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Rating: 
Summary: good, but grizzlies are a serious threat
Review: I saw this book at Tower and picked it up because of the cover and I have to admit that these stories really get under your skin. Especially the story about the fire ants. You don't want to mess with fire ants! The chapter on the elevator falling was also pretty cool. It'll make me think twice next time before I mess with an elevator. The really nice thing is that these stories are short, so if you get tired of one you can just go on to the next one. But they are all really good except for the one on the Grizzly. That hit a little too close to home for me because of a childhood accident with my youth group. But if you have never been exposed to a Grizzly the way I was then you might not object to it the way i did. Besides, the other 39 stories were all pretty good and definitely get under your skin in a good way.
Rating: 
Summary: What? No impalement on pungi sticks?
Review: In the forward of EXTREME ENCOUNTERS, author Greg Emmanuel indicates that the muse for his book came knocking after his own near death experience in a rollover auto accident on a New York parkway. Happily, my second-string Review Muse doesn't need such a drastic kick start.EXTREME ENCOUNTERS is all about situations and events that result in dire physical or mental injury, often ending in death. Its 40 chapters are divided into six sections: attacks by other species, outdoor misadventures, medical emergencies, crime and punishment, ordinary daily accidents, and in-harm's-way by choice. My favorite from each section was respectively: death by fire ants, abduction by tornado, death by Ebola, interrogation by "Chinese water torture", pain by hydrofluoric acid, and over Niagara Falls via barrel. The author can describe these vicarious thrills after having interviewed survivors and those otherwise knowledgeable about such things. He spices each chapter with relevant facts. (Did you know that the Philippines is the only country besides the U.S. to have executed with the electric chair, or that 30,000 wounded limbs were amputated in the Union Army during the Civil War?) He brings the immediacy of the experience home to the reader by use of the second person. So, it's: "You land face first in the shallow water, putting more of your flesh into the feeding zone." (Piranha buffet)
Or, "You try to angle your body so you can kick at the lid." (Buried alive) And, "Your foot kicks against the metal faucet, completing the circuit, and the current goes straight through your body." (Blow dryer into the tub) I'm giving EXTREME ENCOUNTERS 4 stars because of the novelty of the theme and the examples chosen to illustrate it. Otherwise, at 173 pages, it's simply a fast and absorbing read that allows one to move quickly on to the next book on the shelf.
Rating:
Summary: I laughed, I cringed, I got a bit nauseous -- a fun read
Review: It's weird to say that it was enjoyable to read a lighthearted book about terrible ways that people have gone through pain, but it was. Beyond doing a lot of research, the author has a good sense of humor. I read it pretty quickly, but it also seems like it could be a good book to keep next to the toilet: you can read one or two of the descriptive vignettes when you go.
Rating:
Summary: awesome read
Review: not normally a big fan of non-fiction but this one rules. the quicksand story freaked me out...thought it was better than worst case scenario handbook. also dig the 2nd person voice. extremely good.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not exceptional
Review: These are some good stories. A few of them--literally--do make you feel a little queasy. An enjoyable read, but not as good as Last Breath, since the tales aren't developed quite as well.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not exceptional
Review: These are some good stories. A few of them--literally--do make you feel a little queasy. An enjoyable read, but not as good as Last Breath, since the tales aren't developed quite as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining Lightweight
Review: This book dedicates two or three pages to each of about fifty ways to depart this life. Some of the entries are quite interesting, but very little is done in the way of developing a story that might be of interest to the reader beyond the morbid. While a more narrow subject, Peter Capstick's stories of death by maneating animals are much more visceral and downright frightening.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Lightweight
Review: This book dedicates two or three pages to each of about fifty ways to depart this life. Some of the entries are quite interesting, but very little is done in the way of developing a story that might be of interest to the reader beyond the morbid. While a more narrow subject, Peter Capstick's stories of death by maneating animals are much more visceral and downright frightening.
Rating:
Summary: brutal, and i mean it as a compliment!!!
Review: wow! this book is unbelieveable!! it actually feels as if you're being dragged into these scenarios that you don't wanna be in, but it's fun because it is just like going in a roller coaster ride, you just feel so much tension when you're reading it, you don't know what'll happen next, will you die in the end? or will you not? is everything gonna be ok? will you rot in pieces? will you start splouting out blood!? i really think this is a fun read, come check it out for yourself!!!
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