Eye of the Storm

Twenty-Five Years in Action with the SAS

By: Peter Ratcliffe, Noel Botham, Brian Hitchen

Narrated by: Peter Kenny

Peter Ratcliffe served in the SAS for 25 years. Blooded in Oman in the 1970s, he also saw action in Northern Ireland, in the Falklands War, and in the Gulf campaign. From his early days in the Paras to his time as Regimental Sergeant-Major in the Gulf, he has lived and fought by the motto 'who dares wins'.

Eye of the Storm is his insider's account of that exceptional career. Fast-paced, earthy, dramatic, funny, occasionally disturbing, it is laced with firsthand descriptions of ferocious and bloody fighting, sudden death and incredible heroism, and peopled with a cast of extraordinary individuals. Beyond that, however, it corrects many of the distortions and exaggerations of other books and explodes several long-standing myths about the Regiment. Here - at last - is the authentic voice of the SAS.

©2019 Peter Ratcliffe (P)2019 Michael O'Mara

Simply great

Loved it... One of the best SAS books written, more of these OG SAS books please

Great story

It is amazing how many embellish a story when the simple truth is enough. So glad this corrects the drama others have to put out for self gratification.

raw honesty of both good and bad aspects of the Regiment

One of the better books from an ex SAS member.
it stands out as an honest personal encounter of the authors life before joing up and then whilst serving.
At times it can be a little repetitive, though the gritty endeavors of the different members the author served with, and commanded, are pretty well laid bare, and told from a strict pov.
The author takes some pains when referencing others' books on the same operations, and, at times, there appears to be a small amount of personal animosity, especially where othe authors have written about him, but overall a well balanced, honest story, warts and failures as well as successes, comes through.
worth a read / listen.

Thrilling Ride

The SAS has to be the most exciting service in the world. No wonder readers never tire of memoirs from those who served in this elite force. Peter Radcliffe served in some of the most trying circumstances, from Oman to Desert Storm. The book is well balanced, with a lot of background info, but balanced out with major objectives. No objective monopolizes any section in the book. It's well rounded and very exciting. But as with all of these books, it's necessary to pay close attention so as to not miss any details. Peter Kenny's narration is perfect for this book.

Exciting and Fun

I really enjoyed this book. You need to set the narration to 0.85x to make it comprehensible but that’s not to say the narration is bad. It’s just very fast. This book and the Rhodesian SAS books are fantastic. Highly recommend.

Not embellished

A great story written by a brave warrior. A lot of special operators embellish their stories almost to the point of no longer being believable, I never felt that way while listening to Eye of the Storm. Just the facts as they happened from the author’s perspective.

Peter is the real deal

I met Peter in Dubai when we were both visiting Tony Osmand (RSM GREENJACKETS). Both of those gentlemen are very much the real thing, no Hollywood there. Peter was going to take me parachuting, but thankfully the wind over the drop zone was too high that day. Peter as described by RSM Osmand could navigate across the desert with nothing but a razor blade. I stand in awe of these soldiers.

Surprisingly Good

Goes through his rough childhood, time with the British paratroopers, SAS selection, and among others, his during the conflicts in the Falklands and Iraq. The narration is hilarious at times, particularly when imitating British officers. From what I could tell, seemed to have a no nonsense point of view on things. Good stuff.

I ordered it as an afterthought

I ordered this book as an afterthought and forgot about it in my library for some time. I clicked on it after finishing another book without knowing what the subject matter. Turns out that this was one of the best military books I’ve ever read. It rings true in so many ways. The author’s frankness is refreshing and his story fascinating.

Sas gossip

First part quite boring. Second half gossipy sas narrative that occasionally rises to meet the amazing true story that still comes thru.