Ascent from Darkness [Hardcover]

Steven E. Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2007

“A top CIA agent, with a mission impossible to find weapons-grade uranium in the heart of the Islamic world, becomes a real life ‘007’ who sacrifices family for duty to country when he joins U.S. forces and Iraqi peasants alike in a quest to change the face of the Middle East after the overthrow of the Butcher of Baghdad. Masterfully using known facts of the Iraq war, including where weapons of mass destruction may have been hidden and how Saddam Hussein was toppled, Wilson creates a rich fiction which takes you through Syria and Iraq in search of stolen Ukrainian uranium, which if not found, will almost certainly be used by terrorists. This thriller unfolds like a motion picture, complete with forbidden romance, desperate Special Forces operations, and a never-say-die love of country.”

Editorial Reviews

Review

Captures the bitter realities and sweet flavors of the modern day professional soldier's experiences...a journey over deep emotional trails. -- Gary R. McElligott, Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Special Forces

Finalist in the Category Action/Adventure -- 2008 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, May 15, 2008

Finalist, Action/Adventure -- 2008 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, May 15, 2008

Honorable Mention, Fiction -- New York Book Festival, June 23, 2007

Honorable Mention, General Fiction -- Hollywood Book Festival, July 29, 2007

From the Publisher

Indie Book Award finalist in 2008 in the category Action-Adventure. Honoree at 2007 New York Book Festival and Hollywood Book Festival

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 656 pages
• Publisher: H-G Books (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972948015
• ISBN-13: 978-0972948012
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,390,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MOVING ADVENTURE TALE THAT ENCAPSULATES PRESENT-DAY IRAQ AND SYRIA, July 15, 2007

By 

Edward J. Altmann, RA (Kabul, Afghanistan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ascent from Darkness (Hardcover)

In 2003 and 2004, the years when Wilson's novel "Ascent From Darkness" takes place, I was doing construction work in Basra, Baghdad and Al Hilla, Iraq. I was fortunate to be able to talk to many Iraqi workers representing the many ethnic and religious groups - uneducated, simple, hard working people - from fourteen to well over sixty years of age. Each and every one of these men had tales of horror to tell. Some had their wives raped by Saddam's henchmen, their mothers and fathers tortured and killed, or children taken away and forever lost.

Wilson brings these horrific tales vividly home. Reading his wonderful novel, I feel as if once again I am looking into those incredibly sad and tortured eyes under the hot desert sun. But Wilson's writing also gives us a glimpse of the hope that motivates these people--people who, despite what the pundits say, are so grateful to us for what we had done to give them a life worth living. Wilson weaves his gripping tale through three parallel stories. One stands by itself, the protagonist CIA agent Stone Waverly with an incredible, sometimes checkered, background; Special Forces soldiers, Tommy Waters and Billy Bates, initially young and innocent, but who grow up before our eyes; and a young Kurd fighter, Jalal, immersed in stirring events in the northern city of Kirkuk before and after the American invasion.

This novel is extremely timely as the news media ruminates on the events occurring in Syria and Iraq and the pros and cons of our involvement in the war. As I am writing this review, in Kabul Afghanistan, I hear from the darkened city, the Muezzin's' evening call to prayer mixing with my neighbor's TV blasting CNN. In so many ways, this is symbolic of the entire struggle so vividly related in "Ascent from Darkness."

As the story unfolds it becomes impossible to put the novel down. Wilson builds the plot, one suspense-filled scene upon another, one tight spot after another - all interwoven with descriptions of a part of the world that few have seen except through shallow, one-minute sound bites.

If you want to read a vividly entertaining novel - and at the same time understand what is really going on behind the headlines in Iraq and Syria, catch a glimpse into a world that is a combination of an Arabian fairy tale and fierce firefight, and experience deep human emotions through the eyes of those who are living the headlines, then this great book belongs on your bookshelf, to be read again and again, and shared with family and friends.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's finally here, and worth the wait!, July 10, 2007

By 

Will Granger "Avid reader" (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ascent from Darkness (Hardcover)

The second international thriller by the author of Winter in Kandahar has finally arrived and I managed to get an advanced review copy prior to the official publication date. I was surprised to see Amazon already has it available...sneaky devils! Enthralling from the first chapter, it's hard to believe, but Wilson's new novel is even better than the first. Written in a similar genre, with CIA agent Stone Waverly from Winter in Kandahar becoming the protagonist (with many outstanding supporting characters). Fascinating from the first chapter, it is true to modern history, to the point it can be difficult to discern where fact ends and fiction begins.

Joan Phelps, reviewer for Clarion reviews said it better than I ever could. "If Merchant Ivory were to produce a movie about self-actualization and finding true love, while living through the horrors and confusion of a civil war . . . If Oliver Stone were to have free rein in capturing the nuances of espionage, duplicity, and combat among enemies as well as friends . . . And, if Steven E. Wilson's latest novel, Ascent from Darkness, were to win the attention of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . . . the thought-provoking book would garner the attention of Hollywood and Washington, DC, alike. In his second published work of fiction, Wilson continues to entice adventure-thriller fans to step into the exciting world of CIA agent Stone Waverly. Waverly was a main character in Wilson's first novel, Winter in Kandahar. Stone is now seduced by the CIA director's confidence that Waverly is the only agent he can count on to unravel a scheme that resulted in the breach of a Ukrainian nuclear plant and theft of weapon-grade plutonium. As Ascent from Darkness encourages readers to dive into the culture of countries long at war, Stone's job description evolves, grows, and mutates while the story moves through Damascus and war-torn Kirkuk, Najaf and Baghdad. Fans of Wilson's creative endeavors know, however, that one subplot will not suffice. In Ascent from Darkness, the characters experience the joy of finding new love, the pain of losing loved ones, and the feelings of ambiguity that surface when humans question the worth of wars. It is these three scenarios that lure Wilson's fans to contemplate what choices they would make when confronted with choosing among country, religion, and family."

You will love it!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling and compelling, August 18, 2008

By 

LaVon Kellner (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ascent From Darkness (Paperback)

I am so thrilled that Stone Waverly is back!

I do not like to read books about war, but a friend convinced me to read Steve Wilson's first book, Winter in Kandahar, and I couldn't put the book down. There began my love of Stone Waverly.

So naturally, between Steve Wilson's compelling storytelling and style of writing, I was thrilled to learn of his second book, Ascent From Darkness. I was equally as thrilled to learn that Stone Waverly continues on his journey.

I have not changed my mind and decided to read books on war, but Ascent from Darkness is a book about mysterious happenings wrapped in the most mysterious of all happenings - love.

May Mr. Wilson keep me anxiously turning the pages of Stone Waverly's life adventures for years to come!

P.S. I expect some smart movie producer to purchase the movie rights to both Winter In Kandahar and Ascent From Darkness and turn them into the blockbusters they so deserve to be!