First Into Action: A Dramatic Personal Account of Life ... (ISBN 0751531650)

Suicidal Boat Service?:
The SBS (Special Boat Service) is Britain's Special Forces unit that corresponds to the U.S. Navy SEALs. It is not as well known as Britain's SAS (Special Air Service), and I must admit that I had never heard of it until I ran across one of Duncan Falconer's novels half a year ago. Duncan Falconer was a member of the SBS for a dozen years from around 1975, getting in at age 19, the youngest ever for a new member. "First Into Action" is his personal account of his life in the SBS plus a bit about his childhood and his entering the British Royal Marines. If you're really keen on books about Special Forces units and the men who serve in them then I can recommend "First Into Action". Duncan Falconer does tell it like it is, and the story is very interesting. Readers who are not so fascinated with the reality of Special Forces will find this book less appealing. The most powerful impression I got from reading this book is that the men of the SBS are a bunch of suicidal maniacs! (I exaggerate - please bear with me.) Duncan Falconer spends most of this book describing three aspects of the SBS: how dangerous it is, how self-motivated and intrepid the members are, and how often things go totally wrong. The selection procedure is described, and it becomes obvious that in order to become a member of the SBS you have to be willing to push yourself to the point of physical injury. And the instructors come across as sadists. After you become a member of the SBS you spend a lot of time doing exercises (or "rehearsals", as they call them) to keep your skills up to snuff. High-altitude parachuting, submarine exits, climbing oil rigs during a violent storm, testing new weapons and explosives, diving in freezing water, descending from a helicopter onto a bucking ship, etc., etc. You name it, the SBS can do it, or die trying. And a lot of them do die trying. In addition to the many deaths there are a large number of injuries, some that heal and some that result in being incapacitated, perhaps even ending up in a wheelchair for the rest of your life. There are also an incredible number of screw-ups in the missions that the SBS is involved in that can be considered humorous. In fact, large portions of the book are written in a tongue-in-cheek tone that is intended to be a contrast to the serious and heroic books by former members of the SAS and other Special Forces units. Speaking of the SAS, another theme of "First Into Action" is the rivalry between the SBS and the SAS. The title of the book refers to the claim that the SBS is always (or almost always) the first British military unit sent into any conflict, before the SAS or anyone else. Duncan Falconer writes with scorn about several SAS missions that went awry, including the famous Bravo Two Zero during the first Iraq war, and the accidental killing of an SBS operative during the Falklands War. On the back cover of the paperback edition I read it said that Mr. Falconer had a "leading role" in SBS operations in the Falklands. This isn't true. In the text of the book Duncan Falconer writes that he was not involved in the Falklands at all, although he recounts several stories about the SBS teams that were there. Much of the book describes Mr. Falconer's personal experiences during his time in Northern Ireland combating the IRA. This is fairly interesting, but not the kind of work that most Special Forces fans prefer to read about. A few final points: The book is too long in my opinion, and it suffers from there being no dates whatsoever for the various events that take place. It's nice that there is a glossary of the military terms and acronyms used - I referred to it fairly often. In conclusion, this book will appeal to Special Forces fans because it's a very honest look at the SBS, one of the world's best Special Forces units. My three-star rating of "First Into Action" is largely due to it being outside my normal reading preferences. For me it was an OK read, but Mr. Falconer's novels ("The Hostage" and "The Hijack") are more to my taste - I give them both four stars. Rennie Petersen

Very Entertaining and Informative:
I've read a lot of these SF books (see my other reviews), and this one is one of the better ones to come around in a long time. He writes about himself, the SBS, and the SAS in a most sincere and humble manner. I will be buying more of Falconer's novels/books. Great book.

Special Boat Service:
A very interesting book about a mysterious British special forces unit. I've read some books about the SAS but I must admit that I hadn't heard about the SBS before.

First Into Action:
Not nearly as detailed as a lot of other books of this true stories of the special forces genre, but interesting none-the-less. I would recommend it to people (like me) who have never read about or heard of the SBS. It's a fairly quick read and won't take up much of your time. Besides, the author has some pretty amusing anecdotes.

First Into Action A Dramatic Personal Account of Life in the SBS:
First Into Action: A Dramatic Personal Account of Life in the SBS This is truly one of the most incredible insights into the real world workings of a unique Special Forces unit, which known to the public, however receives little attention. The author of the book, is an ex-SBS Opertive who shares his own experiences; most are extremly amazing feats of human courage. However, some are very sad and leave the reader pondering questions, such as, "how would I have handled this?". This is a truly must read for anyone interested in Special Operations, especially from a view outside our (United States) armed forces!