Description
After Danny Benson finishes medical school he wants nothing
more than to start his residency and settle down to marry his fiancée, Heather.
But on the day of his final exam, Danny receives a letter.
The engagement is off. Heather's baffling explanation: she's going to London where she will travel overland on the Magic Bus to Kathmandu.
His plans shattered, Danny finds himself on a journey thousands of miles from
home, in search of the woman he loves. When he discovers her on a bus somewhere
east of Europe the reunion is less than stellar. They spend the entire
ride to Afghanistan debating whether to stay together or break up forever.
Now, arriving in Kabul, exhausted from their long bus trip, fate will decide
their dispute for them. The following day, December 27th, 1979, the Soviet
Union invades Afghanistan.
What happens next is their moment of truth as Danny and Heather collide with
history.
The Story Behind This Book
How the world was 30 years ago, a different time.
OVERLAND appeals to multiple groups of people with varied interests, and appeals to both women and men. It is a very nice love story, but not in the Harlequin’ish way (with all due respect to Harlequin romances). But there’s so much more: History of the Soviet Union’s actual invasion of Afghanistan on December 27, 1979. This is where Danny and Heather, two of the main characters are caught in the wrong place in the wrong time. The story has loads of adventures and lots of traveling and cultural diversity.
Also, it will appeal to cultures around the world as Islam, Christianity, Hindu and Buddhism just weave and merge in and out of the story. There are some moral and human lessons that even though we may be defined by our culture or religion, or both, we’re all just people…and especially now, we all need to be reminded of that.
Praise and Reviews
Sara Wolf Stevens' Review of Overland
What
a magical story! Mark not only gives us a story about love, he also
provides action, adventure, and suspense. I found this book to flow as
I turned each page and was taken away to far away places by Mark's
vivid descriptions and incorporation of historical events. I would
highly recommend this book to fans of all genres for its appeal to
entertain the reader and keep you hooked all the way to the end.
From Jennifer Foust:
"Your
story was so intoxicating...your writing so picturesque without being
wordy, the locales were postcard perfect, you really not just painted
the image with your words, but I could hear the sounds and smell the
scents of each scene that you described...I really felt as though I was
there, as though I was Danny. I adore Emily, even the briefly
introduced Anna. That's what I mean, you described each character, that
they became people in my world. I even found myself weeping at the Tea
Garden when they embrace at the end. And although you realistically
described the horrific personal tradgies of war, I loved the way the
doctors and towns folks were united and had the intimate relationships
that this environment created. And you made it realistic but not gory
where you want to skip thru it, I wanted to read every word because
even with the bad you worked in a bit of compassion/good over
evil/humanity at it's best a the time when it was it's worst. And the
village story where Emily and Danny have their hut was such a romantic
and perfectly time respite from the realistic war. From the birth then
it went to the war and threat of death but ended in the escape...I just
didn't want to put it down but at the same time I didn't want to read
it too fast because each section was so wonderful I didn't want it to
end. Your story has everything...one minute I was laughing, then
teary-eyed. This would make one heck of a movie, like "The Notebook"
quality movie.
From Lindsey Landis:
"Mark, I just finished your book! What a page-turner! You did a fantastic job! "