At HG Books, we believe that good writing is like clear chicken soup--it may not cure you of all your ills, but it sure feels good going down. Our readers deserve it.
our featured books
The Ghosts of Anatolia
- Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Award Gold Prize Winner in Fiction 2010
- Hollywood Book Festival 2011 Runner-up in Fiction
- New York Book Festival 2011 Honorable Mention in Fiction
The Ghosts of Anatolia
The Ghosts of Anatolia is an epic tale of three families, one Armenian and two Turkish, inescapably entwined in a saga of tragedy, hope and reconciliation. Beginning in 1914, at the start of the The Great War, confident Ottoman forces suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of the Russians. Pursuing Russian forces drove deep into eastern Anatolia, and the ensuing conflagration, fanned by fear, mistrust and sedition, engulfed the Ottoman Empire. What happened there is contentiously debated, and to this day remains a festering sore of division. This compelling adventure novel brings these events poignantly to life."The Ghosts of Anatolia takes us on a realistic journey into a dark period of genocidal history. My own family endured the horrors on the road to Ras ul-Ain. After reading this gripping novel, I now feel as if I was with them."
—Armand Arabian, Associate Justice, California Supreme Court (retired)
"I was utterly transported to another place and time by Steven Wilson's Ghosts of Anatolia. The plot was engaging and the characters endearing. Wilson's generation and continent-spanning tale is full of love and hardship, war and family, history and mystery. In Ghosts of Anatolia, we follow the extraordinary and complicated character Sirak Kazerian, from his childhood in Anatolia at the dawning of the 20th century, through his education in Jerusalem, to his later life in America. Sirak learns that, though he has fled thousands of miles, he cannot escape his past-the "ghosts" of Anatolia emerge in ways no reader will expect. Wilson's story is a tapestry of contradictions: of boundary-crossing friendships amid religious conflict, of love and letting-go, of feud and forgiveness, and of the boundless power of faith to heal."
—LaVon Kellner, President of Ethis Communications
Ascent From Darkness
Ascent From Darkness
An international thriller of espionage, war, and love, interwoven with profound, world-changing current events. Reluctant CIA operative Stone Waverly is sent to hunt down weapons-grade plutonium stolen from a Ukrainian nuclear plant. The shadowy trail leads from Odessa to Cologne to Amsterdam to Damascus, as agents with terror links manage to evade an international dragnet. Tormented by his past and the betrayals of a fellow operative and those he loves most, Waverly is plunged into a mysterious and perilous world of intrigue and evil in Syria and war-torn Iraq. Everyone is suspect and nothing is as it seems, in a land where Islamic extremists determined to plunge civilization into darkness battle Special Forces, Kurds, and Arabs intent on restoring sanity, dignity, and hope to a world gone mad."An intense, action-packed thriller from cover to cover. Benjamin Franklin Award finalist Steven E. Wilson presents Ascent from Darkness, a thrilling novel set against a backdrop of war, espionage, and hot and cold international clashes. When reluctant CIA agent Stone Waverly is assigned to seek the weapons-grade plutonium stolen from a Ukrainian nuclear plant, his search takes him from Odessa to Cologne to Amsterdam to Damascus. A race against time to stop terror ensues as Waverly, haunted by the past betrayals of a fellow operative as well as those closest to him, navigates the intrigue and outright ruthlessness rampant in Syra and war-driven Iraq. An intense, action-packed thriller from cover to cover. Also highly recommended is Wilson's previous novel."
—Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) October 6, 2007
"Wilson captures the bitter realities and sweet flavors of the modern day professional soldier's experiences. In a rare combination of the stark beauty and emotional depths that exist in the struggles of war, Wilson takes us on a journey over emotional trails that haven't been traveled since Dr. Zhivago."
—Gary R. McElligott, Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Special Forces
"A top CIA agent, with a mission impossible to find weapons-grade uranium in the heart of the Islamic world, becomes a real life "007" who sacrifices family for duty to country when he joins U.S. forces and Iraqi peasants alike in a quest to change the face of the middle east after the overthrow of the Butcher of Baghdad. Masterfully using known facts of the Iraq war, including where weapons of mass destruction may have been hidden and how Saddam Hussein was toppled, Wilson creates a rich fiction which takes you through Syria and Iraq in search of stolen Ukrainian uranium, which if not found, will almost certainly be used by terrorists. This thriller unfolds like a motion picture, complete with forbidden romance, desperate Special Forces operations, and a never-say-die love of country."
—Ms. Terry Gilberg, News/Talk Host, Clear Channel Radio, Phoenix
Winter in Kandahar
2004
Benjamin Franklin Award Finalist, Best New Voice in Fiction
September, 2003
Bowker's Recommended List
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN,
al-Qaida, the Taliban, and the Northern Alliance—history recorded forever. These names conjure images of rugged mountains, ancient cities, hardened Mujaheddin, a country rife with regional rivalries, and the eternal struggle between Tajik and Pashtun. They are indelibly recorded in history. Afghanistan comes to life in this epic adventure of love, betrayal, and war. Young Tajik Ahmed Jan’s heroic journey begins in the Northern Alliance stronghold near Taloqan just a month prior to the al-Qaida 9/11 conspiracy. He is swept away by the chaos that soon engulfs the country before a chance discovery propels him to the forefront of the clash between civilizations. Pursued by both the CIA and al-Qaida, he struggles to save his people from obliteration and find the true meaning of life in a land where all seems lost.Winter in Kandahar is a gripping 464 page epic is destined to be a classic in the genre of Lawrence of Arabia and The English Patient. The story highlights events that are shaping our world. It is both timely and enlightening. Here's what one enthralled reviewer said...
“I loved Winter in Kandahar. It’s a unique and compassionate exploration of this troubled land and a scientific thriller that dissects a new, sinister form of bioterror. The ending is powerful, ironic, and perfect.”
More reviews...—Leslie Sabbagh, Jobson Publishing, LLC
