Summary and Reviews of The Warlord's Son by Dan Fesperman

The Warlord's Son by Dan Fesperman

The Warlord's Son

A Novel

by Dan Fesperman
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  • First Published:
  • Sep 1, 2004, 336 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Sep 2005, 336 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

A burned-out war correspondent hoping for a last hurrah in Afghanistan arrives on the Afghan border just as American bombs begin falling on the ruling Taliban in this fast-paced, timely, and galvanizing novel.

His last novel, The Small Boat of Great Sorrows, was hailed as "a relentlessly crackling mystery and adventure tale" (The Baltimore Sun) and "a new standard for war-based thrillers" (Los Angeles Times). In this electrifying new thriller, Dan Fesperman takes us to present-day Afghanistan–the global capital of death long before it became a battleground for America–where the fates of an American journalist and a Pakistani translator become dangerously intertwined with the fortunes of warlords, spies, and dubious corporate interests.

A burned-out war correspondent hoping for a last hurrah in Afghanistan, Skelly arrives on the Afghan border just as American bombs begin falling on the ruling Taliban. Seeking the scoop of a lifetime as witness to the capture of "the biggest fish of them all," he links up with an exiled warlord's quixotic expedition. Guiding Skelly's way is Najeeb, a tribal Pakistani with his own objective–U.S. visas for his girlfriend and himself, promised by Pakistani intelligence if he acts as an informant.

A harrowing crossing into Afghanistan is only the beginning of trouble for the two men. Their journey quickly escalates into a race for their lives as they are pulled into a vortex of intrigue, betrayal, and violence. Finally, only their loyalty to each other holds out the possibility of survival for either of them.

Fast-paced, timely, and galvanizing from first to last.

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Reviews

BookBrowse Review

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This is Dan Fesperman's third book, following the generally well received novels, Lie in the Dark (2000) and The Small Boat of Sorrows (2003), both set in the former Yugoslavia - Fesperman, a reporter for the Baltimore Sun, worked in its Berlin bureau during the years of the civil war in the former Yugoslavia, and more recently in Afghanistan.  

In The Warlord's Son, Fesperman turns his attention to Afghanistan.  Stan Kelly, known in the business as Skelly, used to be an ace war correspondent but in recent years has been reduced to covering local news for a Midwestern daily; that is until a few weeks after 9/11 to cover the 'war on terror' from Afghanistan.  Shortly after arriving in Parkistan he hires Najeeb, an English speaking Afgan 'fixer' (a fixer being the necessary human ingredient that enables a foreign journalist who doesn't speak the language, know the people or the customs, to have any chance of reporting on any issue larger than his hotel room). However, Najeeb has a complicated life of his own - he's an outcast from his own clan, involved in an illicit affair and an informer to boot, albeit unwilling.  

Together they make the harrowing journey into Afghanistan and manage to join up with a local warlord, but soon their newly formed friendship is put to the test...continued

Full Review (364 words)

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(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).

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Beyond the Book



With so much focus on Afghanistan's troubles over the last quarter decade it's easy to forget that this is a country with a long and cultured past.  At a time when most of Western Europe was wallowing in the Dark Ages, following the fall of the Roman Empire, Afghanistan's location made it a pivotal meeting point between the countries of the East and West.  Although most of the cultural treasures from that era have either been destroyed or have disappeared from the country, some have been recovered, including a cache of 20,000 golden objects which were thought to have been lost.  National Geographic had an ...

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Read-Alikes

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