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Go! Go! Go!: The Definitive Inside Story of the Iranian Embassy Siege
The first comprehensive account of the storming of the Iranian Embassy in London in 1980.GO! GO! GO! tells the action-packed story of the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege. It is a comprehensive, detailed and gripping account of an unforgettable six-day drama that shook Britain -- and the wider world -- to the core. Drawing on original and unseen source material from ex-SAS soldier Rusty Firmin, the police and the British Government, GO! GO! GO! takes us to the heart of the whole operation.The assault planning and training, strategy and tactics are described in detail, and the personal stories of the gunmen revealed -- who they were, where they came from, why they did it and Saddam Hussein's direct involvement. Compelling accounts of each day of the siege from the hostages' points of view show how they dealt with captivity individually and collectively. New material explains the negotiators' tactics and their cool exterior versus their internal turmoil as negotiations reached crisis point.
309 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 15, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 12, 2023
they rode the tiger to the grave
This was how one of the hostages put it as he reflected on the violent deaths of five of the six gunmen who seized and held the Iranian Embassy in London in 1980.
The occupation of the Embassy was meant to highlight the plight of almost three million Arabians who were citizens of Iran. Simply put, they were not Persian (which Iran is) and so were treated as second class citizens not only under Khomeini but under the Shah and all Iran’s past leaders. But it was Iraq that set up the attack under Saddam Hussein. For there was enmity between Iraq and Iran, and he wanted to exploit the harassment of Arabian Iranians to his own advantage. In the fall of 1980 he invaded Iran and began a war that lasted eight years. Today Iran and Iraq are united as both have Shi’ite governments. In 1980, Hussein had made Iraq a Sunni state.
To me it is difficult to justify taking hostages because the people you want justice for themselves feel like hostages. Yet so many groups have done it. I’m not going to list them all. Few nations are exempt. Such actions have been a part of so many countries� histories. There is always a cause so important to some that it cannot be achieved without a slaughter of the innocent. It’s a terrible justification. Results that justify cruel means has never been an argument that makes wrongs suddenly right. Yet I’ve heard it argued in North America and other places around the globe.
The book is well-written but also surprisingly even-handed considering it was written by an SAS operative who was in on the assault. We hear from the gunmen, the hostages, the SAS, the Iranian government, the British government, the police, the courts. When negotiations break down over the six days of the occupation the warriors go in to end the siege and save as many of the hostages� lives as they can. Then the book, which keeps up a fairly steady pace throughout, turns into an action thriller and a page-turner.
Who Dares Wins is a motto made popular in the English-speaking world by the British Special Air Service - the SAS.
This was how one of the hostages put it as he reflected on the violent deaths of five of the six gunmen who seized and held the Iranian Embassy in London in 1980.
The occupation of the Embassy was meant to highlight the plight of almost three million Arabians who were citizens of Iran. Simply put, they were not Persian (which Iran is) and so were treated as second class citizens not only under Khomeini but under the Shah and all Iran’s past leaders. But it was Iraq that set up the attack under Saddam Hussein. For there was enmity between Iraq and Iran, and he wanted to exploit the harassment of Arabian Iranians to his own advantage. In the fall of 1980 he invaded Iran and began a war that lasted eight years. Today Iran and Iraq are united as both have Shi’ite governments. In 1980, Hussein had made Iraq a Sunni state.
To me it is difficult to justify taking hostages because the people you want justice for themselves feel like hostages. Yet so many groups have done it. I’m not going to list them all. Few nations are exempt. Such actions have been a part of so many countries� histories. There is always a cause so important to some that it cannot be achieved without a slaughter of the innocent. It’s a terrible justification. Results that justify cruel means has never been an argument that makes wrongs suddenly right. Yet I’ve heard it argued in North America and other places around the globe.
The book is well-written but also surprisingly even-handed considering it was written by an SAS operative who was in on the assault. We hear from the gunmen, the hostages, the SAS, the Iranian government, the British government, the police, the courts. When negotiations break down over the six days of the occupation the warriors go in to end the siege and save as many of the hostages� lives as they can. Then the book, which keeps up a fairly steady pace throughout, turns into an action thriller and a page-turner.
Who Dares Wins is a motto made popular in the English-speaking world by the British Special Air Service - the SAS.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2018
Very interesting and fast-paced book
I enjoyed this book a lot. It was fast-paced and kept the action moving. It told the story from many perspectives. The only thing I wish was that the photos that showed up in the middle of the kindle version didn’t ruin some of the ending. It gave away a bit about events towards the end. Other than that, it was a great book and I would recommend it.
I enjoyed this book a lot. It was fast-paced and kept the action moving. It told the story from many perspectives. The only thing I wish was that the photos that showed up in the middle of the kindle version didn’t ruin some of the ending. It gave away a bit about events towards the end. Other than that, it was a great book and I would recommend it.
April 7, 2018
Brilliant
A great account of the Iranian Embassy siege, not just the siege itself but the build up and aftermath of this event
A great account of the Iranian Embassy siege, not just the siege itself but the build up and aftermath of this event
May 15, 2022
Great book, super interesting to learn about the SAS and this siege that changed so much!
May 2, 2019
Gripping
This is a very well wrote account and very detailed.i struggled to put it down.i would reccomend to anyone.brilliantly written.
This is a very well wrote account and very detailed.i struggled to put it down.i would reccomend to anyone.brilliantly written.
September 2, 2017
While the book was not exactly what I was expecting, it was still a good read. Go! Go! Go! offers a great overall recounting of the 1980 hostage situation that occurred at the Iranian Embassy in London.
My main disappointment with the book is that I had expected it to have a different focus, given that one of the authors was an SAS member who participated in the rescue of the hostages. However, instead of being an SAS memoir involving the siege at Princes Gate, Go! Go! Go! recounts the entire hostage situation from beginning to end. While the book offers great detail regarding what was going on inside the embassy, and some detail regarding the negotiations, I felt the book could have offered more behind-the-scenes details on what the SAS was doing during the lead up to the rescue.
Aside from that, Go! Go! Go! does offer one of the more (if not most) detailed accounts I have read regarding the actual storming of the embassy by the SAS. This part of the book was particularly good, presenting the rapid fire, intertwining actions of the SAS teams by continually shifting focus between the different teams.
From the standpoint of someone who is primarily looking for an SAS book, I would only rate this two stars. But for what it is, a detailed start-to-finish recounting of the siege at Princes Gate, the book is worthy of at least the three stars I have rated it.
My main disappointment with the book is that I had expected it to have a different focus, given that one of the authors was an SAS member who participated in the rescue of the hostages. However, instead of being an SAS memoir involving the siege at Princes Gate, Go! Go! Go! recounts the entire hostage situation from beginning to end. While the book offers great detail regarding what was going on inside the embassy, and some detail regarding the negotiations, I felt the book could have offered more behind-the-scenes details on what the SAS was doing during the lead up to the rescue.
Aside from that, Go! Go! Go! does offer one of the more (if not most) detailed accounts I have read regarding the actual storming of the embassy by the SAS. This part of the book was particularly good, presenting the rapid fire, intertwining actions of the SAS teams by continually shifting focus between the different teams.
From the standpoint of someone who is primarily looking for an SAS book, I would only rate this two stars. But for what it is, a detailed start-to-finish recounting of the siege at Princes Gate, the book is worthy of at least the three stars I have rated it.
August 31, 2019
(Audiobook)
This comprehensive book recounts one of Britain’s most unforgettable news stories of the 1980s. Told by journalist Will Pearson and former SAS member Rusty Firman, ‘Go! Go! Go! The Definitive Inside Story of the Iranian Embassy Siege� was also the inspiration for the movie �6 Days�, starring Jamie Bell as Rusty Firmin. Using previously unseen material from the SAS, the British Government and the police, the whole operation from start to finish is mapped out in minute detail.
Superbly narrated by Tim Frances, this is a fascinating and thought-provoking story that gives a rounded and well-documented account of the siege. From the arrival of the terrorists in Britain, the assault on the embassy by the SAS, to the aftermath and trial of the surviving terrorist, every detail of the operation is examined. The tension builds gradually as each deadline is reached and new ones are agreed, giving the reader a real sense of the incredible pressure that must have been felt by hostages, terrorists and the SAS.
A mesmerising book that provides a tangible insight into the SAS and their highly specialised way of working.
This comprehensive book recounts one of Britain’s most unforgettable news stories of the 1980s. Told by journalist Will Pearson and former SAS member Rusty Firman, ‘Go! Go! Go! The Definitive Inside Story of the Iranian Embassy Siege� was also the inspiration for the movie �6 Days�, starring Jamie Bell as Rusty Firmin. Using previously unseen material from the SAS, the British Government and the police, the whole operation from start to finish is mapped out in minute detail.
Superbly narrated by Tim Frances, this is a fascinating and thought-provoking story that gives a rounded and well-documented account of the siege. From the arrival of the terrorists in Britain, the assault on the embassy by the SAS, to the aftermath and trial of the surviving terrorist, every detail of the operation is examined. The tension builds gradually as each deadline is reached and new ones are agreed, giving the reader a real sense of the incredible pressure that must have been felt by hostages, terrorists and the SAS.
A mesmerising book that provides a tangible insight into the SAS and their highly specialised way of working.
April 23, 2019
As with most books like this, I watched the movie adaptation first. That in turn led me to the novel! And I'm really glad it did. I enjoyed reading and learning about the siege. It was really interesting. I didn't know much about it, or about the background of the terrorist group. And I always find things about the SAS to be fascinating.
I was particularly intrigued by the hostages and how they each dealt with the situation.
I was particularly intrigued by the hostages and how they each dealt with the situation.
October 13, 2020
Wow! What a read! Hard to put down. Inside the seige of the Iranian Embassy and living it with the captives. So very clear that you can feel the fear, feel the stress rising, and although you know what is coming, to have it told with it all happening around, wow definitely high intensity. Definitely worth the read.
November 23, 2018
I really enjoyed this one, although I found it a little hard to keep track of everything at times.
September 28, 2019
4.5 stars - really interesting, well written and engaging. Clearly well researched, I'd never heard of the Iranian embassy siege in London and the reasons behind the siege were fascinating.
February 6, 2020
A fast-paced account of the famous siege of the 1980 Iranian Embassy in London, difficult to put down, once started. Even though I was expecting a book more focused on the SAS involvement (expectation based primarily on the title), I did not come out disappointed. Apart from describing the SAS involvement, the book paints a very detailed psychological portrait of the gunmen, of the hostages, and of the complex relationship between the two groups. The portrait of the gunmen in particularly interesting, as right up until the last, 6th day of the siege they appear to display deeply humane instincts, releasing, apparently without major problems, 5 hostages with genuine, or pretended, ailments. It is also interesting to watch a sudden shift in the hostages� perception of the gunmen with the commencement of the SAS’s Operation Nimrod. From people who established reasonably close relationships with the latter and were actively involved in pleading their cause to the authorities, British and Iranian, to outright hostility. As interesting case of the Stockholm Syndrome, I suppose, adjusted for the change in the gunmen’s attitude towards the hostages, demonstrated by the killing of one of the Iranian hostages.
As in a few other books about UK’s special operations forces, also in this book we see common themes � the soldiers are under-resourced (lack of heat-resistant underwear, fireproof balaclavas, or fireproof coveralls, which almost resulted in one of the SAS operators getting burned alive; lack of torches which made orientation in the smoke-filled rooms very difficult and which could have resulted in own casualties), the communication is poor, with little effective command during the clearing of the Embassy rooms. All of this is compensated, as always, by top training and resourcefulness of the operators.
As in a few other books about UK’s special operations forces, also in this book we see common themes � the soldiers are under-resourced (lack of heat-resistant underwear, fireproof balaclavas, or fireproof coveralls, which almost resulted in one of the SAS operators getting burned alive; lack of torches which made orientation in the smoke-filled rooms very difficult and which could have resulted in own casualties), the communication is poor, with little effective command during the clearing of the Embassy rooms. All of this is compensated, as always, by top training and resourcefulness of the operators.
November 19, 2019
Go! Go! Go! really disappointed me. It reads more like the type of account published before the smoke clears to make the most of a current news story.
The only names on the cover are Rusty Firmin who led one of the assault teams on the day and Will Pearson who is cited on the back cover as the author of Tornado Down. I enjoyed Tornado Down but on checking, the authors are listed, as per my recollection, as Flight Lieutenants John Nicol and John Peters (the crew of the ill-fated Tornado ZD791): no mention of any Will Pearson. Similarly, the name Gillian Stern does not appear on either cover but is listed with Rusty Firmin and Will Pearson under the acknowledgements. A quick Google finds an English ghost writer named Gillian Stern
I have no problem per se with ghost writers. I think they are a great way for someone to tell their story when perhaps they lack the skills to impart a great story to a general audience. I just have a feeling that, in this case, the ghost writers outnumber the subject matter expert. I was eagerly awaiting the inside story from an SAS team leaders perspective but instead it felt like a Sunday News serial story.
Go! Go! Go! does cover the siege and its background but it always feels quite false and superficial. It feels like it has been written by people who don't really have a good handle on the subject matter and just just regurgitating what they have been told, without any real value add. I could go on but I'd rather just say that anyone interested in this story should watch Six Days and read the relevant section from a recent version of Tony Geraghty's excellent Who Dares Wins: The Story of the SAS.
The only names on the cover are Rusty Firmin who led one of the assault teams on the day and Will Pearson who is cited on the back cover as the author of Tornado Down. I enjoyed Tornado Down but on checking, the authors are listed, as per my recollection, as Flight Lieutenants John Nicol and John Peters (the crew of the ill-fated Tornado ZD791): no mention of any Will Pearson. Similarly, the name Gillian Stern does not appear on either cover but is listed with Rusty Firmin and Will Pearson under the acknowledgements. A quick Google finds an English ghost writer named Gillian Stern
I have no problem per se with ghost writers. I think they are a great way for someone to tell their story when perhaps they lack the skills to impart a great story to a general audience. I just have a feeling that, in this case, the ghost writers outnumber the subject matter expert. I was eagerly awaiting the inside story from an SAS team leaders perspective but instead it felt like a Sunday News serial story.
Go! Go! Go! does cover the siege and its background but it always feels quite false and superficial. It feels like it has been written by people who don't really have a good handle on the subject matter and just just regurgitating what they have been told, without any real value add. I could go on but I'd rather just say that anyone interested in this story should watch Six Days and read the relevant section from a recent version of Tony Geraghty's excellent Who Dares Wins: The Story of the SAS.
August 21, 2021
I loved this book. I remember watching the news footage every day of the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980. The storming of the Embassy took place 2 days before my daughter was born.....so it was a tense time. I followed the news of the siege closely and knew it would likely end in a dramatic way. The book is very factual and accurate and it was tense reading. One of the SAS soldiers was a John McAleese who came from Laurieston near us here in Polmont and he played a major role in the rescuing of the hostages. He was a right SAS soldier as you would imagine and at the gathering where the Prime Minister met the full team and watched a news re-run of the SAS assault.....John was behind the Prime Minister and he struggled to see the screen so in his direct way told her (Margaret Thatcher) to move her F’ing head.....which she did. As an aside....John’s son Paul McAleese was killed serving in Afghanistan!!....how bitter that is now seeing what is happening there today. John is dead now but there will be a memorial to him placed at the war memorial at Laurieston Cross. He was a true hero as were that full team in 1980 and the book truly reflects their brave actions throughout the book.
July 31, 2022
Operation Nimrod
A remarkable insight into the stark realities of a hostage scenario. For the hostages, the constant draining fear as the terrorists become increasingly erratic and paranoid. And for the soldiers, the urgent need to gain intelligence and rehearse for an intervention that became ever more likely, as negotiators struggled to prevent the wholesale slaughter of the hostages.
The authors brilliantly ramp up the tension of the final hours before the SAS storm the building, leaving the reader almost feeling as if they were there. And the story of the intervention itself is one of courage and invention, as the teams overcome unexpected challenges on the way to achieving a world renowned success.
This book is absolutely brilliant
A remarkable insight into the stark realities of a hostage scenario. For the hostages, the constant draining fear as the terrorists become increasingly erratic and paranoid. And for the soldiers, the urgent need to gain intelligence and rehearse for an intervention that became ever more likely, as negotiators struggled to prevent the wholesale slaughter of the hostages.
The authors brilliantly ramp up the tension of the final hours before the SAS storm the building, leaving the reader almost feeling as if they were there. And the story of the intervention itself is one of courage and invention, as the teams overcome unexpected challenges on the way to achieving a world renowned success.
This book is absolutely brilliant
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2019
Iranian embassy episode
An interesting account.Its sad that two of the terrorists although they won't see them self as that had an opportunity to survive the episode.
The statement from the SAS was true they were buggered if they didn't respond and buggered if they did as they would be infamous.
An interesting account.Its sad that two of the terrorists although they won't see them self as that had an opportunity to survive the episode.
The statement from the SAS was true they were buggered if they didn't respond and buggered if they did as they would be infamous.
October 30, 2022
Siege Storm
Great book , liked the fact it was written by people that were actually there . A fabulous day to day account of the terror and trauma the hostages went through. Also all the hard work put jnto place by the Government , Police , Sas etc to try and get a peaceful outcome with the enevitable consequences we know no happened.
Great book , liked the fact it was written by people that were actually there . A fabulous day to day account of the terror and trauma the hostages went through. Also all the hard work put jnto place by the Government , Police , Sas etc to try and get a peaceful outcome with the enevitable consequences we know no happened.
July 23, 2018
Gripping
What a story is this. Gripping from begin to end. It tells the whole story. Didn’t know Iraq was behind this though.
What a story is this. Gripping from begin to end. It tells the whole story. Didn’t know Iraq was behind this though.
March 23, 2019
Amazing read -- very detailed and believable after all these years. A great example of S.A.S. specicial operations prowess. Highly recommended.
August 22, 2023
*Auidobook
February 3, 2025
An excellent telling of what happen by a man involved in the rescue
May 27, 2018
Does a good job of piecing together the stories of key hostages to depict what was happening inside the embassy throughout the siege. Most of these voices are British of course since the Iranians involved either ended up dead (5 of the 6 hostage takers and 2 of the hostages) or were unavailable 30 years later for comment etc... Not as a detailed after action review of the incident from the SAS side of things as I would have hoped. Some of that is probably a common sense desire to not overtly reveal techniques and practices. The mystery of the missing Iraqi handler could be another book in itself.
January 7, 2018
After seeing the siege ending live on tv in 1980 which resulted in The SAS storming the embassy to rescue hostages i have forever been hunting down books telling the story hence i have finally done resulting in a cracking read. Credit to Will Pearson and Rusty Firmin for this compelling read.
June 23, 2015
Enjoyable and an easy read. Did seem a little drawn-out at times, but did a good job of getting into the history and different perspectives of the various groups. Would recommend.
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