a different book from a different world in a completely different style.
does not show Americans as evil but does show American bureaucrats and politicians as the root of all evil. No arguments there. However, Pakistani politicians and bureaucrats are shown as worse than evil. Pakistanis have to go on a country wide protest for the right to launch a police report against a government sanctioned massacre. What's troubling is that it is based on a true story. What's more troubling is that this protest is still going on.
The writer has written novel about a protest that started in August and is still going on in Pakistan. And somehow has convincingly interconnected this with the US attack on the ISIS/ISIL in Iraq.
Crux of the story is that US wants Pakistani Army on ground in Iraq to counter Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Pakistan's Prime Minister is brought in power for this one reason. However, Pakistani generals refuse PM's order and covertly help the opposition.
Liked the start. Pace was OK until the middle. Did slow down during the sit-in protest but picks up at the end. A different view of story telling when during the protest we are fed TV coverage. Gives a view of how public's perception is created by the news channels and not by the facts. It is how the news is presented which makes all the difference.
Novels covers a lot: terrorism, drones, military coup attempts, US interference into the politics of other countries, ISIL, CIA operations, Taliban, workings of Pakistan's ISI, life in Pakistan/Afghanistan...
There are three lead characters, a CIA agent, an ISI agent and a Pakistani lecturer who happened to be roommate of the CIA agent in Iceland.
The ISI agent is undercover in the Taliban and then in the ISIL. The novel does explain how Pakistan's intelligence agency works, the things it can do and the level of its infiltration into the terrorist organizations.
CIA on the other hand is shown as a ruthless murdering chaos-creating monster. The lecturer is caught in between, although he is partly to blame for his circumstances.
Would recommend to all who are interested in the great game being played in the Middle East and Af-Pak region. The novel is chillingly realistic.