Customer Reviews

Immediate Action

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In "Immediate Action," Andy McNab details his life prior to the events of his best-selling "Bravo Two Zero." McNab started as a punk in London, then became a boy soldier, and eventually an infantryman in the Royal Green Jackets. But life in the Green Jackets was too dull for him, so he tried out for "Selection," the rigorous screening process for Britain's elite Special Air Service Regiment. He failed.

But that just gave him the drive to get tougher and pass. He gets "badged" as a member of the SAS after his second try at Selection. This book details McNab's journeys with the SAS throughout the world: from the jungles of Malaysia and Colombia to the back alleys of Northern Ireland to the savannas of Botswana.

If you're looking for "Bravo Two Zero"-style constant pulse-pounding tension, you're going to be disappointed. That said, this book is also highly readable. It's a great look inside arguably the world most elite military unit. The little gems of "B-2-0," like the interplay between the soldiers and the little absurdities of life in the army, are here as well. But military professionals, and those interested in military tactics, are the people who would enjoy this book the most. "B-2-0" could be read by anyone who likes a thriller, but "Immediate Action" is slower in places. I found it very enjoyable, but it's a bunch of little stories strung together, rather than one single operation, like "B-2-0."

If you'd like to know what life is like for the men inside the Regiment, then this book will fit the bill to a T.

Andy McNab lets you see the human side of the SAS. As you read along, you realize these men are not supermen or Rambos, but rather ordinary people who have been trained to a superior level. Even experienced SAS men seem to practice routines over and over again. One thing that they do have, that many don't, is physical and mental endurance. I really liked this book. It was a great read. It was slightly disappointing that some operations ended with no real results, but then, this is not fiction. What you do get a good understanding of, is how well the SAS prepares for any operation they have to perform. The publisher claims that the British government tried to stop publication of this book. I cannot understand why - no SAS operation secrets are exposed. If you're looking for cover to cover action, go rent Rambo. If you want to get some insight into how the SAS operates, you'll enjoy this book. If I had to choose between this book and Bravo Two Zero (one of McNab's other books), Bravo Two Zero wins, but I read both, and I am happy I did.

Andy McNab, the elite warrior of the most "special" military unit in the world swept me through half his military career in just a few days. This included breaking and entry at the age of 15-16, service with his parent regiment The Royal Green Jackets, selection to the Regiment, training missions in the middle-east, covert operations in Northern Ireland,counter terrorist duties with the Quick Reaction Force and also one failing marriage after another. His attention to detail overwhelmed me, I got glued to the book. Never in my life have I read a book at such speed. What also makes this book (and of course his three others) so exhilirating is the fact that this is a documentary, this is real. It all actually happened to this man. What it gave me besides pure reading pleasure was an overwhelming urge to leave Norway, apply for British citizenship, join the BA and eventually go for selection. Too bad Norway is not a commonwealth country. Sincerely: Experience this book! I also highly recommend: Andy McNab - "Bravo Two Zero", "Remote Control" and is latest work of "fiction" "Crisis Four", Cameron Spence - "Saber Squadron" and "All Necessary Measures", Gaz Hunter - "The Shooting Gallery", Chris Ryan - "The One That Got Away" and his "Gordie Sharp"-novels.

Immediate Action is the follow up to Andy McNab's incredible Bravo Two Zero, the story of a British SAS patrol in Iraq during the Gulf Conflict. The British Government did their damndest to block the publication of Bravo Two Zero. They tried even harder to block Immediate Action. In this book, Andy McNab recounts many of the 'secrets' of the training and operation of the SAS. Not that he places any lives at risk by doing so, he is careful to only release information that could not cause damage to current members of the regiment.

Immediate Action starts with young McNab's desire to join the elite force. It details the boot camps, the beatings, the life or death training. Then it moves on through several operations in which McNab was involved, including a raid on a jungle drugs operation in Belize (where the SAS helps to 'train' local forces). As the book ends, Andy McNab is the most decorated serving soldier in Britain - and still something of a rebel. Maybe that's what interested me - the mentality of the men of the SAS. McNab was no exception. The black humour (as in his torture in Iraq when, after a particularly vicious beating, he observes to his friend, 'Ah well, at least they can't make me pregnant!') It's spirit like McNab's that has made the SAS the world's number one elite fighting force. The motto - 'Who dares wins' says it all.

My only reason for a deduction of half a star is because, in places, Immediate Action seems disjointed. It would have benefited from a few link paragraphs here and there. Otherwise, an exception book from an exceptional man.

For Andy McNab's best work, read BRAVO TWO ZERO, the harrowing account of McNab's duty in Iraq and unfortunate capture by Iraqi forces during Gulf War I. You get a much more detailed account of what's involved in planning and executing a mission in the SAS, and the story is much more involving.

Still, IMMEDIATE ACTION is a good read and clears up a lot of the details about special forces duty that civilians like myself might have. While the book sells itself as divulging information that the British government wanted to "suppress," I found myself asking more questions. I think McNab holds back quite a bit. I can't fault him. I'm sure a lot of the information he withholds is crucial to the national security of Britain and for honor's sake alone, had to remain secret.

You get a real good idea what kind of duty the SAS has been involved with for the past three decades. From IRA suppression in Northern Ireland, to South Africa, Belize and drug cartel suppression in Colombia, the SAS really gets around. And the variation of the missions is impressive. The SAS trains its troops to be able to handle all sorts of duty, from surveillance, to assault, to training the forces of other countries, the SAS does it all. The final mission described in the book, in Colombia, is the most fascinating and approaches the level of detail that I wanted to see in the entire book.

A good, informative read, but often lacking in the level of detail that I would really like to see.

Being a fellow soldier in the Regiment I have an avid interest in his books. Although several within Hereford are not best pleased with his work, it allows the public an insiders view of SF life. His new fiction book "Remote Control" is a brilliant read allowing him to explore situations that he couldn't in his factual books. In a similar thread to X-Files it covers Government conspiracy relating to Guns, Drugs, the IRA, Britain and the CIA. Another good book about Desert Storm is "Sabre Squadron" by Cameron Spence about a mechanised patrol in Iraq working from 4x4s. He shows the otherside to the coin about the SAS involvment in Iraq, one where we actually did something!! I hope they both continue to have good writing careers. H.
PS In response to the comment about the involvment in disabling Drug Manufacturing Plants. It indeed was true, I myself being involved in the planning of the operation. Drug warfare is a serious business. In some instances the Cartels armies are better equiped than the countires own army. The Regiment it at the disposal of the Goverment and other such people. If they decide a country needs our help. Then help we will.

I read Andy McNab's IMMEDIATE ACTION cover to cover in one sitting. In this fast-paced and fascinating book McNab lifts the veil on the training and mission of the UK's vaunted SAS, the Special Air Service, the elite military force featured in McNab's bestselling BRAVO TWO ZERO.

IMMEDIATE ACTION is hyped as "the book the British government wanted to ban," and its easy to see why. McNab chronicles the grueling, almost constant training received by "the Regiment" with a fine eye for detail. If anybody ever wondered what it takes to become a commando this book tells them. The intensity of the Regiment lifestyle is telling in comparison to the equivalent U.S. Delta Force.

McNab's recounting of various field ops is eye-opening. In these days when Britain is no longer a true superpower it is easy not to recognize the wide scope of British involvement in world politics. McNab informs us that the sun still never sets on the British, empire or no. From fighting drug manufacturers in the jungles of Colombia (whatever happened to the Monroe Doctrine?) to undercover infiltration of IRA strongholds in Derry, to stopping South African (yes!) border incursions into Botswana, the SAS is there, Even James Bond doesn't get around as much in his fictional world.

McNab himself is all soldier, all the time. His entire life's focus is the Regiment, and he cheerfully neglects three wives right into divorce along the way. His Heckler & Koch automatic rifle gets far more loving attention on these pages than his second wife, who is mentioned only occasionally as "working back in Germany". It's clear he's most at home in his self-contained man's world. His emotional maturity for anything other than work is, self-admittedly, not very impressive. Given that he's one of the most highly decorated soldiers in the UK, fate seems to have dealt him a good hand though.

This reviewer's primary (entertaining?)(negative?) criticism of IMMEDIATE ACTION is its linguistic style. It's written in "English" (as opposed to "American"). Even having lived in London for a while I struggled with McNab's idioms. There is a glossary at the back, but it isn't very good. McNab uses the word "bone" as an adjective throughout the book, apparently an example of Regiment-speak. "Bone" is translated as "Naff," which doesn't sound complimentary, but it took me most of the book to really get the sense of what McNab meant. I still don't know what a "Baruki Sangar" is, and there's even a picture of one in the book. Beware the Jabberwock, my son...

I must say that I was disappointed with this book.

First of all, there isn't enough detail to warrant the tagline "The controversial book the British Government tried to suppress!" Honestly, I have no idea why the British government would not want this book published--it's not like Andy McNab detailed out the whole SAS selection process or gave away classified information (at least not from my point of view).

Another tagline on the cover of the book that has me scratching my head is "The explosive true story of the toughest and most highly secretive strike force in the world". This book was hardly explosive, in my opinion. In fact, I was really disappointed with the lack of action in the book. With the two taglines on the book, I expected McNab to detail many of his classified operations he took part in while serving with the SAS. Instead, the book reads almost like an autobiography, telling of McNab's first experience with death as a young boy and how he eventually joined the army to forego jail time. McNab doesn't even get into the Regiment (SAS' vernacular for the SAS) until nearly halfway through the book.

Another thing that bothered me with the book is that McNab bounces around when writing. I had to re-read passages several times to figure out what he was talking about because he inexplicably jumped from one scenario to another. It was difficult to follow at times.

The book is not totally without merit, though. It was at times entertaining and offered a better perspective into the SAS than I already had. I can't say that I know that much more about the SAS than what I already knew, but it did offer some new bits of information.

I wish I could definitively recommend this book, but I can't. To me, it lacked substance and wasn't as exciting or action-packed as I hoped it would be. Others have seemed to find it a good read, though.

Of all of the ex-SAS squaddies-come-authors, Andy's the guy you want to know. He's the one you want to have a beer with. While some of the other guys tend to write like propped-up ponces, Andy is a cool guy and a lot of fun to read about.

It's easy to relate to him via his personal stories and so it's easy to tap into his regular-guy-as-hero message. Having read almost all of the accounts of the SAS action in Iraq, it was fun to read Andy's more personable recollections of events.

Or maybe I just dug his musical taste..

My first encounter with Mr. McNab was with "Bravo Two Zero" about being imprisoned by Iraq during the Gulf War. This is a great follow up book that looks into his entire life from childhood through his service with the SAS. The book as a whole is very entertaining because of the tone Mr. McNab takes (dry British humor). He talks in great length about 'selection' in the SAS and his battles with the IRA and also how he ended up on the path to a military career. Mr. McNab has great life experiences and he does not dissappoint in delivering them to the reader in this book. This is a must-read for those interested in reading about the personalities and individual experiences of those in elite fighting forces.