General Adventure Book Reviews

The Dangerous Book for Boys - by Conn and Hal Iggulden

I imagine writing a book is an adventure in its own right. Writing one with "Dangerous" in the title and marketing it for
boys, doubly so. The world isn't what it once was. In my day it had sharp corners and hard surfaces. Abrasions,
lacerations and the odd broken bone here or there were the norm. Today's world seems to have a foam pad attached to
everything and a helmet for every activity. With the "nerfing" of the country a simple reality, it seems a risky act to
write a book that harkens back to a time when making a bow and arrow was practically a right of passage for a boy.
Regardless the risk, Conn and Hal did it and I can't thank them enough.

The Dangerous Book for Boys is stuffed to overflowing with information a boy might want. Much like a young man's
mind, there's no rhyme or reason behind the content. Kids just want to know stuff; all kinds of stuff. Weird stuff,
obscure stuff, seemingly useless stuff, they want to know it and the knowledge is priceless. The Dangerous Book
delivers. Had I this book when I was a boy it would have occupied a position of honor among my most valued
possessions. Your boy (or tom-girl) will likely feel the same. Whether he wants to make a bow and arrow, know about
some local bugs, learn how to juggle or teach his dog some tricks, it's in here. The book is full of history, knowledge
and high adventure. I've not even scratched the surface.

As I see it, The Dangerous Book for Boys has only two failings. First - it's missing some fantastic stuff. Of course, the
book would be 3 feet thick if it covered everything a boy wants to know, so I forgive the authors this minor item and
suspect there may be a sequel in the works to fill in the gaps. Second - the over-protective nature of parents today
makes me wonder if this book isn't a gem out of time. If you are such a parent, I ask you…, no, I beg you to read the
book before letting the title dissuade you. It is a wonderful work and you might find yourself learning a thing or two
you always wanted to know but never bothered to learn. I, for one, have learnt to play Texas Hold 'em.

Thank you Conn and Hal for a delightful resource and a walk down memory lane to a time in my life when knowing
how to do stuff, the most out there, eclectic stuff imaginable, served second in status earning potential only to who
possessed the coolest scab or scar. Please write another.

The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys - Things to Do - by Conn and Hal Iggulden

First, a dose of honesty - unless your child is a giant and wears a giant's pants with giant pockets, this book will not fit
in his pockets. We felt that needed saying. It is, however, considerably more portable than the original from which it
sprang, The Dangerous Book for Boys. Other than being more portable, The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys is
mostly a smaller, recycled version of The Dangerous Book for Boys. But do we recommend it?

Yes. If your boy ate up the first copy and carries it in his backback wherever he may roam, the Pocket version will be
much appreciated for its portability. Just don't expect to be wow'd by additional content. While The Pocket Dangerous
Book for Boys does include some new tips and tricks, it is not a new book full of new information. There is some in
there, just not as much of it as you might hope. In otherwords, this isn't the sequel you've been waiting for.

Other than that, this book comes with the same endorsement as the one above (assuming you haven't purchased the
one above).