the same but the last few have been almost identical. If you compare the last few books with the "Brotherhood of War" series I think you will see what I mean.

Jeff

 

[Jeff423]

I've just finished the last 2 books in the "Presidential Agent" series and am very disappointed in them. I've never thought he was a great writer but I did think he wrote nice page turners which were good for passing time in airports, etc.
I think now he is just recycling the same book over and over. His books have always been much the same but the last few have been almost identical. If you compare the last few books with the "Brotherhood of War" series I think you will see what I mean.

Jeff

 

[straightshooter1]

I still buy them in audio CDs. They are interesting, but, you are, IMO, correct. His current books aren't as good as the older ones.

Bob

 

[redlevel]

My favorites were the "Honor Bound" and "The Corps" series. The very first book in the "Presidential Agent" series was pretty good, but it was downhill from there.

 

[Herknav]

I've never read any of his books, but I recently tried to start "Secret Honor." Since then, "Arctic Drift" came in at the library, so I breezed through that. I might give Mr. Griffin a second try, but it was slow getting started.

 

[Bandersnatch]

I read the BoW and thought they were as you described, good for light reading and mindless entertainment.

Certainly not something I've devoted too much time to nor have I gone out of my way looking for other fare from him.

 

[walkinghorse]

He has assistance in the writing now, maybe that is why they are different?

 

[mwtdvm]

His son is "helping" and it's time for the gentleman to enjoy his twilight years. His son is not up to the task. I enjoyed his military books, but there was always an underlying formula and lots of excess verbage AKA "Fluff". His characterization of Gen MacArthur was a bit unbelievable, but not for the "yes men" Mac surrounded himself with.
Just my $0.02

 

[lcdrdanr]

Enjoyed the Brotherhood of War, pleased when the "Special Ops" book came out a couple of years ago to finally tie some loose ends up. Still think there should have been one more to wrap up the series instead of the one page bring up to date on all the characters at the end of the last book.

Pissed about the Corps series, it's like he skipped the last couple of years of WWII, still waiting to find out if Korea is gonna ever end or not. I also had a bit of issue with the characters kinda shifting their character a bit now and then in the later books.

Loved the Badge series until the last one, what the hell, taking a series set in the 70's and jumping it forward 30 years for the last book but with all the same characters all the same age ??????

Honor Bound was interesting, I think there should still be one more there.

The Presidential Agent got wrapped up and that's probably a good thing, it kinda dragged a bit toward the end.

Yeah, I don't think the son is the writer that the old man is but I'm not sure if the old man is gonna last much longer either.

Dan R

 

[Speedo2]

They don't require too much of that "bodacious connogonizing", and his various series all pretty much do follow the same formula, but Lord help me, I'm still addicted to them. Great for light reading and killing time; just wish he'd get off that Famous Grouse and bacon-wrapped smoked oyster diet for his heroes. -S2

 

[armadillo]

I was addicted to them about 15 years ago. They got too predictable and I haven't read any in years.

 

[Jeff423]

Until I read the last Presidential Agent book I thought my Model 29 was a .44 but apparently it's a .357

This one must have been written by the son.

 

[n4zov]

For whatever it's worth, W.E.B. Griffin is the pseudonym of William Edmund Butterworth who, being a life NRA member, is one of "us." He lives in Fairhope, Alabama on the Alabama Gulf coast.

 

[Noah Zark]

Originally posted by Jeff423:
I've just finished the last 2 books in the "Presidential Agent" series and am very disappointed in them.

+1. I'm a Griffin fan of sorts, but IMO the PRESIDENTIAL AGENT series is sort of a stinker, more pendantic than the usual Griffin, and the premise of the main character is a bit too much to believe to begin with.

My favorite is THE CORPS, but I too am a bit upset that the Marines are still stuck in Korea. Get on with it! There's 'Nam to fight yet!

I like the OSS series, too.

Noah

 

[ACP230]

Except for the mistake with the M29, I thought Black Ops was pretty good. I thought the one before it dragged a lot.

I still read them as soon as our library gets them in.

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

I'm also a bit of a W.E.B. fan, but like others, I feel the last several books have been 'mailed in'.
Jack Higgins has the same problem-early books were interesting and fresh. Later ones? Maybe at the library or used book store, but I don't seek them.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

Yeah, I fell the same way. It's a bit like Clive Cussler's work, I think the longer they drag it out, the more tired it get's.

 

[TeeShirtGuy]

his heroes are all mega rich, whether they started that way or not. That said, I still read them. I do have a problem with the President of the United States giving virtually unlimited power to an Army major, who incidentally, can fly anything with wings. I prefer P.T. Deutermann.

 

[glypnir]

I agree that his best ones are the ones where he is talking about what he knows best - Germany after WWII and Korea. He participated.

I like the other ones, but not as much.

I'm a real W.E.B. fan, having read some of his W.E. Butterworth books as well.

I don't think that he lives in Fairhope any more. His first wife died, he has married an Argentine, and I think he now lives down there.

Every summer he seems to come up to DFW to visit his son, who lives in Colleyville, I think, and edits Boys Life. So he can write it off on his taxes, he generally does two book signings. My wife found out about this, and got me a book and a spot in line, on my birthday, so I got to meet him for a second and get a signed copy of one of his books.

The son, unfortunately, seems to write more like his mother than like his dad.

Yes, I've read her book too. The autobiographical one. Haven't been able to work up enthusiasm for the one on calligraphy.

The funny thing to me, W.E.B. is a rabid anti-communist, but because his first wife was Hungarian, his son looks very East European - Russian to me. Nothing against him, but it's just fun to see the picture of the two of them on the book jacket.

 

[Joe Kent]

I for one very much enjoy his books, some more than others. If nothing else good from them he got me drinking Famous Grouse. That alone made them worth while. Now, if I were only filthy rich.