Customer Reviews

Boy Soldier

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having read all of Andy McNab's "Nick Stone" novels, I thought I'd try this YA book and ordered it from amazon.co.uk. I didn't see it in the bookstores here (though the third book in the series TRAITOR is on sale).

The story surrounds 17-yr-old Danny Watts's tracking down of his grandfather, Fergus Watts, whom he has never seen. Both of Danny's parents were killed in a car accident, so he was sent from foster home to foster home thinking he had no living relatives to take him in and care for him. When Danny tries to enlist in the army, he is denied acceptance. He learns his grandfather was a member of the elite SAS and a war hero, who turned traitor for drug money when he was serving in Columbia training their military, was shot and imprisoned, and then escaped to no one knows where. Full of anger, Danny is determined to find him. He is helped along the way by his computer wiz friend Elena who also lives at Foxcroft, a London home for orphans. Danny sets out to find Fergus, not knowing that he is being followed by some very dangerous people who also want to find Fergus and kill him. He meets his grandfather for the first time and that's when the action begins.

I think the book was mostly written by co-author Robert Rigby with technical assistance and name recognition from Andy McNab. If you've read any of McNab's other books, you'll know that they are full of military terms and "letters," as is this one. By that I mean, there are abbreviations for many things and they are used a lot: ERV = emergency rendezvous; FOB = forward operating base; Recce = reconnaissance, etc. This, I think, is where McNab came in. Fortunately, there is a glossary at the beginning of the book to help the reader understand what's being said by the characters.

I don't agree with the previous reviewer. It is still a good story in the vein of McNab's adult thrillers, but toned down for the YA audience. For those who are looking for another Alex Rider type of action/techno-gizmo yarn, you'll be disappointed. There are chases and shootings and bloody parts, but nothing like the James Bond special effects books about Alex Rider, though I do like Horowitz's novels.

They are the same books under different names (and I bought both!). It is obvious that Mcnab did not really 'write' this one as there are some obvious mistakes such as describing an MP5 as an 'automatic machine gun', which irritates the hell out of me. One does not find the usual high quality material that is associated with the 'Nick Stone' series. Most of the SAS MO is old had have been seen elsewhere. The plot is somwwhat anemic and it appears that Danny manages to screw up just so that there is some shooting. I am personally quite dissapointed with this new series.

This was a good book. Action from page 2 (and I am an adult!) a treal page turner. With a lot of information on how to do survilance in towns, how to pick a observation post, spot if you are under survelilance (and who amonge the younger teenagers do not what to know...?). Maybe a littel bit on the techical side and to littel on the content side, but then I have never seen this kinde of information in a book before. I recomed this book for youngsters you like to read action books like Alex Rider but would like more information, and less action.

This book is a very inspiring story about a boy named Danny whose dream is to become a soldier. That dream changes when he is rejected by the British Army RCB Center because his grandfather Fergus Watts betrayed the SAS regiment. Now Danny wants to hunt down the man who ruined his dreams. But how can he find someone who is an expert in covert operations and trained to avoid capture? This is the main plot in the story. You will think of it as a boring book in the start, but as you read deeper into the book it gets more and more exciting and you will never want to put it down until you reach the conclusion. When you reach the end, you will feel a little sad to know that people believe that Fergus was the traitor but he really wasn't. Danny was not able to clear his name and will have to remain in hiding. I would recommend this book to 4th graders and above because I noticed that the characters swear a lot. If you are interested in military stories grab yourself Andy Mcnab books on SAS training. I give this book a 4 star rating.

I love any any book,fiction or non-fiction that is based on military or secret service(aka MI6,CIA).I even like books about the military hardware.Since I'm not a huge reading fan,I prefer video games and movies lol typically.But I enjoy reading from time to time.so the only authors I've read books from that are military based are Tom Clancy(good videogames to),Dan Brown and Andy McNab.

I saw the book "Boy Soldier" in my school library,I knew by the title and "Sgts stripes" on the front cover as well as the snipers view that this book would be military related.So I started reading instantly,and I'm completely glued to it.Since its a fairly long book,I read it from Wednesday to now.I hid it under a book shelf,bookmarked and so far on page 133.I wasn't allowed to borrow it,because in my school you ain't allowed the borrow any books if you have any overdue books,and I owe the library 3 books since July.So today,I actually pinched it for the weekend.

This book is set in England and is about a teenager who is about 17 years old,his name is Danny Watts and has the life long dream to join the Army,he applies and completes the training coarses,even doing more than he has to and even in relaxation time,he avoids alcohol,unlike other candidates who go to the pub for beer in relxation time.But he just has a Diet Coke if he goes.However his application is turned down,not because he failed the training but because of his grandfather,an ex-SAS special forces soldier who won many medals and served in the Gulf War who on a mission in Colombia in about 1997,was thought to have betrayed his country and started dealing drugs in Colombia.The English Media despised him of this and was thought to have died in jail.

Danny,never knew his grandfather that well,all he knew is that he was in the Army and had an old photo of him.Danny is completely set off about this and he too hates his grandfather,but him and his best friend,Elene a star student who got a load of A's in her GCSE's try to discover more about this mysterious legendary soldier.
But on his journey begins to get tailed and watched by operatives of a secret service who are armed and hot on his tail.a sub-contience was bothering him,but nobody believes him.
It looks like I've spoiled alot of it but this is only beginning stuff of the book.

There are some issues though for example Andy was an SAS operative himself once,but I don't think he actually wrote this.some of the gun details are wrong,not most but some of them are.
he desribes the MP5 as an "AUtomatic Machine Gun" when its not precisely that,it actually a selective fire submachine gun.and NVG stands for Night VISION Goggles NOT Night VIEWING Goggles.But he got all the other data right though.

But still great book and I plan to read all of its sequels soon.

OK bye.