Rating: 
Summary: A bit disappointing
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A bit disappointing
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than Bravo Two Zero
Review: I read "Immediate Action" after reading "Bravo Two Zero" and found it better than BTZ. It discusses SAS selection which I find fascinating. And it seems to have that laid back confidence, devil may care attitude so common with SAS books. Rather than a lot of gung ho, testosterone filled bull, McNab is straightforward and describes his training and covert SAS assignments casually and matter of factly. The way a good SAS trooper should. This book is refreshingly free of that lunatic fringe, Army Ranger psychology. Its a book of a professional special forces operative who just is a hard worker and gets the job done. Its sad American SOF units couldnt try to instill and emulate the laid back confidence of the SAS psychology, which is so different from the chest thumping, Army Ranger mentality found in so many American SOF units.
Rating:
Summary: Better than Bravo Two Zero
Review: I read "Immediate Action" after reading "Bravo Two Zero" and found it better than BTZ. It discusses SAS selection which I find fascinating. And it seems to have that laid back confidence, devil may care attitude so common with SAS books. Rather than a lot of gung ho, testosterone filled bull, McNab is straightforward and describes his training and covert SAS assignments casually and matter of factly. The way a good SAS trooper should. This book is refreshingly free of that lunatic fringe, Army Ranger psychology. Its a book of a professional special forces operative who just is a hard worker and gets the job done. Its sad American SOF units couldnt try to instill and emulate the laid back confidence of the SAS psychology, which is so different from the chest thumping, Army Ranger mentality found in so many American SOF units.
Rating: 
Summary: Immediately Engrossing!
Review: 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...
Rating:
Summary: Why can't I give four-and-a-half stars?
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Not "Bravo Two Zero," but a good read nonetheless.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Not "Bravo Two Zero," but a good read nonetheless.
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: HALO and how to fly from a writer's perspective.
Review: Information is manna for a writer. It stimulates creativity that becomes part of stories, books, essays, articles, photojournalism, journalism, etc. For any writer of action stories, knowing the secrets of good battle training is imperative whether the book is a futuristic science fiction novel or one set in the dark ages. Andy McNab is one of the soldiers in "The Regiment," Britian's covert SAS (Special Air Service) team. This is his autobiography. He was an undisciplined teenager with no goals who became a member of this elite group. He holds nothing back as he chronicles nine years of covert operations on five continents. McNab's language in this book is rough, but refreshing; you feel as if you are in The Regiment, but grateful that you did not have to go through the training. It is not easy to become a member of this group; many give up and never try again -- but Andy did. In my opinion, taking the second chance speaks highly of courage. This book has given me a higher respect for Navy SEALS, NATO SAS, The Regiment, and everyone who protects the law and the innocent. It is part of their training to learn judgement -- and that is imperative when you are holding a weapon. I have a friend who is in SAS; after reading, this book I am simply in awe of his challenges. Photographs are included in Immediate Action. The black and white snapshots state much about the author and his journey through his assignments. What tips help writers in this book: HALO or High Altitude Low Opening is a method of intrusion into a zone. Any person that jumps from a plane that is flying over 10,000 feet from the ground must have oxygen until they reach the relative safety of this altitude in the drop. By riding a parachute from that height the plane is not generally considered a threat by the target -- but the troops are vulnerable when the reach firing range. What happens when a member lands in the ocean? How about a tree (accidents do happen and can cause death)? What if the oxygen tank fails? How does a squadron stay nourished and keep from boredom in the midst of a stakeout? What is a "can?" It is a slang term for a tank. Using slang words in dialogue create a realistic and plausible scene. Do you know what a "G3 with collapsible stock is?" I certainly had no idea that it is an automatic similar to an AK47. How about a kukri -- one wicked machete. These questions become part of scene just as having the correct terminology shows that you know what you are writing -- it is safe to suspend disbelief. Adding details enhances the reading experience, and adds veracity to your plot, characters, action, and story. This book opens amazing doors. The truth (as far as I know) is not diluted. Why four stars? So much information is within this biography that sometimes the details are explained more than once. Four stars for the writers among you.
Rating:
Summary: Gritty, realistic
Review: It is not the destination, but the journey. Andy McNab knows both. Elite forces require both intelligent and intuition to succeed. Here you have bits of the training spliced in with humor and reality.
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