The Warlord's Son: Amazon.ca: Dan Fesperman: Books

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

by Dan Fesperman

4.8 out of 5 stars (4) CDN$ 13.14

› Explore similar items

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Fesperman, author of Small Boat of Great Sorrows, a critically acclaimed espionage thriller set in Bosnia, now turns his sights on war-zone journalism in this chilling, timely novel. Newspaper reporter Skelly (aka Stan Kelly) is a former hotshot war correspondent, now a burned-out hack covering town meetings for a Midwestern daily. Five weeks after 9/11 he is given a chance—his last chance to get back in the game, he believes—to cover the war on terror, the Taliban and Afghanistan. In Peshawar, Skelly hires Najeeb, a bright fixer who speaks English and mountain dialects. What Skelly doesn't realize is that Najeeb is an outcast from his tribal clan and an unwilling informer for the Pakistani secret police; Najeeb is also involved in a dangerous, illicit affair with Daliya, who's being punished by her family for resisting an arranged marriage. Battling the pollution and bureaucratic corruption of Peshawar, Skelly and Najeeb try to find a way into Afghanistan. They finally manage to join a warlord's entourage, but just before they leave, Daliya goes missing. Forging ahead, Skelly and Najeeb develop an enduring friendship, tested by their harrowing journey into Afghanistan. Capture, escape and shocking revelations finally save one man and condemn the other in this gripping portrayal of shameless media frenzy and hopeless geopolitical gamesmanship.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–A superbly written tale of betrayal, brutality, and courage. Skelly (a slurring of Stan Kelly) is a thrice-married, journalistic warhorse, a veteran of hot spots from Managua to Sarajevo to the Kuwaiti deserts. Suffering burnout, he returns to the U.S., but "three years of the suburbs of the Midwest had left [him] forgetful of past lessons." Now in Pakistan, he plans to cross the border into post-9/11 Afghanistan in hopes of a career-crowning story. The warlord's son of the title, Najeeb, is his translator/guide, a Pashtun whose father has banished him from his native country. Further complicating Najeeb's political and familial situation is his live-in relationship with cosmopolitan Daliya, which places them both in cultural jeopardy. The plot is a heart-stopping drama (a rope-bridge crossing straight out of Indiana Jones; a grisly hanging) even as the author weaves everyday cultural realities into deeply affecting scenes; Daliya's visit to a burqa shop is both enlightening and sobering. With a polished writing style, Fesperman delivers plot twists, adept characterization, attention to detail, and a masterful use of setting, making The Warlord's Son highly recommendable to teens who enjoy a quality reading experience.–Dori DeSpain, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt