Immediate Action (Windsor Selections) [Import] [Hardcover]

ANDY MCNAB (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: BANTAM PRESS; Large Print Ed edition (1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074515364X
• ISBN-13: 978-0745153643
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,792,576 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not "Bravo Two Zero," but a good read nonetheless., October 26, 2000

By 

"bulldog51" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Immediate Action (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent insight into life in the SAS, May 4, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Immediate Action (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars McNab's "Immediate Action" only makes me want to join!, November 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Immediate Action (Mass Market Paperback)

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.