Saturday, July 3, 2010

"The Warlord's Son", by Dan Fesperman


The "Warlord's Son" is a riveting and compelling fiction about the experiences of a war correspondent on his last mission in Afghanistan.

The first part of the novel has its slow moments. It opens with Skelly in Peshawar, Pakistan, a world far apart from the West he is accustom to. His aim is to enter Afghanistan and report from the center of the action. But in order to succeed he requires the help of a well connected, resourceful fixer and translator to bridge the language and culture gap while navigating the harsh terrain.

He finds the perfect couple, Najeed and Daliya who want desperately to immigrate to the US and will do anything to help Skelly. The circumstances surrounding Najeed, son of a wealthy warlord and Daliya have left them estranged from their families. A good part of the novel revolves around the struggle in the two families. Intertwined into this strenuous situation is Najeed and Daliya's romance and Skelly's quest to obtain the story of his career.

After crossing the border, Skelly and Najeed face one challenge after another as they bribe and con their way through one warlords' territory after another. Eventually their deceptive practices catch up with them and all hell breaks loose...intrigue after intrigue has the reader riveted to the edge of his seat till the very last page....

As the novel progresses we feel tension building and we gradually sense this can only end in a climatic and shocking way....

This fiction gives an amazing outlook on the dedication and hardship western reporters face under hostile conditions in a culture very different from what we as Westerners are used to. The characters are particularly well drawn to bring out the differences in religious beliefs and how they are applied amongst different groups in their quest for honour and power. The author appears to have shown great sensitivity and respect.

I like Dan Fesperman's novels, he excels at capturing the atmosphere and portraying the different cultures through the eyes of his characters. He is also a master at building tension and spinning multiple storylines.

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