Three Worlds Gone Mad: Dangerous Journeys through the War Zones of Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific [Paperback]

Robert Young Pelton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2003

As the author of The World's Most Dangerous Places, Robert Young Pelton has come to know some of the most unusual and dangerous individuals in the world. In THE HUNTER, THE HAMMER, AND HEAVEN, he introduces an extraordinary cast of characters from three of the most war-ravaged countries on earth - the West African country of Sierra Leone, the breakaway republic of Chechnya, and a mysterious island in the South Pacific called Bougainville.

In war-torn Sierra Leone, as he wanders through the world's most expensive peacekeeping mission, he meets an ex-mercenary who hunts pirates, a ragtag militia whose members believe they have supernatural powers, and white men with "diamond fever."

In Chechnya, Pelton enters the jihad with three traveling companions - an American muhjadin who wants to die, a young woman seeing her first war as a journalist, and a grumpy cameraman. Pelton brings this motley crew down the secret muj trail from Georgia and into terrorist-filled bunkers, suicide squad-manned front lines, and SCUD missile attacks.

Finally, Pelton chronicles his two-year odyssey to meet one of the most elusive rebel leaders in the world - Francis Ona - who has survived numerous assassination attempts and who threatens to kill any white man who sets foot on his tiny island, Bougainville.

Filled with tension and intrigue, THE HUNTER, THE HAMMER, AND HEAVEN offers a dramatic vision of war and humanity.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Robert Young Pelton is the man most guys think they are after slamming two tequilas."
-- Tim Cahill

"Robert Young Pelton is the guerrilla guide to the world's most dangerous places."
--Outside

From the Back Cover

As the author of The World's Most Dangerous Places, Robert Young Pelton has come to know some of the most unusual and dangerous individuals in the world. In Three Worlds Gone Mad, he introduces an extraordinary cast of characters from three of the most war-ravaged countries on earth - the West African country of Sierra Leone, the breakaway Russian republic of Chechnya, and a mysterious island in the South Pacific called Bougainville. In Sierra Leone, as he wanders through the world's most expensive peacekeeping mission, he meets an ex-mercenary who hunts pirates, a ragtag militia whose members believe they have supernatural powers, and white men with "diamond fever." In Chechnya, Pelton enters the jihad with three traveling companions - an American mujahid who wants to die, a young woman seeing her first war as a journalist, and a grumpy cameraman. Pelton brings this motley crew down the secret muj trail from Georgia and into terrorist-filled bunkers, suicide squad-manned front lines, and SCUD missile attacks.
Finally, Pelton chronicles his two-year odyssey to meet one of the most elusive rebel leaders in the world - Francis Ona - who has survived numerous assassination attempts. Ona threatens to kill any white man who sets foot on his tiny island called Bougainville.
Filled with tension and intrigue, Three Worlds Gone Made offers a dramatic vision of war and humanity in our times.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (December 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592281001
• ISBN-13: 978-1592281008
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #550,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Travel > Australia & South Pacific > Papua New Guinea
  • #21 in Books > History > Africa > Sierra Leone
  • #24 in Books > Travel > Africa > Coastal West Africa

More About the Author

"Robert Young Pelton is the guy most men think they are after slamming two tequilas" - Tim Cahill

Robert Young Pelton (b. July 25, 1955, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), is an author, journalist and documentary filmmaker. An iconoclast known for his entry into most of the world's conflicts over the last fifteen years, Pelton is known as an adventurer and a witness" to conflict. His reputation is built on his interest and ability to enter forbidden, deadly and violent places and emerge with a stunning story. Pelton has been present at many historic battles. He was US special forces and General Dostum during and after the battle of Qala-I-Jangi in Afghanistan, with Chechen rebels during the siege of Grozny in Chechnya, with the LURD rebels during the bloody campaign to take Monrovia in Liberia and approximately 3 dozen other conflicts.

He survived an assassination attempt in Uganda, a plane crash in Indonesia and was kidnapped by the AUC death squads in Colombia. He spent time with the CIA during the hunt for Bin Laden and ran Route Irish with Blackwater security contractors for a month during late 2004 during the war in Iraq.

Pelton's regularly published survival and political guide The World's Most Dangerous Places, provides practical and survival information for people who work and travel in high risk zones, was a best seller. With the book's best seller status Pelton has become an expert on work and travel in "high-risk" environments. He was also host of the Discovery Travel Channel series "Robert Young Pelton's The World's Most Dangerous Places" from 1998 to 2003. Now residing in Los Angeles, California, Pelton currently writes books and produces documentaries on conflict-related subjects.

He is also a frequent television and magazine interview subject, often appearing as an often humorous raconteur of his various misfortunes and safety tips on shows as diverse as Oprah, Conan O'Brien, CNN, Fox, BBC, ABC, CBS, NBC and others.

Pelton has also worked as a journalist for CNN, CBS 60 Minutes, ABC Investigative Division, National Geographic and others. He has probably spent more time with insurgent, rebel and terorist groups than any other journalist and is known for introducing the world to John Walker Lindh with his stunning Dec 2, 2001 battlefield interview on CNN.

Robert Young Pelton's Official Website is:
http://www.comebackalive.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book but..., December 26, 2006

By 

Kevin Lynds (San Diego, Ca USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Three Worlds Gone Mad: Dangerous Journeys through the War Zones of Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific (Paperback)

where are the pictures? He goes to all these places, meets all these different personalities, admits that he has a camera and where are they? Now I don't need pictures in a book for me to read it but his stories I think would be enhanced with photos of his journeys.

The book is good and is part adventure/travel/survival/third world political science. In his travels, Mr. Pelton does not seem to take any easy route to go anywhere. He gets smuggled into Chechnya and tracks down a rebel leader on his own choice. The rebels who are known for kidnapping foriegners and journalists are meanwhile being tracked and bombed by the Russian military. He goes to Bougainville when everyone including the people that live there tell him not too. Why? I think because as he feels that there is a story to tell and it usually is not the "popular" one fed to most news agencies. Case in point is his Chechnya visit, where again he chooses to go to the "terrorists", not to give them a voice, but to get the unpopular side of the story (especially when considering the lack of freedom of the press in Russia). It is an objective look at the history of the Chechnya/Russian relationship and the situation where atrocities are seem to be committed by both sides. He even "interviews" a captured Russian soldier whose handlers casually tell Mr. Pelton he will most likely be executed the next day. The part on Sierra Leone is equally impressive, probably because there has been more press about the atrocities and violence there.

So as long as Mr. Pelton feels the need to travel to different "worlds gone mad", writing the about the lesser known histories and/or conflicts, he will most likely have me as a reader of his books.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great one from RYP, October 23, 2007

By 

VinceRN (Western Washington) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Three Worlds Gone Mad: Dangerous Journeys through the War Zones of Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific (Paperback)

Another great book by Robert Young Pelton. There's something deeply wrong with this guy going to Chechnya like that, but he gives a great feel of what's going on there at street level, as well as some enlightening history that very few of us have any clue about. The Sierra Leone section tells of that area after things began to settle a little. While much has been written about the wars there and the diamond industry this book really adds a dimension to the Sierra Leone picture for me. As for Bougainville, all I knew was that there was a war there, but had never learned anything about it.

Like all of RYP's books this is a great read and well worth the money.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robert Young Pelton, January 19, 2006

By 

JSN (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Worlds Gone Mad: Dangerous Journeys through the War Zones of Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific (Paperback)

I've read everything he has out. Loved it! It's current (as books go), funny, serious and a great read!