{"title":"Afn Clarke","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"contact-book-afn-clarke-9781938611179","title":"Contact","description":"\u003cb\u003eCONTACT is a powerful, evocative portrait of warfare...a soldier's story, no punches pulled, no truths varnished over, no cover-ups...revealing the scars of war that affect generations on all sides of a conflict. A story of heartache, courage and hope for peace.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e...the best account we have had of what it is like to serve in Northern Ireland...\u003c\/i\u003e The Times Literary Supplement \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e ...a major contribution to our understanding...Contact is the work of a brave writer.\u003c\/i\u003e Irish News \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGripping, concise and gritty - amazing read \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAFN Clarke's bestselling and controversial autobiography CONTACT is a raw, visceral, no-holds-barred account of his two tours in Northern Ireland (in Belfast and Crossmaglen) with Britain's elite Parachute Regiment in the blood-soaked 1970s during The Troubles. It was first published in 1983, became an instant best seller, was praised by reviewers from various sides of the conflict for its devastating honesty and courage, and made into an award-winning BBC TV film which is still available today through the British Film Institute. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA special hardcover edition released in March 2023 marks the 40th Anniversary of the book's publication. That it's still selling strong after 40 years is a testament to its timeless relevance with readers. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn CONTACT Clarke takes us into the private world of soldiers operating under extreme stress and living each day with their senses on high alert. Where the enemy wears no uniform and shoots from the shadows, and the bomber's trip-wire is an ever-present nightmare. We experience their emotions, fear, courage, humour, bravado and the anguish of death. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe dangers, political agendas and religious roots underlying the conflict are eerily and heartbreakingly similar to Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflict zones today, where soldiers are ordered to hold the lines in an ancient quarrel they have little affinity for, but whose consequences are deadly. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe latest edition includes a section omitted from the original version where Clarke reveals what it was like to be in his twenties, go to hell and come back having nearly died with half his insides missing, suffering from physical, mental and emotional upheaval and being expected to return to a normal life. It's a story of the scars of war that affect generations on all sides of a conflict. Of heartache, courage and hope for peace. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eAvailable as an eBook, Paperback and Hardback.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eADDITIONAL INFORMATION\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCONTACT was reviewed by soldiers who served with Captain Clarke as verification of his recollections. Readers outside the UK are invited to visit Amazon.co.uk for soldier's reviews\/comments. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn support of the peaceful resolution of conflict\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 2010 - in support of their efforts at peacebuilding and conflict resolution - AFN Clarke accepted an invitation from the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Peace Foundation to participate in a \u003ci\u003ePeace \u0026amp; Reconciliation\u003c\/i\u003e conference in Warrington, UK which was attended by individuals from various 'sides' of the Northern Ireland conflict, as well as from other parts of the world embroiled in similar multi-faceted conflicts. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe also travelled to Derry, Northern Ireland, to participate in an associated educational program about 'The Troubles' designed for school children and a panel discussion on 'The Troubles' with representatives from various sides of the conflict. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003ePRESS\/SOLDIER REVIEWS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e...unashamedly personal account...a fascinating view of fighting a war from a perspective which we very rarely experience or hear about. \u003c\/i\u003eIrish Evening Press \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003e...its honesty and passion cannot be denied....Mr Clarke has sent out a powerful and disturbing early warning signal. \u003c\/i\u003eDaily Telegraph \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eOne of the best military stories that I have ever read.\u003c\/i\u003e Steven McLaughlin, Author of Squaddie: A Soldier's Story. UK 2","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49539666149649,"sku":"GOR006037100","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50395738767633,"sku":"CIN1938611179G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53084136112401,"sku":"NIN9781938611179","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53333151482129,"sku":"GOR007341863","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53437602365713,"sku":"CIN1938611179VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1938611179.jpg?v=1751432203"},{"product_id":"orange-moon-affair-book-afn-clarke-9781938611193","title":"The Orange Moon Affair","description":"Thomas Gunn (ex-Special Forces) and his partner Julie are running for their lives. Who are they running from? And why? It all starts when Thomas decides to investigate the mysterious murder of his wealthy industrialist father. Billions have been funneled into a secret project that his father's company no longer controls. A project he desperately needs access to. But when he's stonewalled by UK officials and nearly killed in the U.S., he goes on the attack. Joining forces with MI5 he uses his old skills in covert operations to relentlessly pursue a tangled web of clues across 3 continents. There's got to be a link between the project in Northern Ireland, a microelectronics company in the U.S. and heavily fortified submarine base in Estonia. He just has to find it \u003cp\u003eWith Julie's help and that of her computer expert father, the pieces start to fall into place until they expose an international conspiracy that could destabilise democracies around the world. This explosive revelation throws Thomas and Julie into the path of an unknown enemy with more power and influence than they could ever imagine. An enemy out to destroy them \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut who are these ruthless conspirators that wield such unimaginable power? How are they connected to his father? And what dark secrets from the past will Thomas uncover, in his relentless quest for the truth? This gripping, thought-provoking, hard to put down novel by a master storyteller keeps you on the edge of your seat and guessing to the very last page \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs the son of an MI6 operative, a former officer in Britain's elite Parachute Regiment, a pilot, yachstman, race car driver and bestselling author of Contact, AFN Clarke brings his own unique and eye-opening experiences to this first book of the Thomas Gunn thriller series that's fast -paced, thought provoking and frighteningly real. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAUTHOR INTERVIEW\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy do you think this series has been so well received by readers worldwide?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAFN Clarke: I think it's because from page one, Thomas's world becomes their world  He's a caring, compassionate man who's found love and wants to leave his old life behind him. But when something dramatic and deeply personal shakes him to the core, the only way he knows to right a wrong, expose a crime or bring an enemy to its knees is to go back to who he once was - a Special Forces officer, skilled in assassination, covert operations and international espionage. The problem is, at what cost?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI think readers also appreciate the strong female protagonists essential to the series. Whether motivated by good or evil, they are powerful, independent-thinking women, whose strength of character, insights, skills and intelligence directly determine how the action unfolds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTHOMAS GUNN THRILLER SERIES BOOK CATEGORIES\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach book in the series has its own themes with specific genres as listed below. Throw into the mix the secret agendas of intelligence agencies like MI5, MI6, the FBI, CIA and the manipulation of power by corrupt individuals and you have a heart pumping recipe for compelling plots, explosive action and the thought provoking blurring of lines between fiction and reality.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e - Mystery, Thriller and Suspense Series - Political Thrillers - Financial Thrillers - Techno Thrillers - Murder Mystery - International Mystery and Crime - International Espionage - International Conspiracy - Special Forces Fiction - MI5 - FBI Conspiracy\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53015222878481,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53015222976785,"sku":"NIN9781938611193","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781938611193.jpg?v=1768160331"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-afn-clarke.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}