Duncan Falconer
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SBS
Must say I really enjoyed it.
Explains the difference between SAS/SBS, even though they integrate with eachother and work together in alot of undercover work, there still seems to be a lot of rivaldry.
Wonder how the situation is now.
Looking forward to reading his next fiction-novel . The Hostage.
>>By borisette (Tuesday, 10 Feb 2004 23:12)
Next book coming out this June .
Strangely I found 3 titles for the same book :
- Blood Crescent
- the Terrorist
- The hijack
wich one will it be??
>>By borisette (Tuesday, 10 Feb 2004 23:48)
Hahaha Borisette.... Should have known...
Well, I guess DF deserves it. I think I must go look for one of his books now... ;o))
>>By Lynn (Wednesday, 11 Feb 2004 00:24)
"Go Boris, Go Boris"
Come on girl, get on with the hostage so I know whether it's a good read, it's not in my local library.
>>By Bethan (Wednesday, 11 Feb 2004 14:49)
Bethan: Sorry but had to go to some flipping congress, and forgot the book for an evening - hotel- read. So shame on me.
mea culpa, mea culpa.
Anyway, read the other week some 20 pages, and seems good, takes you in, and written in 3 person.
>>By borisette (Sunday, 15 Feb 2004 15:07)
Well on to chapter five now with the Hostage, DF bestseller!!
It's really really good, and my money worth.
Third person narration, very much action, speed,... keeps you on the edge the whole time, yearning to turn the next page.
Completely different from AM or CR's books.
Will keep you all informed.
>>By borisette (Sunday, 22 Feb 2004 16:09)
Well guess I'm the only DF-fan around then, sigh.
>>By borisette (Sunday, 22 Feb 2004 18:03)
Ooooh, Borisette! Don't despair! Consider Duncan your "mission"!!! :o)
I’ll happily join you in discussions when my book finally arrives… unfortunately, it’s SBS (slow boat shipment) from the UK... :o(
>>By am-i-binned (Sunday, 22 Feb 2004 18:37)
Keep going with the hostage info boris. Waiting for it from library, then there'll be no stopping us!!
As for FIA, fave bit? The cruise boat. Don't know why, probably the 'I could be James Bondness'.... Landed on his feet with that one.
>>By Bethan (Sunday, 22 Feb 2004 19:46)
FIA, yes the cruise boat was very very JB-like, and made me grin.
My fav bit is the one where he tells the bit where the SBS assists in preparing sub captains to recover personnel at sea :
"the hook and line method". That made me laugh!
Although during the whole book I had the feeling that DF was quite a lonely man, very sure of himself, hard character and excellent at hiding his feelings. But then I could be completely wrong.
>>By borisette (Monday, 23 Feb 2004 17:39)
Here's a pic of DF :
www.dararowlandassociates.com/BookJackets/
Authors/FalconerDuncan.jpg
plus didn't know he wrote "Pacific Blue" , so I guess he doesn't need a ghostwriter for his books.
>>By borisette (Monday, 23 Feb 2004 18:37)
i really loved the part where they drop in at Sandringham and popped in for a cup o'joe, and one of the ops wouldn't take his suit off. or when zipper floats through scottish lochs on a periscope.
the book was quite different from other SF books i've read, and it was nice to get another point of view to specops. so far it's been SAS this and the 'blades' =) that. really got to hand it to the navy to do everything with style too, like removing the helm of the 'narwal'.
"what the f**k do you think we are, sea lions?"
>>By trident (Monday, 23 Feb 2004 23:55)
Yes FIA is a good book and completely different from the AM-stuff too.
Didn't know the SBS did undercover work in NI, and that they worked so close with the SAS aswell.
At last I got to understand what RIRA, PIRA, Provos and the whole NI situation is about. You can read it in THe Hostage.
Plus it's funny when he explains the slang the SBS use. Like .
"tea's wet = tea is ready
kip = sleep
knobber = wanker
kipper = stinking two eyed fish
>>By borisette (Tuesday, 24 Feb 2004 00:09)
Just thought of another bit that made me laugh.... when doing an insertion/exfil/get-a-way/sod off (wrong word, don't care!) out of a submarine and the little blokey on board thought they held their breath while waiting to be released...
That might have been Don Camsell's book though, can't remember, I apologise DF if it's not you!!
>>By Bethan (Tuesday, 24 Feb 2004 14:54)
"Although during the whole book I had the feeling that DF was quite a lonely man, very sure of himself, hard character and excellent at hiding his feelings"
mmmmm.... makes me wonder...
>>By Lynn (Tuesday, 24 Feb 2004 15:15)
No no Bethan that was in DF's book, FIA, the little bloke served them like kings thinking they held their breath for such a long time, he thought they were heroes, (well let's face it, they are) and when he found out they had a breathing device, he just ignored them and no tea was served when they came back out from the water.
Lynn : what are you wondering about......
>>By borisette (Tuesday, 24 Feb 2004 17:47)
Recently finished a copy of FIA...and now he has his own board!!
It amused me when they rolled the car and told the farmer who offered help that their friends were right behind them. One car speeds past, occupants waving. 'Your friends?' asks the farmer. Second car speeds past, occupants waving. DF doesn't even bother to say anything to the farmer this time. Last car eventually picks them up...
Also...
Max and his ever expanding vocabulary...
And...
Lance Corporal Harry the sheep being allowed to die of old age...
So...the SAS use Range Rovers and the SBS use vans. I shall look at 'white van man' in a different light from now on...
How peaceful it is here.
I'm now onto a book about Robert Nairac by journo John Parker . I see he also wrote a book on the SBS. Read it, anyone?
>>By bikergirl (Wednesday, 25 Feb 2004 13:17)
No BG haven't read that book you mentioned, is it any good?
Ave you seen any white vans lately,.........
Almost finished The Hostage, clappy clappy to mr Falconer.
Ave seen he's got another book comin out this summer, hmmm, hope it'll be good as this one then.
>>By borisette (Saturday, 6 Mar 2004 16:23)
I think you must all (F-Troop) know of my interest in all things Nairac - well this suddenly lurched into my mailbox from anon source followed by further communique via readit...
Take a look at this URl first:
http://www.britains-smallwars.com/
swbooks/then.html
Then proceed to:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/
exec/obidos/ASIN/0671016032/202-
6832717-8043840
Intriguing?
>>By devonwren (Saturday, 6 Mar 2004 17:16)
Devy, DF mentions Nairac in both his books FIA and Hostage.
So the above site you gave is very very intriguing indeed.
Makes you wonder how many secrets the British government keeps from us, ...
>>By borisette (Saturday, 6 Mar 2004 18:08)
Still about Nairac : did you know about this book and this author?
www.john-parker.co.uk/deathofahero.htm
John Parker also wrote a book about SBS and Para.
>>By borisette (Sunday, 7 Mar 2004 12:34)
Death of a Hero IS the book I said I was reading Boris...see up there...<pointing>
Also have S5 on the go and Wars Against Saddam by John Simpson.
>>By bikergirl (Tuesday, 9 Mar 2004 15:22)
Oooops sorry BG, silly me!!
Finished The hostage!!!! Yesterday.
Had a bit of a Hollywood ending to me, but it was a good read.
Love the way how he writes the different dialects people talk, especially the irish and the english ones.
the book also has a good speed that makes you want to read more and more and keep them pages turning.
>>By borisette (Tuesday, 9 Mar 2004 16:55)
As everyone is always on and about how great and how elite the SAS are, it's about time something or someone should be said about the SBS.
The Special Boat Service
The Observer
In the past few weeks, the normally low-profile Special Boat Service has been involved in two major operations - securing Bagram airbase in Afghanistan and boarding a frigate suspected of carrying explosives and biological weapons in the Channel just before Christmas. But most of the time, the SBS lurks in the shadow of its better-known counterpart, the Special Air Service.
About 200 commandos - drawn from the Royal Marines - make up the SBS at any one time. They regard themselves as even fitter than the SAS. Specialists in counter-terrorism, beach reconnaissance, sabotage, oil platform and large ship assault, they do most things the SAS does, but may swim 10 miles or carry a canoe as well. They have been 'mainly loners and survivors, individualists with strength of character', says former member Peter Mercer in his book Not by Strength, by Guile (Blake, £5.99).
Income: Salaries are as in the Royal Marines, basic pay ranging from £12,070 to £35,420 below officer level. SBS members are likely to earn the higher end, with top-ups for particular skills and various allowances.
Pension: The Armed Forces pension scheme is attractive, producing pensions of 32 per cent of final salary after 22 years' service below officer level, slightly more for officers. Retirement age is 55, but pensions can be drawn earlier.
Perks: Ordinary perks such as paid holiday are not of particular importance to the kind of person who joins the SBS. More important is the handling of sophisticated and powerful kit. With his night-viewing aids, satellite navigation systems, laser-guided weapon-sighting systems and perhaps control of a mini-submarine, one man can be handling technology worth millions on one night out. Although some people will be involved in just a couple of active missions a year, all retain remarkable levels of fitness. The super-fit former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown demonstrates how the services fitness obsession becomes a lifelong habit.
The camaraderie engendered in the SBS does more than give a nice, cosy feeling; it is officially encouraged and helps save lives. And if you like playing expensive games, the SBS is the place: an annual exercise could be taking control of an oil rig which has, supposedly, been taken over by terrorists.
Disadvantages: This is no job for people who cannot survive for days in the wild, cooking worms in tobacco tins and either staying still or covering large distances at night. Exiting from and re-entering submarines is a dangerous job. More SBS operatives die in training than in active service.
Those that survive find their career is usually over at 40, when they are past their physical peak. Getting back into Civvy Street can be difficult for men used to such high levels of commitment. Some used to pick up the pen on retirement - there have been at least 30 books on the squadron - but they were all forced to sign confidentiality clauses in 1997.
The future: Poor communications with the SAS undermined their joint efforts in the Falklands War and other campaigns, resulting in talk of amalgamating the units. A merger is seen as inevitable by some.
My view: Duncan Falconer
'Every operative in special forces wants that first kill,' says former SBS operative Duncan Falconer, author of First Into Action (Warner, £7.99). 'It's like a baby touching the cooker - you don't really know what it's like until you do. Afterwards, you either get less sensitive to it or are disgusted.' In a 20-year career, Falconer was sent to Northern Ireland, the US, the Mediterranean and elsewhere. In his book he highlights the frequent lack of cohesion between the top brass, planners and operatives - particularly in Northern Ireland: 'Some of these self-generated operations were nothing more than job-creation schemes.'
>>By borisette (Monday, 26 Apr 2004 14:22)
New book due out August 19
The Hijack
here's a review :
Two hundred miles south of the Devon coastline, Palestinian freedom fighter Abed Abu Omar and twenty men prepare for their most daring mission yet - the hijack of a supertanker, a five- storey superstructure laden with oil. Meanwhile, in an Elizabethan country house, SBS operative Stratton has been seconded to bodyguard work and is bored by the lack of challenge. Not for long. With the helter-skelter pace that defined Duncan Falconer's brilliant debut THE HOSTAGE, Stratton has been whisked away by helicopter to assist in a daring rescue. THE HIJACK ranges from London to the Gaza Strip, from Riga in Latvia to Jerusalem. With a rich cast of characters from Russian secret service operatives to Al Qaeda terrorists and the Israeli military, the authentic detail and heartstopping narrative will propel Duncan Falconer to the highest class of adventure writers.
>>By borisette (Saturday, 3 Jul 2004 23:38)
Just finished The Hostage, a very good read which makes me want to read The Hijack straight away! As people above have commented, he has his own style which differs from other writers of the genre. However, I see the main difference being his lead character, Stratton, who is something of an enigma, does not have the loveable rogue aura of, say, Nick Stone, and therefore, the reader cannot empathise with him so much.
>>By camban (Monday, 5 Jul 2004 12:09)
Got "the Hostage " coming my way this week. Another must have on my reading list . And that list is getting longer and longer every week. * sigh* I really have to read something sentimental and cheesy in between.
Duncan has a sense of humour that i like alot. Hope his fictional is having the same.
Will be back when book is finished.
>>By Ninjawoman (Thursday, 8 Jul 2004 13:06)
Finished and WOW !!
Any idea if or when his second fiction is comining out ?
>>By Ninjawoman (Wednesday, 4 Aug 2004 21:29)
Ninja : 2 fiction The Hijack
coming out this august 19
(read above review)
>>By borisette (Thursday, 5 Aug 2004 00:23)
Jippie !! Thanks Bo, so i was just in time in ordering it ! Pfew ..
>>By Ninjawoman (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 13:17)
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