Rating: 
Summary: Excellent information for real and armchair travellers
Review: Robert Young Pelton and his staff at DP have compiled a hefty (1000 + pages) travelouge of the most dangerous places in the world, rated from 2 stars (bad rep) to 5 (be afraid - be very afraid.) The book, in a word, is marvelous.Some of the information is common sense ("don't flash your cash"), but much of it is extremely valuable - from carrying a "drop" wallet (with photos, a little cash and cancelled credit cards) to foil theives, to how to avoid landmines and what to do if approached by stoned, armed, pre-pubescent soldiers (as is too common in many parts of Africa.) The first third of the book details how the rest of the world isn't as "dangerous" as one may be led to believe; the remainder is a veritable encyclopedia of information by country, including the political climate, (and major players and groups), diseases and other hazzards (like mines), and several valuable tips unique to each country. Simply fabulous. Of particular interest to those traveling in dangerous places are the addresses of American (and Canadian and British) embassies, good hotels (considering where you are ...), recommended prophalyxis before arriving, common diseases, and areas to be avoided. The amount of information contained in this book is simply staggering. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Reference
Review: For what this book tries to do, it's about as good as could possible be written on the subject it chooses to discuss. It could more accurately be named the Encyclopedia of the World's Most Dangerous Places. It's that good. It's that complete. It's a bible in its genre. I'm not sure what else to say other than that opening paragraph. You can open it up randomly, start reading, and immediately be engrossed in it. More likely, you'll scan the table of contents and pick out a country that's of particular interest at the moment. For instance, when I got this book, it was Afghanistan. Now, it might be the same, or Iraq, Iran, Israel, North Korea...there are any number of places that might interest you at the moment. And this book goes on to cover it with excruciating detail. If I were forced to make one, the only complaint would have to be that there's too much information. But that's hardly a complaint. I'm merely trying to be objective and it's hard to come up with much of anything lacking in this book. If I had it my way, I would include an end-of-chapter essay about every country, as opposed to the select few that appear in this book. I really enjoyed these slices of dangerous life discussed there. Written by various authors, they lend credence to a lot of the information preceding it. Good stuff. This is a great reference to have on your bookshelf, so the next time a random country pops up on the International War Zone radar, you can pick it up and know a lot in less than an hour. Above these specific country details, this book also delves into specifics about what makes any country dangerous. From landmines to kidnapping, this book really does a great job covering much of what you need to know about the dangers in this world. An excellent reference to have for those interested in keeping abreast of the dangerous reality of our world.
Rating: 
Summary: Making fun of Lonely Planet...
Review: This is the political incorrect stepbrother of Lonely Planet.
Lonely Planet give you tip who needs visa to enter a specific country, where to stay and so on. Comebackalive isn't into that
stuff, more tell the history of the place and general recommendations.
Rating:
Summary: World Politics in a Nutshell
Review: I have read this book (in this version and it's earlier editions) several times, and I still cannot get enough. This is due to several reasons. First, because I have found Pelton's accounts of various places I personally have been to be accurate, I trust the author. And trustworthiness is an important characteristic of a writer in Pelton's position - ie. advisor to individuals contemplating travel into some of the world's most dangerous places. Second, I keep going back to DP because I enjoy Pelton's style. He is a no-nonsense, "tell it like it is" guy...but he never loses his sense of humor - an essential quality to have when traveling in places that are dangerous, uncomfortable, or inconvient. Third, I find this book invaluable, not only because of the travel advice dispensed, but also because, for me, reading each new edition of DP is like getting an update in worldwide current events - but NOT from the network TV drones who report only what America wants to hear! No...Pelton tells us the TRUTH - from the inside. Not some watered down, American-propagandized version. For example, I admired Pelton a few years ago after I spent a year in Russia and central Asia: his coverage of Russia and Chechnya was excellent - and accurate. And nothing like what was reported on American TV. It is for this last reason that I would recommend DP to anyone - not just to those considering travel to the world's war zones and crime centers. It it not just about travel - it is an annual education in world events!
Rating: 
Summary: The font is too small...
Review: I like his books, and his forums. But the font size is too small. Not everyone can read such small print. I think everyone should agree with me on that one.
I'm hoping everyone will join my action group F.L.U.F.F.E.R.
(For Larger User Friendly Fonts Everyone Reads)
And Mr. Pelton is not Indiana Jones, as I've had to tell my son, but a foul-mouthed, ill-tempered, crotchety, Canadian curmudgeon.
I would recommend anything with his name on it to be used only for people in the R-17 range.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this book?
Review: This is an amazing book. Have you ever wondered how the news media finds it's way to obscure hazardous places? They have this book and similar travel guides. You can check out Pelton's website (try a web search), and you can exchange email with him (I have), before buying if you want. Robert has a "different" writing style which won't interest every person (he's "edgy"). The book has minor flaws (some deliberate hooks), and I have purchased maybe 10 copies as gifts, and each of the 3 editions (the first 2 using Pelton's Fielding's travel guide concession) is different. Each has different editorial decisions which I like and dislike (the 1st. Edition had an interesting section on depravity in Africa but was weak on Internet resources [new at the time], the 2nd had an amusing list of "boring" countries and audience section which were dropped in the 3rd ed.). The book has geographic sections: the 3rd edition was the first to really detail the star or hand (denial) rating system: e.g., North Korea has 4 hands). The United States rates 1 star which translates to "a criminal place" which means that problem areas are largely avoidable. The US star is a good calibration. Five star countries The book has sections for tourists and business people. The back of the book has sections on Dangerous things for the traveller:
diseases,
guns,
dangerous jobs,
bribery (giving and taking: useful),
land mines [shallow but a start, I purchased my first copy of this book because of a conference session on this topic],
terrorism, and
the book has a good section on what to carry (I won't spoil this for you).
Critics who don't reach the last pages may claim Pelton is "cynical," so he has "Save yourself and the planet." I think educators (high school level) should be aware of this book, BUT this book is not for weak-at-heart: there are serious photos of children wielding automatic weapons (real and toy), photos of hijacking, Russian roulette, and more. I think the harsh reality in this book makes it an important resource. I eagerly await the next edition.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Just about the only book I know of that tells you what is REALLY going on. My favs were the U.S. presidential election and all of israel. "So blowing up buses with a suicide vest is terrorism, but shooting civilians with helicopters is not... get the picture?" I loved it. And as to the small print guy. GET A LIFE. You honestly can't find something better to do than to diss books because of the size of their print?
Rating: 
Summary: Some interesting details, too much ranting
Review: RYP, who admittedly is an interesting traveler/journalist, unfortunately mistakes his stamp-laden passport as sufficient qualification to fill 1000+ pages with rants. The first 200 or so pages have brief, interesting chapters on topics like dangerous jobs, diseases, bribes, kidnapping, and other hazards faced by people eager to enter rough locales. The remainder of the book is made up of 15-40 page summaries of about 30 countries, including recent history, political climate, demographics, local dangers, and sources of health care. There are useful tidbits here, but you have to grit your teeth through the long, sarcastic tirades about every political figure and government mentioned. Most if not all of them deserve a hefty amount of criticism (after all, they comprise the leadership of the most dangerous places), but very quickly his writing goes from witty to annoying. Buy an inexpensive used copy, flip through it, then give it to a friend.
Rating: 
Summary: DP Lite
Review: I hate to say it, but as much as I liked DP3 and DP4, I'm really disappointed with DP5. Most of the info was rehashed from the previous editions, and I'm not going to shell out twenty bucks to read the same thing twice. It seems that as the editions keep going, it's getting lamer in both visuals and text, as if the publishers made the author tone down ("dumb down" is a more appropriate phrase) the material to make it more mass-marketable. Not to mention that DP5 is designed more poorly than the previous editions, making it a little more difficult to distinguish the sub-chapters of each country. I think I'll borrow a copy of DP5 out of the library and photocopy the new countries and stories and add it to my well-worn edition of DP4. Yes, there are some new countries and some new stories, but overall, "the shoes ain't worth the shine...," as the old saying goes. Severely disappointed, RYP, severely disappointed. It's as if all the new found fame has gone to his head and not into the book.
Rating:
Summary: NOT run of the mill.
Review: Pelton's book is NOT your daily fodder by any means. It is loaded with advice, anecdotes, data, personalities, descriptions of regions and people to be VERY careful in or with, modes of travel, weather/climate data, currency, survival tips and the like. I am a notoriously light packer...seems I have been ahead of the curve...and the section of what to pack was most amusing and made loads of sense; in truth it was one of my favorite sections. It may inspire those who truly like to live life on the edge to dash off to parts little traveled...however, we more or less normal folks will be grateful for the read and entertained by the book. I for one, however, will have no intention of running off to get a passport photo today. There are regions mentioned that I had never even heard of, plus some long-simmering locales are listed that I was under the impression had cooled off. Interesting if you read things beyond the sports section of your newspaper. To be honest there IS a noteable anti-American slant to some of the writing (be forewarned) which for me dampened the experience. The political slant of SOME, not all, of the text was not all that appropriate I felt...but c'est la vie. Also it DOES take a few pages to get to the nitty-gritty, too. A bit of editing or rearranging the text might be a good idea for any future editions. To be fair, a good portion of the writing is quite entertaining and I found myself absorbed at various sections on a semi regular basis. There are sections that I read again and again. There is a great deal of detail & effort in this work, to be sure. All in all an "A" for effort (these folks reportedly put their lives on the line to write this, let's give credit where it's due) but I'd give it a "B-" overall. I'd upgrade it to "B+" or "A-" with some adjustments (editing and cool the anti-Americanisms a bit...leave that for Michael Moore). If a new edition is written, and Mr. Pelton advises that editing has occurred, I may be tempted to buy a copy. This makes a heck of a read, in sum. However, if you peruse it in the transit lounge at some international airports, don't be surprised if Security has a chat with you. Those interested are further advised that "DangerFinder" has its' own website and chatroom.
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