Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel, received in exchange for an honest review.
Pedro Gutierrez is a teenager living in Colombia, spending weekends fishing with his dad is his only pastime, that and desperately waiting until his sixteenth birthday, when his girlfriend Camilla has promised to lose her virginity to him. However, that all changes when the Guerrilla forces charge his home and kill his father right in front of him. Desperate for revenge, Pedro risks everything to join the illegal Paramilitary and get justice. As he comes up in the ranks, Pedro begins to realize that his quest for revenge is becoming an obsession and putting everyone he loves at risk.
“Colombiano” by Rusty Young is a tough book to read. On one hand, the novel is long. Over 800 pages of graphic violence, drug use and guerilla warfare, it is not for the faint of heart. It reads like a non-fiction memoir, although it claims to be fiction novel based on real events, and the reality of this storyline is thought-provoking and eye-opening.
Pedro is a character that is easy to root for. Although he is struggling to live in a gang-controlled third world country, his passion and desperation for revenge are emotions that anyone can connect with. The story is told from his perspective throughout, and all 800 pages are full of intense action. Young has a talent for storytelling, as his novel is well thought out, his characters are well developed and there is a nice flow to the plot, each chapter segueing nicely into the next.
This was a difficult novel for me to review. The story was told very well, and I had no problems with the format or the style of the novel. It was full of dramatic elements, and ended in a satisfying way. Based on Young’s storytelling alone, the novel would be a five-star read.
However, I am not a fan of the non-fiction memoir, and this novel reads like it belongs in this genre. Haltingly real and powerful, the gruesome story of guerrilla warfare in Colombia is not something I would’ve picked up on my own. Had this novel not been passed on to me by the publisher, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. I wanted to see this novel through to the end, as I was invested in Pedro and what his outcome would be, but I also was desperate to finish the 800 pages so I could move on to something else.
“Colombiano” is a novel that shouldn’t be entered into lightly. It is powerful and violent, and will provide perspective to those of us living our comfortable First World lives. It will teach you something, and open your eyes to the dark evils in other parts of the world, which has its own appeal. For me, this novel was not what I expected, in many ways, but the non-fiction style was a little disappointing and made this story a little “less” than it could have been.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Havelock & Baker Publishing, and the author Rusty Young.
This was an interesting concept, and I was intrigued to discover more about Colombia and it's tragic drug war history.
However, it felt much too long, and I really struggled to make my way through it. I agree with some of the other reviewers in their opinion that Young isn't a very natural writer. The dialogue and narrative felt stilted and forced all the way through, and unfortunately the characters felt one-dimensional and undeveloped.
Hard work, 2.5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Havelock & Baker for providing me with this engrossing, intense ARC in return for an honest review. This was a powerful epic which featured violence, family devotion, moral choices, young love, and a country ripped apart.

I found the story informative and was totally absorbed. I had been in Colombia a very short time in a small town on the Amazon, but my knowledge of the country was severely limited. I knew a bit about Pablo Escobar from Netflix, and how the country was the centre of jungle drug labs, cocaine manufacturing and distribution. I was aware of political turmoil, guerrilla insurgents, death squads, kidnapping, which made it a dangerous place. Reading the book gave me a greater understanding of the country, and how it’s people often had to go against their moral values to survive.

The almost 700 pages was not a deterrent, as I was gripped by the exciting, suspenseful plot from the beginning. Everything was important to understand the extreme dangers, heartbreaking losses, and the mindsets of the characters.

Pedro Gutierrez was a normal fifteen-year-old boy who enjoyed helping on the family farm, going fishing with his father, attending church with his mother, and hanging out with his girlfriend, Camila, and with his best friend, Palillo. One terrible day he witnessed his father brutally murdered by guerrilla soldiers. He and his mother were ordered off their farm and forbidden to give the father a religious burial on consecrated grounds. Pedro vowed revenge on his father’s killers.

This led Pedro with his friend, Palillo, to voluntarily join the Autodefencas, a paramilitary group where they endured brutal training and rose in the ranks. Pedro witnessed barbaric torture of guerrilla fighters and their deadly retaliation. The training led to a moral descent and hardened him for vengeance for his father’s death. Thoughts of revenge became an obsession.

Paramilitary groups, which included the Autodefencas, were comprised mainly of wealthy land or business owners who formed private armies and death squads. Both the paramilitaries and the guerrilla fighters trained and utilized child soldiers. Some were tricked or kidnapped into the militia. Others joined willingly, preferring the training camps to abusive situations at home.

The Guerrillas consisted mainly of peasants. They claimed to be fighting against poverty and social inequality with the aim of toppling the government and replacing it with communism.

The author, Rusty Young, interviewed child soldiers in Colombia. This is a brilliant work of fiction and has a definite ring of truth.

WOW, Wow, Wow and wow. There are no words to describe just how, astonishingly, good this book is.
I really enjoyed Marching Powder, so when I was asked to read and review Colombiano for the publisher and #Netgalley I jumped at the chance. To be honest, I was a little worried that I would struggle to understand the politics of a 'war book' but there was nothing to fret about; this was, hands down, one of the best books I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

It's post Pablo Escobars Colombia, but now the country is in the midst of a devastating civil war. The army and police can't, or won't, protect it's civilians from the communist Guerilla forces, so a new fighting force is born; the Autodefensas. Their aim is to fight back and defeat the terrorists and ultimately restore law and order.

Fifteen-year-old Pedro lives on a small farm in the town of Llorona with his hardworking, loving parents. He's doing well in school, has a beautiful girlfriend, he goes to church regularly and enjoys fishing with his father. It was a good life but Llorona has been taken over by the guerilla soldiers. The charming little town is now a lawless, terrifying place. There are kidnappings and murders daily, every citizen is forced to pay vacunas; taxes the guerilla use to fund their war. The only thing thriving now is cocaine production and the corrupt politicians that are only interested in helping themselves.
After a terrible tragedy, and whilst still, in a fog of grief and anger Pedro joins the Autodefensa's. Not because he believes in what they do, but because he wants revenge. Will it make him feel better? Or will his obsession for justice take from him all the good things left in his life?
The author writes Pedro's journey, from angry child soldier set on punishing all those who have wronged, to a mature, brave and forgiving hero, so well you feel like you are there by his side the whole time. I was on the edge of my seat; dodging every bullet with him, feeling the emotional highs of a victory and the devastating lows of a loss.
This book will take you through more emotions than you even knew you had and you'll enjoy every bloody word.

Captivating from start to finish!
“The war was like a slow burning campfire onto which both sides occasionally threw wood. And that’s probably the way it would’ve continued, if not for the arrival of the
Autodefensas”. ( United Self-Defenders of Colombia).

The campaign against organize crime in Columbia, has caused a violent response, increasing vulnerability of the civilian population due to the skirmishes between the organizations and the federal forces.

Author Rusty Young, Australian born, was recruited as a Program Director of the U.S. Government anti-kidnapping program in Columbia.
It was so dangerous, that Rusty Young, had to keep his job completely secret from his family and friends.
Hate, violence, drugs, children soldiers, a divided country.....Columbia had the highest murder rate of journalists in the world. Rusty, himself wasn’t a true journalist- but he might as well have been. He was working in a country with two terrorist organizations whose members numbered in the tens of thousands.
The first group was the FARC Guerrilla. Farmers aimed to fight poverty and social inequality by toppling the government and installing communist rule. To fund their revolution, they taxed businesses and kidnapped their rich, appropriating their lands for redistribution to the poor.
The second group - the Paramilitaries- was created in response. Wealthy land business owners, tired of the governments failure to protect them, formed their own private militias and ‘death squads’.

Young’s dedication to human rights - risking the safety of his own life - and the lives of others he interviewed - being in the heart of corruption and violent crimes - tells me that Rusty Young is one heck of an extraordinary human being....let alone an exciting storyteller.

This story - fact and fiction IS GRIPPING - written in storytelling - dramatic- style. It reads like a thriller.....true crime suspense with frightening - complicated revenge, danger, betrayal, power struggles, cocaine, punishment, death, and eventually a form of redemption.

The book begins when Pedro Gutierrez, the teenage adolescent narrator, was 15 years of age.
Pedro’s father was executed in front of him by Guerrilla soldiers. He and his mother were extradited from their farm. Pedro retaliates by joining an illegal paramilitary group with his close friend Palillo.

It’s a long book - but reads fast: Pedro, Palillo, and the other teens are brave in the face of unimaginable adversity.
Engrossing from the first page. Stunning story of strength and survival. It is sometimes brutal....but always fascinating. It shows terrorism at a shockingly personal level.

“Child-soldiers”....( two words that don’t belong together), has always been unfathomable to me. But “Colombiano ” is a wrenching, and mesmerizing important story.
Rusty Young describes the unthinkable, and the unforgettable.

Inspiring triumph....this book shines with energy - leaving a profound impression on the reader. I never - EVER- expected THIS BOOK - to be SUCH A PAGE TURNER....but anyone who starts it, is bound to have their own unputdownable experience.

“Crouching in a ditch with Palillo, an hour before dawn, I realized my life was now divided in two. The time before Papa. And the time after.
“My dream of running the ‘finca’, ( Farm), with him and taking it over during his old age was shattered, and I replaced it with a far darker ambition: to track down and punish his murderers”.

Powerful as can be!
Many thanks to Lily at Havelock & Baker Publishing with the advance gift of both the Audiobook and ebook. Listening to interviews with the author - enriched my admiration for Rusty Young.
Thanks again, Lily .....( I’m genuinely glad I read this....I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget.

Kudos to Rusty Young.....( mean guy...now I ‘must’ read your first book, Marching Powder”). I loved your interview talking about Bolivia, and your ‘REQUEST’ to stay in the San Pedro prison. Glad you never smuggled drugs in! Ha!

Colombiano is a fictional novel based on interviews with real people. It takes the reader on a journey into the heart of Colombia, but its a heart that has been cleft in two and ripped apart. Rural Colombia is beset by the Communist revoluntaries of FARC who, in their quest to topple the status quo, have set out a reign of terror. Faced against the Guerrillas (as they are generally referred to in the book) are a paramilitary black ops organization, the Autodefensas Unidas. The Autodefensas are not regular army and the army and the government can claim lack of knowledge for anything the Autodefensas do. And, in the background is the cocaine industry, which pays for the Guerrillas and infects the wealthy class.

Pedro is growing up in a small town, going to high school, dating Camila, making plans to go to the university together in Bogota. But, this is a world of child-soldiers and, after Pedro is seen with Autodefensas recruiters, Pedro's father is brutally murdered in front of him by the Guerrillas and he and his mother are forbidden from ever setting foot on their property again. Pedro swears vengeance and joins the Autodefensas with his best friend. They train on a secret base, reminiscent of any grunts being whipped into shape on any military training facility. The weak are separated from those who succeed. But, one difference, there is no room for the weak or the disloyal in the Autodefensas and the brutality and murders that take place among the teenage recruits turn them from innocent teenagers to violent mercenaries. Through it all, Pedro never stops plotting revenge.

It is a long book, but wonderfully written from Pedro's point of view as he plots his vengeance and climbs through the ranks of the Autodefensas. The story portrays the world of the child-soldiers across Latin America, Africa, and other places. It shows where vengeance leads as it eats you alive and spits you out and poisons everything it touches. The story shows how the circle of violence keeps growing as one act leads to another and everyone is caught up in it and Pedro can't let go no matter the consequences. Ultimately, it shows a world rotten at its core and few ways to escape.

This is a terrific novel and well worth reading. Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

A very powerful and incredibly disturbing book. Right from the beginning this book keeps you engrossed. The author has done a fantastic job while writing the story of Pedro. The characters in the book were well developed and believable. I had mixed reactions while reading the book, it was totally unputdownable but at times it was so depressing and hard hitting that you wanted to read something light in between. A really good book! Thanks to Havelock & Baker Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book.

Colombiano is a terrific book for both general readers and motivated young adults. In Pedro, Young has created a sympathetic, complex, and realistic adolescent narrator. Clearly, the author's experience lends considerable authority to his story's historical and social context, and as a writer he sustains riveted interest at near-epic length. Among the many things I loved about the book were its attention to both the inner and outer details of a child soldier's life; its balance in presenting the turmoil of civil war; its echoes of classical literature like Antigone and The Odyssey; and it's touches of humor amidst the horror. Young does a very nice job honoring young love (and lust), as well. HIGHLY recommended!

A riveting saga set in Colombia depicting the the brutal conflict between the guerrillas and the Autodefensas - illegal paramilitary, with the mostly helpless and hapless government army making guest appearances every so often. Fifteen-year-old Pedro Gutierrez grows up overnight when his father is mercilessly gunned down in front of him leaving him and his mother to fend for themselves. He vows revenge against the men who ordered the killing and joins the Autodefensas to begin his voyage into the violence and ruthlessness he’s determined to master with singular focus - avenge his father’s death and more. Along the way we experience what life was like in Colombia during the decades of violence, drug trafficking, and lost childhoods. Despite its length, the novel clips through at a steady pace creating the space for character growth and development - Pedro is conflicted at times, there are tough decisions to be grappled with, and yes, tough killings to be made. But this novel is about more... It’s about friendship, love, moral dilemma. It's about what the human being can inflict upon one another. It's about what the human being can endure. It’s about what the human being can overcome. A great read and would highly recommend it. Thanks to Havelock & Baker Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Colombiano. Time well invested!

I enjoyed Marching Powder by the same author so I was looking forward to reading the author's second book. The story is good but does not really move fast enough for me. The characters are believable and the situations they find themselves in are described very vividly; the story moves along but seems to take a long time to get there. Overall I would have preferred if the pace of the story was a good bit faster.

"Its strange to think that a quick decision taken in the heat of a single moment could change the course of a boys life".

And that one quote sums up 700 pages of text.

This is the story for Pedro and his friends, all teenagers, all for various reasons are tangled up in war funded by cocaine, criminals and the corrupt. This is the story of how ruthless human beings can be.

I haven't read much on Colombia and from the first chapter I was pulled in, this book is so readable the words flow as easily as the Colombian rivers mentioned. As someone who doesn't mind reading a bit of gore I had to put this book down on many occasions due to the graphic content, maybe because it's based on true stories, maybe because its teenagers or maybe because it's so damn real I felt I was there.

This book made me think of all the wars going on today, all the children being trained as fighters, the corruption, the blind eyes.

I felt a lot of things reading this book but not the 700 pages. This book is a journey that deserves every star available.

In the interests of transparency, I was approached by Havelock & Baker Publishing to provide a review of this book. However, all the opinions I express are genuine and my own.

I had never heard of Rusty Young before being approached to read this book, but now he is an author I will be keeping an eye out for!

Colombiano is a wonderful fact based fiction account of ‘Pedro’ a child solider from Columbia. From the very beginning you get caught up in Pedro’s world, you feel the bonds of friendship he makes, the love he feels as well as the pain. You can understand what drove these young people to join these warring factions...and you can see how these organisations recruited and preyed on them at a time they were looking for direction most.

I have not been able to put this book down, I wanted to know what happened and didn’t want the book to end in equal measure. It takes a skilled author to weave what must have been at times harrowing accounts into a sensitive and compelling fiction that still conveys that despite moving in an adult world most of us will never experience, they were still just teenagers.

Please read this book. I really don’t think you’ll regret it.

An important subject but this didn't work for me as a novel. It reads more like long-form journalism than the voice of a traumatised young man and the emotions of the characters feel quite simplistic. DNF

The author, well known for his first book Marching Powder, telling to story of an inmate in Bolivia's San Pedro jail, has since spent eight years in Colombia. He worked under cover for the US Government in counter terrorism, interviewing a wide range of people from soldiers and hostages, to those displaced by the fighting. According to the author, the most heartwrenching stories were those of the child soldiers recruited by the two main terrorist organisations - FARC and Autodefensas.

This is a violent, cruel storyline, and the author states it is a work of fiction which is based on the true story of an ex-child soldier. In the authors own words: "Some parts of this story are real. Most are fictionalised and informed by my own experiences and historical research. These children's pasts were complicated and painful. Their stories affected me deeply and changed my life. I felt they needed to be told." It is reasonable to assume the author based his story on an amalgamation of different peoples stories, and he was right to be upfront about the fictional nature. It allows the reader to forgive some of the more dramatic aspects.

Despite being almost 700 pages long, this is still a fast moving, high octane story. Set in Colombia after the removal of Pablo Escobar, it revolves around the civic unrest, corruption where money controls the situation, the cocaine trade and the guerilla insurgents fighting the military and the police, and a private militia. But more it is the impact of this on families and loved ones of the soldiers.

The story is told in the first person, from the perspective of our protagonist, Pedro, who at the start of the book is 15 years old, and is forced to watch his father executed by the guerillas. If this sounds a little too violent for you, chances are you won't get through more than 20 pages before determining this isn't for you. While naive, and easily influenced, Pedro is a character is is easy to sympathise with, aching for his revenge on those who murdered his father, his path is not straight forward.

The story is captivating. It twists and turns, doesn't fail to deliver surprises, and of course revels in revenge and the violence of the life of a paramilitary.

Five stars for fiction is pretty rare for me, but so is cracking through a 700 page book in 4 days, and enjoying it from cover to cover.

5*

Many thanks to Havelock & Baker Publishing for a copy provided in return for a review.

This book is incredibly thick and took a long time to read; and was worth every second. This incredible story, steeped in fact, is engaging, exhilarating and heart wrenching. The characters are defined, realistic and believable, as are the circumstances of their lives and situations. To be able to immerse ourselves in what happens to these kids in countries where terrorist groups abound and are as well known as the locals is amazing and important. This “true story”, which reads like a novel, is timely, smart and a must read!

A powerfully moving story of a Colombian child-warrior in a narrative that exposes the far left vs far right revolution; the abuses, cocaine trafficking, corruption and tragedies of that terrible period. Based on real events, he reveals how his lack of discipline and temper caused the lives of many innocent lives and the loss of his own innocence. Perhaps somewhat too long, and hampered by a tendency to end chapters with a phrase like "I'd soon learn the cost of my mistake", but readable and absorbing to the last page.

Sorry for the delay in reviewing. A family health emergency has short-circuited my normal reading habits. This is a very good story if you are into the narco, cartel, and life in underdeveloped countries. It takes you through the life of a young man, his joining the auto-defense and his rise in the ranks, and his eventual leaving. It gets a bit graphic at times, and very cold hearted for a lot of the book. What is the most amazing thing to me is that most of the main characters are kids! Kids who should be getting ready for their junior proms, rather than preparing and going to battle. You forget about that as your reading and then something pops up to remind you and you think "These are just children".

Highly recommend.

I must admit, when the publishers asked me to read & give an honest review on this book I had my reservations. Rusty Young's first book is my all time book to recommend so I was worried that my pre conception of 'it's not going to be any where near as good' would ruin the read.

HOW WRONG I WAS! Now don't get me wrong, nothing will beat Marching Powder but this book has me sucked in from the first chapter.

Each characters stories were so well written, whether they were a main character or just a small part, you felt entrapped in their lives, their struggles, their grief.

Pedro & Paillio have the most amazing friendship built on such a solid foundation that you grow with every step of their journey.

The horrors that are depicted throughout felt so real I was actually gasping at points and I'm not ashamed to admit I had years rolling down my cheeks quite a few times.I

I've never been one to pick up a book that tells a story of war or anything military but I am so pleased I have this a chance.

Amazingly written, well thought out, gripping, heartfelt & emotionally captivating.

Massive thumbs up to Rusty Young... You've done it again!

Wow! This is a huge book, but don’t be put off. The sheer knowledge Young has and the time spent in the region shows. Well planned and well thought out, I imagine this is based on many of the people he met and their stories, we follow Pedro through his journey to become a child soldier, the senseless violence and trauma the citizens have to endure. A brutal novel, well worth reading.

Rusty Young began his research for a non-fiction book about child soldiers but after interviewing a few he found that a better avenue would be to create a work of fiction weaving together the stories into a tale of one young boy Pedro. Pedro's life is changed when his father is murdered in front of him by Guerrilla's who refuse to let him move or bury the body. In fact the whole town refuses to help Pedro so he swears revenge, joining an illegal paramilitary group to help him exact revenge of the men who were responsible.

This is a long book but it is an interesting, and compelling read. Pedro is relateable and sympathetic as a character and if even a 10th of this book is real it is devastating. Colombian politics have always been unsettling but this really puts it in perspective. Each side saying they are fighting for the people and that the other faction is "bad" and the death toll mounts and the violence continues. The people stuck between all of this just keep trying to live their lives but sometimes not taking a side isn't as easy as you would think.

When I thought of child soldiers I always think of those in Africa, stolen and drugged, forced to fight for whatever side abducted them but this is not that story. Here you are recruited, lured with promises of money and power. But what may have started out as a way to exact revenge or become more powerful quickly turns into a reality of violence, blind obedience and/or death.

Well researched, well written and easy to read Colombiano is worth the time needed due to its length.