SOLDIERS WITHOUT BORDERS

Ian McPhedran documents the recent history of the Australian special forces—the S.A.S.—in missions to Dubai, Iraq, Timor, and Rwanda. His focus favors the personnel rather than the clandestine training and operations. The mini-biographies last little more than a few sentences, making it difficult to perceive any depth to the men spotlighted. Narrator Peter Byrne's bombastic approach seems like overkill for the bland facts, but it generates excitement where the author has provided little. Byrne's greatest moment comes when he screams in agony for one of the macho characters. He’s at ease with the down-under accent and national vocabulary—in which the ubiquitous adjective "bloody" modifies almost every noun, bloke, and mate. J.A.H. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2010]