The Action Hero's Handbook by David Borgenicht, Joe Borgenicht (2002, Paperback)

I bought this book because it was in the discount bin. And now I understand why.

The authors could have gone a couple of different directions wit this. They could have created a serious, useful book that had good, solid information. Or they could have created a spoof that made fun of unrealistic situations. Instead, they created a collection of questionable suggestions, where the outrageous (and INTENTIONALLY humorous ones) might be the most useful.

About the only thing consistent about this book was that it had a decent format. Really. Whether it was a sign telling aliens, "Please do not use me for medical experiments," or examples of how to limit injury when saving someone from a speeding car, it had a brief intro, clear diagrams, and step-by-step instructions.

Some of the stuff makes sense. Mainly, if you read something and say, "I already knew that." Other stuff - like cutting open a patient's throat or jumping on the bad guys parachute - looks like it was done by somebody who watched a movie once or twice. Which makes me wary of any of the advice it offers.

If you can get it cheap, it might be worth dropping a couple of bucks on it. It you get a few laughs from it, and are able to remind yourself something useful every now and then, then it's served its purpose.

I would prefer to rate this a 2.5. But, only because of the consistent format, I give it a 3. Sadly, this may be a real example of what"Average" fare is out there.