A review by Bill Stephens
about 300 words
The Warlord
By Richard H. Dickinson
Fiction
Genre: Military adventure
Rugged Land
305 pages
Setting: Afghanistan
In Richard H. Dickinson's modern-day Afghanistan, ruthless tribal leaders jockey for position in an endless game of Realpolitik. Prestige comes from negotiating superior weapons and vehicles from the Americans and allegiances are always vulnerable to expediency. Soldiers like Special Forces Captain Louis Salam know how to play and win the delicate chess game of mujahadeen politics. Three-star general Jackson Monroe does not. Once a Vietnam-era Special Forces sniper, Monroe's most recent battles have taken place in senate committee hearings and Washington cocktail parties. When a diplomatic mission takes him to Afghanistan with a plan to meet with local tribal leaders, he foolishly overrules most of the precautions dictated by Salam's field experience. As a result things go badly wrong and a party of Americans find themselves not only blamed for the assassination of a beloved leader but faced with the prospect of a long trek through hostile territory. It will take all of Salam's courage, skill and experience to lead the weary group of soldiers and noncombatant misfits to safety. It will also demand that Jackson Monroe rediscover his own long-forgotten skills as a field soldier.
Dickinson is a skillful storyteller. The details of military life and equipment resonate with the authority one would expect from a graduate of West Point. Despite a somewhat repetitious round of captures and some irritatingly stupid blunders that a dime's worth of caution might have prevented, the basic story line of the book holds up well. The weakest link may be the unattractiveness of the character Monroe. He is by turns naïve, stubborn, or riddled with angst. His ultimate transformation and redemption comes too late and remains unconvincing.
Still, The Warlord is an adventure that fans of military fiction may well enjoy immersing themselves in for a few hours.
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
GWN Book Reviewer
Three AK-47s out of five
December 20, 2005
copyright Bill Stephens and GWN
