Customer Reviews
Gripping and at times terrifying - By: A. J. Judge, 06 Jan 2009 
Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know by Ranulph Fiennes
I received this book as a Christmas present, so I leafed through the first few pagesin a desultory manner, expecting to discard it soon after. I could not put it down. Fiennes recounts his unlikely exploits with some skill. Not only is he the most famous explorer alive to day, but he is also a talented writer. The sheer mad determination of the man is staggering. Along with his feted successes, he has also had numerous failures, some of which have resultedin extremities maimed by frostbite. Yet he keeps going back, year after year, to the frozen ends of the earth. It seems miraculous that he has not yet succumbed to one of his many duckingsin the Arctic Ocean, or his numerous close encounters with Antarctic crevasses. At an age when many men are slumping into inactivity, he decides that it is time to confront a lifelong problem with vertigo, so he climbs the North Face of the Eiger, or the "Mordwand" (death wall) as the Germans call it. Only months after a near-fatal heart attack, he enters the record books by running seven marathons, on seven continents, over seven successive days. As I said: gloriously, certifiably crackers.
Fiennes is not much given to introspection - it is possible to read between the lines that he does not suffer fools gladly - but writes very touchingly about his relationship with his first wife, Ginny, & of his devastation after her death from cancer.
I almost rated the book at five stars, but the final sections come across as rather rushed, & are not of quite the same high quality as the other 80%. (I suspect that the author was working to a deadline prior to departing on another dangerous exploit). That said, Fiennes' most recent autobiography is an excellent read, whichin parts has the narrative drive of a good thriller.
Review by Tony Judge, author of Sirocco Express (ISBN: 978-1409204466 )
Move over Indina Jones! - By: E. C. Carnochan, 30 Dec 2008 
I first heard of this book whilst watching an episode of Top Gear that had Sir Ranulph Fiennes as the Starin a Reasonably Priced Car. Through listening to what he had to say I thought this would be an interesting read & went ahead & bought it.
This book really is one adventure after another & time after time demonstrates not only the limits that the human body can be pushed to but the love one person can have for another. It is little wonder that Sir Ranulph has been used as a motivation speaker as his experiences & determination are something that are beyond imagination.
A highly recommended read! Insightful, funny & inspiring!
surprising, touching, motivating - By: Richard Beddard, 08 Oct 2008 This book surprised me. It was a Christmas present & its taken this long for me to open it, but I'm very glad I did. I must admit before I read it I thought Ranulph Feinnes was a bit of a nutter. I still do. But there's more to him than that.
I think this book is about love, failure & doing & not thinking! He doesn't talk about his first wife, Ginny, much. He uses far more words describing how he wedged his handsin various crannies, or tried to get the blood flowing back through them once they were frozen. But he speaks so poignantly about her it's touching. More so because he doesn't wallowin sentimentality.
He failed a lot. There's a temptation to think about him as the bloke who trekked on his own to the North Pole or more recently did seven marathonsin seven days on seven continents after a heart by-pass, but he failed more than he succeeded, & the matter-of-fact way he deals with failure is as inspirational as the success.
I also found the narrative of the challenges compelling & there are a few heart-stopping moments & very amusing anecdotes. Frankly, I don't know if he's a good adventurer or not, he seems reckless sometimes, & luck often played a part, but he's as hard as they come.
I don't even know if he's a good writer. If you lead a life as full of adventure, love & commitment as his, the books probably write themselves.
Good book but heavy reading - By: Danny Boy 99, 21 Aug 2008 
I enjoyed this book overall, but found it a bit heavy going at times. The early part where Fiennes describes his upbringing, school life & timein the armed forces was very good & was at just the right pace. However, when he goes on to write about the various expeditions & races he subsequently took part in, I found the level of detail uneccesary. Its almost like he recounts each trip day by day from his diaries. This made for quite heavy reading, & certainly slowed the pace of the book right down. By the end it had become quite hard work, & I was glad to finish it. Overall a good read, but not one you'll be able to get through without a lot of time & concentration!
Outstanding - By: Rio Calling, 17 Jul 2008 Wow. This man is absolutely incredible. I'm sure others have been through the examples from the book, so I won't repeat, but if you have respect for someone who can push their body to the absolute limit, then this is a must read.
