This book is absolutely incredible. It made me laugh more than any other book in years. The writing is desperately clever and boundless... I'm crazy about it!
According to John Oliver, it is relentlessly funny and really well-written.
Richard E. Grant describes it as authentic and addictive.
It gives a thrilling picture of the often paranoid chaos and destruction of war. It reads like a non-fiction Catch-22. It’s mandatory, enlightening, and brutally funny.
Matt Haig describes it as a shocking read.
Owain Mulligan was never what you would call a professional soldier. Not even particularly good. On weekends, they trained with the Territorial Army and dreamed of trading the chaos of teaching in a tough school for the adventure of service in Iraq.
However, when the job he was waiting for doesn’t materialize, he finds himself on the streets of Basra during one of the most violent periods of the conflict. Caught between murderous insurgents, a chain of command seemingly determined to kill him, and equipment that might just do the trick, he and his men have a lot to face.
The Accidental Soldier is a revealing and darkly funny narrative about what it’s really like to be in British military service in Iraq. It shares all the hardships, fears, and crazy lives of soldiers as they try to navigate a war that has gone horribly wrong. One thing is for sure: you will never look at the phrase “strategic precision” the same way again...
