Four Westerners travel under Eritrean rebel escort through a land of savage beauty and bitter drought towards the front-line and the ancient capital of Asmara. Each is irrevocably changed as they bear witness to the devastation of war as well as to the Eritreans' courage, remarkable organisation and humanity in the face of constant attack.

With this powerful and moving novel, Thomas Keneally draws attention to a contemporary issue of global importance - and illustrates the tribal and ideological roots that continue to fuel the wars today.

'It is a tribute to the power of his narrative that his book reads as the factual account of a journey behind the lines, in the course of which a forgotten history is given flesh and blood' - Observer

'The landscape and the scenario of war and famine are brilliantly used as a backdrop against which the characters' own internal strife and moral hunger are illuminated' - Daily Mail

'Not since FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS has a book of such sophistication, the work of a major international novelist, spoken out so unambiguously on behalf of an armed struggle' - New York Times Book Review

'Keneally advances on the interminable conflict with all his customary assurance and probing curiosity ... The war springs vividly to life ... [He] keeps things moving through a brilliantly portrayed landscape' - Guardian

Memorable, provocative, full of interest' - Literary Review