Andy Mcnab
Forum
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>>By trident (Tuesday, 16 Sep 2003 16:12)
buddy:
Actually, I was (trying to at least) commenting on the fact that "sensitive" info regarding production of homemade bombs/explosives, lockpicking etc. that some might be p***ed off at McNab for "exposing" in his books, has been publically available for years. Still - one can argue that the extent of that info falling into the wrong hands would've been far less scale if it hadn't been for McNab's publication of B20. Personally, I don't think so; simply because if a person is dedicated to find that sort of information in the first place, he will - McNab or no McNab. I think that also applies to the "disclosure" of various SOP's, but perhaps not it such a large extent as explosives/weaponry.
Again (this is beginning to sound like my creed), I recommend Ken Connor's "Ghost Force." Have a read, and check out what his views are on the Regiment's role today. Interesting...
Also, don't forget that it was the storming of the Iranian embassy in 1980 that opened the door for the general public into the covert world of the 22 Special Air Service regiment (subsequently: the media's cover of the event).
In Connor's eyes, losing the "edge" of staying totally covert and in the shadows has made the whole purpose and role of the Regiment questionable - not least nowadays when every ex Reg squaddie is trying to milk the big bucks from various (questionable) projects; SAS-related of course. In this sense, Chris Ryan has disappointed me enourmously...
>>By ortlieb (Tuesday, 16 Sep 2003 17:44)
My last post was also adressed to the whole board, not just you buddy...
>>By ortlieb (Tuesday, 16 Sep 2003 17:46)
sorry about the following, it's a bit off topic, but one of the coolest things i've seen in a while... i had to get one for myself...
http://www.victorinox.com/newsite/en/produkte/
produktdetails/swiss_flame/swiss_flame.htm
a swiss army knife with an inbuilt lighter! gotta love them swiss...
wonder if you can take that into an airplane, as a lighter?
>>By trident (Tuesday, 16 Sep 2003 20:28)
Ah well, first-person narrative (Andy McNab/Nick Stone) is for those who have no b*lls, so yes he appeals to the female of the species...
And yeah, third-person SAS narrative stories are for those who need to be careful when crossing their legs!!
Must say when reading CR's Mark character, CR didn't once come to mind, hee, hee, but someone who goes by the name of Mark, did...In real life he's creme de la creme of all that special forces has to offer....
Have fun, I'm off to a wedding, SF's in attendance....
>>By buddy (Tuesday, 16 Sep 2003 22:01)
Hmmm... velly interesting.... thought it was generally accepted that the ones with hold more appeal to the female of the species. So considering the preponderance of females here and not elsewhere, the logical conclusion would be.... ;o)
>>By am-i-binned (Tuesday, 16 Sep 2003 22:36)
Hello, everyone
I think Andy Mcnab is an exceptional writer, and he has produced maybe three of the finest Military thrillers of recent times. Those being, Crisis Four, Last Light, and Firewall.
I found Crisis Four totally absorbing, and the eye to detail was impressive. The bit were he is hiding up in the bush, looking at the house is amazing: I felt like i was there, watching with him. Also, the humour is spot on; you feel like he is taking the piss out of the characters, and himself, which is great.
Firewall, is close to being my number 1. I think this book really brought Mcnab to the top. The storyline was so clever, and i had to read it a couple of times to really get to grips with it.
I didn't enjoy Last Light at first. Maybe, it was the lack of intensity; and there was a definite change of direction for Andy. I felt he was trying to show a human side to Stone, trying to show that Sas men are tough, but perceptual to human emotion like the rest of us.
Roll on Dark Winter.
>>By Nick Stone (Tuesday, 16 Sep 2003 23:39)
Sorry, that should read, perceptable to human emotion. I still dont think that makes any sense. Ah, well
>>By Nick Stone (Tuesday, 16 Sep 2003 23:43)
i think AM should continue with NK and Kelly's plot in future books because it feels like it's left unfinished. + AM shouldn't write too mcuh details on one thing thus streching the story and make it unbearable to go on. hope he doesn't do that for DW.
>>By dxa111 (Wednesday, 17 Sep 2003 01:40)
Sorry this has taken so long,
Buddy, yep our compasses down under still work -but everything is upside down, so it takes a bit of getting used to. I agree with the CR comments too. Great stuff. Don't do the CR board as such.
Lynn & AIB, Part 3..........soon I hope. I just need some spare time & you know how much of that precious stuff I get = sweet f/a!!
take care, speak soon
>>By Paul R (Wednesday, 17 Sep 2003 13:46)
No probs, Paul R...
Patience is one of my virtues!... ;l ) (oops! Pinocchio!)
Welcome, Nick Stone...
Oooh, would that you really were he! (Okay, so I know "he" is a fictional character, but still, I'm sure you understand!) Not quite sure how you mean CF, F, and LL as "military" thrillers (vs RC and LD), want to go into some specifics? I absolutely hate to have to talk about AM's books -- NOT!
Hallo, Ortlieb...
Excellent points, particularly re: Embassy siege. And I second your Ghost Force recommendation.
Hi again, dxa111...
Am I correct in assuming you're referring mainly to Liberation Day... click, click?
Hello again, Trident...
Neat knife! Wonder if it might ever replace the Leatherman. Doubt it would make it on any flights here, tho, considering that most are non-smoking, kinda kills the possibility of using the "Dinger" excuse... ;o)
>>By am-i-binned (Wednesday, 17 Sep 2003 15:18)
Oh God please no more clicking!!
I'd like to read Nick Stone's attitude to NBC gear since McNab didn't seem to think much of it in B20. Wonder if that will flow across to Dark Winter. And I really really hope he's done his research well nothing annoys me more than incorrect scientific information (how spoddy am I, I really really need to get a life!!). There's a really good website on the Dark Winter exercise can't remember if AIB mentioned it before and can't be bothered to look back.
http://www.hopkins-biodefense.org/darkwinter.html
Enjoy ha ha.
>>By Bethan (Wednesday, 17 Sep 2003 16:50)
Oooh, good one on NBC kit, Bethan!
So, do you get to wear a lab coat and safety glasses, too? Actually, your spoddiness might pay off, at least here, since it might give us more to post about if you do find technical errors. If we keep this up, maybe we could pool our talents and offer them to AM for books 9 and 10. We can't do any worse than his current publishing support staff. And we'd be doing it for the right reason, motivated by passion rather than paycheck... although... hmmm... lemme think a minute... international best-selling author, guaranteed No. 1 best-selling books, divided by... uhm... well, okay, so we'd be doing it for the right reasonS... ;o)
Here's another Dark Winter link:
www.homelandsecurity.org/darkwinter/index.cfm
-- and there's a descriptive blurb/extract posted on pg 17.
>>By am-i-binned (Wednesday, 17 Sep 2003 17:13)
I dont like NBC gear as it doesnt go with my shoes (Sorry, bored in work)
>>By Scouse (Wednesday, 17 Sep 2003 17:31)
Speaking of NBC-kit:
Have you all read Cameron Spence's wind-up-story in Sabre Squadron when he has to "do the deed" while wearing an NBC-suit ? Hehe.... it's hilarious!! (I can re-enact the story if no-one has read it).
>>By ortlieb (Wednesday, 17 Sep 2003 19:47)
Just finishing Chris Ryan's The One That Got Away, I've pretty enjoyed it so far. One part really brought it home how incredibly, incredibly fit the SAS guys are (10 mile run every day, then a 16 mile bike ride, then a mile swim, then run the 3 miles home). My God. What does everyone else think of the book?
>>By Ignaty (Wednesday, 17 Sep 2003 22:09)
You people may have seen this before, but i'll post it anyway. It Could be where your hero gets his K from.
http://www.deepblacklies.co.uk/group_13.htm
>>By Always Surfin (Thursday, 18 Sep 2003 04:20)
i always wondered about the synomyms of thtat bunch of sas-writers around mcnab:
did they use these synomyms in the sas as well (and we all learned that cover names are pretty close to the real names) or are they just "artistical names"?
the point is, when AM wrote "immediate action" he wrote about johnny two combs, who hadnt published a book at that time. had the already agreed, that if anyone from their troop would ever write a book they would use these names?
well, i hope i didnt irritate you too much
cheers
lem
>>By lem45 (Thursday, 18 Sep 2003 09:49)
Ortlieb
I hope you're not actually going to re-enact it for us (although I think I'm far enough away not to smell it). It is one of the funniest points in that book and is a definite read. I liked the plastic rats on the bonnet (and the arse of the one (man now, not rat I can't stand rats) leaning over his engine ha ha).
>>By Bethan (Thursday, 18 Sep 2003 10:15)
Apologies men for that girly comment! Back to weaponry and technical stuff.
Oh AIB the latex gloves are the best part of my job but labcoat's a close second!
>>By Bethan (Thursday, 18 Sep 2003 10:17)
You can take it from many of the preposting here Lem 45 that pseudonyms/alias are pretty much standard with SAS chaps. They'e incredibly good at lies on ops if necessary like in B20, good at lying to friends and family (bedding each others wives). Does a SAS man know when not to lie...
Good post Always Surfin and credible stuff. Clue to McNab's K ?Ironically his middle name is Kev...
>>By Saxon (Thursday, 18 Sep 2003 10:37)
Ignaty, me fella.
A little token of display in SAS fitness, or madness, which ever you would prefer.
A cross-dressing former SAS soldier stands
accused of beating up four cops outside a
Maidstone pub. John White, wearing a
a skirt make-up and carrying a pink umbrella,
showed up in court to hear one copper describe
how he : "continued to throw us around like
we were rag dolls." Prosecutors say it took
12 policemen and CS spray to restrain Mr
While
>>By Saxon (Thursday, 18 Sep 2003 10:44)
Hi lem4 and Always surfin.. and Saxon again.
On synomyms...if you want to mention someone in your book you sure have to approach that person about it. And sure you'll talk about how you are gonna call that person. In any other book Andy McNab is called Andy McNab. Don't know exactly how this all works but they must have come to an agreement about names when they started writing books.
We do have writers amongst us... if any of them would like to explain in more detail..??
>>By Lynn (Thursday, 18 Sep 2003 11:46)
Breifly, John White was never in the regiment, Sigs sqaudron only. He's now undergoing a sex change op.
"You can take it from many of the preposting here Lem 45 that pseudonyms/alias are pretty much standard with SAS chaps. They'e incredibly good at lies on ops if necessary like in B20, good at lying to friends and family (bedding each others wives). Does a SAS man know when not to lie..."
Yeah right. These aren't sneaky beaky special agents, they're soldiers and some choose to use their real names i nthe public domain, some don't. You don't get a new identity when you pass selection or get involved with SF! Ops are confidential, names are not.
>>By sp10122 (Thursday, 18 Sep 2003 13:13)
sp10122: If you don't mind, I have some questions for you:
From previous statements, you are (or you were originally) a part of a group that has read a lot of the postings on this messageboard. Apparantly, you're all in some form of insider-position (attached unit for instance) that enables you to distinguish true from false regarding the SAS. And - after lurking for a while - you just couldn't resist setting the record straight when the topic at hand was Selection for the Regiment vs Selection for 21 and 23 TA SAS.
In principle, I find it very likely that ex Reg squaddies or people who have served with the Regiment are able to stumble into this board, and then laugh their a**es off at the regular posters' fascination of the Regiment and special forces ops in general. Perhaps even McNab himself has already been here and think we're all a bunch of w**kers!
[ And you are of course free to assume whatever you like about me. I'm not saying that you necessarily have bothered to assume anything, but if you have, the following applies:
I feel very little obligation to defend my interests (whatever it might be) to anyone - potential ex Reg / SF-personell included. I suspect this goes for a lot of other posters as well ].
I'm then curious as to why *you* should be considered a source of authenticity?
Is it perhaps difficult for you to establish a level of credence without "compromising" yourself or your background?
Is there anything to compromise in the first place?
If you're indeed in the fortunate position that you have true insider-knowledge, why not "set the record straight" (although we've already seen a few authors with similar ambitions, haven't we?) in a more constructive manner, rather than assuming the whole board is a bunch of wannabe's?
Note that these questions are not fuelled with animosity or acridity.
They're simply ones that I feel that are relevant.
>>By ortlieb (Thursday, 18 Sep 2003 15:23)
Sort of in the order posted:
Scouse, I'm with you on the NBC kit. Not to mention what it does to your hair!
Uh-oh, Ortlieb -- I'm with Bethan. You are certainly very generous to offer, but copying the passage should suffice quite well, thank you!
Latex gloves, Bethan? Hmmm.....
Ignaty, until you mentioned it, I hadn't quite realized what a difficult daily commute those guys have... wonder if they'd consider car pooling; I'll drive, I saw Robert DeNiro.... ;o)
Welcome, Always Surfin...
Wow! That's quite an interesting site! Very intriguing, and certainly fodder for lots of plot lines. "terminal velocity" particularly caught my attention, so far anyway... Mind if I ask how you came to find this messageboard?
Welcome, Lem45...
I wonder about the pseudonyms, too. And the disguised names are not necessarily consistent from author to author, book to book, either. Many are, but not all. Add to that how many have very common nicknames (Taff, Scouse, Gaz, Bob), and it definitely gets confusing trying to cross-reference. And same question to you, please, as to Always Surfin, how did you find this board?
Hello again, Saxon...
Wanna talk syntax rather than transsex?
Hi again, Sp10122...
May I second Ortlieb's request -- with no challenge or offense meant? You said you were British Army, but should we assume you're more than that? Not asking you the big 4, but rather trying to understand how you come to speak to us with such authority.
>>By am-i-binned (Thursday, 18 Sep 2003 16:26)
No, I'm nothing particularly special. It's up to you whether or not you read this.
Isn't the internet a wonderful thing......
http://archive.salon.com/health/sex/urge// world/2000/03/31/sex_change/
(Take out the space before world or it won't work)
Nothing I have said is not already in the public domain. If you look hard enough.
>>By sp10122 (Thursday, 18 Sep 2003 16:30)
Hmmm, Sp10122...
The age is different but most of the other details seem to be consistent with a sad article [link] posted here on August 10 (pg 64):
"Violent Sex Swap SAS Nut Stalks Queen"
http://www.people.co.uk/homepage/news/page.
cfm?objectid=13273997&method=thepeople_
full&siteid=79490
(remove hard returns where hyperlink stringtext wraps)
>>By am-i-binned (Thursday, 18 Sep 2003 16:56)
Me and Lem have the same translating computer... (you didn't think I really can translate it all into English by myself did you..???)
But it has a nasty habit, it something translates words into Marveter language. synomyms...of course are pseudonyms. I got rid of the software..this does it..absolutely the last time I used it.
Indeed the names aren't the same in all books, like Mike Coburn 'changed' his name. But I do think writing a book about real people needs checking/asking what name to use. If later those persons decide to change their own name (or let another writer use another name) that's upto them. But still.... the writer's among us would perhaps care to help us out.
:o) Lynn
>>By Lynn (Thursday, 18 Sep 2003 18:31)
@lynn : i doubt we got the same translating computer, as i use my brain for that. having said that, the word should be "pseudonym". faulty brain... ;-)
@ am-i-binned: you sent me the link to the board after i asked you for it (via email). thank again!
>>By lem45 (Thursday, 18 Sep 2003 18:46)
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