THE PRINCE OF AFGHANISTAN

A gripping story of war and the bond between a young soldier and his dog.

Black parachutes fall from the sky: Prince, an army dog, his handler, Casey, and 18-year-old Mark (on his first tour of duty) are in a remote area of Afghanistan on a mission to secure the release of three doctors held hostage by the Taliban. The hostages are freed and the Taliban captors killed but in the chaos to get out and back to base Casey is killed. Mark and Prince are the only survivors. Mark and Prince must try and make the long journey back to base on foot. There is no time to mourn his friend Casey, and Mark must gain the trust of Prince and use all his wits and survival skills to keep them both alive. Battling injuries, hunger and thirst, they trek over snow covered mountains and across desolate plains and through endless poppy fields. They must avoid the Taliban and keep themselves safe while encountering unpredictable characters and events along the way. On this perilous journey we learn about Mark and his family – his mother’s long illness, his father’s depression after her death – and find out why he became a soldier. As the journey progresses, the bond between man and dog deepens as they grow increasingly dependent on each other to survive. Louis Nowra is a highly regarded and prolific playwright, novelist and screenwriter. He lives in Sydney with his wife, the writer Mandy Sayer. This is Louis’ second young adult novel after his critically acclaimed Into That Forest.