Desert of Death: A Soldier's Journey from Iraq to Afghanistan

I read Leo's book from the perspective of someone who has sat in the desert himself and become slightly disenfranchised from what we were trying to achieve.

Having said that I was disappointed with this as I rather feel the author came across as mildly bitter. Quite rightly he pointed out the chasm that exists between us and our NATO colleagues in terms of equipment and conditions. It's a travesty for sure but the account is all rather bland. Having been attached to a Guards regiment I can see and hear what sort of "chap" Leo is, well educated and intelligent but I rather fear he comes across rather naively.

Having said that, I applaud the honesty with which this is written. I'd have liked some more depth to his colleagues and some more insight into his commanders intent to put it all into context.

Docherty's Disenchantment (8/11 people found this helpful)

On the back of the book it reads;

'Desert of Death' is the local name for the barren terrain of south-west Afghanistan. When Captain Leo Docherty - soldier, linguist and explorer - was deployed there in the spring of 2006 he was looking forward to the mission. He believed it was a war which could improve the lives of the afghan people, and a war which could be won.

On the ground, however, he quickly discovered that the situation was not so straightforward. He and his soldiers went on to face the fiercest fighting UK troops have experienced since the Korean war.'

...which all sounds terribly exciting. However, unfortunately for the reader, Docherty is on a plane back to the UK when all this fierce fighting kicks off. When the fighting actually begins, (eleven pages from the end of the book) Docherty is waiting to be sent home for rest and recuperation in the UK and is amid 'sudden flights of delicious fantasy about seeing Lucy and gorging on champagne.'

Please don't get me wrong. This man has done his duty. But what I wish to point out to future readers is that how the book has been marketed, and what it actually is, are two very different things.

So, what book is it and is it any good?

Answer; It's a book about Docherty, and its OK.

Docherty is obviously a bit of an Army outcast, but he is an intelligent man, and undoubtedly would do very well in academia or as a travel journalist. The book starts quite well, he is in Iraq, we have a brief description of his time there before he becomes disillusioned and he manages to get himself to Afghanistan. Although he is an officer in the army you get the feeling that this is secondary for him; fascinated by the locals, their language, the landscape, Afghan culture and especially the food his short book is filled with well-written gentle descriptions of the land and with accounts of impromptu tea and dinner parties with the Afghan soldiers and with long descriptions of endless 'delicious' food.

I wouldn't mind this, if Docherty would give the readers a little more insight to himself. The descriptions drag after a while, and as the book goes on, one reading Docherty's account gets the feeling that he doesn't really forge much of a connection with any other human beings.

Maybe he wants to be cast as this solitary figure throwing himself 'anonymously and humble, into a society; adopting its dress eating its food, and striving to learn its poetic and beautiful language.' Perhaps he really is that person. But the descriptions get repetitive, and I yearned for more of a human element.

In the short 192 pages we get description after description of the food Docherty eats. Any other sort of human bonding or human elements pale in comparison, even the short snapshots of his romance with Lucy, are brief, trivialised and come across as mundane. In the paragraph where she comes to visit him at Windsor he devotes more words to describing boot polish than her. As the book is fairly devoid of traditional 'action' or 'fierce fighting' it was this human element that could have saved it from becoming boring this crucial human element is in my opinion, severely lacking.

Docherty is no doubt a bright man and I wish him the very best in his future, I get the feeling he would be a great university lecturer or travel journalist. Politically his essay in the epilogue is an excellent critique of the way the war in Afghanistan has been conducted, it is passionately argued and is by far the best part of the book. But as a book on the whole, Desert of Death is average, as Docherty describes; 'Sitting down with CSM Johnstone, I tell him about my lunch, but he's not interested.' and the problem is, by the end of the book neither are we.

A personal account by a rather bitter ex-officer (5/6 people found this helpful)

First of all, this is a rather modest book, only 200 pages and fairly large font size. Because BFPO was a bit slow, it arrived the day before I left Afghanistan, so I read it with no difficulty on the plane home. The tone of the book is fairly obvious from the outset - disgruntled former officer writing to justify his inability to cope with service life. Coverage of Iraq was fairly superficial, but with a bit more depth on Afghanistan. The author obviously did not fit into his regiment and one wonders why he bothered joining in the first place. His accounts of FOB Robinson and Sangin are interesting, especially if you have served in the area, and the criticism of the lack of joined up policy (or rather its implementation) is justified, but his aspirations are a bit other worldly. Read it if you are going to the area, but read 3 Para as well.

Typical guards regiment officer nonsense...! (3/9 people found this helpful)

This is to war writing what James Blunt is to thrash metal. Not that I particularly like thrash metal, but the parallel in blandness is the only way I can convey my frustration with this hypocrite. If you want to read interesting accounts of whats happening in Iraq and Afghanistan then read "3 PARA" and "Sniper One". But don't waste your pennies on this tosh. The guy should be ashamed of himself, he clearly should of dropped out and gone travelling, soldiering clearly wasn't his thing. How the hell he passed "P Coy" is a minor miracle in its own right!

Don't waste your time (5/10 people found this helpful)

What a dreadful book written by an immature, petulant, boy soldier. I don't believe this guy. Apparently this guy read way too many romantic desert war stories as a youth. Maybe he thought he was a modern day Lawrence. What in heavens name was he expecting in a war zone? Tea and crumpets and a shiney medal to proclaim his manhood. I wouldn't follow him across the street let alone to war. An embarassment to his Regiment, disloyal to his superiors and incredibly naive. The British Army is better off without this guy and officers of his ilk. Don't waste your time with this book.

Desert of Death: A Soldier's Journey from Iraq to Afghanistan

Leo Docherty

Reader Reviews:

Desert of disenchantment (3/3 people found this helpful)

Docherty's Disenchantment (8/11 people found this helpful)

A personal account by a rather bitter ex-officer (5/6 people found this helpful)

Typical guards regiment officer nonsense...! (3/9 people found this helpful)

Don't waste your time (5/10 people found this helpful)

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