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 enlarge | Author: Fred Rosen
Creator: Bob Burton
Publisher: Alpha
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy New: $4.34
You Save: $12.61 (74%)
New (13) Used (17) from $1.14
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 811781
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.6
ISBN: 1592573029
Dewey Decimal Number: 335.354
EAN: 9781592573028
ASIN: 1592573029
Publication Date: April 5, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! NEW Book! May have remainder mark. Most orders ship within 1 BUSINESS DAY with ORDER CONFIRMATION.
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-8 of 8 | | « PREV | | |
 Disappointing. This could have been a very good book. May 23, 2005
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
The author seems to use Tim Spicer's book "An Unorthodox Soldier" as a starting point, and a benchmark by which everything seems to be evaluated. While some historical accounts of the use of mercenaries are covered well enough, there are many that are given little mention, or ignored entirely (Baron von Steuben, Lafayette Escadrille, the Eagle Squadron).
He paints the term "mercenary" with a rather large brush. Some things got hype, some got spin, and that got irritating by about half way through. It felt like I was reading something one would find in one of the mainstream media. From the tone of the writing in some places I got the feeling that the author didn't dig very deep into the subject matter, and merely parroted the sentiments of previous reporters. The editing could have been better as well.
The bibliography was WOEFULLY THIN - only four books - one of which I didn't think much of either. There is an extensive listing of web sites, which leads me to believe the author's research consisted of mostly internet content (take that for what it's worth).
In its favor, there is a good listing of PMC companies and their web sites. So the book might serve as a starting point for anyone researching modern PMCs, but I would not consider it an authoritative work on the subject. Readers are much better off with books by P.W. Singer, Jim Hooper, and James R. Davis. Tim Spicer's book is a worthwhile read as well.
 Filled with interesting little stories May 11, 2005
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
Rosen begins with Col Tim Spicer and the development of modern PMCs. He follows with fascinating accounts of famous battles fought by mercenaries over 2,500 years. Finally he returns to the use of PMCs in current conflicts.
I must disagree with the last reviewer. The book is not unfriendly to Col Spicer. Rosen clearly differentiates between the mercenaries who are less savory and those who are more admirable. Hannibal's mercenaries were greatly motivated by their hatred of Rome, but the Hessian mercenary forces who fought against George Washington were only in it for money. Spicer is credited for bringing formal guidelines and principles to the modern mercenary world.
It was hard to put this book down at night. That is not common for a book that I learn so much from.
Don't waste your time or money. May 2, 2005
9 out of 14 found this review helpful
This book is not all that it promised to be on the back cover. It seems the author is more interested in questioning our (American) role in Iraq. He takes a dig at President Bush and Vice President Cheney when ever he can. He can't also help but bring up Abu Grahib prison any chance he gets. He also seems to have a personal grudge against Col Spicer. This book is more about the rise of private military companies (PMCs) since the Iraq War. To some PMCs are more security services than mercenary forces; the reader will have to decide.
He spends nearly a page talking about Kirk Douglas and his portrayal of Spartacus, and the breaking of the communist black list in Hollywood. He should have talked about Christopher Walken in "The Dogs of War" or Edward Fox in "The Day of the Jackal"; those would have been more appropriate.
There are plenty of other books that go into the modern mercenary and their history in a lot more detail. Try those first, please.
It did mention the attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea and the mercenaries that were captured in Zimbabwe. It also includes a list of PMCs as an appendix; so any one looking for a job can start there.
As for technical details: I am not familiar with the Alpha publishing house and am not sure if it is one of those self publishing firms. The editing for this book was terrible. Just a simple pass through MS Word spell, punctuation and grammar check would have made the read a lot easier.
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