This is without doubt the best and most readable account of a modern combat soldier's life that I have read. The unique relationship between officer and soldier is brilliantly explored, as is the impact of war on loved ones left behind. Then there's the raw fear, the shock of the real thing, the loss of comrades and the sense of absolute mutual commitment that carries the day. I cannot commend it too much. A modern classic
General Lord Richards A must-read debut
Tom Newton-Dunn A raw novel about the war in Afghanistan . . . the book smells completely authentic
Observer
Gripping . . . the ending is genuinely shocking
Daily Mail
One of the best novels about the Afghanistan war. Brutally honest, it could have been a memoir. Read Rain
David Axe Simply superb. It could become the defining account of British soldiers in Afghanistan
Tom Petch, Writer and Director of 'The Patrol' An extraordinary book: authentic, beautifully written and very moving
Saul David Thrilling, gut-wrenching and profoundly moving, this book, like all the very best novels of war, has the utterly compelling grip of authenticity
James Holland A powerful and moving story of war with all the authenticity of a memoir
Charles Cumming One of the most powerful and emotional works ever written about British soldiers in battle. Troubling, funny, upsetting, exhilarating and deeply moving. You will never forget it
Colonel Richard Kemp Rain is not merely good, it's remarkable. Powerful, at times unbearably harrowing, it captures both the fear and exhilaration of men pushed to breaking point
Jeremy Paxman A wonderfully achieved, enthralling and moving novel of war. Its authenticity is as telling as it is terrifying
William Boyd Riveting. The evocation of life in a warzone is captivatingly real . . . As well as the extraordinary detail there's a heartrending emotional depth . . . The result is eye opening and harrowing. A really powerful debut
Sunday Mirror
Incredibly powerful. The best thing I've read on the war in Afghanistan . . . Some books have to be read - this is one
Sun
No better on-the-ground description of Britain's war in Afghanistan will ever be written. Rain is what Chickenhawk or, more recently, Matterhorn was to Vietnam. It's unputdownable, except for when the reader needs to draw breath or battle a lump in the throat
Evening Standard
The best book about the experience of soldiering I've read since Robert Graves's First World War classic Goodbye To All That. Campbell is a fantastic writer . . . Rain is a heartbreaking, brutally truthful first novel written with love and respect for the guys in the frontline
Sunday Times