Acclaimed Iran novel now out as e book
17 Aug 2011

Journalist Christian Oliver’s debut novel The Viper of Kerman about a coup d’etat in Iran had good reviews when it came out last year. It’s now out as an e book and gathering equally good comments on Amazon including:

em>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.

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.

An excellent Robert Harris style political thriller. Provides excellent background on the current turmoil in Iran. Good read.

From the first page when readers are plunged into the dangerous underground waterways alongside Abbas the blind, everything is set for pace, mystery and adventure. But the book is certainly not ‘just’ a page-turner. There are many other sympathetic characters, too, and much to learn from their interlocking stories. I will be looking out for the next book from this author.