Synopses & Reviews
“The book’s pacing is cinematic . . . adrenalized.” — New York Times “Rich in equestrian and military detail . . . It’d take wild horses to pull you away.” — Entertainment Weekly
When Corporal Elijah Russell’s superb horsemanship is revealed during a firefight in northern Iraq, the young army Ranger is assigned to an elite Special Forces unit preparing to stage a secret mission in eastern Afghanistan. Russell’s task is to train the Green Berets — fiercely loyal to their enigmatic commander, Captain Wynne — to ride the horses they will use to execute this mission through treacherous mountain terrain. But as the team presses farther into enemy territory, the nature of the operation only becomes more mysterious and Wynne’s charismatic power takes on a darker cast. Ultimately, Russell finds himself forced to make a choice: on one side, his best friend and his most deeply held beliefs; on the other, a commanding officer driven by a messianic zeal for his mission. This taut, action-packed novel fuses the Western and the war story into a compellingly original tale.
“This novel feels like Cormac McCarthy meets Tim O’Brien. I could not stop reading it.” — Philipp Meyer, author of The Son
[author photo] © Mark Fortenberry
Synopsis
The Western and the war story combine when an elite Special Forces unit searches for treasure on horseback in the borderland between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Synopsis
"The book's pacing is cinematic . . . adrenalized." -- New York Times "Rich in equestrian and military detail . . . It'd take wild horses to pull you away." -- Entertainment Weekly
When Corporal Elijah Russell's superb horsemanship is revealed during a firefight in northern Iraq, the young army Ranger is assigned to an elite Special Forces unit preparing to stage a secret mission in eastern Afghanistan. Russell's task is to train the Green Berets -- fiercely loyal to their enigmatic commander, Captain Wynne -- to ride the horses they will use to execute this mission through treacherous mountain terrain. But as the team presses farther into enemy territory, the nature of the operation only becomes more mysterious and Wynne's charismatic power takes on a darker cast. Ultimately, Russell finds himself forced to make a choice: on one side, his best friend and his most deeply held beliefs; on the other, a commanding officer driven by a messianic zeal for his mission. This taut, action-packed novel fuses the Western and the war story into a compellingly original tale.
"This novel feels like Cormac McCarthy meets Tim O'Brien. I could not stop reading it." -- Philipp Meyer, author of The Son
author photo] (c) Mark Fortenberry
About the Author
AARON GWYN was raised on a cattle ranch in rural Oklahoma. He is the author of a story collection, Dog on the Cross (finalist for the New York Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award), and a novel, The World Beneath. His short stories and creative nonfiction have appeared in Esquire, McSweeney’s, Glimmer Train, The Missouri Review, Gettysburg Review, and New Stories from the South. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina where he is an associate professor of English at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and contributes book reviews, articles, and narrative nonfiction to Esquire.