Could this book's title be any more accurately descriptive of what lies inside its pages? Badass is a hilarious romp through the toughest, most ruthless men and women this world has ever seen. From ancient badasses like Alexander the Great and Ramses II to more modern ones like George S. Patton and Bruce Lee, Ben Thompson compiles the ultimate collection of ultra-tough, ultra-merciless warriors and blood-thirsty despots in all of history.
Beginning at antiquity Thompson introduces us to the first, and perhaps the craziest, badasses in known history including King Leonidas of Sparta, Emperor Liu Ji of ancient China, and the great Julius Ceasar of Rome. He shows us how the early art of kicking tail originated through his witty commentary of real battles in ancient Greece, Persia, and Egypt.
In Section Two, The Middle Ages, we are met with ridiculously violent characters like Khalin Bin Walid, the most feared warrior in all of the Middle East, and the ax-wielding barbarian Wolf the Quarrelsome. The stories of midieval conquest are riddled with Thompson's hilarious insight into the blunt realities of grizzly warriors and their exploits in battle.
And finally, in Section Three, we meet a few more familiar badasses like Blackbeard, the notorious pirate captain, and Napoleon Bonaparte, the pint-sized military genius of France.
Thompson's tour through these ultimate-aggressors gives hilarious insight into the minds of these sadistic warlords whose egos were seemingly suffering from a raging case of elephantitis. After just the first chapter you will want to pick up a huge sword and take over your neighborhood and declare war upon neighboring communities, expanding your realm of dominance throughout the land. (At least this is what I wanted to do)
Badass is an exciting read full of historical goodies and amusing anecdotes of the absurdly awesome campaigns of the most hardcore conquerors of all time.
Article comments
1 - Daniel Terracina
This sounds fantastic. I really want to read it now. There were some pretty bad dudes from ancient times.