Originally Posted by Poppy

maybe not THE worst but must come close - "The Killing Ground" by Jack Higgins. Quite aside from being badly written the plot and characters are absolutely ludicrous - he mixes up Al Qaeda, PIRA and the Russain Mafia, and has the "heroes" include a couple of ex-PIRA players and a female Major ex-KGB - it was hard to keep up with who was who but I did manage to read all the way to the end.

edited to add: AND most of the main characters spend the enitre book throwing back whisky (Irish characters) and vodka (.....guess...) - this is despite carrying weapons and being apparently permanently poised to save the world

Yep, a Sean Dillon novel. Now that you've read one there is no need ( assuming you were that masochistic to read anymore) they're all very formulaic- he always has a hidden PPK in a secret compartment, always travels the green and pleasant land on an MOD owned fishing boat and manages to consume half the Bushmills available to the free world. AND everyoneknows who he is.

As someone who reads a fair bit as journey to work on the bus is long and I have a very boring temp job to pay my bills whilst applying lol!
I checked out Ian Mcewan's on chesil beach which won last years book of the year - bearing in mind he was up against khaled hossieni's a thousand splendid suns which is a favourite of mine I was interested to know how it fared. OH MY DEAR GOD - I don't think I have ever read a more boring book just in case anyone out there is suffering from sleep deprivation/insomnia pick this one it will definately cure you.

Lone Survivor by US Navy SEAL Marcus Lutteral



Great story of epic heroism

Written by a Gigatard

C

I've not seen the Bourne films, heard they're very good but have never got off my arse to watch one.
So when I was given a copy of "The Bourne Ultimatum" I was looking forward to a decently written novel.
Before I'd read through the seven hundred and twenty-five pages I was ready to dig Ludlum up just to bollock him for wasting my time & the missus' cash.
Regardless I decided to finish the book in the vain hope it would improve. Hope springs eternal...

A poorly researched story about unbelievably innocent 'experts' who use pitifully ridiculous fieldcraft.
Save your money and time and watch a more credible film instead - Our Man Flint for example.

Originally Posted by Mr Happy

Originally Posted by romach

A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson

disagree, but then I might be stupid.

Sorry romach but I have to disagree as well. I thought that 'Notes from a Small Island' was an extremely funny book. I fully intend to read it again soon. That is one of the benefits of growing older, you forget what has gone before and get just as much pleasure the second time around.

Originally Posted by basso

Originally Posted by Mr Happy

Originally Posted by romach

A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson

disagree, but then I might be stupid.

Sorry romach but I have to disagree as well. I thought that 'Notes from a Small Island' was an extremely funny book. I fully intend to read it again soon. That is one of the benefits of growing older, you forget what has gone before and get just as much pleasure the second time around.

I agree with basso :D

Two very funny and informative books. Very few books have had me both privately admit I'm a biff AND have to blow my nose, wipe my eyes from laughter.

Was lent a Wilbur Smith book by a friend, couldn't finish it. Could somebody suggest to him that he gets coaching in writing dialogue? His character's don't talk like real people.

Bernard Cornwell is fun, but read two of his books in a row (except the Arthur ones, which are excellent) and you'll get a strong sense of deja vu.

We've been getting diminishing returns from Martin Cruz Smith since he wrote Red Square. Which is a shame, because Arkady Renko is such a fantastic character and Gorky Park completely blew me away the first time I read it.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. Horrible saccharine-coated sentimental American crap - yet it still brought a tear to my eye and I read it cover to cover. I ended up feeling confused and utterly dirty afterwards, like I'd just been caught wanking.

Re: Cpunk's comments on 'Tom Carew' and 'Jihad'; how far does this guy's waltism go? Obviously, he lied about being one of 'THEM', but has it actually been confirmed that he was in Afghanistan? I'm a bit sceptical of his account for three reasons:

(1) He claims he was fighting with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's Hizb I-Islami group. This doesn't sound right, as H absolutely hated Westerners (see accounts written by the cameraman Peter Jouvenal). He'd take CIA money (as passed on by ISI), but have nothing to do with any infidels. In fact, his blokes offed another cameraman called Andy Skrzypkowiak. Would 'Carew' have stood a chance of serving alongside these snakes and surviving? I have my doubts.

(2) The descriptions of close combat against Spetsnaz read like outtakes from 'Rambo III'.

(3) 'Carew' portrays himself as a shagging machine, claiming that he nobbed a fit female SIS officer while on R&R in Pakistan, and also a couple of Bulgarian prostitutes while on a covert op to hijack a shipment of weapons to Libya. It sounds waltish to me.

Can anyone put me right on this?

PS: I read Damien Lewis' 'Operation Certain Death', which was ruined by his efforts to provide 'authentic' dialogue.

We have a list of books that have been reviewed. Feel free to have a look here http://www.legion-magazine.co.uk/features/book-reviews/

Any novel about "them" by a geezer called Shaun Clarke. A good mucker (also ex-RAMC) gave me three books containing "two novels in one". I was about halfway through the first novel, when the hero clambered up onto a balcony to top some biddy having a kip in the room, and put his hand behind his back so that she wouldn't be awakened by him slipping off the safety-catch of a GLOCK 17! I dumped all of the books unread after that.

MsG