Verdict: carrot
House of War is a compelling blend of historical material and topical reference. Set in present-day Afghanistan, it features one Sebastian Burke, an ex-Rhodesian, now British, academic who is searching for the lost city of Ay Khanoum in Northern Afghanistan where, he believes, Alexander the Great’s Royal Diaries may have been kept in the temple of Ares, the god of war.
With him on the quest is Claire Finch, an American documentary film-maker, two photographers, and one Professor Abdulov, an Uzbek academic.
The story, then, is a classic quest narrative, complete with a fabulous, near-mythical prize. Afghanistan being al-Qaeda territory, there is also no lack of adversaries – in this instance apparently intent upon preventing Sebastian from perpetuating the non-Islamic aspects of Afghan history.
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