- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Halban Publishers (2 April 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1905559127
- ISBN-13: 978-1905559121
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 13.7 x 2.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 884,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Viper of Kerman
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
A powerful cleric with massive commercial and military influence, Ayatollah Ali Baharvand has stepped down as one of Tehran's nuclear negotiators. Sickened by the stagnation of a revolution that never elevated his country to the heights it deserved, he plans to seize power and strike his own deal with the West. But can he be trusted? And what does he really want? Christian Oliver's vivid debut novel charts Baharvand's plot through the eyes of MI6 officers, diplomats and journalists. It gives a rare insight into the culture, social life and psychology of this much misunderstood nation.
About the Author
Christian Oliver was born in Nottingham in 1978 and brought up in Devon. After Classics at Oxford and an intensive Arabic diploma, he joined Reuters serving as their Iran correspondent from 2003-6, a chaotic period in which he covered the Bam earthquake, two disputed elections and civil unrest. From 2006-7, he was senior correspondent for Venezuela and Ecuador. He is currently based in Seoul as the Financial Times correspondent for North and South Korea.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Contemporary, pacy and frighteningly credible,
By
This review is from: The Viper of Kerman (Paperback)
This well-written and extremely pacy thriller is largely set in modern Iran and follows an apparent plot by a senior Ayatollah to seize power from his even more radical colleagues and to change his government's policy in ways guaranteed to change relations for the better between Iran and the West.
The Ayatollah in question, known as the Viper of Kerman, is renowned as an intensely tricky individual, and when his overtures to the West are initially transmitted via an intermediary to a world-weary secret service operative, Andy Trevarthen, there is suspicion. As information concerning his intentions spreads to other countries new players become involved and separate agenda begin to develop, some supportive of the Ayatollah's reported plan, others determined to stop it, and him, dead (literally). Events begin to unfold on the streets of Tehran and other major Iranian cities as the various intelligence services engage in a race to protect or harm the Viper. The Viper of Kerman is a story where the balance is beautifully maintained between the characters and the narrative itself, and it also possesses an authenticity that says much for the depth to which Christian Oliver immersed himself between 2003 and 2006 when he was Reuters' Iran correspondent. The Viper of Kerman is Christian Oliver's first novel, and for its quality, power and credibility it deserves to be highly praised. This is clearly a major new talent whose next book I shall await with keen interest.
5.0 out of 5 stars
In the footsteps of Le Carre,
By Jules (London) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Viper of Kerman (Paperback)
This story of an attempted coup d'etat in Iran by a cynical, manipulative ayatollah is beautifully written with credible characters whose motives and dialogue are all totally convincing. I have recently read the latest novels by William Boyd, Henry Porter and Sebastian Faulks, all three of which singularly lacked the foregoing attributes, and indeed were all in varying degrees marked by writing of extraordinary ineptitude. In contrast, firtst time novellist Christian Oliver writes like a young John Le Carre - subtly with delicate modulation of tone and pace. I can't recommend this book too highly, and like the other reviewers I shall be looking out for his next book with keen anticipation.
Julian Chichester
4.0 out of 5 stars
Iran political thriller,
By Arthur P (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Viper of Kerman (Paperback)
An excellent Robert Harris style political thriller. Provides excellent background on the current turmoil in Iran. Good read.
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