Joker-20 Years Inside the Sas [Hardcover]

Scholey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999

To survive more than 20 years of active service in the Special Air Service takes a particular kind of man. Pete Scholey, alias "The Joker," ex-Royal Artillery and Parachute Regiment, possessed the necessary mix of courage and coolness under extreme pressure. He joined the SAS in 1963 and hung up his boots 23 years later, during that time serving—often covertly—in many of the world’s trouble spots. He vividly describes life as a soldier at the sharp end, giving firsthand accounts of the many actions he was involved in—from jungle warfare in Borneo and desert fighting in Aden and Oman to his part in setting up the counter-terrorist team that was successfully used in the siege of the Iranian Embassy in 1980. He outlines the operational skills that took his teams deep into enemy territory without ever being captured, reveals how they achieved their objectives, and describes the humor that he managed to find in the most hair-raising moments. The Joker offers genuine insight into the toughness, professionalism, and camaraderie that has made the SAS the world’s premier fighting force.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Taylor's self-deprecating, sardonic writing style turns what could have been tiresome descriptions of his training regime and his first few races into laugh-aloud prose. [His] book is both amusing and eye-opening and will appeal to a wide range of readers - even those whose running experience is limited to sprinting for the morning bus.' - Booklist" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

After completing national service, Pete Scholey immediately signed up for the regular Army. He served two yeas with the Royal Army Service Corps, three years with the Royal Regiment of Artillery, then three years in the Parachute Regiment before volunteering for the SAS in 1963. There he served 23 years in campaigns that took him all over the world. He continues to give talks about his time with this elite team. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 255 pages
• Publisher: Andre Deutsch Ltd (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0233996419
• ISBN-13: 978-0233996417
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,556,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read the book and met the man, February 27, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Joker: Twenty Years Inside the Sas (Paperback)

This was my first experience of meeting an author as well as a real ex-SAS operative. Both in the book and in real life Pete immediately blows a number of pre-conceived notions about British 'Special Forces' operatives out of the water. I should say he had been asked as Guest Speaker to an entirely non military function in Ecuador by a fellow SAS Sergeant half his age, who likewise demonstrated similar traits.

The most striking of these was the lack 'gung-ho' attention seeking on the part of these guys. The Joker was written as a reaction against the attention seeking contained Brave Two Zero and particularly against what Pete discerns as a lack of loyalty demonstrated in that book to fellow operatives - guys who gave their lives.

The Joker is a facinating mixture of humour, action, technical detail and sadness (Taff and old Taff for example). Pete's philosophy is that the SAS are there to preserve life (not to take it)but that firearms and death are, unfortunately, a route which must sometimes be chosen to do that.

In real life the ex SAS remain astoundingly low key. Pete explained that in security work, the merest whisper of your background and you find yourself being questioned by 'hard men' involved in civilian security work who expect you to prove to them that you were in 'The Regiment'. 'Who me - not me mate'.

The book is compulsive reading. A summary of 22 hard years spent amongst some of the finest military operatives in the world. But all Pete says is 'the SAS are no different to any other soldiers, they just try a little bit harder'.

You don't need to be a military reader to enjoy this book. Go out and get it now - you won't regret it.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome read I loved it, December 11, 2011

By 

Gordon Kelsch "thespyguy" (San Diego CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Joker: 20 Years Inside the SAS (Paperback)

This book is well written and is a great story, these SAS guys are tough characters. I recommend it to all!

The only difference I seem to see between SAS and our Delta or Seals is the SAS guys don't seem to have the education requirements and although they are top notch they seem to be less educated than their counterparts in the USA. Don't get me wrong they aren't dumb It's just a schooling difference, where the Delta guys have bachelor and master degrees etc.. the SAS guys can be drop outs. I don't think this makes any difference with skill level but it's just an observation I have made after reading hundreds of books by and about both units! I am not saying one is better than the other either, only that this seems to be a difference I have noticed in my reading. I have the up-most respect for all of these brave warriors and can only imagine the level of intelligence required to complete one of their missions!