If you have any interest at all in Buddhism, read this book! - Rated 
I have read many Dharma books in the last few years, some are great, some are ok and some are dreadful. Without doubt, this book belongs in the "great" camp, even if the author wishes otherwise. For me, reading this book, and then reading it again, made me ask questions of myself. Why am I a Buddhist? What am I tring to achieve, if anything? Who am I? This books provided absolutely no answers whatsoever, and that's exactly the way it should be. No book can give you the answers, and if pretends that it can, burn the book.
No, this book made me ask really important questions of myself and of my practise. Zen is all about asking questions: question yourself, question your teacher, question your practise, question authority. I found some answers in myself, and I also found a bunch of other questions. And, I've really enjoyed asking those questions and looking for the answers. I probably won't find all of them, but that's ok.
I'm not so pretentious to say this was a life changing book, but it sure made me change the way I look at my life. It's deep, profound, funny, interesting and highly recommended.
BTW Brad, you'll be glad to know the book isn't great. But it is really, really, really OK!
Buy Something Else - Rated 
This book is ok. Just ok. The author obviously has a good understanding of the subject, and the half of the book that deals with this is very good. However the rest of the book is a let down, feeling more like a terribly written autobiography. i found the writing style very irritating, almost every paragraph ended with, "...and thats just the way it is, buddy.", or something similar. Towards the end the author even starts to rip into other authors who i have never even heard of. You just wish he would stick to the subject in hand. i brought this book as a result of the glowing references here, it just wasn't for me.
Drenched: How Zazen May Get You Deeper Into Life - Rated
Brad Warner writes fluidly: "Hardcore Zen" is an easy and enjoyable read. He seems to be teaching a "choiceless awareness" not dissimilar to that taught by Krishnamurti or in the Tibetan teachng Dzogchen or by the Zen Master Bankei.
But Brad does practice and advocate zazen, presumably as a way of helping to keep the mind clear. So although he demystifies rebirth and enlightenment, he holds to tradition with zazen. It's not clear why. Perhaps as a grounding technique, so one doesn't get lost or forget. ButI'm wondering if Brad isn't a radical as he initially appears.
How is it each of us has to find his/her own way and yet its that same selfless way of the Buddha? Amazement and bare awareness may not be enough and one will have to plan, to analyze, to think.
So why not, instead of zazen, just go rest in one's bed for a while each day?
As attracted as I've been to this book, to Krishnamurti, to Dzogchen, such approaches haven't gotten me far. Instead more pragmatic approaches like David Reynold's Constructive Living and Radical Behaviorism's self-management techniques have been useful to me.
Still "Hardcore Zen" is a very good read and it does have fine things to say about rebirth, enlightenment, and the precepts. Go for it.
Excelent book on modern Buddhism - Rated
This book is brilliant. A no none-sense approach to Zen, outlining Warner's opinions & experiences and explaining them with beautifully understandable metaphors. This book is a must read for anyone with even a little bit of interest in Buddhism, it doesn't matter if you've never practiced Buddhism or have been practicing for 30 years.
If you only have money to buy one book on Buddhism, this should be it!
The Best so far - Rated
after 20 years of zen practice this is quite simply the best i've read. Warner is a student of Nishijima who translated the "shobogenzo," which is widely regarded as the most astounding testament to zen in the world written by Dogen Zenji - the frst patriarch of Japanese Zen. Brad's book is refreshingly irreverent, dispensing with the usual endless diatribes on traditional practise. It's very down to earth and extremey accessible. warner inter-mingles his own autobiographical experiences with an unidentifiable leaning towards meditation - he doesn't know why he's doing it - he just has to. he almost reluctantly describes his "enlightenment" experience, despite slagging off Kapleau for doing the same and then suggests that it is accessible for everyone as long as you do enough zazen. Fine. He's wrong - for whatever reason, not everyone experiences what he has experienced but thats OK .This is the most honest and dogma free book on zen I've ever read. Even if you're not a Buddhist, you should give this a go.
I've just had to update this review after reading an article on Warner's website in which he apologises for including what people (including me) called his "enlightenment experience." He says it's a result of his bad writing and that he's never had an "experience," as such,it was just a point in time where he kind of "got" what it was all about!So I take it all back! Sorry Brad.
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