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Mustafa and Adem #1
All The Young Warriors
When two of the Twin Cities' "Lost Boys" - young Somali men drafted to fight for terrorists back in the homeland - kill a pair of cops on his home turf, detective Ray Bleeker is left devastated. One of the dead cops was his girlfriend.
The investigation grinds to a halt when he discovers that the young murderers have fled to Somalia to fight in the rebel army. He's at his wits' end when the father of one of the boys, an ex-gang leader named Mustafa, comes looking for answers, wanting to clear his son's name and refusing to take no for an answer.
Bleeker and Mustafa form an uneasy alliance, teaming up to help bring the boys back home to stand trial. But little do they know what Somalia has in store for them.
Murder, warfare, piracy, love, betrayal and revenge. ALL THE YOUNG WARRIORS is an epic thriller that will have you white-knuckling your eReader all through the night.
The investigation grinds to a halt when he discovers that the young murderers have fled to Somalia to fight in the rebel army. He's at his wits' end when the father of one of the boys, an ex-gang leader named Mustafa, comes looking for answers, wanting to clear his son's name and refusing to take no for an answer.
Bleeker and Mustafa form an uneasy alliance, teaming up to help bring the boys back home to stand trial. But little do they know what Somalia has in store for them.
Murder, warfare, piracy, love, betrayal and revenge. ALL THE YOUNG WARRIORS is an epic thriller that will have you white-knuckling your eReader all through the night.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
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282 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Neil Smith
63 books191 followersI write crime novels. PSYCHOSOMATIC, THE DRUMMER, plus the Billy Lafitte series--YELLOW MEDICINE, HOGDOGGIN', THE BADDEST ASS, and HOLY DEATH--and the Mustafa & Adem series--ALL THE YOUNG WARRIORS and ONCE A WARRIOR, in addition to WORM, CHOKE ON YOUR LIES, and the SLOW BEAR trilogy.
I'm an English Professor at Southwest Minnesota State University, and editor of the online lit mag Revolution John.
I'm an English Professor at Southwest Minnesota State University, and editor of the online lit mag Revolution John.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
December 21, 2011
Anthony Neil Smith, "Doc Noir," kindly published several of my noir/hardboiled short stories in his legendary ezine Plots With Guns back in early 2000s. We later shared a publisher, the fine Pointblank Press, now sadly defunct. All the Young Warriors is brilliant noirish tale set first in a Minnesota college town during the frigid winter, and then switches to war-torn, seething, and arid Somalia. This novel rocks. I liked the way the Muslim themes and characters were drawn. Adem, for one, is a complex young man, searching for something meaningful besides the extreme violence crashing in around him. Ray Bleeker, the white cop seeking revenge for the senseless murder of his pregnant girlfriend, is a driven man. The action scenes found in Somalia come at you rugged, gory, and hard. The pace is relentless. The chaos feels real. All of this adds up to a very satisfying read.
January 10, 2012
So I've read quite a few, four I think, of Anthony Neil Smith's previous books and, I'll tell you right now, I love them. He's the kind of writer that when you've finished one book you can't wait to get your teeth into the next. Other books in your massive TBR pile get pushed aside as you dive straight back into Smith's crazy and utterly outrageous world where characters who are larger than life rampage around the countryside blowing people's heads off just after having the dirtiest sex imaginable.
Then along comes ALL THE YOUNG WARRIORS, published as an ebook by those awfully nice chaps at BLASTED HEATH, and of course with great glee I jumped straight in.
OH HECK! What on earth?...So many thoughts struck me after only the first few pages. This was not the Smith that I knew and loved, this was somebody....mature....who had a strong, no, burning desire to tell a story from his heart, who had worked incredibly hard to craft the book, keeping his outrageous self in check, never putting a foot wrong in his quest to shine a light on a story of world significance that needed to be told.
Impressed? You bet! Anybody who has read Smith knows that the guy can write and tell a story that can hold you right to the end. In ALL THE YOUNG WARRIORS he has not just moved onto the next level of being a writer he has rocketed straight up into writing literature because this book is a classic in the making.
When you read a wide variety of books, the perfect package of plot, characters, setting and the ability to wrap these three elements up in a delicate web of words doesn't come along too often. Recently I would rate John Rector's COLD KISS and Benjamin Whitmer's PIKE as examples of this elusive standard. Now I can add a third because ALL THE YOUNG WARRIORS is one of the few books that I will read again as there is so much more to gain than one reading can deliver. It's like a juicy orange that needs squeezed more than once or a single malt that can be appreciated not just for its taste but for its aroma and the changing sensations on the palate.
The story moves between Minnesota and Somalia and surely that should be enough to prick your interest. The two places are polar opposites and Smith certainly makes the most of this fact as the changes in temperature and scenery can be physically felt as you read; the icy cold and biting wind in a white landscape followed by the blinding heat of the sun and the dust in your mouth.
Two young Somalis, who had never set foot in their homeland, have become indoctrinated and decide that they must leave Minnesota and head off to play their part in the Islamic rebel army. However, on their way to the airport, a series of events end in a cop's pregnant girlfriend being shot and killed and from there on the story of the young men's entry into hell and the cop's mission to bring the killer to justice unfolds.
Like me, you probably watched the news reports about Mogadishu and thought it was awful but if you read ALL THE YOUNG WARRIORS you will gain a totally new perspective on the abominations of the world we live in and be horrified at how we in the West can be so blinded to a genocide while being more concerned about third rate celebs and worthless politicians.
Go read it - you must.
Then along comes ALL THE YOUNG WARRIORS, published as an ebook by those awfully nice chaps at BLASTED HEATH, and of course with great glee I jumped straight in.
OH HECK! What on earth?...So many thoughts struck me after only the first few pages. This was not the Smith that I knew and loved, this was somebody....mature....who had a strong, no, burning desire to tell a story from his heart, who had worked incredibly hard to craft the book, keeping his outrageous self in check, never putting a foot wrong in his quest to shine a light on a story of world significance that needed to be told.
Impressed? You bet! Anybody who has read Smith knows that the guy can write and tell a story that can hold you right to the end. In ALL THE YOUNG WARRIORS he has not just moved onto the next level of being a writer he has rocketed straight up into writing literature because this book is a classic in the making.
When you read a wide variety of books, the perfect package of plot, characters, setting and the ability to wrap these three elements up in a delicate web of words doesn't come along too often. Recently I would rate John Rector's COLD KISS and Benjamin Whitmer's PIKE as examples of this elusive standard. Now I can add a third because ALL THE YOUNG WARRIORS is one of the few books that I will read again as there is so much more to gain than one reading can deliver. It's like a juicy orange that needs squeezed more than once or a single malt that can be appreciated not just for its taste but for its aroma and the changing sensations on the palate.
The story moves between Minnesota and Somalia and surely that should be enough to prick your interest. The two places are polar opposites and Smith certainly makes the most of this fact as the changes in temperature and scenery can be physically felt as you read; the icy cold and biting wind in a white landscape followed by the blinding heat of the sun and the dust in your mouth.
Two young Somalis, who had never set foot in their homeland, have become indoctrinated and decide that they must leave Minnesota and head off to play their part in the Islamic rebel army. However, on their way to the airport, a series of events end in a cop's pregnant girlfriend being shot and killed and from there on the story of the young men's entry into hell and the cop's mission to bring the killer to justice unfolds.
Like me, you probably watched the news reports about Mogadishu and thought it was awful but if you read ALL THE YOUNG WARRIORS you will gain a totally new perspective on the abominations of the world we live in and be horrified at how we in the West can be so blinded to a genocide while being more concerned about third rate celebs and worthless politicians.
Go read it - you must.
November 7, 2011
All The Young Warriors is by far the most accomplished and ambitious novel yet by Anthony Neil Smith. In ATYW, Smith touches on religious fanaticism and the impressionable American inner city youth misguided by recruitment vultures who feed their delusions by selling broken dreams and false prosperity with the acclimation for cause - a rebirth of faith. At the thrillers' heart lies a breaking man whose second lease on life is taken away at the hands of a merciless thug turned terrorist-in-training; Jilbriil. Having his partner and unborn child gunned down sets a turn of events in motion which sees the streets of Minnesota and the desert landscape of Somalia run red with vengeance and unjustified blood lust.
Bleeker (the namesake definition 'bleak' not lost on the casual observer) mourns his partner's passing by fueling his rage across continents, leaving no stone untouched in his quest to rid the world of his personal demon. Accompanied by an unlikely alliance in the form of a local gangster whose son, Adem, has been caught up in the terrorist plight - Bleeker's investigation leads him down a path populated by extremists, pirates, killers, and government officials alike.
All The Young Warriors, for it's graphic depiction of murder and retribution, retains a sense of realism delivered through heart thumping emotion and pulse pounding clarity. The aspects of a world ravaged to ruin and ruled by violence, yet softened by a few kind souls is thought provoking and awe inspiring. Smith has delivered on one of the best books of 2011 with each chapter further evidence of his ability to demand a reader's attention and hold it until the very end. Captivating and utterly essential. 5 stars.
Bleeker (the namesake definition 'bleak' not lost on the casual observer) mourns his partner's passing by fueling his rage across continents, leaving no stone untouched in his quest to rid the world of his personal demon. Accompanied by an unlikely alliance in the form of a local gangster whose son, Adem, has been caught up in the terrorist plight - Bleeker's investigation leads him down a path populated by extremists, pirates, killers, and government officials alike.
All The Young Warriors, for it's graphic depiction of murder and retribution, retains a sense of realism delivered through heart thumping emotion and pulse pounding clarity. The aspects of a world ravaged to ruin and ruled by violence, yet softened by a few kind souls is thought provoking and awe inspiring. Smith has delivered on one of the best books of 2011 with each chapter further evidence of his ability to demand a reader's attention and hold it until the very end. Captivating and utterly essential. 5 stars.
November 3, 2014
What a brilliant novel! Alternating between the harsh landscapes of two cultures—frigid Minnesota and the searing heat of Somalia—this novel reports on both worlds without politicizing and without moralizing, allowing the reader to arrive at their own conclusions.
What was fascinating for me was that it read as an intense psychological study of very disparate personalities that, at the end, created an understanding and empathy for every single character. With what is really an economy of words, Smith shows a true complexity for each character’s actions. This is a doctoral thesis in understanding how motivations drive people. What’s even more remarkable is that we see four very different people with four entirely different goals and each one is carefully and expertly drawn. There are no “good” guys nor any “bad” guys per se. There are just people who do good things and people who do bad things, with each of the four performing both kinds of actions, but each, no matter what they may do is clearly drawn with not only a deftness rarely seen in but the best of fiction, but each a person driven by forces completely understandable.
Very good literature allows us to see into the hidden soul of one character. Literature that deserves the epithet of being great, allows us to see into the deepest recesses of more than one. All the Young Warriors gives us an unprecedented view of all four of the major characters. I’m sure there have been novels which have done this before, but I confess I can’t recall which ones those were, and that tells me perhaps that I haven’t yet read them. Perhaps I just imagine they’re out there…
But, I’m not imagining this one.
As a writer, I open books for two reasons. One, to be entertained and secondly—which is at least equal in importance to me—to learn how to be a better writer by what and how the author has crafted the work. This novel succeeded on both levels.
I simply cannot get over the characters Smith has created. What’s revealing about his craft is how he delivers each character—not through introspection of peeking into their minds, but mostly by their actions. That’s hard to do!
First, you have what at first glance appears to be the standard issue cop/detective in thrillers, Ray Bleeker. Quickly, however, he becomes much more than a version of the stereotypical veteran cop solving a crime or mystery. His motivation is powerful. He does what he feels he has to do because of the love of a woman and a sense of honor he feels due her memory. He knowingly sacrifices his future and his life for what he holds to be a just cause. His quest becomes noble and this alone transforms him and makes him different than many similar fictional characters. This is no “Jack Reacher” imbued with a superman physique and supernatural physical skills, kicking ass ala a cartoon superhero. This is no “Sherlock Holmes” with a superior intellect. No “Virgil Flowers” with an entire and impressive state crime-fighting bureaucracy behind him. This is a solid detective who can handle himself physically but isn’t a superhero, able to vanquish a dozen ninja warriors, but just a better-than-average fighter who’s getting a bit long in the tooth. His detecting skills are not inborn in him by virtue of some detective “gene,” but have been acquired by years on the job and from intelligent observation gleaned from many cases. He’s kind of an Everyman and what distinguishes him is the level of love he holds for a woman and his child. He embodies what used to be known as “Yankee ingenuity.” He doesn’t own a bunch of power tools; he owns an inventive, practical mind. What distinguishes him from other popular detectives in fiction is that he has a character arc. He is a man who will be an entirely different person at the end of the story, unless most series characters who remain largely unchanged by the struggle they go through.
The second major character, Mustafa Abdi Bahdoon, was utterly fascinating. Easily the most complex character in the cast. At one time a powerful gang leader, feared by friend and foe alike, he has long since walked away from his past and is living the “straight” life, working at a Target store. This, despite the knowledge that he might be murdered at any time by his former gang members. He’s of Somalia extract, but all he wants to do is be American, despite his violent background. He also is driven by love. The love of his son.
His son, Adem, is as complex as the others, and shows perhaps the biggest character arc of all. He begins as a college student who is somewhat popular, but possessed of a follower’s personality. He’s the dutiful child, who gets swept up unexpectedly in politics and a murder and ends up in Somalia as he flees a murder charge and prison time, and at first is idealistic about the cause he has joined, but soon discovers he has neither the firmness of belief in that cause that is necessary but that he’s pretty much a coward. He mostly remains a coward until near the end and through a series of events, he becomes a sort of Goebbels. Why Goebbels, you ask? Well, because that’s kind of what I was reminded of in this story—it could have been structured from a study in how two powerful Nazis became who they were. Adem is Goebbels and the last character…
Jibriil… is the “Hitler” character. Indeed, I kept thinking of Hitler as Jibriil moved through the pages. Not the finished-product-Hitler, whom most see in their minds’ eye, ruling over the Third Reich as the hob-booted despot he became, but the Hitler who was a failure as a painter and mostly a nobody until he found himself in the right place at the right time and took advantage of the situation. Jibriil is the young Hitler, at his late childhood and early rise to power. What is fascinating is that through Smith’s depiction of his character, it becomes clear how an insignificant nobody can emerge as a cruel tyrant like Mein Fuhrer when the planets align and the circumstances allow.
I may be the only one who looks at this novel this way, but I can’t help seeing these kinds of parallels. Whether Smith intended it or not, he’s created a case study in how otherwise ordinary folks, under the right circumstances, can become the Hitlers of the world and how the same thing can happen today. And perhaps is.
What is one of the most amazing things about this book is that every single one of the major characters undergoes a significant character arc. How in the hell does Smith do that?! That’s remarkable. In practical terms, that means this novel is perfect to be made into a movie. You’ve got not one, but four characters A-list actors would kill to play.
This is a brilliant book, possibly the best novel of the year. It's in my top five at least.
What was fascinating for me was that it read as an intense psychological study of very disparate personalities that, at the end, created an understanding and empathy for every single character. With what is really an economy of words, Smith shows a true complexity for each character’s actions. This is a doctoral thesis in understanding how motivations drive people. What’s even more remarkable is that we see four very different people with four entirely different goals and each one is carefully and expertly drawn. There are no “good” guys nor any “bad” guys per se. There are just people who do good things and people who do bad things, with each of the four performing both kinds of actions, but each, no matter what they may do is clearly drawn with not only a deftness rarely seen in but the best of fiction, but each a person driven by forces completely understandable.
Very good literature allows us to see into the hidden soul of one character. Literature that deserves the epithet of being great, allows us to see into the deepest recesses of more than one. All the Young Warriors gives us an unprecedented view of all four of the major characters. I’m sure there have been novels which have done this before, but I confess I can’t recall which ones those were, and that tells me perhaps that I haven’t yet read them. Perhaps I just imagine they’re out there…
But, I’m not imagining this one.
As a writer, I open books for two reasons. One, to be entertained and secondly—which is at least equal in importance to me—to learn how to be a better writer by what and how the author has crafted the work. This novel succeeded on both levels.
I simply cannot get over the characters Smith has created. What’s revealing about his craft is how he delivers each character—not through introspection of peeking into their minds, but mostly by their actions. That’s hard to do!
First, you have what at first glance appears to be the standard issue cop/detective in thrillers, Ray Bleeker. Quickly, however, he becomes much more than a version of the stereotypical veteran cop solving a crime or mystery. His motivation is powerful. He does what he feels he has to do because of the love of a woman and a sense of honor he feels due her memory. He knowingly sacrifices his future and his life for what he holds to be a just cause. His quest becomes noble and this alone transforms him and makes him different than many similar fictional characters. This is no “Jack Reacher” imbued with a superman physique and supernatural physical skills, kicking ass ala a cartoon superhero. This is no “Sherlock Holmes” with a superior intellect. No “Virgil Flowers” with an entire and impressive state crime-fighting bureaucracy behind him. This is a solid detective who can handle himself physically but isn’t a superhero, able to vanquish a dozen ninja warriors, but just a better-than-average fighter who’s getting a bit long in the tooth. His detecting skills are not inborn in him by virtue of some detective “gene,” but have been acquired by years on the job and from intelligent observation gleaned from many cases. He’s kind of an Everyman and what distinguishes him is the level of love he holds for a woman and his child. He embodies what used to be known as “Yankee ingenuity.” He doesn’t own a bunch of power tools; he owns an inventive, practical mind. What distinguishes him from other popular detectives in fiction is that he has a character arc. He is a man who will be an entirely different person at the end of the story, unless most series characters who remain largely unchanged by the struggle they go through.
The second major character, Mustafa Abdi Bahdoon, was utterly fascinating. Easily the most complex character in the cast. At one time a powerful gang leader, feared by friend and foe alike, he has long since walked away from his past and is living the “straight” life, working at a Target store. This, despite the knowledge that he might be murdered at any time by his former gang members. He’s of Somalia extract, but all he wants to do is be American, despite his violent background. He also is driven by love. The love of his son.
His son, Adem, is as complex as the others, and shows perhaps the biggest character arc of all. He begins as a college student who is somewhat popular, but possessed of a follower’s personality. He’s the dutiful child, who gets swept up unexpectedly in politics and a murder and ends up in Somalia as he flees a murder charge and prison time, and at first is idealistic about the cause he has joined, but soon discovers he has neither the firmness of belief in that cause that is necessary but that he’s pretty much a coward. He mostly remains a coward until near the end and through a series of events, he becomes a sort of Goebbels. Why Goebbels, you ask? Well, because that’s kind of what I was reminded of in this story—it could have been structured from a study in how two powerful Nazis became who they were. Adem is Goebbels and the last character…
Jibriil… is the “Hitler” character. Indeed, I kept thinking of Hitler as Jibriil moved through the pages. Not the finished-product-Hitler, whom most see in their minds’ eye, ruling over the Third Reich as the hob-booted despot he became, but the Hitler who was a failure as a painter and mostly a nobody until he found himself in the right place at the right time and took advantage of the situation. Jibriil is the young Hitler, at his late childhood and early rise to power. What is fascinating is that through Smith’s depiction of his character, it becomes clear how an insignificant nobody can emerge as a cruel tyrant like Mein Fuhrer when the planets align and the circumstances allow.
I may be the only one who looks at this novel this way, but I can’t help seeing these kinds of parallels. Whether Smith intended it or not, he’s created a case study in how otherwise ordinary folks, under the right circumstances, can become the Hitlers of the world and how the same thing can happen today. And perhaps is.
What is one of the most amazing things about this book is that every single one of the major characters undergoes a significant character arc. How in the hell does Smith do that?! That’s remarkable. In practical terms, that means this novel is perfect to be made into a movie. You’ve got not one, but four characters A-list actors would kill to play.
This is a brilliant book, possibly the best novel of the year. It's in my top five at least.
March 28, 2012
It's curious how many years one can go without reading a book about Somali gangs and pirates, and then to read two in one year...
Earlier this year, I read "Crossbones," of which I wrote: "A young man of Somali descent disappears from his Minneapolis home. His stepfather, Ahl, and uncle, Malik, a journalist, travel to Somalia in an attempt to find him and bring him home. This is the post-Blackhawk Down Somalia, before and in the early days of the Ethiopian invasion to drive out the Islamic Courts and restore - with U.S. backing - a more secular government. It is a dangerous country for everyone, particularly journalists and opponents of the Courts. The author takes the reader on a lengthy tour of recent Somali history and politics, Islamic thought in urban and rural Somalia, piracy and fishing disputes, kidnapping as a political and economic weapon, terrorism and bombing, and international relations in the Horn of Africa. The author, Nuruddin Farah, takes too much time dealing with family back-and-forth discussions about their histories and the Somali character, and many of the characters within the family are among the least interesting. Of more interest are the pirates, Shabbab terrorists, and their financial enablers. It's a good read, but not a great one."
"All the Young Warriors" treats essentially the same subject, but in a very different way. Anthony Neil Smith has written an action novel that pairs a burned-out, small-town, Minnesota cop with a former Minneapolis gang-banger of Somali descent to bring back from Somalia the killer(s) of the cop's girlfriend; one of whom might be the Somali's son. Stateside, they battle to form a trusting relationship while working to break the chain of recruitment to jihad of young Somali-Americans living in the nation's heartland. Overseas, they search for the two Somali suspects in terrorist camps of the Horn of Africa. The book also tells the story of the two young men, Jibril, the impulsive, gangsta wannabe, and Adem, a college student searching for his Somali and Muslim roots. beginning with the shooting of two Minnesota cops, the two examine their faith, desire for power and influence, and willingness to kill for their cause, as members of a ruthless militia and as pawns of a gang of pirates who prey on international shipping.
This is a fast-paced, exciting, and thoughtful book that deals with race, religion, nationality, prejudice, vengeance, and culture. It is, however, by no means a perfect book. At different points, the author refers to Somalis and at other Somalians; words that shouldn't be capitalized (such as spring and east)are, while others that should be capitalized (such as Muslim) are not. Most of the characters are well-drawn, but at least one is shockingly off-base, a college international studies director who has little good to say about international students. I worked 22 years for two universities, and never heard anything but total support from ISP staff for their international students, regardless of nationality. While Smith writes powerfully, he's a bit too enamored with the use of three-to-five word phrases rather than complete sentences.
One paragraph does, perhaps, boil down the strife that affects the Somali-Ethiopian conflict that provides the context for this novel: "Why Ethiopia? Because Ethiopians had invaded Somalia, occupied it, and killed indiscriminately. And they were Christian. Now they'd been chased back, but still attacked whenever they felt like it. Same with the Somalis, tit for tat. Mutual hatred. Nothing better to do." And life goes on.
Earlier this year, I read "Crossbones," of which I wrote: "A young man of Somali descent disappears from his Minneapolis home. His stepfather, Ahl, and uncle, Malik, a journalist, travel to Somalia in an attempt to find him and bring him home. This is the post-Blackhawk Down Somalia, before and in the early days of the Ethiopian invasion to drive out the Islamic Courts and restore - with U.S. backing - a more secular government. It is a dangerous country for everyone, particularly journalists and opponents of the Courts. The author takes the reader on a lengthy tour of recent Somali history and politics, Islamic thought in urban and rural Somalia, piracy and fishing disputes, kidnapping as a political and economic weapon, terrorism and bombing, and international relations in the Horn of Africa. The author, Nuruddin Farah, takes too much time dealing with family back-and-forth discussions about their histories and the Somali character, and many of the characters within the family are among the least interesting. Of more interest are the pirates, Shabbab terrorists, and their financial enablers. It's a good read, but not a great one."
"All the Young Warriors" treats essentially the same subject, but in a very different way. Anthony Neil Smith has written an action novel that pairs a burned-out, small-town, Minnesota cop with a former Minneapolis gang-banger of Somali descent to bring back from Somalia the killer(s) of the cop's girlfriend; one of whom might be the Somali's son. Stateside, they battle to form a trusting relationship while working to break the chain of recruitment to jihad of young Somali-Americans living in the nation's heartland. Overseas, they search for the two Somali suspects in terrorist camps of the Horn of Africa. The book also tells the story of the two young men, Jibril, the impulsive, gangsta wannabe, and Adem, a college student searching for his Somali and Muslim roots. beginning with the shooting of two Minnesota cops, the two examine their faith, desire for power and influence, and willingness to kill for their cause, as members of a ruthless militia and as pawns of a gang of pirates who prey on international shipping.
This is a fast-paced, exciting, and thoughtful book that deals with race, religion, nationality, prejudice, vengeance, and culture. It is, however, by no means a perfect book. At different points, the author refers to Somalis and at other Somalians; words that shouldn't be capitalized (such as spring and east)are, while others that should be capitalized (such as Muslim) are not. Most of the characters are well-drawn, but at least one is shockingly off-base, a college international studies director who has little good to say about international students. I worked 22 years for two universities, and never heard anything but total support from ISP staff for their international students, regardless of nationality. While Smith writes powerfully, he's a bit too enamored with the use of three-to-five word phrases rather than complete sentences.
One paragraph does, perhaps, boil down the strife that affects the Somali-Ethiopian conflict that provides the context for this novel: "Why Ethiopia? Because Ethiopians had invaded Somalia, occupied it, and killed indiscriminately. And they were Christian. Now they'd been chased back, but still attacked whenever they felt like it. Same with the Somalis, tit for tat. Mutual hatred. Nothing better to do." And life goes on.
September 2, 2014
I've read a few of Anthony Neil Smith's novels already and I've had this one sitting in my 'to read' list for some time now and thought it was time to get stuck in.
The novel centres around Adem and Jibril two 'radicalised' Muslims living in the 'twin cities' of Minnesota who murder a couple of cops before hightailing it to Somalia to fight for the 'cause', in what is their parents homeland. Ray Bleeker is a Detective on the case and he unwillingly enlists the help of Adem's father Mustafa Bahdoon, an ex gang banger, now trying to play it straight. They follow the trail of the two teens which eventually leads them to the nightmare that is Mogadishu in their quest to bring them to justice.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and its scope is a lot bigger than any of Smith's previous novels, in that we travel from snowbound Minnesota to the war torn raging heat of Somalia. Along the journey we encounter the so called 'justice' of Sharia Law, as meted out by the rebel soldiers, the Somali pirates and their negotiators and the private American 'mercenaries' trying to protect the ships.
The novel is also very topical, as in Britain at the moment we are seeing and hearing of British Muslims who are currently travelling to Syria and Iraq to fight for the 'rebel' armies and the British government are trying to introduce legislation to try and counter these rebels leaving and also re-entering the county. It also gives an insight into how the glamourised ideal that these 'rebels' have is totally different to the reality that they actually encounter and also how some can thrive but others can be totally disillusioned by what they actually find.
I'm certainly looking forward to reading the sequel. 'Once A Warrior' and it certainly won't be sitting in my 'to read' list for too long.
The novel centres around Adem and Jibril two 'radicalised' Muslims living in the 'twin cities' of Minnesota who murder a couple of cops before hightailing it to Somalia to fight for the 'cause', in what is their parents homeland. Ray Bleeker is a Detective on the case and he unwillingly enlists the help of Adem's father Mustafa Bahdoon, an ex gang banger, now trying to play it straight. They follow the trail of the two teens which eventually leads them to the nightmare that is Mogadishu in their quest to bring them to justice.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and its scope is a lot bigger than any of Smith's previous novels, in that we travel from snowbound Minnesota to the war torn raging heat of Somalia. Along the journey we encounter the so called 'justice' of Sharia Law, as meted out by the rebel soldiers, the Somali pirates and their negotiators and the private American 'mercenaries' trying to protect the ships.
The novel is also very topical, as in Britain at the moment we are seeing and hearing of British Muslims who are currently travelling to Syria and Iraq to fight for the 'rebel' armies and the British government are trying to introduce legislation to try and counter these rebels leaving and also re-entering the county. It also gives an insight into how the glamourised ideal that these 'rebels' have is totally different to the reality that they actually encounter and also how some can thrive but others can be totally disillusioned by what they actually find.
I'm certainly looking forward to reading the sequel. 'Once A Warrior' and it certainly won't be sitting in my 'to read' list for too long.
December 24, 2012
Have you ever read a book where you felt that it's main character was doomed from the start? That sense of dread that settles into your bones, floods your subconscious, and never really leaves?
All The Young Warriors by Anthony Neil Smith evoked these feelings in me, and I'm actually glad for it. It may sound strange, but I was relieved that All The Young Warriors didn't end with a fairy-tale bow tie. It shouldn't have.
ATYW is dark, gritty, and often disturbing. It shines the brightest floodlight on the evil that exists in this world. How many times do oblivious Americans like myself think about Somalia and the hardships that so many face there? I'd venture to guess hardly ever. I didn't, before I read this novel.
Did I think Ray Bleeker was a dead man walking throughout this book? Yes. Did I think he'd actually die? Yes. Bleeker was a character who seemed cut-and-dried, mind-made-up, steadfast. He surprised me at times, but he also read like a man who was willing to welcome death at any time. And when you read ATYW, you'll understand why.
Adem's struggle with being in his homeland and realizing what a utter disaster it was, was heartbreaking. Mustafa trying to save his son at any cost was heartbreaking. Reading the horrors of what happens in some third-world countries on a regular basis is eye-opening, thought-provoking, and moving.
If you live in the States - after reading ATYW, you'll never be more thankful to live in a country where you're allowed freedom of thought, speech, dress, and religion.
All The Young Warriors by Anthony Neil Smith evoked these feelings in me, and I'm actually glad for it. It may sound strange, but I was relieved that All The Young Warriors didn't end with a fairy-tale bow tie. It shouldn't have.
ATYW is dark, gritty, and often disturbing. It shines the brightest floodlight on the evil that exists in this world. How many times do oblivious Americans like myself think about Somalia and the hardships that so many face there? I'd venture to guess hardly ever. I didn't, before I read this novel.
Did I think Ray Bleeker was a dead man walking throughout this book? Yes. Did I think he'd actually die? Yes. Bleeker was a character who seemed cut-and-dried, mind-made-up, steadfast. He surprised me at times, but he also read like a man who was willing to welcome death at any time. And when you read ATYW, you'll understand why.
Adem's struggle with being in his homeland and realizing what a utter disaster it was, was heartbreaking. Mustafa trying to save his son at any cost was heartbreaking. Reading the horrors of what happens in some third-world countries on a regular basis is eye-opening, thought-provoking, and moving.
If you live in the States - after reading ATYW, you'll never be more thankful to live in a country where you're allowed freedom of thought, speech, dress, and religion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2014
No matter how you like at it, this was a very bold project. Not only Anthony Neil Smith wrote a novel about a nation and a conflict nobody wants to acknowledge most of the time, but it's also quite a dramatic stylistic departure from what he used to write. It's a really good, technically tight story and it must have taken a lot of courage to write.
This is a more accessible Anthony Neil Smith, which is not a bad thing. It's an all-out thriller. The different in between noir and thriller is "bad things happening to bad people" changing into "bad things happening to people. He put his evil thoughts on hold for a novel, which is what made his novels so endearing to me. So it's not my favorite Smith novel, but it's very good nonetheless. It felt just a little too controlled. It's a great introduction to the world of Anthony Neil Smith if you didn't read him yet. The perfect launching step for his madness.
This is a more accessible Anthony Neil Smith, which is not a bad thing. It's an all-out thriller. The different in between noir and thriller is "bad things happening to bad people" changing into "bad things happening to people. He put his evil thoughts on hold for a novel, which is what made his novels so endearing to me. So it's not my favorite Smith novel, but it's very good nonetheless. It felt just a little too controlled. It's a great introduction to the world of Anthony Neil Smith if you didn't read him yet. The perfect launching step for his madness.
July 13, 2015
This was a fantastic book. I absolutely loved it. Smith is a top shelf writer in the vein of George Pelecanos and Elmore Leonard and whoever else you want to add to that list. All The Young Warriors is an ambitious novel that would sit perfectly well next to any best selling grocery store authors books.
ATYW is part revenge story part rescue mission. Taking place from the icy landscape of Minnesota to the dry deserts of Somalia it's a wild scary ride from start to finish. The characters are interesting and three dimensional. You'll like some and you'll loathe some and you'll always be on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens to them.
This book alone has made me an Anthony Neil Smith fan. I highly recommend this to any reader of crime fiction.
ATYW is part revenge story part rescue mission. Taking place from the icy landscape of Minnesota to the dry deserts of Somalia it's a wild scary ride from start to finish. The characters are interesting and three dimensional. You'll like some and you'll loathe some and you'll always be on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens to them.
This book alone has made me an Anthony Neil Smith fan. I highly recommend this to any reader of crime fiction.
September 20, 2013
Quite different from all of his other work. The writing is fantastic. I had a sense that I was in Somalia fighting to escape with Adem. I will admit, I am a bigger fan of Smith's Billy Lafitte series and absolutely loved Choke On Your Lies. This book was much more serious in story and content. It was by far his most accomplished piece of writing, but I will admit, I am looking forward to the next Lafitte story (hopefully!). If you have read Doc's previous work, I suggest pick this up immediately. You will see another side of Smith that you never knew existed. Highly recommended.
September 1, 2012
Amazing and strong, for odd reasons it kept slipping down my TBR pile. Don't make the same mistake. Read it now. Smith best book to date.
June 15, 2023
wonderful
Amazing detail and feel for a lawless Somalia. In Keeping you engrossed in this somewhat heroic story, Smith has done a great job. Exciting, educational and above all entertaining.
Amazing detail and feel for a lawless Somalia. In Keeping you engrossed in this somewhat heroic story, Smith has done a great job. Exciting, educational and above all entertaining.
October 29, 2023
Smith does not fuck around, paint pretty pictures with words or make you feel all warm and fuzzy, more like a smack to the head with a verbal brick, leaving your head ringing for more!
March 25, 2012
Anthony Neil Smith’s ‘All The Young Warriors’ is a little like one of those bullets that leaves a small wound on entry and exits the body to leave a gaping hole. Opening with small town events it expands to deal with war, world politics and piracy and doesn’t miss a beat along the way, making this a novel worthy of a place on the shelves of noir fans on the one hand and of an airport lounge on the other. Any justice and it might even make it to the DVD shelves somewhere along the line.
In order to create the pull needed to get you in, a strong opening is required and Smith does this like he’s the world’s strongest man.
He sits two cops in a car. It’s snowing and there’s not much happening. A car drives past erratically and the cops go in to investigate. All should be sweet and smooth. The lady cop, pregnant by one of her colleagues (Bleeker), goes along against her better judgement. Turns out they’ve stumbled into two young Somalians (Jibriil and Adem) off to fight for their homeland. One of them, slightly crazy and fuelled by his commitment to the cause , pulls out his gun and starts firing. It’s the end of Holm and Poulson and the end of Bleeker’s chance at fatherhood.
This is so well written that it instilled in me a powerful sense of the need for justice. Jibriil, the man responsible , had to pay. Had to be tracked down. Needed sorting out for good.
Fortunately for me, Bleeker happened to agree with those sentiments. It became all he had to live for.
Out of need, Bleeker teams up with Adem’s father, ex-gangster and reformed hard-man, a man who set himself on the path of the straight and narrow so that his son might follow along.
Here is a buddy team that’s perfect for the ride. They conflict in their religion, culture, status and motivations in a way that means there’s always an edge to what they do. On the other hand, they have enough in common to cement their relationship, enough to make me care how things panned out.
Jibrill and Adem provide another buddy team. They also have conflicts, but the only cement they have is history. When they reach Somalia - a madly hot, anarchic place - the two switch roles. Jibriil finds himself in his element, Adem like a fish out of water.
The first half of the book has a hell of a pace, the action moving swiftly on, yet all the while there’s an undercurrent of thoughtfulness, ideas that need to digested no matter how unpalatable.
Just before the mid-point, things settle for a while. Smith centres the action by immobilising Adem and Bleeker in different ways – one wrapped in bandages like a mummy, the other hiding away in his ice-fishing hut.
It’s almost like the story has formed a chrysalis for a while.
When it emerges, it is as a new and wonderful creature.
Adem finds himself using his skills to become a negotiator for Somalian pirates and takes us into that bigger world I mentioned at the beginning. However the book was to pan out from that point, the gaping hole in someone’s back was inevitable.
Not only did I really enjoy this one, I was very impressed by the writing. Crisp and sharp from beginning to end it paints pictures that are vivid without over-describing at any point. The horror of situations is real and very immediate. Smith had me right in the middle of the action one minute then taking me further back to soak up the view from a new perspective the next.
The contrasts are huge right through, from hot to cold through black to white. They do the job tremendously well.
I don’t know how much research was done for this. It’s not easy to tell. I did come out of the other end feeling like I knew more about what happens in the world than when I went in. I also came out fully satisfied.
It’s a great piece of work from the off and should go down as a must buy if you’ve not done so already.
Marvellous.
In order to create the pull needed to get you in, a strong opening is required and Smith does this like he’s the world’s strongest man.
He sits two cops in a car. It’s snowing and there’s not much happening. A car drives past erratically and the cops go in to investigate. All should be sweet and smooth. The lady cop, pregnant by one of her colleagues (Bleeker), goes along against her better judgement. Turns out they’ve stumbled into two young Somalians (Jibriil and Adem) off to fight for their homeland. One of them, slightly crazy and fuelled by his commitment to the cause , pulls out his gun and starts firing. It’s the end of Holm and Poulson and the end of Bleeker’s chance at fatherhood.
This is so well written that it instilled in me a powerful sense of the need for justice. Jibriil, the man responsible , had to pay. Had to be tracked down. Needed sorting out for good.
Fortunately for me, Bleeker happened to agree with those sentiments. It became all he had to live for.
Out of need, Bleeker teams up with Adem’s father, ex-gangster and reformed hard-man, a man who set himself on the path of the straight and narrow so that his son might follow along.
Here is a buddy team that’s perfect for the ride. They conflict in their religion, culture, status and motivations in a way that means there’s always an edge to what they do. On the other hand, they have enough in common to cement their relationship, enough to make me care how things panned out.
Jibrill and Adem provide another buddy team. They also have conflicts, but the only cement they have is history. When they reach Somalia - a madly hot, anarchic place - the two switch roles. Jibriil finds himself in his element, Adem like a fish out of water.
The first half of the book has a hell of a pace, the action moving swiftly on, yet all the while there’s an undercurrent of thoughtfulness, ideas that need to digested no matter how unpalatable.
Just before the mid-point, things settle for a while. Smith centres the action by immobilising Adem and Bleeker in different ways – one wrapped in bandages like a mummy, the other hiding away in his ice-fishing hut.
It’s almost like the story has formed a chrysalis for a while.
When it emerges, it is as a new and wonderful creature.
Adem finds himself using his skills to become a negotiator for Somalian pirates and takes us into that bigger world I mentioned at the beginning. However the book was to pan out from that point, the gaping hole in someone’s back was inevitable.
Not only did I really enjoy this one, I was very impressed by the writing. Crisp and sharp from beginning to end it paints pictures that are vivid without over-describing at any point. The horror of situations is real and very immediate. Smith had me right in the middle of the action one minute then taking me further back to soak up the view from a new perspective the next.
The contrasts are huge right through, from hot to cold through black to white. They do the job tremendously well.
I don’t know how much research was done for this. It’s not easy to tell. I did come out of the other end feeling like I knew more about what happens in the world than when I went in. I also came out fully satisfied.
It’s a great piece of work from the off and should go down as a must buy if you’ve not done so already.
Marvellous.
January 11, 2012
This is the best novel Neil Smith has produced to date, and one any author would be proud to have in their body of work.
As the title of this review suggests, I found parallels to Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, as well as Mel Gibson's Apocalypto -- not that Smith's writing is in any way similar, but in that all three pieces give the viewer/reader a voyeuristic look at hyperviolent, surreal milieus with their own consistent, believable realities and mind sets. Smith's Somalia is as hallucigenically unforgiving as McCarthy's Evening Redness in the West, or Gibson's Mayan splendor -- and of course the most shocking thing about all three is that they are/were real.
Smith lovingly contrasts the two polar opposites of 'Minnesota Nice' and Islamic Sharia Law; and of the arctic extremes of the American midwest vs. Somalia's harsh desert climate. Adem (named after the first man), a young Somali raised in America but convinced to return to the homeland to 'find himself,' was a (to me) surprisingly sympathetic character. Initially, I viewed Adem as weak and hypocritical, and wasn't very interested in liking him -- however, Smith handles Adem's progress throughout the story so that in the end, if the book weren't so hellishy graphic and violent, this would be an excellent YA coming-of-age story.
For good or for ill, few writing suspense thrillers can escape Dutch Leonard's influence. While in no way similar to Elmore Leonard's work -- the voice and style is Neil's and Neil's alone -- Smith's handling of plot and character had parallels to Leonard's best: create three dimensional believable characters, drop them all into the blender, press 'on' and see what happens.
This book will have you turning pages til the end. Kudos to Neil Smith for his best work to date.
As the title of this review suggests, I found parallels to Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, as well as Mel Gibson's Apocalypto -- not that Smith's writing is in any way similar, but in that all three pieces give the viewer/reader a voyeuristic look at hyperviolent, surreal milieus with their own consistent, believable realities and mind sets. Smith's Somalia is as hallucigenically unforgiving as McCarthy's Evening Redness in the West, or Gibson's Mayan splendor -- and of course the most shocking thing about all three is that they are/were real.
Smith lovingly contrasts the two polar opposites of 'Minnesota Nice' and Islamic Sharia Law; and of the arctic extremes of the American midwest vs. Somalia's harsh desert climate. Adem (named after the first man), a young Somali raised in America but convinced to return to the homeland to 'find himself,' was a (to me) surprisingly sympathetic character. Initially, I viewed Adem as weak and hypocritical, and wasn't very interested in liking him -- however, Smith handles Adem's progress throughout the story so that in the end, if the book weren't so hellishy graphic and violent, this would be an excellent YA coming-of-age story.
For good or for ill, few writing suspense thrillers can escape Dutch Leonard's influence. While in no way similar to Elmore Leonard's work -- the voice and style is Neil's and Neil's alone -- Smith's handling of plot and character had parallels to Leonard's best: create three dimensional believable characters, drop them all into the blender, press 'on' and see what happens.
This book will have you turning pages til the end. Kudos to Neil Smith for his best work to date.
November 3, 2014
Shattered by the shooting of his pregnant policewoman girlfriend, hard-nosed cop Bleeker sets out to track down the murderers. Thrown together with Mustafa, ex-gang member & father of one of the suspects, the pair rip through town looking for answers. Mustafa is convinced son, Adem is innocent but Bleeker wants to see someone pay for his loss. When it becomes evident that the two suspects, Adem and Jibriil, have fled to Somalia to aid freedom fighters the mis-matched pair follow them.
Anthony Neil Smith alternates the chapters between the two sets of characters so you get great action in snowy, frozen Minnesota with Bleeker & Mustafa then switch to the two boys coping with the searing desert heat as they come to terms with military life in a country where there seems to be no rules. When the parallel stories come together all hell breaks loose.
This is a big, bold thriller that absolutely grips from beginning to end without resorting to loud explosions & over dramatic set pieces. It does have its fair share of gunplay & violence, though, & like all thrillers you may have to suspend belief occasionally but Smith keeps the whole thing tick, tick, ticking like a well oiled machine. Another great example of of how versatile this writer can be & comes highly reccommended.
Anthony Neil Smith alternates the chapters between the two sets of characters so you get great action in snowy, frozen Minnesota with Bleeker & Mustafa then switch to the two boys coping with the searing desert heat as they come to terms with military life in a country where there seems to be no rules. When the parallel stories come together all hell breaks loose.
This is a big, bold thriller that absolutely grips from beginning to end without resorting to loud explosions & over dramatic set pieces. It does have its fair share of gunplay & violence, though, & like all thrillers you may have to suspend belief occasionally but Smith keeps the whole thing tick, tick, ticking like a well oiled machine. Another great example of of how versatile this writer can be & comes highly reccommended.
May 29, 2012
I was completely blown away by this book. Seriously.
First of all the writing is top notch. Anthony Neil Smith really is one of the best in the business. He crafts a story that puts you IN IT. A fine, fine wordsmith.
The characters? REAL. I mean seriously. You have a book where the writing is so good that even secondary and background characters feel totally believable and individual. You feel for each of them. You understand where they are coming from. The main characters really draw you into their motivations and it is all done in a way that you never even notice it.
That is writing magic my friend.
Then the plot.
You wanna talk about ORIGINAL, this is not a book you have ever read before. The plot spins out from what starts as a bad night, like you have seen kick off many a crime book, then it just rides off in the night with you and takes you somewhere you never saw coming. Plus, this is some TIMELY material. This stuff is happening in the world today. It affects you whether you realize it or not.
You want me to tell you what I mean? NO. Screw you, READ THE BOOK!
I can't make it anymore clear that this is a book you NEED to read. Buy it. Now.
First of all the writing is top notch. Anthony Neil Smith really is one of the best in the business. He crafts a story that puts you IN IT. A fine, fine wordsmith.
The characters? REAL. I mean seriously. You have a book where the writing is so good that even secondary and background characters feel totally believable and individual. You feel for each of them. You understand where they are coming from. The main characters really draw you into their motivations and it is all done in a way that you never even notice it.
That is writing magic my friend.
Then the plot.
You wanna talk about ORIGINAL, this is not a book you have ever read before. The plot spins out from what starts as a bad night, like you have seen kick off many a crime book, then it just rides off in the night with you and takes you somewhere you never saw coming. Plus, this is some TIMELY material. This stuff is happening in the world today. It affects you whether you realize it or not.
You want me to tell you what I mean? NO. Screw you, READ THE BOOK!
I can't make it anymore clear that this is a book you NEED to read. Buy it. Now.
December 12, 2011
I really, really enjoyed this book for a number of different reasons. The complexity of plot was terrific and really kept me turning the pages. The locations were outstanding, from the freezing environments of Minnesota to the heat, dust and chaos of Somalia. And it wasn't just the locations that offered the contrasts ---- you had the two 'pairs' of men that the story revolves around; Bleeker and Mustafa, and JibriiL and Adem, who due to their actions and motivations were forced to work together to survive but were never totally comfortable in each others company. You also had contrasts in religion, Bleeker's Christian motivations for revenge and Jibriil's drive for Muslim rule in Mogadishu. You also had the female characters portrayed from very different aspects providing a lot to think about beyond the story itself. This book is a massive departure from Anthony Neil Smith's previous work and a significant advancement in his ambition and ability to tell a great story. And a book that will give you a great deal to think about well after you have finished it.
November 19, 2011
This is a fast paced, well worked plot that tells a powerful story and rapidly becomes a compelling read.
The opening scene is set in a snowbound, frozen Minnesota street; two cops stop a car for a run of the mill traffic check. Both cops are shot and killed.
The car’s two young male occupants, Adem and Jibriil, flee to Somalia and join a rag tag boy army of radical extremists.
Back in Minnesota, Detective Ray Bleeker, the boyfriend of one of the murdered cops, forms an uneasy alliance with Mastafa, the reformed gangster father of Adem. Bleeker is seeking revenge; Mustafa simply wants his son back safe and sound as well as wanting to prove his son’s innocence.
The story fluctuates back and forth between Minnesota and the desert heat of Somalia building to a masterful climax.
Tense - and in many ways disturbing - this story fluidly conveys oppressive issues surrounding extremism and neatly packages it into an alluring tale wrought with emotion.
Well worth reading!
The opening scene is set in a snowbound, frozen Minnesota street; two cops stop a car for a run of the mill traffic check. Both cops are shot and killed.
The car’s two young male occupants, Adem and Jibriil, flee to Somalia and join a rag tag boy army of radical extremists.
Back in Minnesota, Detective Ray Bleeker, the boyfriend of one of the murdered cops, forms an uneasy alliance with Mastafa, the reformed gangster father of Adem. Bleeker is seeking revenge; Mustafa simply wants his son back safe and sound as well as wanting to prove his son’s innocence.
The story fluctuates back and forth between Minnesota and the desert heat of Somalia building to a masterful climax.
Tense - and in many ways disturbing - this story fluidly conveys oppressive issues surrounding extremism and neatly packages it into an alluring tale wrought with emotion.
Well worth reading!
April 18, 2012
Two young Somali men are stopped during a blizzard in the Twin Cities. The driver for some reason pulls a gun and despite protestations by his passenger shoots and kills both the officers one of whom was pregnant. Detective Ray Bleeker who was the father vows to get the shooter but that proves to be a difficult as the two men have fled to Somalia to join the rebels. The bulk of the story follows their adventures with the rebels. The shooter, a would be gang banger fits right in and soon becomes a leader, the other a college student quickly become disillusioned and wants to return home but can’t break free from the fanatic youthful rebel soldiers.
It was an interesting read, but not one that made me not want to put it down till the end.
It was an interesting read, but not one that made me not want to put it down till the end.
June 7, 2016
For some strange reason I put off reading this book - no idea why - but man, what a read and what a fool I am for leaving it so long. Some amazing scenes, dialogue and Anthony Neil Smith's customary fantastic characters take you from the chill of the ice to the heat of the sand. I swear I tasted the heat while reading this. There are many layers to this story, father / son relationship, young love, vengeance, betrayal - something for everyone. One of those reads that really starts to consume you and you find you're stopping doing other things to find time to keep reading. It's dark, it's fast, it's violent and it'll hit you where it hurts the most, another classic from Anthony Neil Smith.
November 15, 2011
Read on my nook. I've been addicted to Anthony Neil Smith ever since I picked up Yellow Medicine on a whim. This is his newest novel, and his first from new publisher Blasted Heath. It is also, in my opinion, his best work yet. It feels different because so much of it is set in Somalia, but all good stuff is still there: it's fast paced, it's wonderfully readable, it's filled with interesting characters, and it feels realistically gritty. If you've never read anything by Anthony Neil Smith this is a great place to start, but just be prepared... there's a good chance you'll get addicted like I did and have to read all his other books, too.
August 9, 2012
My first exposure to Anthony Neil Smith (aka DocNoir). I wanted to like it more than I actually did. Not to say it was a bad read, but I did have a little trouble around the halfway mark of the book, especially with the private American security forces and how their presence related to the main plot.
HOWEVER, the book was a wild ride, ranging from the snow drifts and ice of Minnesota to various African locations. Violence, piracy, gang warfare, all out war; a lot of ground was covered.
Great characters, wish more time could have been spent exploring all of the main ones equally.
I will read more of this author's work. He is clearly talented. But I do think he can do better.
HOWEVER, the book was a wild ride, ranging from the snow drifts and ice of Minnesota to various African locations. Violence, piracy, gang warfare, all out war; a lot of ground was covered.
Great characters, wish more time could have been spent exploring all of the main ones equally.
I will read more of this author's work. He is clearly talented. But I do think he can do better.
December 13, 2011
Maybe my hopes were too high for both the author and the subject. Mediocre, often stretches credibility, and wildly over-rated.
What really stuns me, though, are the overwhelming raves on Amazon, which lead me to believe there are friends and publishers at work. I mean, how many people write massively long, detailed reviews of thrillers?
Often times, like in the Minnesota scenes, the book is incredibly muddled to the point of HUH? At at the end, which I'm surprised I made it to, I did a lot of skimming just to finish.
I can't say as I like writing negative reviews, but this was seriously disappointing.
What really stuns me, though, are the overwhelming raves on Amazon, which lead me to believe there are friends and publishers at work. I mean, how many people write massively long, detailed reviews of thrillers?
Often times, like in the Minnesota scenes, the book is incredibly muddled to the point of HUH? At at the end, which I'm surprised I made it to, I did a lot of skimming just to finish.
I can't say as I like writing negative reviews, but this was seriously disappointing.
December 31, 2011
Nothing like the other novels I've read by Mr. Smith, All the Young Warriors is a dark tale about two college kids turned Somali terrorists and their journey into Hell. Mr. Smith doesn’t hide the brutality that is waiting in the war-torn landscape of Somalia, and he doesn’t hide the torture that is inflicted all in the name of Allah. Instead, he sets a steady and suspenseful pace and forces you to see all of it without leaving the comfort of your home. Heart wrenching and devastatingly real, this book will leave you breathless.
February 26, 2012
This isn't just a crime novel. It isn't just a war novel. It isn't just about religion or revenge, but that's in there, too.
It's about what it means to be American, what it means to be Somali, what it means to be a family and how far some people have to go to learn what's important.
If you're read Smith's other books, don't expect the same sort of tongue-in-cheek zaniness, but don't shy away either. He's obviously been working hard to get here and the ideas are important.
Don't let yourself miss it.
It's about what it means to be American, what it means to be Somali, what it means to be a family and how far some people have to go to learn what's important.
If you're read Smith's other books, don't expect the same sort of tongue-in-cheek zaniness, but don't shy away either. He's obviously been working hard to get here and the ideas are important.
Don't let yourself miss it.
July 3, 2014
I would never have picked this book up if it hadn't been recommended to me, it's not the type of book I would normally read.
Having said that I thought it had a great plot, the characters were well written and it was possible to see the motivations which drove Adem and respect them whilst also being appalled by what he had let himself in for.
It had a lot more gore in than I particularly want to read, I like to be able to gloss over the harsh realities of life if I can.
I would probably read this again, though. Which is high praise indeed...
Having said that I thought it had a great plot, the characters were well written and it was possible to see the motivations which drove Adem and respect them whilst also being appalled by what he had let himself in for.
It had a lot more gore in than I particularly want to read, I like to be able to gloss over the harsh realities of life if I can.
I would probably read this again, though. Which is high praise indeed...
January 22, 2012
When two small-town US cops are shot dead on a routine traffic stop the trail of their killers leads all the way to the bloody civil war in Somalia. It also leads to an unlikely alliance between a cop and an ex-gangster in order to track them down.
There's some clunky phrasing here and there as well as some logic errors in the action. But despite these flaws the book is sufficiently well plotted to keep you turning the pages.
There's some clunky phrasing here and there as well as some logic errors in the action. But despite these flaws the book is sufficiently well plotted to keep you turning the pages.
June 13, 2013
Anthony Neil Smith starts from the classic strength in writing about what he knows -- in his case, Minnesota. His awareness of the Somali community there -- not something many people are likely to be aware of -- formed the spring board for something quite remarkable. The linked stories of Ray and Mustafa, as well as those of Adem and Jibriil, play out powerfully. The insights into Somalia are fascinating. The story forges ahead in a totally unflinching way without a hint of cartoonishness.
January 15, 2012
My first Anthony Neil Smith novel and my first Blasted Heath read. This one kicked my butt. Globe spanning and up to the minute with its content and context, this novel is the perfect balance of drama, violence, and voice. Pick this up. You won't regret it.
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