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: Very poorly researched account!
Review: The book contains too many inaccuracies, exaggerations and nonfactual assertions to be taken for a serious account. It appears that the author added a string of half-truths to another of hearsay and mixed it with own experiences, drawing a phantasmagoric scenery, impressing on people totally unacquainted with the subject matter. Those of us having been to the places and lived there must regard a good deal as tempest in a tea cup.
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: 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: 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.
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