Allah's Mountains: The Battle for Chechnya

by Sebastian Smith

Overview

A mixture of travelogue, history and war journalism, Allah's Mountains tells the story of the conflict between this nation of mountain tribes and the might of the Russian army. It is also a story of the history, people and cultures of the Caucasus and of tiny ethnic groups struggling for both physical and cultural survival.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781850439790
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	12/27/2005
Series:	Tauris Parke Paperbacks Series
Pages:	328
Sales rank:	756,108
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.81(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

Sebastian Smith is a prize winning author and journalist. He has been a correspondent in Washington, Moscow and London for the English-language service of Agence France-Presse.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements * Maps * Introduction * Prologue * The Jigsaw * Fires of Liberty * The Jigsaw in Pieces * The Chechen Wolf * The Fury * Chasing Paradise * Bibliography * Index

Editorial Reviews

"Impressive and wide-ranging," The Sunday Times.

"Fluent and persuasive prose ... admirably clear," New Statesman.

"A moving example of how history can be written. Smith's account of the historical background to the conflict reads like a novel, but better, because it also has the intimacy and immediacy of an eyewitness account. He has given us a memorable, well-researched account of a peculiarly horrible war," Literary Review.

"This is a riveting book, written with almost seemless elegance. But Allah's Mountains is not simply a reportage. In a commendable effort to go beyond the present facts, Smith has delved deeply into the broader Caucasian context, steeping himself in the knowledge of its myriad peoples, cultures and languages," International Affairs.

"Sebastian Smith's Allah's Mountains is a riveting battle by battle account," The Tablet.

"Excellent, readable, insightful," Jane's Intelligence Review.

"Smith's book is exceptionally well written, alternating between hard reporting and more personal vignettes that give the flavour and emotional colouring of the area," The Moscow Times.

From the Publisher

Smith's impressive and wide-ranging book shows what a volatile mixture it will all continue to be.

Philip Marsden

This is a riveting book...Written with almost seamless elegance rendering the vicissitudes of the war in sometimes stunning detail.

International Affairs

A correspondent for the English-language service of Agence France- Presse, Sebastian first visited the North Caucasus in the summer of 1994, just after Chechnya had declared unilateral independence. His account is definitely from the perspective of the rebels. He includes a battery of clear maps. The first edition appeared in 1998. Distributed in the US by St. Martin's Press. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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