Buy Used
Used - Acceptable See details
$3.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Against All Odds: Escape from Sierra Leone
 
 
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Against All Odds: Escape from Sierra Leone [Mass Market Paperback]

Phil Ashby (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Paperback --  
Mass Market Paperback --  

Book Description

August 18, 2003
In West Africa's War-Ravaged Sierra Leone No On e Was Getting Out Alive.

It Took the Courage of One Man to Change the Odds.

By 1990, Sierra Leone, once hailed as the 'Athens of West Africa', had degenerated into a savage battlefield, overtaken by rebel forces in a devastating civil war. Assigned to spearhead the mission as UN peacekeeper was Major Phil Ashby. But by 2000, the rebel occupation he had worked so diligently to disarm rose again to control an astounding two-thirds of the country. The enemy's mission: get rid of the outside opposition first. A number of Ashby's colleagues were tortured and finally butchered, and more than 500 were taken as hostages. Among the hostages was Phil Ashby. Miles from civilization, with no rescue in sight, Ashby and three of his men knew that their fate was up to them alone. Lost deep inside the rebels' heartland, unarmed, and outnumbered 20-to-1, Ashby devised a plan to escape from the hostile jungles that would test fate and challenge all reason. They should have been doomed.

Against All Odds is the incredible true story of that escape-and of the heart-pounding courage of Major Phil Ashby who defeated the rebel forces of Sierra Leone and became a living testament to the power of the human spirit and the sheer determination to survive.


Editorial Reviews

Review

"An astute assessment of the perils of 'peacekeeping'."--Daily Mirror (four star review)

"What kind of a bloke goes for a run up a Scottish mountainside with his fiancée and their chaplain on the eve of their marriage and makes an off-color remark about how he hopes his missus-to-be will not be quite so sweet the next morning? Then gets held down in an SAS arm-lock by the vicar while his betrothed 'pushed my face in the mud'? The kind of bloke you want on your side."--Evening Standard

From the Inside Flap

Under Siege

These bright blue badges are a symbol of UN neutrality and supposed to guarantee the safety of the person who wears them, but all they will do is make us show up more easily in the dark... We are no longer Observers. From now on, despite being unarmed, we are combatants.

Andy, Dave and Paul have only known me a few days. I ask them to trust me. We have no more preparations to make, and there seems little point in waiting any longer. I suggest we go now, and the others agree. I whisper "Good luck guys. Stay close behind me." Then I climb over the wall and drop into no man's land...

"An astute assessment of the perils of 'peacekeeping'."-Daily Mirror (four star review)

"What kind of a bloke goes for a run up a Scottish mountainside with his fiancée and their chaplain on the eve of their marriage and makes an off-color remark about how he hopes his missus-to-be will not be quite so sweet the next morning? Then gets held down in an SAS arm-lock by the vicar while his betrothed 'pushed my face in the mud'? The kind of bloke you want on your side."-Evening Standard

Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (August 18, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312989210
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312989217
  • Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,366,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Modern Day Adventure Story, August 21, 2003
By 
D. Lozano (Lockhart, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Against All Odds: Escape from Sierra Leone (Mass Market Paperback)
This book is very interesting and enveloping. The book isn't good because it captures the reader's imagination through exquisite detail of events and scenes;instead you get to know the main character "Phil Ashby" very well and the interesting adventures he's been through.

The first half of the book covers Phil's adventures and Marine Commando training. The second half of the book takes place in Sierra Leonne where Phil is assigned as a UN Peacekeeper. Phil does a good job at getting the reader "oriented" about the civil war in Sierra Leonne and the unthinkable brutality of the combatants.

The book all comes together as this Marine has to use all his skills and bravery to escape a nightmarish turn of events in Sierra Leonne. A must read!!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST READ!!, August 27, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: Against All Odds: Escape from Sierra Leone (Mass Market Paperback)
"Against All Odds" is really two books in one. The first half of the book focuses on John Ashby's personal adventures and training as a Royal Marine Commando. The second half of the book takes place in Sierra Leonne, where John's UN peace-keeping mission takes a horrible turn for the worse.

Since I (and presumably most readers) know nothing about Royal Marine Commando training or the civil war in Sierra Leonne, you will find this fighting Brit and his experiences very interesting and suspenseful. You really get to know "John Ashby" well...in spirit as well as skill. John does a good job of "setting the stage" for the reader, by describing the different warring factions and the horrible atrocities performed in Sierra Leonne.

This is a true story by the way.

John's writing style isn't as eloquent as let's say... Stephen King, but his limitations in writing give the book a more personal and realistic feel.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Violence and escape from the RUF in Sierra Leone., May 24, 2005
By 
Kevin M Quigg (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   
This review is from: Against All Odds: Escape from Sierra Leone (Mass Market Paperback)
I disagree with the previous two reviewers on this book. At best, this is only an average read. The author and main character in this book, Major Phil Ashby was one of the youngest majors in the British Army when he assigned to the UN Peace Force in the African nation of Sierra Leone. I expected to read a long book about the conflict in Sierra Leone, but clearly half of this book was about the author's experience in his physical conditioning in the Royal Marines. After a hundred pages, one gets the idea this guy is tough. Then he details his experiences in Sierra Leone and his escape from the brutal RUF rebel faction who controlled the diamond mining area. This part was the most interesting.
I felt the author could have devoted a chapter to an explanation of the different factions in Sierra Leone and why they are fighting. A little history of this nation would also have been nice to throw in. A little more of this info, and a little less of his physical exploits would have made this book a more interesting read.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews



Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
If you're going to face the harshest conditions the world can throw at you, then you'd do well to grow up on the west coast of Scotland. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
stress positions, rebel commanders
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Sierra Leone, Royal Marines, Major Phil, Colonel Jim, Colonel Bao, Foday Sankoh, Mountain Leaders, Savage Group, World Service, Parachute Regiment, Peace Accord, Peace Process, British Army, Cold War, Second World War, West Africa, West Side Boys, Military Observers, New Zealand, Rogberi Junction, Sea King, Snowy Snowden, Ceasefire Monitoring Committee, The Cadre, Arthur's Seat
New!
Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:


What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject