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And the Whole Mountain Burned
Four-tour combat veteran Ray McPadden offers a vivid portrayal of American soldiers facing an unseen enemy and death in the Mountains of Afghanistan.
Sergeant Nick Burch has returned to the crags of tribal Afghanistan seeking vengeance. Burch's platoon has one goal: to capture or kill an elusive insurgent, known as the Egyptian, a leader who is as much myth as he is man, highly revered and guarded by ferocious guerrillas. The soldiers of Burch's platoon look to him for leadership, but as the Egyptian slips farther out of reach, so too does Burch's battle-worn grasp on reality.
Private Danny Shane, the youngest soldier in the platoon, is learning how to survive. For Shane, hunting the Egyptian is secondary. First he must adapt to the savage conditions of the battlefield: crippling heat, ravenous sand fleas, winds thick with moondust, and a vast mountain range that holds many secrets. Shane is soon chiseled by combat, shackled by loyalty, and unflinchingly marching toward a battle from which there is no return. A new enemy has emerged, one who has studied the American soldiers and adapted to their tactics. Known as Habibullah, a teenage son of the people, he stands in brazen defiance of the Ameriki who have come to destroy what his ancestors have built. The American soldiers may be tracking the Egyptian, but Habibullah is tracking them, and he knows these lands far better than they do.
With guns on full-auto, Shane and Burch trek into the deepest solitudes of the Himalayas. Under soaring peaks, dark instinct is laid bare. To survive, Shane and Burch must defeat not just Habibullah's militia but the beast inside themselves.
And the Whole Mountain Burned reveals, in stunning, ruthless detail, the horrors of war, the courage of soldiers, and the fact that no matter how many enemies we vanquish, there is always another just over the next ridge.
Sergeant Nick Burch has returned to the crags of tribal Afghanistan seeking vengeance. Burch's platoon has one goal: to capture or kill an elusive insurgent, known as the Egyptian, a leader who is as much myth as he is man, highly revered and guarded by ferocious guerrillas. The soldiers of Burch's platoon look to him for leadership, but as the Egyptian slips farther out of reach, so too does Burch's battle-worn grasp on reality.
Private Danny Shane, the youngest soldier in the platoon, is learning how to survive. For Shane, hunting the Egyptian is secondary. First he must adapt to the savage conditions of the battlefield: crippling heat, ravenous sand fleas, winds thick with moondust, and a vast mountain range that holds many secrets. Shane is soon chiseled by combat, shackled by loyalty, and unflinchingly marching toward a battle from which there is no return. A new enemy has emerged, one who has studied the American soldiers and adapted to their tactics. Known as Habibullah, a teenage son of the people, he stands in brazen defiance of the Ameriki who have come to destroy what his ancestors have built. The American soldiers may be tracking the Egyptian, but Habibullah is tracking them, and he knows these lands far better than they do.
With guns on full-auto, Shane and Burch trek into the deepest solitudes of the Himalayas. Under soaring peaks, dark instinct is laid bare. To survive, Shane and Burch must defeat not just Habibullah's militia but the beast inside themselves.
And the Whole Mountain Burned reveals, in stunning, ruthless detail, the horrors of war, the courage of soldiers, and the fact that no matter how many enemies we vanquish, there is always another just over the next ridge.
288 pages, Hardcover
Published November 6, 2018
15 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 5, 2025
Outstanding but underappreciated instant Afghan War novel classic
Ranger Combat Veteran Ray McPadden's And the Whole Mountain Burned is a well-written, outstanding book, one which embraces all the tropes of the classic war novel plot but with eerie undertones that speak of the weird atmospherics and strange otherworldliness of the US Afghan mountain war experience.
There are relatively few Afghan war novels, the one I am most familiar with is Prodigal Avenger by Tim Moynihan. But while Moynihan's novel is written with the pacing and character development of a suspense-thriller, McPadden goes for the more literary-minded "doomed patrol" war theme, a theme you've seen in a hundred other war genre classics such as The Red Badge of Courage, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Naked and the Dead, The 13th Valley, Fields of Fire, and Rain. While Afghan War novels are rare, there are outstanding memoirs to fill the gap. Chad Rickard's Mayhem 337 is among the best of them. While And the Whole Mountain Burned is entirely a work of fiction, its author, Ray McPadden, spent much time in-country fighting in the same hills. So much of the book rings true to this old infantryman, especially in the interactions and shenanigans of the soldiers of the Newts, a platoon of what appears to be a unit of the 10th Mountain division (although they are never identified as that in the story). Such attention to detail is what gives the novel its strength. The pacing is also realistic as the point of the book was to show "what it was really like" and much of a combat deployment is boring, mundane, and dull. "Hurry up and wait" is what the Army calls it. The combat scenes are realistic, capturing the moments of confusion, sheer terror, and abject horror that can take place unexpectedly. Especially in a place like the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.
The ending of this sort of novel is never much fun. In the "doomed patrol" scenario you know one of the key characters... or sometimes all of them... is going to get it right before the unit rotates back to the states. It's predictable but, truthful, sad to say. So thus, it is a literary trope that cannot be avoided when writing of war. Some of the most famous war novels use this plot device to create an anti-military, anti-war sentiment, but it is merely a typical misadventure of war. In fact, while McPadden's book may have a hint of anti-war sentiment (every soldier is a practical pacifist), it's more honest to simply state that combat "is what it is" and McPadden captures that well. In fact, none of the people groups depicted in this novel--from the US soldiers, to the civilian mountain Pagan People, to the low-lander Afghan authorities, to the "good" mujahideen types and the "bad" Taliban types--comes across here as being particularly evil, honorable, good, or bad. They are just people, all with their own agendas, who are trying to survive in a world of warfare and vendettas that never end.
I won't go into the plot here. Suffice to say, the story revolves around a seasoned but increasingly erratic squad leader (Burch) and the younger soldier (Shane) who admires him and follows his lead to the bitter end. Most of this novel is the the best bit of fiction I've read in a long time. Very well-written and descriptive. Realistic without gratuitous violence or sexual content. But violent and crude because wars and the soldiers who fight them, must be, by design, violent and crude.
Highly, highly recommended!
Ranger Combat Veteran Ray McPadden's And the Whole Mountain Burned is a well-written, outstanding book, one which embraces all the tropes of the classic war novel plot but with eerie undertones that speak of the weird atmospherics and strange otherworldliness of the US Afghan mountain war experience.
There are relatively few Afghan war novels, the one I am most familiar with is Prodigal Avenger by Tim Moynihan. But while Moynihan's novel is written with the pacing and character development of a suspense-thriller, McPadden goes for the more literary-minded "doomed patrol" war theme, a theme you've seen in a hundred other war genre classics such as The Red Badge of Courage, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Naked and the Dead, The 13th Valley, Fields of Fire, and Rain. While Afghan War novels are rare, there are outstanding memoirs to fill the gap. Chad Rickard's Mayhem 337 is among the best of them. While And the Whole Mountain Burned is entirely a work of fiction, its author, Ray McPadden, spent much time in-country fighting in the same hills. So much of the book rings true to this old infantryman, especially in the interactions and shenanigans of the soldiers of the Newts, a platoon of what appears to be a unit of the 10th Mountain division (although they are never identified as that in the story). Such attention to detail is what gives the novel its strength. The pacing is also realistic as the point of the book was to show "what it was really like" and much of a combat deployment is boring, mundane, and dull. "Hurry up and wait" is what the Army calls it. The combat scenes are realistic, capturing the moments of confusion, sheer terror, and abject horror that can take place unexpectedly. Especially in a place like the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.
The ending of this sort of novel is never much fun. In the "doomed patrol" scenario you know one of the key characters... or sometimes all of them... is going to get it right before the unit rotates back to the states. It's predictable but, truthful, sad to say. So thus, it is a literary trope that cannot be avoided when writing of war. Some of the most famous war novels use this plot device to create an anti-military, anti-war sentiment, but it is merely a typical misadventure of war. In fact, while McPadden's book may have a hint of anti-war sentiment (every soldier is a practical pacifist), it's more honest to simply state that combat "is what it is" and McPadden captures that well. In fact, none of the people groups depicted in this novel--from the US soldiers, to the civilian mountain Pagan People, to the low-lander Afghan authorities, to the "good" mujahideen types and the "bad" Taliban types--comes across here as being particularly evil, honorable, good, or bad. They are just people, all with their own agendas, who are trying to survive in a world of warfare and vendettas that never end.
I won't go into the plot here. Suffice to say, the story revolves around a seasoned but increasingly erratic squad leader (Burch) and the younger soldier (Shane) who admires him and follows his lead to the bitter end. Most of this novel is the the best bit of fiction I've read in a long time. Very well-written and descriptive. Realistic without gratuitous violence or sexual content. But violent and crude because wars and the soldiers who fight them, must be, by design, violent and crude.
Highly, highly recommended!
August 19, 2025
Set in the harsh mountains of northern Afghanistan in the late 2000s, And the Whole Mountain Burned offers a gritty fictional account of U.S. soldiers at war. The novel focuses less on large-scale battles and more on the intimate, often unsettling dynamics between two men: Sergeant Nick Burch, a squad leader haunted by PTSD and consumed by a desire for revenge against a young Afghan tribesman, and Danny Shane, a hard-charging private whose ambition for Burch’s approval propels him rapidly up the ranks.
McPadden does a strong job capturing the claustrophobic tension of small-unit life in combat zones, as well as the mental and emotional toll of war. Yet, while the story builds on the interplay between Burch’s unraveling psyche and Shane’s drive to prove himself, it ultimately drifts toward an ambiguous, even unsettling ending. Rather than a sharp conclusion, the narrative fades, leaving the reader wondering what the tale was truly trying to say.
I came to this book hoping to discover a hidden gem in the tradition of Marlantes’ Matterhorn or Uris’ Battle Cry. Instead, I found a more introspective and fragmented meditation—interesting in moments, but lacking the power or resonance of those classics. Overall, a good fictional account with raw atmosphere, but not one that left me fully satisfied.
McPadden does a strong job capturing the claustrophobic tension of small-unit life in combat zones, as well as the mental and emotional toll of war. Yet, while the story builds on the interplay between Burch’s unraveling psyche and Shane’s drive to prove himself, it ultimately drifts toward an ambiguous, even unsettling ending. Rather than a sharp conclusion, the narrative fades, leaving the reader wondering what the tale was truly trying to say.
I came to this book hoping to discover a hidden gem in the tradition of Marlantes’ Matterhorn or Uris’ Battle Cry. Instead, I found a more introspective and fragmented meditation—interesting in moments, but lacking the power or resonance of those classics. Overall, a good fictional account with raw atmosphere, but not one that left me fully satisfied.
October 28, 2018
Danny Shane is fighting in Afghanistan for the first time. He's the greenest man in the Newt Platoon, a group of roughly 40 soldiers sent to track down and kill a crafty and elusive man known as The Egyptian. Shane has a lot to prove---especially to his squad leader, Sergeant Nick Burch---but he's determined to show he has the guts and smarts to be a good soldier.
When Burch takes Shane under his wing, Shane welcomes the opportunity to learn and grow, even if it means putting himself in risky situations. Over time, Shane becomes a stronger, more seasoned fighter. But as the men continue to pursue The Egyptian, it's clear that they are pushing themselves to their mental and physical limits. Mistakes are made, and even Shane can see that the platoon's lucky juju won't last forever. As the enemy gets stronger, Shane can't help but wonder if he'll keep it together long enough to make it home.
* * * * *
This book gets off to a slow start. Author Ray McPadden is very good at creating the atmosphere of war, but not as effective with character development. It takes 100+ pages for Shane and Burch to really come alive, but at least they eventually do. I especially enjoyed seeing Shane develop as a soldier and man over the course of his deployment.
The best thing this book has going for it, though, is the description of the war itself, told from the perspectives of soldiers on both sides. We come to understand their motivations for fighting, and we watch the full gamut of their emotions play out over time: boredom, intensity, loss, fear, excitement, frustration, hopelessness, and confusion. This is not an uplifting read, and (MINOR SPOILER ALERT) the ending is dismal. But, as a whole, the book feels authentic and honest, unapologetic and raw---even if some of the plot points toward the end are a touch melodramatic and preachy.
Ultimately, I liked And the Whole Mountain Burned. I wish the characters were stronger and more well-developed from the start, but by the time I got halfway through the book, I couldn't put it down.
Big thank you to Amazon Vine and Center Street for the ARC!
See more of my reviews at www.bugbugbooks.com.
When Burch takes Shane under his wing, Shane welcomes the opportunity to learn and grow, even if it means putting himself in risky situations. Over time, Shane becomes a stronger, more seasoned fighter. But as the men continue to pursue The Egyptian, it's clear that they are pushing themselves to their mental and physical limits. Mistakes are made, and even Shane can see that the platoon's lucky juju won't last forever. As the enemy gets stronger, Shane can't help but wonder if he'll keep it together long enough to make it home.
* * * * *
This book gets off to a slow start. Author Ray McPadden is very good at creating the atmosphere of war, but not as effective with character development. It takes 100+ pages for Shane and Burch to really come alive, but at least they eventually do. I especially enjoyed seeing Shane develop as a soldier and man over the course of his deployment.
The best thing this book has going for it, though, is the description of the war itself, told from the perspectives of soldiers on both sides. We come to understand their motivations for fighting, and we watch the full gamut of their emotions play out over time: boredom, intensity, loss, fear, excitement, frustration, hopelessness, and confusion. This is not an uplifting read, and (MINOR SPOILER ALERT) the ending is dismal. But, as a whole, the book feels authentic and honest, unapologetic and raw---even if some of the plot points toward the end are a touch melodramatic and preachy.
Ultimately, I liked And the Whole Mountain Burned. I wish the characters were stronger and more well-developed from the start, but by the time I got halfway through the book, I couldn't put it down.
Big thank you to Amazon Vine and Center Street for the ARC!
See more of my reviews at www.bugbugbooks.com.
January 4, 2019
A classic. Vivid characters amidst a surreal terrain. Action, landscape, betrayal, lost innocence. It's all here amid the remote, majestic back country of the Himalayas.
March 30, 2019
Good book! You could change the setting from Afghanistan to Vietnam , it's the same war we fought then.
October 29, 2018
Ray McPadden writes about terrifying, brutal events, yet tenderness and beauty are never far away. Humans behave both abomitably and heroically in this intense novel of Afghanistan. Few civilian Americans know of this faraway land. McPadden offers readers an illuminating glimpse at its people and their long history of invaders. He also skillfully delves into the psyche of the Americans who end up there.
December 30, 2018
And The Whole Mountain Burned
Ray McPadden
Center Street, 2018
$26.00, Hardcover
ISBN 978-1-546-08191-3
Author Ray McPadden was a commander of an elite Ranger unit in Afghanistan. He was also in Iraq and worked with Navy Seals. He had four combat tours and received a purple heart, two bronze stars, and a medal of valor. Contemplating his history, I’m a little uncomfortable calling the work “fiction.” I suppose it is, but I don’t know how it could be much closer to the truth.
This is a war story set in Afghanistan that begins in 2002 and then jumps ahead to 2008. It starts with a scene where a Sgt. Nick Burch is attempting to buy some fried potatoes from a boy named Habibullah when he is attacked by the Taliban. After a fierce exchange of fire, the attack ends. Sgt. Burch assumes that the boy has been killed but soon discovers that, no, he is simply on the other side of the house, cooking the potatoes, which he presents to Sgt. Burch!
Habibullah has larger roles later in the story, as does a Pvt. Danny Shane, a “cherry” whose military development in the Kush is influenced by his Sergeant, Nick Burch.
Danny arrives to Sgt. Burch’s platoon in 2008, and their chief mission is to search for an elusive insurgent nicknamed “the Egyptian”. As time progresses, Danny changes into a much more hardened soldier who remains loyal to his sergeant. But Sgt. Burch has spent much time in combat, perhaps too much. His reasoning fragments from the stresses of battle and it affects his judgement, eventually in profound fashion.
“And The Whole Mountain Burned” describes life in a combat unit in the ‘Stan. It is a blistering, rough tale of what that experience was for our soldiers who made the journey. It also gives a picture of the character of the Afghan people, as seen through the eyes of a soldier. If you like modern military adventures, this one is for you.
There are various fascinating military endeavors and battle scenes within the story, but for me, the truly frightening parts involved the episodes when Sgt. Burch’s grasp of reality disappears-he fantasizes a burning zeppelin that crashes during a firefight, he dances with a cobra, he thinks the mujahadeen can shape-shift, he even once proposes to eat the enemy-these events stem from macabre hallucinations born of prolonged terror. It made me realize that a soldier may need to keep separate the insanity (in war) from the insanity (caused by war), so as not to be overcome by either.
I wanted to know more about how the dangers and resulting effects of battle were observed and experienced, and how they connected to his writing process. I am very pleased that the author contributed his answers to some of my questions. They follow:
32nd Avenue Books: How have your experiences in combat changed your outlook on life?
Ray McPadden: Many young men and women want to go war. It's a way to prove what they are made of, their self-worth. It's the ultimate game for measuring oneself. So with war in my rearview mirror, I think I'm a calmer person. I quenched the "thirst" to find out what I'm made of. I am satisfied. I like who I am.
32nd Avenue Books: Can you describe how your memories of combat and your imagination combined to form the story in your book?
Ray McPadden: I started writing a memoir. Real experiences and memories just poured out of me. I let it all flow, and it was all about me. That made me uncomfortable. Plus, many of my powerful memories, like firefights, were isolated events with no larger implications or narrative. I decided to fictionalize my memories. It was a break-through moment that freed my imagination. Fiction gave me a chance to re-order stories, create different angles, and combine real people. Many characters in the book are combinations of 2-3 real people. I began to package real stories together in ways that created a better narrative arc. The book took form.
32nd Avenue Books: What can you say about the effects of extreme battle stress on elite cadre?
Ray McPadden: Battle stress brings out viciousness and anger. Both are good qualities on the battlefield, but not so much in the normal world. Being hyper-alert and neck-deep in violence on a regular basis takes its toll. The longer it goes on, the more your sense of reality and your morals are challenged. One of the main characters in the book, Burch, is a symbol of this struggle.
32nd Avenue Books: What has been your personal experience with battle stress?
Ray McPadden: I dealt with it mostly on my first tour in Afghanistan. It was a 15-month deployment in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. We were constantly fighting in savage terrain. There was no rest, no safe area. It was a far different situation from say, the Battle of Fallujah in Iraq, where US forces geared up, engaged in a bloody battle to retake a city, and won within a couple weeks. During my first tour in Afghanistan, battle stress brought out selfishness. I tried extremely hard to keep it from clouding my judgement. You have to think of mission, and people. Self is the wrong answer as a combat leader.
Steve Brehm
November 2018
32nd Avenue Books Toys & Gifts
February 26, 2019
As a 3 tour combat veteran myself, Ray does an outstanding job of capturing the essence of combat from the Soldier's perspective. From the shenanigans of bored Infantrymen and leadership challenges, to the intense rush of adrenaline from close combat with the enemy. And the Whole Mountain Burned is a must read!...and in my opinion should be required reading for every small unit leader in the US Military, especially the Infantry...
September 14, 2024
Outstanding read. Like a lot of the classic books about war this book should push your emotions all over the map. The roles of the characters situationally change to a point where you are not sure who you are cheering for, or if you should even be cheering.
A vivid challenging read.
A vivid challenging read.
December 8, 2020
Tough to find a good war novel with the modern conflicts. McPadden knows how to tell a tale. Worth the read.
Here's a few highlights from my read:
“Habibullah’s father viewed her another way. On the eve of the wedding, Zmarak said, “Women are meant for breeding. Your fellow boys are meant for pleasure.”” – p. 54
“Shane kept watch on the villagers in the courtyard. In spite of his urge to look away, he stared at Habibullah and his infant son. Guilt twitched inside Shane. He wondered what he’d do if someone came to his Mississippi trailer in the night and shot down his own dad. Shane was sure he’d fight back and die on the spot. Habibullah didn’t fight back, though. He just watched with fury as the platoon slid into the dark beyong the village.” – p. 88
“When the Newts broke up, Shane slid off into the shadows. He ducked behind a hedgerow and ran up to the garden, where he grabbed five pounds of precious cargo and stashed it in his ruck. Then he was ready.” – p. 104
“The rectangular rocks above the village were best for making mountains into fields. The stream cobbles just below were easiest to haul, but they were poor for building walls. Habibullah remembered his father’s words on building rock walls: Don’t bother with the round rocks. Use the flat ones, and not too thin. And when they had built the stone terrace Habibullah was now fixing, Zmarak had said, Each stone has its place, my boy.” – p. 120
“Burch inspected the bunker’s .50-caliber machine gun. First he flipped up the feed tray cover and gazed at the bullets with bliss. Then he keyed the head space and timing, and caressed the long barrel. He was beaming at the gun when he said, “Boys, God hisself created the .50-cal. The Army changes guns more than my old lady changes hairstyles, but not the .50. The design is perfect. The .50 hasn’t changed once, not once, since its inception. Only the Creator is capable of such beauty. Some boys call it finicky. That’s a bunch of nonsense. It fires straight and true for the man who has hate in his heart. The muj, hell, they consider it an honor to be killed by the .50.”” – p. 134
“Burch said, “Remember that kid Kopeki?” The LT didn’t answer. Burch said, “Why you so quiet, LT?” “I’ll tell you. It seems like someone else lived these stories, not me. And part of me wants it to stay that way. Here we are, retelling the tales, rearranging them, tinkering with the sequence and facts, playing with what happened. Sometimes things get confused—what happened, and what we wished would have happened. Eventually, the only reality is the spoken story.”” – p. 275
Here's a few highlights from my read:
“Habibullah’s father viewed her another way. On the eve of the wedding, Zmarak said, “Women are meant for breeding. Your fellow boys are meant for pleasure.”” – p. 54
“Shane kept watch on the villagers in the courtyard. In spite of his urge to look away, he stared at Habibullah and his infant son. Guilt twitched inside Shane. He wondered what he’d do if someone came to his Mississippi trailer in the night and shot down his own dad. Shane was sure he’d fight back and die on the spot. Habibullah didn’t fight back, though. He just watched with fury as the platoon slid into the dark beyong the village.” – p. 88
“When the Newts broke up, Shane slid off into the shadows. He ducked behind a hedgerow and ran up to the garden, where he grabbed five pounds of precious cargo and stashed it in his ruck. Then he was ready.” – p. 104
“The rectangular rocks above the village were best for making mountains into fields. The stream cobbles just below were easiest to haul, but they were poor for building walls. Habibullah remembered his father’s words on building rock walls: Don’t bother with the round rocks. Use the flat ones, and not too thin. And when they had built the stone terrace Habibullah was now fixing, Zmarak had said, Each stone has its place, my boy.” – p. 120
“Burch inspected the bunker’s .50-caliber machine gun. First he flipped up the feed tray cover and gazed at the bullets with bliss. Then he keyed the head space and timing, and caressed the long barrel. He was beaming at the gun when he said, “Boys, God hisself created the .50-cal. The Army changes guns more than my old lady changes hairstyles, but not the .50. The design is perfect. The .50 hasn’t changed once, not once, since its inception. Only the Creator is capable of such beauty. Some boys call it finicky. That’s a bunch of nonsense. It fires straight and true for the man who has hate in his heart. The muj, hell, they consider it an honor to be killed by the .50.”” – p. 134
“Burch said, “Remember that kid Kopeki?” The LT didn’t answer. Burch said, “Why you so quiet, LT?” “I’ll tell you. It seems like someone else lived these stories, not me. And part of me wants it to stay that way. Here we are, retelling the tales, rearranging them, tinkering with the sequence and facts, playing with what happened. Sometimes things get confused—what happened, and what we wished would have happened. Eventually, the only reality is the spoken story.”” – p. 275
August 9, 2025
“And the Whole Mountain Burned” by Ray McPadden is a gripping war novel that offers an insightful depiction of warfare in a culturally alien and geographically majestic setting: Afghanistan Hindu Kush mountains. This is far from a conventional war story. McPadden, leveraging his experience as a combat veteran, makes a deliberate effort to understand both the Afghan people and the role geography plays in shaping their lives. His firsthand knowledge vividly captures the harsh realities of the mountainous battlefield and the intricate cultural landscape that defines the region.
The author’s portrayal of Afghan culture is pleasantly nuanced. Rather than merely describing the external environment, McPadden intertwines it with the worldview of its inhabitants, characterized by fierce loyalty to land and tradition. The tensions between this perspective and that of American soldiers are explored with respect and without condescension, highlighting profound cultural differences rather than simplistic binaries.
The Hindu Kush mountains are rendered almost as a character themselves: enigmatic, formidable, and steeped in historical mystique. Though they are simply the setting for the war, the author embodies the peaks with a stubborn and resilient personality standing in silent continuity amid invading armies and shifting cultures.
Psychologically, the novel delves deeply into the toll of war on human nature. Through the characters, the author even explores the complex motivations behind combat. Characters like Sergeant Burch and Private Shane are drawn with emotional depth, embodying the “everyman” soldier subjected to the brutal dehumanizing effects of violence. Through their experiences, McPadden illuminates the internal battles soldiers face, i.e. grappling with moral ambiguity, loyalty, vengeance, and identity transformation wrought by continuous exposure to death and trauma.
"And the Whole Mountain Burned” is a powerful and rare war novel, one that stands out for its thoughtful exploration of the interplay among culture, landscape, and the human psyche under the extreme conditions of war. By seamlessly weaving external conflicts with internal psychological struggles, McPadden delivers a compelling and illuminating story. This is a book well deserving of my five-stars on Goodreads.
The author’s portrayal of Afghan culture is pleasantly nuanced. Rather than merely describing the external environment, McPadden intertwines it with the worldview of its inhabitants, characterized by fierce loyalty to land and tradition. The tensions between this perspective and that of American soldiers are explored with respect and without condescension, highlighting profound cultural differences rather than simplistic binaries.
The Hindu Kush mountains are rendered almost as a character themselves: enigmatic, formidable, and steeped in historical mystique. Though they are simply the setting for the war, the author embodies the peaks with a stubborn and resilient personality standing in silent continuity amid invading armies and shifting cultures.
Psychologically, the novel delves deeply into the toll of war on human nature. Through the characters, the author even explores the complex motivations behind combat. Characters like Sergeant Burch and Private Shane are drawn with emotional depth, embodying the “everyman” soldier subjected to the brutal dehumanizing effects of violence. Through their experiences, McPadden illuminates the internal battles soldiers face, i.e. grappling with moral ambiguity, loyalty, vengeance, and identity transformation wrought by continuous exposure to death and trauma.
"And the Whole Mountain Burned” is a powerful and rare war novel, one that stands out for its thoughtful exploration of the interplay among culture, landscape, and the human psyche under the extreme conditions of war. By seamlessly weaving external conflicts with internal psychological struggles, McPadden delivers a compelling and illuminating story. This is a book well deserving of my five-stars on Goodreads.
April 18, 2023
They fought…..we shopped…and lost interest.
The author was an Army infantry and Ranger officer who served multiple combat tours in our post-9/11 wars.
This novel is set in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. The valley is inhabited by a tribe called “the People.” They have lived for generations in the Korengal. Their lifestyle is subsistence farming. Their world is centered around faith, family, clan, and tribe. They will fight any outsider they believe threatens that world…. British, Russians, and now Americans. The author vividly illustrates their world through multi-dimensional characters.
Then the U.S. Army arrives. The mission appears to be locate and neutralize Taliban fighters, especially a leader known only as “the Egyptian” We follow an infantry platoon serving a fifteen month tour of duty during a surge. The main characters are a young Private on his first combat tour and his squad leader/mentor. There is no glamor. There is heroism…but it is largely unrecognized. There is physical and especially psychological injury. Army infantry is clearly not for the faint of heart. Right and wrong sometimes seem very difficult to distinguish. Our young soldier learns and is meritoriously promoted to Sergeant.
I know…this sounds like dozens of Vietnam War novels and biographies. And that is precisely the point. A generation later, our national leadership yet again embroiled our country in nation building in a culture unknown to us. With the best of intentions, we once again sent Soldiers on an impossible to define impossible to accomplish mission. And yet again, the Army fought the war while the country watched and then lost interest.
This is a well executed, infuriating book. It reminded me a lot of James Webb’s “Fields of Fire,” Karl Marlantes’ “Matterhorn,” and John Del Vecchio’s “13th Valley.” It was written in 2018. The American effort in Afghanistan collapsed several years later. Eerily like the fall of South Vietnam in 1975. Proving our political and military leaders “forgot the past and were doomed to repeat it.” Only the GI’s on the ground paid the price…..once again. As did the Afghans whose nation we decided to build.
The author was an Army infantry and Ranger officer who served multiple combat tours in our post-9/11 wars.
This novel is set in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan. The valley is inhabited by a tribe called “the People.” They have lived for generations in the Korengal. Their lifestyle is subsistence farming. Their world is centered around faith, family, clan, and tribe. They will fight any outsider they believe threatens that world…. British, Russians, and now Americans. The author vividly illustrates their world through multi-dimensional characters.
Then the U.S. Army arrives. The mission appears to be locate and neutralize Taliban fighters, especially a leader known only as “the Egyptian” We follow an infantry platoon serving a fifteen month tour of duty during a surge. The main characters are a young Private on his first combat tour and his squad leader/mentor. There is no glamor. There is heroism…but it is largely unrecognized. There is physical and especially psychological injury. Army infantry is clearly not for the faint of heart. Right and wrong sometimes seem very difficult to distinguish. Our young soldier learns and is meritoriously promoted to Sergeant.
I know…this sounds like dozens of Vietnam War novels and biographies. And that is precisely the point. A generation later, our national leadership yet again embroiled our country in nation building in a culture unknown to us. With the best of intentions, we once again sent Soldiers on an impossible to define impossible to accomplish mission. And yet again, the Army fought the war while the country watched and then lost interest.
This is a well executed, infuriating book. It reminded me a lot of James Webb’s “Fields of Fire,” Karl Marlantes’ “Matterhorn,” and John Del Vecchio’s “13th Valley.” It was written in 2018. The American effort in Afghanistan collapsed several years later. Eerily like the fall of South Vietnam in 1975. Proving our political and military leaders “forgot the past and were doomed to repeat it.” Only the GI’s on the ground paid the price…..once again. As did the Afghans whose nation we decided to build.
December 10, 2018
I was gladly introduced to this novel and found it to be a visceral read from cover to cover. Author Ray McPadden delivers an articulate portrayal of the psyche of our troops in a modern day setting, unnervingly close to real life. It's an important novel which reminds us of modern warfare and it's plaguing effects to all those involved.
And The Whole Mountain Burned brings an overlying theme of war and enemy, both internal and external. The novel is brought to life by characterization of soldiers and their experiences both on and off the battlefield and across both sides of the line. It is a genuine approach to not show war just painted by heavy artillery and machismo, but by the means of survival, heroism, and overcoming one's own self.
This novel is an important read and is highly recommended. It challenges you to become engrossed with the daily lives experienced by our troops and knowing enemies of all kinds.
And The Whole Mountain Burned brings an overlying theme of war and enemy, both internal and external. The novel is brought to life by characterization of soldiers and their experiences both on and off the battlefield and across both sides of the line. It is a genuine approach to not show war just painted by heavy artillery and machismo, but by the means of survival, heroism, and overcoming one's own self.
This novel is an important read and is highly recommended. It challenges you to become engrossed with the daily lives experienced by our troops and knowing enemies of all kinds.
February 18, 2022
3.75 stars, and definitely recommended. There’s a wealth of detail in this book that speaks to the author’s real combat experience, and the prose is spare but evocative. One hears echoes of some tales and experience of which the author wrote in his nonfiction account, the excellent We March at Midnight. The partial, intermittent crack up of some of the characters mostly feels genuine and organic but at times felt like a grasping for Colonel Kurtz or LTC Kilgore from Apocalypse Now. Perhaps it’s fitting that a novel about a war even longer - much longer - than Vietnam doesn’t quite cohere or tie together as one might wish. The muddle of objectives, the lack of a pat trite redemptive arc and the healthy absence of platitudes about glory and honor, along with the perhaps inevitable survival of the unjust and the death of the undeserving all fit well with the nature of this conflict and, perhaps, all conflict. Perhaps like the war itself neither the character arcs nor the resolution are fully satisfying. That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be well served to read this novel - it’s well done and likely to be a classic novel of the US involvement in Afghanistan for a long time to come.
May 11, 2019
This was a very graphic fictional account of what it has been like to fight on the ground in Afghanistan. The terrain is almost impossible and there is no way that outsiders can compete with the natives, who are used to traversing the mountains barefoot. McPadden, who served four tours himself, shows how war brutalizes people and leads them to do things they never thought they would do. How can one go home and lead a normal life after such experiences? Through his story, McPadden also shows the senselessness of fighting a war that can never be won.
December 9, 2018
This book shows what happens when you cut corners and use a small army to fight a big war. The men are used and abused until they are broken, mentally and physically. If you want to know how PTSD happens, read this book.
June 15, 2023
First book I've read about the Afghan war, it had to be rough in the elements of the country. So many truths about who sends our people & who gets rich off war. I was disappointed about Shane in the end, but shit like that happens.. Thanks Burch...
January 30, 2020
3.5 stars
November 6, 2020
Very interesting, but could have moved along a little bit quicker. At any rate I enjoyed reading it.
April 27, 2024
Incredible, well-written war novel . Not for the squeamish, author Ray McPadden places the reader right into the story. Visual, the characters came alive.
July 2, 2024
Not good
February 5, 2025
Easy reading. Very compelling story of combat and how it can affect a person. War is hell. Everyone comes out of it with scars.
February 27, 2025
Read more by this author. I like the way it's written, short thoughts, easy to follow.
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