The badasses populating the pages of Badass are the most savagely awesome historical figures to ever strap on a pair of chain mail gauntlets and run screaming into battle. Author Ben Thompson—considered by many to be the Internet’s foremost expert on badassitude—has gathered together a rogues’ gallery of butt-stomping rogues, from Julius Caesar and Genghis Khan to Blackbeard, George S. Patton, and Bruce Lee. Their bone-breaking exploits are illustrated by top artist from the fields of gaming, comics, and cards—DC Comics illustrator Matt Haley and Thomas Denmark, illustrator for the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering. This is not your boring high school history—this is tough, manly, unrelentingly Badass!
Badass
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From the Back Cover
An unstoppable collection of the most hardcore figures who ever strapped on chain mail and ran screaming into battle
Throughout history—from the bone-crushing age of antiquity to the sack-tearing modern era—there have been larger-than-life ass-kickers with a natural talent for unleashing their epic bloodlust on anyone who crossed them. They built empires, smashed armies, and ravaged civilizations for wealth, glory, and ultimate supremacy. Sometimes villains, sometimes heroes, sometimes criminally insane, they had one thing in common: They were all . . . Badass!
Chandragupta Maurya
An Indian warlord who commanded an army of drunken war elephants and employed an elite detachment of highly trained female bodyguards
Peter Francisco
An unsung hero of the American Revolution, this powerful giant battled the British with a massive five-foot-long broadsword
Wolf the Quarrelsome
A mysterious barbarian leader who only appears in history twice—and both times he's kicking someone's ass
Bhanbhagta Gurung
A fearless Gurkha who won the Victoria Cross by clearing out six Japanese foxholes with nothing more than grenades, a bayonet, and a knife
From Alexander the Great to George S. Patton, from Genghis Khan to Bruce Lee, this pantheon of ass-kicking awesomeness should inspire you to quit your stupid job and dive headfirst into a new career as a professional badass.
About the Author
Ben Thompson has run the warhammer of a website badassoftheweek.com since 2004, and has written humorous history-related columns for outlets such as Cracked, Fangoria, Penthouse, and the American Mustache Institute. Even though he's never flown a jetpack over the Atlantic Ocean or punched someone so hard that his head exploded, he is considered by many to be the world's foremost expert on badassitude. He is the author of Badass and Badass: The Birth of a Legend.
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More About the Author
Ben Thompson is the writer and creator of badassoftheweek.com and author of the books Badass Badass: Birth of a Legend, and Badass: Ultimate Deathmatch. He has written articles for Cracked, Fangoria, Penthouse, and The American Mustache Institute, was once selected "Seattle's Sexiest Dungeon Master" by a local newspaper, and can occasionally beat the Star Wars: The Original Trilogy arcade game with one quarter.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
50 of 60 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Warning: this book will suck the estrogen right out of you. I would say it was the chronicles of manliness but some of the people covered are women who are apparently more manly than I can ever hope to be. My pregnant wife read this book and the baby spontaneously turned from a girl to a boy. Just sayin'.
The writing style is humorous and light, but admittedly it sometimes borders on juvenile. There are obvious embellishments (I've never actually seen someone crushed under the weight of testicles, but there are things on earth I haven't seen). However, I give the writing style a thumbs up because the author presented a lot of good history in a form that would even keep the attention of a 13 year old boy.
The author does have an odd fetish with faces. He mentioned "face" 105 times in the book, mainly accompanying words like "crush", "stab", or "burn." Oorah!
The writing style is humorous and light, but admittedly it sometimes borders on juvenile. There are obvious embellishments (I've never actually seen someone crushed under the weight of testicles, but there are things on earth I haven't seen). However, I give the writing style a thumbs up because the author presented a lot of good history in a form that would even keep the attention of a 13 year old boy.
The author does have an odd fetish with faces. He mentioned "face" 105 times in the book, mainly accompanying words like "crush", "stab", or "burn." Oorah!
74 of 91 people found the following review helpful
By J. Hoch
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Attention Universe: BADASS: A relentless onlaught of the toughest warlords, vikings, samurai, pirates, gunfighters and military commanders to ever live is the greatest work of literature in the history of the written word.
#1: BADASS is very, very good. So good, it is as though Odin himself reached into Valhalla, chose the 40 best heros of history and penned their history into this wonderfully illustrated tome.
#2: After I purchased BADASS, I opened the book to the Library of Congress page. I was immediately slapped in the face by the sheer awesomeness of it. I was transported through history and witnessed, FIRST HAND, the amazing exploits of the legendary historic characters. Once I regained consciousness I actually read it.
#3: This book is so funny that I laughed until my nose bled. I got blood on the pages of the book (it seemed appropriate), but the blood was absorbed by the pages. I think the book was feeding on it.
#4: The information in this book is all historically accurate. And I should know. I work at a university.
[...]
#1: BADASS is very, very good. So good, it is as though Odin himself reached into Valhalla, chose the 40 best heros of history and penned their history into this wonderfully illustrated tome.
#2: After I purchased BADASS, I opened the book to the Library of Congress page. I was immediately slapped in the face by the sheer awesomeness of it. I was transported through history and witnessed, FIRST HAND, the amazing exploits of the legendary historic characters. Once I regained consciousness I actually read it.
#3: This book is so funny that I laughed until my nose bled. I got blood on the pages of the book (it seemed appropriate), but the blood was absorbed by the pages. I think the book was feeding on it.
#4: The information in this book is all historically accurate. And I should know. I work at a university.
[...]
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By TaeKwonDodo
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I love this book and the website! It is a great mix of real life and screen/literary badasses, told in a very entertaining, lively fashion. The style is such that you actually feel like the author is sitting in the room with you, telling the story and acting it out at the same time. Some of the real life historical people he mentions are seriously badass, performing such incredible acts of crazy courage that it seems foolhardy, and only sheer luck allowed them to be remembered as heroes and not fools. The website is a must - lots more stories and some are expanded over the book (one personal fave - Voytek the soldier bear). Can't wait for a volume 2!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Silly but informative
I found this book hilarious but also useful. Defintely would recommend to someone who is not interested in History as this might actually get them interested. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Damian Dodge
1.0 out of 5 stars
Lamest history lesson ever
I don't believe the driest recounting of the details contained therein could be more grating than the idiotic adverbiage the author uses in his failed attempt to pump-up these... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Kevin Dean
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
A great collection of history. Easy and fun to read.I would recommend this book to anyone who likes history. A+
Published 1 month ago by K. klatke
5.0 out of 5 stars
Badass Fun
My son had got a copy of this for a friend at Christmas. So when I saw it was available on Kindle I had to get a copy. Read more
Published 1 month ago by cbobcant
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is badass!
Brilliant, funny writing; interesting historical facts. I can't count how many times I laughed out loud. Very highly recommended; extremely well written.
Published 1 month ago by Lupatrian
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very interesting take on some really badass people.
The author's brief description of these historical heroes/villains is pretty much on the money. I also like embellishments using modern metaphors to describe their actions and the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Juan Rockwood Eismann
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible stories!
Really awe-inspiring heroes, and presented in a very engaging and hilarious way. If you have issues with crude language and locker-room humor, then you may not enjoy it as much. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jorge Rodriguez
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really liked this book
An interesting walk through history with funny anecdotes and stories, all told in an irreverent and at times profane narrative. Of course I liked it!
Published 1 month ago by W. PHELPS
4.0 out of 5 stars
Just as advertised.
Not a history textbook or biography by any measure. Ben mixes mondern language and some historic facts to paint an entertaining biography of his bad dudes and girls. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Greg Klima
3.0 out of 5 stars
da
HE PUTS TO MUCH BULL CRAP INTO THE HISTORY,AND NOT ENOUGH FACTS. IT WOULD BE A MUCH BETTER READ IF HE DID.
Published 1 month ago by dennis batchelor
