"Mesmerizing. . . . Visceral. . . . Keeps the reader's attention until the stunning climax." –
The Denver Post "A terrific novel of intrigue, duplicity and death in the shadow of the Khyber Pass. . . . Fesperman is that rare journalist who is also a gifted novelist." –
The Washington Post "A thrilling odyssey into Afghanistan during the waning days of Taliban rule . . . a kind of post-modern
Heart of Darkness." –
Seattle Post-Intelligencer "Compulsively readable. . . . Fesperman [is a] writer to watch." –
The Seattle Times "A novel ripped from the headlines. . . . Better than any news dispatch and . . . far more entertaining. . . . Fesperman amazes [with his] searing insights into human nature." –
The Baltimore Sun "A first-rate geopolitical yarn. . . . Fesperman combines his strong eye for detail with bleak film-noir cynicism, managing to make plot twists that could have felt contrived seem depressingly believable." –
Entertainment Weekly "A convincing, accurate thriller. . . . This book is worth reading if only for the passage where the hero, Skelly, glimpses Osama bin Laden at a public hanging; the scene both convinces and frightens." –
The Economist "Thoroughly gripping, intelligent and wholly believable. . . . There will be other novels written about the last days of the Taliban . . . but few will match the verisimilitude, drama and compelling characters found in
The Warlord's Son. . . . The conclusion . . . has the impact of a stun gun." –
Flint Journal "Fesperman's experience as a war correspondent, together with his powers of description and characterization, produce an utterly compelling thriller and quite simply the best I've read all year." –
Sunday Telegraph "Enlightening and entertaining. . . . A riveting and sometimes frightening read. . . . Fesperman sheds light on the tribal culture in such a way that a murky idea momentarily crystallizes into a vivid picture." –
The Charlotte Observer "[Fesperman] exhibits a keen eye for the landscape's details...he excels at drawing characters." –
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review "[This] veteran reporter. . . . depicts politics, geography and the tradecraft of reporters, smugglers, warriors and spies with rare insight." –
San Jose Mercury News "
The Warlord's Son is a story of humanity, of how primal instincts come to the forefront in dangerous situations. But it's also about friendship and loyalty and redemption, either achieved or disappointed. . . . One of the must-read novels of the year." –
January Magazine
