How to Archer: The Ultimate Guide to Espionage and Style and Women and Also Cocktails Ever Written

I love the show Archer and I try to live like him myself. The thing is you need the blueprint of the how to. The book reads really well and I can't wait to make some moves. Thank you for an incredible book.

I admit to being an enormous Archer fan, but I still would never give a poorly written stack of regurgitated jokes five stars. This book delivers the laughs, especially if you know anything about the show. Which I do.But, humor being completely subjective, I still feel compelled to at least dispel a couple shameful myths put forth by other reviewers.MYTH: "...three out of four jokes are ripped word for word from episodes of Archer..."FACT: Let's do some math, shall we? Archer states at the start of the book that he's contractually obligated to produce a manuscript of no shorter than 30,000 words and will, therefore, deliver a manuscript of precisely 30,000 words. As I read the book the second time, I highlighted every word I could find that either retold a joke from the show or even so much as referred to a joke from the show. I even highlighted Alex Karras (whom Lana mentions in Archer S1 E10) even though the joke about him is completely different. Total word count on reused jokes: 322. That's 1.073%. So, essentially, the book is 99% new content.MYTH: This book "substitute[s] rehashed dry jokes for actual information" and is "not much of a guide to anything."FACT: This is a book by Sterling Archer, so if you're expecting an encyclopedia on the finer points of covert ops, you haven't been paying attention. Spoiler Alert: you won't actually learn how to become an international spy by reading this book. That said, unless you already know the recipe for Green Russians, or the proper way to prepare Eggs Woodhouse, or how to say "Would you like to have sex with me?" in 17 languages (including Portuguese, of course), then I can assure you this book has plenty to teach you.For example, from the section on page 19 regarding the martial art of Savate:"Savate is French for 'face kick.' And while the French have a reputation for being effeminate... I think this is unfair. Because they also have...the French Foreign Legion. So the next time you're feeling adventurous, walk into a bar in Algiers and call a Legionnaire a putain de merde. Then walk outside and feel around in the sand with your hands, trying to find your head."Not the greatest advice, but at least you learned something (and I bet you laughed, too).

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book in terms of storyline and structure. I had hopes for the humor since I'm a big fan of the show, and I can't imagine anyone who doesn't know of the show buying this book. The really cool thing is that the author(s?) managed to capture Archer's voice so completely that you could hear him while reading it. At least I could, and H. Jon Benjamin has one of the all time best voices. That makes it quite enjoyable and takes it to another level when we have those moments that are very Archer being Archer.The pluses are that Archer does drops some history on you, in terms not just of the show and it's characters, but of the history of espionage. Which is another nice tie into the show since they love to drop in historical and obscure references and trivia. There are lots of nice little touches about the character in terms of his motivations, thought process, history and little things that tie into the show. There are also several genuinely funny moments and rants from the mostly self proclaimed world's greatest secret agent.The minuses are that there is definately some very real padding in terms of things like the drink recipes, how to pronounce certain words and things like how to properly order a meal. And while it didn't feel like it was trying too hard, thankfully, there are times the humor falls kinda flat. It just seemed somehow like the writer felt kinda lost and trapped by the structure in moments. I know "Archer" makes a joke towards the end of the book about padding it to reach the required contractural minimum but it kinda felt true too at the same time, as if the author of the book wasn't sure what to do or where to go.It's a book I wanted to love but ultimately didn't. I like it well enough, but I don't love it. It was honestly very funny in places and I would find myself laughing out loud. There are things that are very much in line with the humor of the show. But Archer is at his best when he has people to bounce off of, and it's not just himself going unchecked. Also because I feel they didn't want to get locked into canon, there is a lot left unsaid in terms of Archer's history and characterization, so that they had the option to develop it later on in the show. While I like the book, it really felt as though an Archer book should have come later on as the TV series had gotten older, as to both tie more into the show and expand on it. I do hope a real Archer autobiography does happen down the road, since I think it could be extremely funny if done right.This one though is very much as the title states a how to according to Archer, vs anything remotely linear in storytelling. Which is fine, and makes it a quick read (super quick read) and something you can put down and come back to without feeling lost. Good bathroom or doctors office choice to pass the time, in that regard.I do recommend the book, but to be honest, I'd say wait for it to go on sale or grab it from the library. It's not a MUST for fans of the show, thought it's a nice addition and I think most fans will find something of worth in it. When it's good, it's good, when it's not, it's not painful or awful, it's just kinda meh. I would say it's definitely a book you want to be in the right mood for to read it, versus a book that will pull you out of a bad mood. It's lighthearted and fluffy with our favorite egotistical mama's boy, but for me is still lacking.I'd really rather give it 3 and a half stars, but of course amazon doesn't do halves, so I felt generous and rounded up.

Totally awesome. Impossible not to read it in H. Jon Benjamin's voice.

El libro llegó en excelente estado. El contenido también es muy bueno, recomendable para cualquier fan de la serie.

French customer here! Good product, it came in my mailbox in France in like 3 days. So funny to read!

Reading this book was just like watching an episode of Archer. However, unlike any other episode, this one will be playing in your head filling it with Archer's voice. It's also really funny.

Loved it

Un must per i fan della serie (che consiglio a tutti di guardare). L'umorismo è quello tipico di archer, quindi non troppo fine ma davvero divertente. molto belle anche le illustrazioni