Customer Reviews

Winter in Kandahar

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Various peoples of Turkic, Iranian and South Asian origins surround the rugged central Hindu Kush mountain range, but no single group absolutely dominates the nation known as Afghanistan. To the south and east of the Hindu Kush, live approximately 6.5 million Pashtun. They make-up the predominate population of the capital, Kabul, major cities like Jalalabad, Khost and Kandahar, and are almost exclusively Sunni Muslims. Virtually all Taliban are Pashtun. Dominating the mountainous northeast of the country are the Tajiks, numbering around 3.5 million within Afghanistan. They are the most powerful group in the Northern Alliance, and are mostly Sunni Muslims. Ethnic hatred and rivalries have existed between these two groups for centuries. "Winter In Kandahar," deals, in part, with the struggle between the Tajik and Pashtun, and a diabolical plot involving potential genocide.

Author Steven E. Wilson begins his extraordinary story in late August 2001, in Taloqan, Afghanistan. A young Tajik Mujaheddin, Ahmed Jan, lost his uncle, as he lost his father before him, in a battle with Taliban forces. Ahmed fights with the Northern Alliance and was ordered to report to Commander Ahmed Shah Massoud at the Khoje Bahauddin base on the Amu Dar'ya River. He reached Massoud in time to be present for the Commander's assassination by al Qaeda terrorists posing as TV journalists. The Lion of Panjshir was dead. The date was September 9, 2001.

Three months later, Ahmed Jan reports to elderly Mullah Habid in Kabul. The aging cleric holds a position of leadership with the Tajiks and the Alliance. During a brief period of captivity by the Taliban, the month before, Jan had discovered papers written in Arabic with information about a new, deadly biological weapon. His captors were overtaken and Jan escaped with the papers. The mullah and the young warrior read that the new weapon is to be delivered in Venice during Carnevale. A plan was also outlined to spread the pestilence in Panjsjit, among the Tajik population. Mullah Habid makes Ahmed Jan the leader of a mission to Amsterdam, which will eventually take him to Italy and America in pursuit of the deadly substance. Accompanying him are two men, Mustafa and Mohammedjan, who are to assist him in every way. They all have appropriate, falsified documents, passports and replacement papers, to use if needed. They are given a credit card and plenty of money to bribe their way through the Khyber Pass to Islamabad where they will catch a plane to the Netherlands. They are specifically told not to go to the Americans, who are "consumed with their own concerns."

Ahmed Jan and his countryman are in constant danger on this mission to save his people from ethnic cleansing. They are pursued by al Qaeda and the CIA. This is not just another predictable novel where the bad guys chase the good ones and, after a crisis and denouement, everyone lives happily, etc.. Jan has a medical background, having studied in Saudi Arabia before his country's last war, and comes up with an alternate use for the weapon of terror. The introduction of some scientific material, about genetics, is fascinating and adds much to the storyline. The ending, like the rest of the book, is powerful.

The characters are also extremely well developed and give the reader remarkable insight into their culture and customs. The men are all credible. The women are not as strong. There are three major romances, one for Ahmed Jan, and one for each comrade. Although I enjoyed the romantic aspect of the novel, three for three is a bit hokey. The narrative is well written, as is the dialogue, especially between the Tajiks.

I really enjoyed "Winter In Kandahar" and look forward to Mr. WIlson's next book. Highly recommended!
JANA

My wife and I both became completely engrossed in this novel-although I was smitten from the start and for her it wasn't until the female characters come into the story in Pakistan. We've asked ourselves how Winter in Kandahar has remained so relatively unknown and the only explanation that makes sense is that this publisher just didn't have the budget to market it properly. We're hoping for a new novel by the author soon! To us no one has quite captured the essence of this epic tale like Ed Altmann and we've taken the liberty of reprinting his old review here.

Wilson's novel is an exciting, action packed mystery/adventure tale set in some of the most fascinating places in the world, ranging from Venice to Amsterdam, Seattle and Vancouver. It is, however, for its central locale, Afghanistan, that this work will be remembered for a long, long time. The plot involves bio-terrorism, the CIA, and the ongoing war. You feel as if you are reading current headlines with Taliban, al-Qaida, Mujaheddin, and other organizations racing through the pages in the non-stop action as the search for the ultimate weapon reaches across the world. The author weaves three love stories into his exciting plot. He even makes us believe (successfully) that an isolated cave, sealed and hidden in some of the most forlorn mountains of our planet can be a tremendously romantic hide-away for a pair of star-crossed lover. His descriptions of places are exciting and factually right on the mark. He takes us into these exotic worlds and we can almost taste the bread and the lamb stew; see the unusually decorated windows in Amsterdam; and sail the waters of Puget Sound. But it is his detailing of the characters, primary and secondary, that leaves an indelible mark on the page turning reader. He describes the motivations, the ancient histories still influencing these people as they love and kill across the pages. This is truly a window into a world that is almost every day in the newspaper headlines as even in Iraq, some of these influences are still extremely powerful.

On a personal note, when I left Afghanistan earlier this year, I carried a lot of baggage of conflicting, sometimes horrible, images back with me. Images of a fifteen year old boy struggling to walk on his hands down a crowded street as both his legs were amputated; of smiling little girls begging for their parents; of soldiers inviting me to play soccer and laughing with me; of people who had nothing and yet were generous; of a little girl who, with tears in her eyes answered my question about her parent's fate under the unbelievably cruel Taliban. Dr. Wilson's book places a perspective on these and other memories burned into me and for this I am grateful for his work. He takes us behind the headlines and into the minds of the people, whether they are Tajiks, Pashtuns, Pakistanis, or CIA. You will long remember and use this novel as a reference as our violent century unfolds around us. And, without giving away the ending, he performs an incredible sleight of hand at the end.

I just finished reading Winter in Kandahar after hearling Dr. Wilson on the radio around the first of October and hearing him predict the US would hear from al-Qaeda, either an attack (if they were capable at this time) or message of some sort on OCTOBER 29TH. Well, that was the exact day the latest bin Laden tape was released! He seemed very knowledgable on Afghanistan and al-Qaeda, so I ordered this book. I found the book gripping and filled with information I didn't know about the people of Afghanistan and the American invasion. I thought the story was it's strong point. It's an impressive novel.

I've read more novels than I can count in the past six months since I retired. I loved this one! It was impressive how the author wove his story into historical events that occurred before and after 9/11. I also enjoyed the way in which the story traveled from Afghanistan to Pakistan to Amsterdam to Venice and many other exciting and intriguing venues. The ending was a surprise - which made a very good novel memorable indeed. Above all, this is a human story about what happens to ordinary people when they are thrust into events that forever change the world around them.

I loved this book and the page-turning intrigue and depth, especially because of the style of the author and the interweaving of the story into current day events. I just read The Kite Runner and Winter in Kandahar back-to-back, and I loved them both, but I must say that on the balance I got into Winter in Kandahar more - relishing sitting by the fire with a glass of wine after a hard day and being transported to rugged, colorful Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as excitingly unique Amsterdam, Venice, Seattle, and Vancouver, by Wilson's descriptive writing style. Is there another novel on the way? Let's hope so!

Winter in Kandahar is a sublime novel of international intrigue, spanning not only modern global technology, but also delving into the dark, rich history and culture of a little-known area of the world, Afghanistan. Compelling and currently relevant, the theme of possible bioterrorism grips the reader in a page-turning, fast-paced race through South Asia, Europe, the United States, and Canada.

As if this were not enough, Wilson lavishes upon the reader a portrayal of Afghan culture so rich in detail that one can almost taste the flat bread and feel the humility of the women, shrouded as they are in their burqas.

Most interesting, however, given current political maneuvers, is Wilson's elucidation of the troubled history of the region, which has been at war, either from outside invaders or from internal intertribal warfare, for centuries. Such historical conflict provides a dramatic backdrop for a modern spy novel.

A must read!!

I absolutely loved this novel! The timeliness of the reality-based plot in the framework of an epic that spans the globe made for a lot of reading enjoyment. I usually don't get an opportunity to read until we put the kids to sleep and by then I'm usually too tired. I got a copy of this book just before a two week vacation and had a hard time putting it down long enough to enjoy my trip. I found myself eager with anticipation for the chance to crawl beneath the covers each night and return to the captivating Winter in Kandahar story.

The novel begins a short time prior to September 11, 2001 in the northeast corner of Afghanistan where the Northern Alliance remains precariously in control of territory that includes the Panjshir Valley where the Alliance Mujaheddin are making what appears to be their last stand against the combined forces of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The main character of the novel, young ill-fated fighter Ahmed Jan, is on the front lines of the see-saw battles that have seen his entire family wiped out. As shaky as the Northern Alliance situation is, it's made all the worse by the assassination of revered Northern Alliance leader Commander Ahmed Massoud at the hands of al- Qaeda in chapter 2. Ironically, in this their darkest hour, the Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington D.C. turn out to be salvation for the Tajik, Uzbek and other groups of the Northern Alliance who are resisting the cruel Taliban domination. Within weeks, U.S. Special Forces, Air Force, Navy, and other military units sweep the Taliban out of Kabul, Taloqan, Kandahar, and other major cities of Afghanistan and put them on the run, along with their al-Qaeda guests, into the Pakistani tribal territories along the Afghan border. Ahmed Jan finds a mysterious communiqué in the coat of an al-Qaeda messenger and, along with ruthless Mujaheddin fighter Mustafa and old, rigid holy man Mohammajon, gets swept into an adventure that spans the globe from Islamabad to Amsterdam to Venice to Seattle to Vancouver to Karachi and back to Kandahar. This engrossing epic story includes CIA operatives and Special Forces soldiers interwoven with three love stories with very different endings. The adventure concludes with a movingly heartrending, surprise finale. I must be a romantic at heart too, because I enjoyed the romances. It's hard to believe the previous reviewer was writing about the romance between the Tajik fighter Mustafa and the nurse Fatima in the Pakistani Hospital because it's so central to the plot. I guess she was referring to the pubescent romance between the young American scientist and his student. I guess the author could have omitted it, but I enjoyed it, and it helped to break up what otherwise could have been too heavy.

I highly recommend this book for both women and men who are fans of international thrillers.

I totally got into this novel that's placed in the midst of post-9/11 events in Afghanistan and the war on terrorism. This adventure-thriller travels from Afghanistan to Rawalpindi (Pakistan), Amsterdam, and several other places, before coming to an end in Kandahar. I thought the ending was first rate...completely unexpected and moving.

I absolutely loved this novel! I found the story gripping and believable. The character development, especially for the three Tajiks that are central to the story, was exceptional. The ending was unexpected, but heartrending and imaginative.

I spent time in Afghanistan, over two years from early 2002 to the summer of 2004. I spent most of my time in the north in Taloqan and Mazar-e-Sharif, but also spent a few months in Kabul and several weeks in Kandahar. My take on the situation in Afghanistan, as it relates to this novel, are a little different.

There was great animosity among the non-Taliban Pashtun towards the Arabs, who often acted like they ran the country, before and after 9/11. Pastun President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai himself is an excellent example. When the Taliban first emerged in the early 1990s, Karzai and his family supported them. A native of the region around Kandahar, he saw the Taliban as a force that could finally end the terrible violence that had engulfed the country during and after the Soviet occupation. As the Taliban gained power, however, Karzai became distrustful of them and openly accused them of being too influenced by foreign groups, including the Arabs of al-Qaeda. In 1995, the Taliban approached Hamid Karzai and asked him to join their effort. They offered him the position of U.N. ambassador in a new Taliban government, but he rebuffed them because he felt the Pakistan intelligence service (ISI) was the real power behind the Taliban. Karzai was no longer welcome in Afghanistan after the Taliban solidified their control over most of Afghanistan in 1996, so he and most of his family fled to Pakistan. Karzai's father was gunned down as he returned home from prayers in the Pakistani city of Quetta in 1999 and he blamed the slaying on the Taliban. After 9/11, the U.S. prepared to attack the Taliban and Karzai urged the allied nations and non-Taliban Pashtun in Afghanistan to purge the nation of al-Qaida terrorists. There were definitely cases of Arabs being killed by Pashtun forces in the early days of the American-led attacks on Afghanistan and in some cases these fighters had been aligned with the Taliban only a few weeks before. Most of the Taliban fled into the Pakistani tribal territories along with the Arabs, but many just changed sides (as typically happens in confrontations in Afghanistan) when it became clear who was going to prevail.

As to the relations between the Tajiks and Pashtun that are central to this novel, there are definitely deep-seated animosities, and even hatreds, between the two largest ethnic groups that date back many centuries. It is true that the Hazara are mistreated and viewed as second-class citizens by both the Pashtun and Tajik, but my personal experience is that there is no love lost between the Pashtun and Tajiks either and there are many, many examples of clashes and feuds between these groups continuing right up to the present.

As a previous reviewer noted, this is a novel and as such the author is certainly allowed some poetic license. However, based on my experiences in Afghanistan the story in Winter in Kandahar is definitely plausible. Afghanistan is like a patchwork carpet and in many ways ones perspective depends on who you meet and where you spend your time. This novel certainly gives a valuable and entertaining perspective of events that occurred in Afghanistan before and after 9/11. I highly recommend it!!

Steven E. Wilson has written a must-reading fiction novel about the time after 9/11 2001 in Afghanistan. He take us into the heart of the struggle between the local tribes and the political situation between US, Pakistan and Afghanistan - and most important he is able to write a very thrilling action-romantic novel and project his story into the international scene of terrorism. The heart - and the strength - of his story is that it is very close to non-fiction. One of the best novels for years.