Review: The Few in it again
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 17, 2013
Col. Brazee's trilogy follows a few Marines from one hot spot to another, but the focus is less on individuals and more on the esprit of the group, a small cadre within a small service.  This time, the Marines are sent to the Spratly Islands where a Chinese invasion is attempting to resolve by force the long-standing territorial dispute among the PRC, Taiwan, and the Philippines. (There are others with claims, but they do not figure in this story.)  The Chinese action, however, is not a fully sanctioned one, which limits it in terms of numbers and support, and makes countering it within the capabilities of the small Marine force that is committed by the US.Could a Chinese general launch such an unauthorized adventure?  Would the US step in and risk a broader conflict with the PRC over it?  This premise was too contrived for my taste, but I can't honestly say that it is much worse than those offered by other authors in this genre, including by its godfather, Tom Clancy.  The author needs to identify a real-world issue and bend it just enough to provide the background for combat; Col. Brazee does just that.This installment of his series fell a bit short, in my view, with respect to its foreign portraits.  The Chinese are difficult for most authors to capture, but Col. Brazee gamely tries to draw a picture of complex political intrigues, military discipline, and toughness.  Not a bad sketch, just not fully realized.  Taiwan is mentioned but dropped.  Filipinos play an important role in the story, but with a single exception are not really described as individuals.The Marines and the Pacific are intimately connected in history; and the US still bases Marines on Okinawa.  I suspect that Col. Brazee takes the richness of this geographical kinship for granted, but it could have been woven more tightly into his story.Of greater importance to the genre is the realism/believability of the combat and the reactions of those drawn into it. In this, Col. Brazee has always been first-rate.  Those seeking a well done picture of Marines in modern combat should read this series.SPOILER ALERT)Like some other reviewers, I was not satisfied with the ending, which provided a very artificial resolution to the problem the Marines faced.