Rating: 
Summary: KEPT ME UP LATE NIGHTS FOR TWO WEEKS!
Review: This is one of the most enjoyable novels I've read in years! It's a riviting, reality-based page-turner that kept my attention from beginning to end. After reading this book I'm planning on spending my next vacation in Amsterdam at the Amstel Hotel! The plot was exceptionally good with a lot of twists and turns. Wilson is especially good at writing suspense. Several reviewers have commented on the ending. I too found it to be compelling. My wife just finished reading Winter in Kandahar too and she loved it as well. I highly recommend this novel for men and women who like to curl up next to the fireplace and read a great book.
Rating: 
Summary: Badly over-rated
Review: This is one of the worst books I have ever read, although I did persist from beginning to end in the hope there would be some sensible resolution. The "story" line is at best improbable, heavily dependent on coincidental meetings of poorly portrayed characters. We also are asked to believe that all three of the very different females fall instantly and madly in love with the three men they encounter. The CIA characters are equally absurd. On the plus side, if you know nothing about Afghanistan, the book does provide some background - - although you will get more (and more accuracy) by reading a good newspaper.
Rating:
Summary: A Gripping Novel
Review: This is one of those rare books that keeps the reader engrossed in the story until the very end. The cleverly developed plot incorporates elements of suspense, romance and action. Obviously, the author has spent many hours of research to assure that the details are accurate and timely. A skilled writer, Wilson has woven the facts into rich descriptive narrative that puts the reader on the scene with his characters. This is a must-read book!
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Summary: Watch Out Tom Clancy
Review: This was one of the best books I have read in recent years. If you like historical novels you will love this one. It deals with a lot of recent and current events in the world today. His style of writing reminds me of Clancy, but with much better character development. By the end of the book I actually felt as if I had lived with some of the characters, I knew them that well. I could not put the book down and I can't wait for his next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Desperately seeking editor...
Review: Timely topic with great opportunity, but it let me down. disappointed. The excessive medical details and unbelievable love story were too distracting to enjoy the story line. How about more history, description of the people, culture, and events of the time? I started reading the book with an idea I could gain a greater understanding of the subject, but was sorely disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A great story that YOU'LL remember for a long long time!
Review: To me, nobody captured the essence of this novel better than Edward Altmann, who is now working in Iraq, so I decided to repost the review he wrote shortly after returning from Afghanistan last year.
Wilson's novel is an exciting, action packed mystery/adventure tale set in some of the most fascinating places in the world, ranging from Venice to Amsterdam, Seattle and Vancouver. It is, however, for its central locale, Afghanistan, that this work will be remembered for a long, long time. The plot involves bio-terrorism, the CIA, and the ongoing war. You feel as if you are reading current headlines with Taliban, al-Qaida, Mujaheddin, and other organizations racing through the pages in the non-stop action as the search for the ultimate weapon reaches across the world. The author weaves three love stories into his exciting plot. He even makes us believe (successfully) that an isolated cave, sealed and hidden in some of the most forlorn mountains of our planet can be a tremendously romantic hide-away for a pair of star-crossed lover. His descriptions of places are exciting and factually right on the mark. He takes us into these exotic worlds and we can almost taste the bread and the lamb stew; see the unusually decorated windows in Amsterdam; and sail the waters of Puget Sound. But it is his detailing of the characters, primary and secondary, that leaves an indelible mark on the page turning reader. He describes the motivations, the ancient histories still influencing these people as they love and kill across the pages. This is truly a window into a world that is almost every day in the newspaper headlines as even in Iraq, some of these influences are still extremely powerful.
On a personal note, when I left Afghanistan earlier this year, I carried a lot of baggage of conflicting, sometimes horrible, images back with me. Images of a fifteen year old boy struggling to walk on his hands down a crowded street as both his legs were amputated; of smiling little girls begging for their parents; of soldiers inviting me to play soccer and laughing with me; of people who had nothing and yet were generous; of a little girl who, with tears in her eyes answered my question about her parent's fate under the unbelievably cruel Taliban. Dr Wilson's book places a perspective on these and other memories burned into me and for this I am grateful for his work. He takes us behind the headlines and into the minds of the people, whether they are Tajiks, Pashtuns, Pakistanis, or CIA. You will long remember and use this novel as a reference as our violent century unfolds around us. And, without giving away the ending, he performs an incredible sleight of hand at the end. Edward Altmann RA
Rating: 
Summary: Above Average Afghani Thriller!
Review: Various peoples of Turkic, Iranian and South Asian origins surround the rugged central Hindu Kush mountain range, but no single group absolutely dominates the nation known as Afghanistan. To the south and east of the Hindu Kush, live approximately 6.5 million Pashtun. They make-up the predominate population of the capital, Kabul, major cities like Jalalabad, Khost and Kandahar, and are almost exclusively Sunni Muslims. Virtually all Taliban are Pashtun. Dominating the mountainous northeast of the country are the Tajiks, numbering around 3.5 million within Afghanistan. They are the most powerful group in the Northern Alliance, and are mostly Sunni Muslims. Ethnic hatred and rivalries have existed between these two groups for centuries. "Winter In Kandahar," deals, in part, with the struggle between the Tajik and Pashtun, and a diabolical plot involving potential genocide.Author Steven E. Wilson begins his extraordinary story in late August 2001, in Taloqan, Afghanistan. A young Tajik Mujaheddin, Ahmed Jan, lost his uncle, as he lost his father before him, in a battle with Taliban forces. Ahmed fights with the Northern Alliance and was ordered to report to Commander Ahmed Shah Massoud at the Khoje Bahauddin base on the Amu Dar'ya River. He reached Massoud in time to be present for the Commander's assassination by al Qaeda terrorists posing as TV journalists. The Lion of Panjshir was dead. The date was September 9, 2001. Three months later, Ahmed Jan reports to elderly Mullah Habid in Kabul. The aging cleric holds a position of leadership with the Tajiks and the Alliance. During a brief period of captivity by the Taliban, the month before, Jan had discovered papers written in Arabic with information about a new, deadly biological weapon. His captors were overtaken and Jan escaped with the papers. The mullah and the young warrior read that the new weapon is to be delivered in Venice during Carnevale. A plan was also outlined to spread the pestilence in Panjsjit, among the Tajik population. Mullah Habid makes Ahmed Jan the leader of a mission to Amsterdam, which will eventually take him to Italy and America in pursuit of the deadly substance. Accompanying him are two men, Mustafa and Mohammedjan, who are to assist him is ever way. They all have appropriate, falsified documents, passports and replacement papers, to use if needed. They are given a credit card and plenty of money to bribe their way through the Khyber Pass to Islamabad where they will catch a plane to the Netherlands. They are specifically told not to go to the Americans, who are "consumed with their own concerns." Ahmed Jan and his countryman are in constant danger on this mission to save his people from ethnic cleansing. They are pursued by al Qaeda and the CIA. This is not just another predictable novel where the bad guys chase the good ones and, after a crisis and denouement, everyone lives happily, etc.. Jan has a medical background, having studied in Saudi Arabia before his country's last war, and comes up with an alternate use for the weapon of terror. The introduction of some scientific material, about genetics, is fascinating and adds much to the storyline. The ending, like the rest of the book, is powerful. The characters are also extremely well developed and give the reader remarkable insight into their culture and customs. The men are all credible. The women are not as strong. There are three major romances, one for Ahmed Jan, and one for each comrade. Although I enjoyed the romantic aspect of the novel, three for three is a bit hokey. The narrative is well written, as is the dialogue, especially between the Tajiks. I really enjoyed "Winter In Kandahar" and look forward to Mr. WIlson's next book. Highly recommended!
JANA
Rating:
Summary: A totally engrossing novel from beginning to end!
Review: Very rarely have I read a book this engrossing. Winter in Kandahar has it all---an internatonal bio-terrorism plot replete with devoted patriots, a secret hidden in the lining of an old coat, a dangerous stowaway, a friend's betrayal, a swift seduction, the machinations of the CIA, a shocking murder, a masterful disguise, an innocent child born of rape, several hidden hypodermics, and three pairs of lovers with very different fates. From Kandahar to Seattle to Venice to Amsterdam to Santa Fe, I see in my mind's eye a thrilling movie with gorgeous sets; I'm already guessing who the studio will pick for the leads! Marguerite McDonald, MD
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Summary: What a special surprise!
Review: What a great surprise! The timeliness of the reality- based plot in an epic that spans the globe gave me great enjoyment over the holidays. I usually don't get an opportunity to read much since I'm worn out by the time I get home from work and then classes. I found myself eager with anticipation for the chance to return to the captivating Winter in Kandahar story. The novel begins a short time prior to September 11, 2001 in the northeast corner of Afghanistan where the Northern Alliance remains precariously in control of territory that includes the Panjshir Valley where the Alliance Mujaheddin are making what would undoubtedly been their last stand against the combined forces of the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The protagonist of this gripping adventure, a young ill-fated fighter named Ahmed Jan, is on the front lines of the see-saw battles that have claimed his entire family. As precarious as the Northern Alliance situation is, it is made all the worse by the assassination of revered Northern Alliance leader Commander Ahmed Massoud at the hands of al- Qaeda. Ahmed, in a twist of fate, is at Massoud's headquarters when the assassination is carried out. Ironically, in this darkest hour, the al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington D.C. turn out to be salvation for the Tajik, Uzbek and other groups of the Northern Alliance who are resisting the cruel Taliban domination. Within weeks U.S. Special Forces, Air Force, Navy, and other military units sweep the Taliban out of Kabul, Taloqan, Kandahar, and other major cities of Afghanistan and put them on the run, along with their al-Qaeda guests, into the Pakistani tribal territories along the Afghan border. Ahmed Jan finds a mysterious communiqué in the coat of an al-Qaeda messenger and, along with ruthless Mujaheddin fighter Mustafa and old, rigid holy man Mohammajon, gets swept into an adventure that spans the globe from Islamabad to Amsterdam to Venice to Seattle to Vancouver to Karachi and back to Kandahar. The engrossing epic story includes CIA operative Stone Waverly and Special Forces soldiers interwoven with three love stories with very different endings. One of the most facinating aspects of the story is that there is so much reality mixed into the story that it's at times hard to tell where reality ends and the author's imagination begins. The adventure concludes with a moving and heartrending surprise. I highly recommend this book for both women and men who are fans of adventure OR romance novels.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read!
Review: Wilson's novel has it all - intrigue, romance, action... His descriptions of the countryside of Afghanistan (and other countries as well) made me feel that I was there. I couldn't put this book down!
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