By Edward Girardet
"Understanding the lessons of the past is critical for the Western intervention to have any long-lasting positive impact on Afghanistan. Yet experience has convinced me that whether out of political expedience, arrogance or just plain ignorance, too many Western policy makers continually fail to examine the history of this defiant country." Pg 9
"Most critical of all, the Soviet invasion eliminated Afghanistan as a traditional buffer between the USSR and what was once British India." Pg 63
"Pakistan's main foreign policy concern has always been India." Pg 63
"Nor were the SOviets likely to find a coherent people to control. Afghanistan is a linguistic, cultural,and geographic mosaic of highly diverse people - Pushtuns, Nuristanis, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Turkmen, Hazaras, and others - who, traditionally, never like being told what to do by foreigners. Nor do they like being ruled by one another. Every Afghan regards himself as 'King amongst Kings,' with the same right to have his views heeded as any other Afghan, beggar or monarch." Pg 72
"The Soviets, much like Americans over twenty years later, engaged militarily in Afghanistan to impose an external form of government that ran inherently counter to AFghan traditions and beliefs." Pg. 72
"As one Afghan told me, one needs to understand 'a thousand' Afghanistans." Pg 77
"'This means we have to buy back the bullets that we previously captured.' said one commander." Pg 86
"It was an astonishing story. More men were killed in Kerala than the Lidice massacre in Czechoslovakia, where the Nazis slaughtered the entire male population during World War II or My Lai in March 1968 when American troops deliberately killed Vietnamese civilians. According to the Afghanistan Justice Project . . . the Kerala massacre emerged as one of the most vicious human rights violations of the Afghan war." Pg. 91
"Massoud was clearly the 'boss,' friendly, persuasive, and decisive. He commanded respect from all and had an exceptional ability to involve the conservative elders in his decision making. Massoud was both a modernist and a pious Muslim. He sometimes excused himself in the middle of a conversation to pray, peeling off his white-and-black scarf and laying it on the ground facing qiblah, the direction of Mecca. Whenever he worshipped, on a riverbank or a hidden mountain position, Massoud usually let someone else lead in prayer. The others - fighters, farmers, refugees, merchants - would fall in beside him. I watched fascinated as Massoud, caught up in his devotion, would solemnly pray - kneeling and bowing, murmuring 'Allah o Akbar' in unison with the others. Finally, passing his hand over his face, he would climb back on his feet, refreshed. 'Right,' he said, striding over. 'Where were we.?'" Pg 163
"But for me, these people are true human beings. They understand civilization, hospitality. . . An Afghan, even if he dislikes you, will always shake your hand. That is the differeence between them and you. Thisis why this is such an extraordinary country and why this extraordinary people will never be like you." In conversation with Osama bin Laden (unknowingly) Pg 262
"The extremism espoused by bin Laden and other foreign militants represented a form of Islam totally alien to AFghan tradition, culture, and religion. But even with the ousting of the Arabs, their long-term influence was not halted. A significant portion of the hundreds of millions of Arab dollars that jihadists, but also the Saudi government, had poured into the Afghan cause during the 1980's went toward the creation of Koranic schools, clinics, and orphanages in the refugee camps. A whole generation , or two, of Afghans were indoctrinated in the madrassa"
Book 53
By Catherine Fisher
". . . or is it that man contains within himself the seeds of evil? That even if he is placed in a paradise perfectly formed for him he will poison it, slowly, with his own jealousies and desires?" Page 312
I love the key. The cover is beautiful and does justice to the key in the story. I am always enchanted by a beautiful (and magical) key.
Incarceron is imaginative, dark and convincing. The world Fisher creates is thorough and believable. She takes the qualities of her world to their logical conclusion, but also takes full freedom to push that world and not get stuck in imaginary limitations.
The prison reality is bleak, its prisoners so enmeshed in their prison many of them believe it to be reality - a thought provoking theme. A theme explored alongside bravery, friendship, loyalty and justice.
The characters are distinct and rich on their own right, with room to grown and deepen in the next book. The characters all face difficult decisions in the search for what is true and to push themselves beyond the falsities they lived in and are trying to free themselves of. Powerful and important quests for the human search for place and meaning in any world.
Book 52
By David Wise
Fascinating story of US/China espionage complete with beautiful women, torrid love affairs and fascinating details about modern spy agencies. It was very interesting to learn the different methodology that China uses compared to Russia and the US. An important read to anyone interested in world spying operations.
"First, China does not, in most instances, offer money in exchange for information.
Second, China does not accept typical walk-in cases, because of the possibility that 'volunteers' are being dangled as bait by an opposition intelligence service. . . .
Moore's third rule is that China 'collects information from good people, people who don't have financial problems, don't have emotional problems, who are not motivated by revenge, not unsuccessful in their lives. Not someone who is lonely, needs a friend, needs a woman.
China is looking to get good people to do bad things.'" Page 15 - 16
Book 51
By Scott Westerfeld
Yes, I did read Westerfelds books for about a week straight. This one I read in one night.
After the Leviathan series this one was a bit of a let down. The story was a more choppy and required a few major leaps in disbelief. I have a tolerance for suspending disbelief, but this one pushed my threshold a bit (both winding up in the cave!). My disappointment was more around the many points that the story could have been made deeper, the imaginative world pulled together more tightly, which would have taken this book from good to great. It is hard to assess if this was just the birthing pains of the series or a little sloth on the part of the author.
Although the theme is not completely unique, the imaginative idea did engaged me to the point that despite my complaints I will definitely read the rest of the series. I hope the story has had some time to percolate and gets better as it unfolds.
Book 50
By Scott Westerfeld
A very interesting adult vampire-ish book incorporating the very creepy world of parasites. An important book in the vampire genere because of this perspective, the best chapters were about the parasites and our human relationship to them. The book felt a little rushed or half baked to me but I enjoyed it just the same.
Book 49
By Scott Westerfeld
There are few series that I become taken with but this is one of them. Perhaps the best of the year. If you don't like them, you are simply daft, you barking spider.
I loved the level of detail Westerfeld engaged in as he described this imaginative world. He didn't leave the reader with half baked ideas, instead he had great fabricated detail creating a wonderful world
His writing was brave, never taking the story the easy road creating an unpredictable plot line.
Accompanying this series are the incredible illustrations - I highlighted many of them just to go back and enjoy them. Instead of replacing my own imagination they really enhanced my visuals created by the story leaving me full of wonder!
Leviathan
"Still...at least she was flying. If she ever came down alive, the boffins would have to admit as how she'd passed this test. Boy or not, Deryn Sharp had shown a squick of air sense after all." Page 64
"The Leviathan's body was made from the threads of a whale, but a hundred other species were tangled into its design, countless creatures fitting together like the gears of a stopwatch. Flocks of fabricated birds swarmed around it - scouts, fighters, and predators to gather food. Deryn saw message lizards and other beasties scampering across its skin." Page 71
"Alek's fists tightened. He was growing tired of being treated like this, never told what Volger's plans were until the last moment. Maybe he'd been a child the day his parents had died, but no longer." Page 81
"Most important Alex had learned to shut away despair." Page 81
"It was bloody exhausting being a boy." Page 102
"Having your parents die was exactly like the world exploding, like a war being declared. . .
She had to fight like mad to stay who she was. That was the trick - to keep punching no matter what." Page 377
Behemoth
"The machine lumbered forward on huge legs, its tusks swaying back and forth as it moved. Four pilots in blue uniforms sat on saddles that stuck out from its haunches, one pilot working the controls for each leg. A mechanical trunk, divided into a dozen metal segments, swept slowly back and forth, like a sleeping cats tail." Location 1146
Books 46 - 48
