Drawing on his own experience, Barney Campbell''s Rain is a powerful, vivid and affecting portrait of the Afghan frontline.
''No better on-the-ground description of Britain''s war will ever be written. Rain is what Chickenhawk or, more recently, Matterhorn was to Vietnam. It''s unputdownable, except for when the reader needs to draw breath or battle a lump in the throat'' Evening Standard
Tom Chamberlain was destined to be a soldier from the moment he discovered a faded picture of his father patrolling the streets of Belfast.
With the war in Afghanistan at its savage peak, Tom is despatched from home in the dead of an anonymous September night, a blood tribute leaving without fanfare.
Full of eagerness, but wracked by self-doubt, he must discover who he is and what he is capable of.
But as the bonds with his comrades grow, home - and the loved ones left behind - seem ever more remote from the surreal violence and exhilaration of war.
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''Rain is not merely good, it''s remarkable. Powerful, at times unbearably harrowing, it captures both the fear and exhilaration of men pushed to breaking point'' JEREMY PAXMAN
''A wonderfully achieved, enthralling and moving novel of war. Its authenticity is as telling as it is terrifying'' WILLIAM BOYD
''Gripping . . . the ending is genuinely shocking'' DAILY MAIL
''One of the most powerful and emotional works ever written about British soldiers in battle. Troubling, funny, upsetting, exhilarating and deeply moving. You will never forget it'' COLONEL RICHARD KEMP
''One of the best novels about the Afghanistan war. Brutally honest, it could have been a memoir'' DAVID AXE
Industry Reviews
The best book about the experience of soldiering I've read since Robert Graves's First World War classic Goodbye To All That. Campbell is a fantastic writer . . . Rain is a heartbreaking, brutally truthful first novel written with love and respect for the guys in the frontline * Sunday Times *
No better on-the-ground description of Britain's war in Afghanistan will ever be written. Rain is what Chickenhawk or, more recently, Matterhorn was to Vietnam. It's unputdownable, except for when the reader needs to draw breath or battle a lump in the throat * Evening Standard *
Incredibly powerful. The best thing I've read on the war in Afghanistan . . . Some books have to be read - this is one * Sun *
Riveting. The evocation of life in a warzone is captivatingly real . . . As well as the extraordinary detail there's a heartrending emotional depth . . . The result is eye opening and harrowing. A really powerful debut * Sunday Mirror *
A wonderfully achieved, enthralling and moving novel of war. Its authenticity is as telling as it is terrifying -- William Boyd
Rain is not merely good, it's remarkable. Powerful, at times unbearably harrowing, it captures both the fear and exhilaration of men pushed to breaking point -- Jeremy Paxman
One of the most powerful and emotional works ever written about British soldiers in battle. Troubling, funny, upsetting, exhilarating and deeply moving. You will never forget it -- Colonel Richard Kemp
A powerful and moving story of war with all the authenticity of a memoir -- Charles Cumming
Thrilling, gut-wrenching and profoundly moving, this book, like all the very best novels of war, has the utterly compelling grip of authenticity -- James Holland
An extraordinary book: authentic, beautifully written and very moving -- Saul David
Simply superb. It could become the defining account of British soldiers in Afghanistan -- Tom Petch, Writer and Director of 'The Patrol'
One of the best novels about the Afghanistan war. Brutally honest, it could have been a memoir. Read Rain -- David Axe
Gripping . . . the ending is genuinely shocking * Daily Mail *
A raw novel about the war in Afghanistan . . . the book smells completely authentic * Observer *
A must-read debut -- Tom Newton-Dunn
This is without doubt the best and most readable account of a modern combat soldier's life that I have read. The unique relationship between officer and soldier is brilliantly explored, as is the impact of war on loved ones left behind. Then there's the raw fear, the shock of the real thing, the loss of comrades and the sense of absolute mutual commitment that carries the day. I cannot commend it too much. A modern classic -- General Lord Richards
