This is the first novel based upon a true story of a Mujahidin fighter, Mr. Abdullah Akbar. The Jewel Carriers brings to light the events and atrocities that took place during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the early 1980s. Disenchantment brings Abdul together with three fellow Afghans and an American woman who are mesmerized by the lure of valuable precious jewels that accidentally fall into Abdul's hands. A new adventure unfolds, as the foursome attempt to sell the jewels without losing their lives to a brutal gang in Peshawar who become wise to their exploits. The Jewel Carriers takes the reader to seven countries and tells about the real tragedy of war, and how people are caught in its ugly grip.
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Editorial Reviews
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"A great, insightful read." -- Mark Victor Hansen, Co-creator, #1 New York Times best-selling series
"Varney knows war, the stench and the touch of it...the toughness, the poignancy and the dark terrors of smuggling." -- The Book Reader
"Varney knows war, the stench and the touch of it...the toughness, the poignancy and the dark terrors of smuggling." -- The Book Reader
From the Publisher
The novel's genre can be compared to the adventure/suspense intrigue of The Devil's Garden by Ralph Peters and the November Man series by Bill Granger, all told with the same intensity and despair of the human condition in the acclaimed novels, A Farewell to Arms and For Whom The Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway. A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to the VLA - The Victim of Land Mines in Afghanistan.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No time for sleep once you start reading this book!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Jewel Carriers (Paperback)
My view of the other side of the world, and our own, changed forever after reading Mr. Akbar's book last year in less than 2 days. His tale is powerful and told with hurricane force. The story of wars within wars from a global to a personal level MUST be translated into film someday.Today, September 22, 2001, I am about to re-read The Jewel Carriers. I have not reread a book since my school days, when it was necessary. Mr. Akbar's book is now more relevant than ever, and its inspiration and underlying messages more crucial than ever. Besides the satisfaction of having been thoroughly entertained, what you will take from this book is a larger, more meaningful sense of Truth. Read this book and do everything else you can to teach yourself and others peace and tolerance in these trying times.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hemingway meets Schwarzenegger,
By Zhaklin Ovsepyan (burbank, ca United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Jewel Carriers (Paperback)
Written in simplistic prose, similar to Ernest Hemingway, mixed with the action packed suspense of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, the Jewel Carriers provides the reader with the exuberant and perilous tale of Abdul Barkzi's quest for a satchel full of precious jewels. The Jewel Carriers depicts the vivid tale of three men and an American women embarking on a tumultuous journey across eight countries. Set in the backdrop of the Soviet intervention in December of 1979, the Jewel Carriers provide a closer look at the enchanting powers of war and the luring capabilities of greed.A more startling revelation surfaces when the reader realizes the fictional elements of the Jewel Carriers derives from the true life events which transpired in the life of Abdullah F. Akbar. Charles Edward Varney attempts to represent the various elements of Afghanistan life through his enjoyable and clever novel. His subtle interventions of Afghanistan appear through the dialogue between various characters in his novel providing an insurmountable array of information. For example, through the physical interactions between Yosif and Stella, the reader learns that, "Yosif turned a little red" because "he wasn't accustomed to open affection from women," after Stella gives him a kiss on the cheek (60). The love story between Yosif and Stella counteracts the marriage between Zabi and Miriam who often shielded herself in tradition attire worn by the submissive females in Afghanistan. Secondly, the Jewel Carriers clearly represent the close associations of the religious faith instilled among believers of the faith. Countless times Abdul Barkzi, through the italics used by the author to show his subconscious thought, praises Allah and in one instance exclaims, "Allah! Don't leave me like this. Let my people be victorious (38). The novel provides many available examples of rich historical information about Afghanistan by relating details of the British Anglo-Afghan War of 1839 and how Alexander the Great conquered Afghanistan, but failed to tame the country (28). Through the dialogue between significant characters in the Jewel carriers, the reader gathers a fundamental amount of knowledge associated with the female gender, the religious and the historical elements of Afghanistan. The author accomplishes an exceptional task of depicting the various elements of Afghanistan. Filled with love, tragedy, comedy and action amidst the setting of war, Abdul Barkzi suddenly comes into contact satchel of jewels desperately being chased after by Peshawar headhunters. Feeling betrayed by the amount of anguish he has experienced because of the war, Abdul still masterminds a complex plot to retrieve the jewels. Even with the amount of extreme danger, the horrific grip of the war justifies Abdul's actions when he claims, "We deserved it," and that he had "no regrets taking the jewels for [them] selves" (198). Later when one of his comrades brutally dies the repercussions of Abdul's endeavors and the greed associated with the war causes Abdul to disclose that, "I turned my head inward against the window and cried in silence" (202). As the Jewel Carriers progresses the reader becomes aware of how essential the novel can be for an individual interested in Afghanistan. When the plot for recovering the jewels unravels in the chapter entitled, "The Plan," the tragic events of September 11 and the meticulous calculations made by the terrorists come to light. The novel reveals how easily guns, opium, and fake passports can be bought and sold. Charles Edward Varney, however, enlightens his audience by capturing their attention through the gallant and adventurous tale of the retrieval of priceless jewels while simultaneously educating his audience in regards to women, religion and history through his captivating novel.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Unholy/Holy War,
By Catherine Smith (Cleveland Ohio) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Jewel Carriers (Paperback)
The Jewel Carriers is a story set in Aghganistan during the Russian occupation. The story allows the reader an inside view of how the country was affected. The deststurction of families and the breeding of a black market are two examples. Abdul who is living in New York feels compelled to go home to fight for his country. After a couple of years he realizes that the cause is not so holy and he is ready to give up and return to New York were he left his wife, after one last raid where he plans to avenge his brother and cousins.During this raid he finds the jewels, then hides them then is captured and interogated because of them. He decides to keep them and gathers some close freinds to bring his plan to fruition. Here we learn of the underworld of selling arms in the boundary area that is self-governed and how his freinds are connected with people who can get them phony ID's and get them through customs painlessly. The story is true which always makes them more interesting and the setting was also unusual and cleared up a lot of misconceptions I carried about that historical period. Unfortunately I didn't feel much for the character, and I think that is more a problem with the writing style than the story.
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