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    The Afghan Campaign: A Novel
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    The Afghan Campaign: A Novel
    Unavailable
    The Afghan Campaign: A Novel
    Audiobook (abridged)6 hours

    The Afghan Campaign: A Novel

    Written by Steven Pressfield

    Narrated by James Langton

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    2,300 years ago an unbeaten army of the West invaded the homeland of a fierce Eastern tribal foe. This is one soldier's story . . .

    The bestselling novelist of ancient warfare returns with a riveting historical novel that re-creates Alexander the Great's invasion of the Afghan kingdoms in 330 B.C.

    In a story that might have been ripped from today's combat dispatches, Steven Pressfield brings to life the confrontation between an invading Western army and fierce Eastern warriors determined at all costs to defend their homeland. Narrated by an infantryman in Alexander's army, The Afghan Campaign explores the challenges, both military and moral, that Alexander and his soldiers face as they embark on a new type of war and are forced to adapt to the methods of a ruthless foe that employs terror and insurgent tactics. An edge-of-your-seat adventure, The Afghan Campaign once again demonstrates Pressfield's profound understanding of the hopes and desperation of men in battle and of the historical realities that continue to influence our world.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJul 18, 2006
    ISBN9780739333259
    Unavailable
    The Afghan Campaign: A Novel
    Author

    Steven Pressfield

    Steven Pressfield has been an enthusiastic golfer since the age of ten. He is the author of the novel Gates of Fire and a well-known screenwriter whose screenplays include "Above the Law" and "Freejack." He lives in the Los Angeles area.

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    Reviews for The Afghan Campaign

    4/5

    155 ratings17 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Great Narration . worth a listen. history comes to life
    • 4/5
      Pressfield's form in this book is great. I like his style and his pacing. But the one thing all of his books seems to suffer from is the modern form of dialogue his characters use. This takes away the one element that would put The Afghan Campaign completely over the "would be" hurdle to make it epic. This is no slouch of a story. A young man enlist in Alexander's army and quickly becomes a man, father and friend. Pressfield uses very little filler, as in all his books, But I would have like to seen about three hundred more pages. The book is visceral, as it should be. The in and out appearances of Alexander and his proposed commitment to his men is well done. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Pressfield's form in this book is great. I like his style and his pacing. But the one thing all of his books seems to suffer from is the modern form of dialogue his characters use. This takes away the one element that would put The Afghan Campaign completely over the "would be" hurdle to make it epic. This is no slouch of a story. A young man enlist in Alexander's army and quickly becomes a man, father and friend. Pressfield uses very little filler, as in all his books, But I would have like to seen about three hundred more pages. The book is visceral, as it should be. The in and out appearances of Alexander and his proposed commitment to his men is well done. Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely a stunning book. I got lost in Alexander's campaign in Afghanistan. As a combat veteran of the war in Afghanistan, and having fought in the same valleys and moutains Matias fought in, I found a kinship with how he felt about the country and the fighting men of those mountains. Pressfield absolutely knocked it out of the park with this book.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      How would one try to explain what it would be like to be a warrior for Alexander when he campaigned in Asia? This novel tries to look at ancient history from a young man's point of view but it felt too tricky to me.
    • 2/5
      I was a bit disappointed of this work based upon the author's reputation. Pressfield does offer an incredibly rich portrayal of the setting of ancient Sogdia, Bactria, and other Afghan territories in the dying Achaemenid Empire, including the suffering on both the soldiers and inhabitants in the midst of unconventional warfare.

      However,the book has several issues that I didn't care for. It made frequent use of modern slang and terminology (which I admit is inevitable to some degree, but at times this was overbearing). It frequently when out of chronological order, yet without much of a purpose or reason for doing so beyond telling the audience that certain things were happening. It didn't develop many of the characters - the narrator does go through some mental and emotional gymnastics over the death of a friend, but otherwise most characters are one dimensional or not thoroughly described. It is written in first person, which can often make for a fantastic read, yet in this case was somewhat clunky due to the narrator explaining directly what is happening rather than letting the reader experience his world through his actions and experiences.

      I still think that anyone interested in historical fiction should read this at least once. It offers a unique portrayal of Alexander's later conquests from the point of view of a common soldier, where most books focus on officers or Alexander himself. The author is also quite good at giving details on the setting and daily life in the ranks, something that other works related to this area will skimp on.

      2/5 for strong scenery and setting development, but several technical issues that I personally didn't care for.
    • 5/5
      Gripping and poignant! I was enthralled by Alexander's tale of his exploits by the same author in the book "The Virtues of War". But this story, as told by a simple foot soldier of Alexander's horde in Afghanistan was amazing! I couldn't put it down and didn't want it to end. Sometimes, I would be so far into the story that I was genuinely shocked when my own boring life intruded on this page turner.

      To read of Matthias' harrowing plight was inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time and I am even more convinced of the genius of Steven Pressfield. The protagonist summed up the esprit de corps I felt with this book with his statement (as part of a longer poem), "in the company of soldiers, everthing is understood".
    • 4/5
      Upon comparing this novel with Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae by this author, I liked it as much, or even more. Pressfield exhibited the same brilliant writing on ancient warfare. The novel was very thoughtful and one I will not soon forget. This story is told by a raw recruit, Matthias, from Macedonia. He describes his 'signing up' with his best friend Lucas, and their adventures with Alexander the Great's Army in Afghanistan--a land of desert, mountains and light. Matthias develops from a tyro to a real soldier through his experiences. There are many skirmishes and battles; the harsh mores of the Afghans are laid out. A harrowing journey through the mountains in which many men are lost, but one soldier rescued, is described in horrific detail. Matthias and Lucas live through cruel captivity. The two soldiers were fleshed-out well and very sympathetic. I really liked the main themes--bonding among the soldiers and the morality of war. A commonplace expression by now, but Shakespeare's Henry V, in his St. Crispin's Day speech standing in front of his soldiers before Agincourt, in a future war, said it best. Matthias and his colleagues truly are welded into a "band of brothers."The question of morality in war permeates the book; at one place, Lucas feels the soldiers' humanity is becoming diminished and sheer brutality is replacing it. As a new soldier, Matthias shrinks from killing a prisoner and later frees a woman slave who becomes his. This latter act breaks the Afghan moral code, which Matthias does not understand [and, neither do I, in truth]. I felt dimly there were parallels to the present-day conflicts in that area. Then I saw one of Pressfield's advisors was a man who had fought there. I could see how Pressfield probably incorporated some of his thinking into the novel.Most highly recommended!!
    • 3/5
      Very enjoyable novel of Alexander the Great's campaign in Afghanistan and into India. Told from the viewpoint of a common soldier, it is a very interesting description of how Alexander's troops may have responded to the unconventional warfare required by the territory. Just scratched the surface in details, but enjoyable
    • 4/5
      What I enjoyed most was the way Pressfield takes the reader into the events. His use of character and action is elegant, such that history comes alive and you feel like you're marching with the Macedonians in a dust storm near Kabul. I've read this whole series now and consider this book second only to the original Gates of Fire. It was also meaningful because the places and cultural dynamics are still equally relevant to current war in Afghanistan.
    • 3/5
      This historical novel is about Alexander the Great's invasion of Afghanistan in 330 B.C. It's the one place where Alexander's army met with less than total success. More than once they invaded an area only to learn that their enemy had mysteriously appeared in their rear. This was frustrating to an army that knew they were the best in the world and were used to conquering any force that confronted them. This book is an amplification of one of the chapters of the book, The Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great by the same author. The narrative of this book is told in first person from the point of view of a corporal in Alexander's cavalry (he's a foot soldier part of the time). It's interesting to try to find parallels with more recent occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan by a foreign power. See if you and detect some similarities.1. Alexander's forces were a western undefeated super power that was relatively high tech for their time. (Think shock and awe.)2. Alexander's campaign arrogantly invaded the country, ignorant of its culture. (Think Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld's world view.)3. Alexander prematurely declared victory. (Think "Mission Accomplished" on the aircraft carrier.)4. Soon after the invasion, an insurgency popped up. (Think Iraq for the past seven years and Taliban more recently.)5. Spitamenes, the leader of the resistance, was an educated son of a wealthy Persian, not a native to the country. (Think Osama bin Laden.) 6. Alexander responded with conventional military force. (Think Marines sacking Fallujah.)7. Alexander tried sealing the borders. (Think Syrian or Pakistan borders.)8. Alexander then called in additional reinforcements. (Think surge in deployments.)9. In desperation Alexander began hiring the militias and the tribes who had been fighting him. (Think Anbar awakening.)10. Part of Alexander's exit strategy was to marry a tribal chief's daughter. (Not sure that option will work today.)11. One tactic used by Alexander's forces was to kill off the native population, women and children included. (I hope we're civilized enough to not try that tactic in today's global environment.)12. The unconventional nature of the war hurt the morale of Alexander's forces. (Could the Abu Ghraib prison be a parallel here?)13. In the negotiations to end the conflict it was important to reach an agreement in which both sides could claim victory. (Suggestions of negotiating with the Taliban?)(Note to strict historians: I know a few things were stretched and conflated to make the above parallels.) It should be noted here that it was common for Alexander to incorporate former foes into his army. This particular book tells of action taken to repress the spread of the knowledge of certain atrocities in order to allow the hiring of former enemy tribesmen who had committed the atrocities. I don't know if the author had a historical basis for including that incident. Nevertheless, it created another modern parallel; propaganda and control of news coverage.The following quote from the book explains in Alexander's words why it is time to cut and run (i.e. declare victory and leave):"This is what war is," says Alexander. "Glory has fled. One searches in vain for honor. We've all done things we're ashamed of. Even Victory, as Aeschylus says, "in whose august glow all felonies are effaced," is not the same in this war. What remains? To prevent the needless waste of lives. Too many good men have perished without cause. More will join them if we don't make this peace now."Other powers have invaded Afghanistan since the time of Alexander, and they all have had their problems. Over the past couple hundred years that included the British (two times) and the Soviets. If Alexander were still with us he'd probably say that it's the same o' same o'.There's a love story of sorts woven into the plot as well. It turns into a parable of war. Romantics will be disappointed. The book ends with these words: "Though blind, God sees; though deaf, He hears. ......Afghanistan's deity gives up nothing. One appeals to him in vain. Yet he sustains those who call themselves his children, who wring a living from this stony and sterile land."I have come to fear this god of the Afghans. And that has made me a fighting man, as they are."
    • 3/5
      This is the story of a young Macedonia infantryman who enlisted at the onset of Alexander the Great's Afghan campaign. Much of what is uncovered about their adversary seems largely unchanged today, which no doubt was the author's intent. Our Macedonian protagonist seems to be handicapped by modern western sensibilities, which probably helps the reader identify with his plights throughout the book.Too much of the book felt like it was taken from a 1960's-era WW2 movie. The soldier slang seemed reminiscent of characters from a New Jersey 'hood. Our hero gets a "dear Matthias" letter which conveniently eliminates baggage back home. The relationship with a native gets out of hand, offspring are involved. One older brother is killed, another is frustrated that little Matthias doesn't take the opportunity to leave and return home to a peaceful life of farming.Still, it was a quick read, and Pressfield does a pretty good job incorporating history into the story. In the end, Matthias re-enlists and is off with Alexander to India to battle Porus, leaving the possibility of a sequel.
    • 4/5
      Another great journey into the worn torn past. In this book Pressfield seems a bit more focused on character and culture than some of the others I've read. There's still the military minutiae (which I do enjoy to an extent) but it seemed to take a backseat to the conundrum of trying to “conquer” Afghanistan and the clash of custom and culture.Definitely recommended to history/war buffs.
    • 4/5
      Told from the perspective of the soldier, "The Afghan Campaign" gives what is probably a fairly accurate portrayal of what Alexander's men experienced. A bonus for me was being able to see how similar today's enlisted military and Alexander's enlisted military really are. Humour, complaints, and base wants are all the same.
    • 3/5
      Solid and enjoyable historical fiction.
    • 5/5
      Story about the man who goes to war seeking glory and ends up losing everything he held dear.Interesting book about terrors of war, how easily it is to start it and lead thousands of man into it (by telling them fairytale about glory and great riches that await) and how people get changed by it - especially when they encounter resistance that just cannot be broken w/o getting into the dirt with the enemy (as it was case in almost any coin-like war in the past).Read it, highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      pressfield continues to engage, entertain and educate. modern parallels are not forced but obvious