It is an action-packed tale of courage, loyalty, and brutality about a winless war. Forsythe’s skill as a boots-on-the-ground raconteur gives us the grist to think about the bitter fruits of misguided imperialism.

–Roberta Sabbath, Ph.D

This gripping bildungsroman is set in pre-9/11 Afghanistan where U.S., Saudi Arabia, and allied anti-Soviet forces not only brought the communist state to its knees but also financed the rise of the Mujahedeen and Al-Qaeda. During this historic transition, a youthful Soviet recruit, Ivan Petrova, rises from Spetsnaz commando training to wealthy entrepreneur. Petrova keeps his sanity throughout tragic events by turning both the metal detritus of the killing fields into welded sculptures, and his love of medicine into a life of healing. Ultimately it is his strong family ties that help him survive the dehumanizing experience of the Afghan invasion and the fall of his country.

This book is the third, in the Teacher, Soldier, Spy trilogy that chronicles two wars: Vietnam and the Russian Afghan War. The other books in the trilogy are The Operative: Escape from Saudi Arabia and Forks in the Road, which is set in Vietnam.