FROM THE AUTHOR OF MARCHING POWDER, THE PUBLISHING EVENT OF 2016. Blending fact and fiction, Colombiano takes us on a heart-thumping journey into the violent and unpredictable world of post-Escobar Colombia. For seven years Rusty Young, author of the international bestseller Marching Powder, lived and worked in Colombia, interviewing special forces soldiers, snipers, undercover intelligence agents and members of two vicious terrorist organisations u the FARC and Autodefensas. During this time he was both shocked and touched by the stories of child soldiers he encountered. He vowed to one day turn their tales into a book and let their voices be heard. * In Colombia you have to pick a side. Or one will be picked for you . . . All Pedro GutiUrrez cares about is fishing, playing pool and his girlfriend Camila's promise to sleep with him on his sixteenth birthday. But his life is ripped apart when Guerrilla soldiers callously execute his father in front of him, and he and his mother are banished from their farm. Swearing vengeance against the five men responsible, Pedro, with his best friend Palillo, joins an illegal Paramilitary group, where he is trained to fight, kill and crush any sign of weakness. But as he descends into a world of unspeakable violence, Pedro must decide how far he is willing to go. Can he stop himself before he becomes just as ruthless as those he is hunting? Or will his dark obsession cost him all he loves? Colombiano is an epic tale of rural villages held to ransom, of jungle drug labs, cocaine supermarkets, witch doctors and buried millions, of innocent teenage love, barbaric torture and meticulously planned revenge. Superbly told and by turns gripping, poignant and darkly comic, Colombiano is the remarkable story of a boy whose moral descent becomes a metaphor for the corruption of an entire nation. Both blockbuster thriller and electrifying coming-of-age story, Rusty Young's powerful novel is also a meditation on the redeeming power of love. A novel that EXCITES, PROVOKES, ENLIGHTENS u and STRIKES AT YOUR VERY HEART
Untitled
A great insight into a life I would never experience. - Nathan (QBD)
Guest, 21/08/2017
Untitled
Rusty Young's fictionalisation of a traumatic story told by a survivor of the paramilitary in Colombia is an epic read that lovers of adventure and biography won't be able to put down.
Young weaves a gripping narrative full of danger, suspense, faith, love and most importantly, revenge. - Shannon (QBD)
Guest, 17/08/2017
Untitled
Rusty Young has a unique insight into the Colombian Culture after spending many years in a Colombian prison. Colombiano is a work of fiction which follows a young man's journey from love into the illegal paramilitary. This happened after seeing his family destroyed by Guerilla soldiers. It's a compelling read by the best selling author of Marching Powder. RM - Rachel (QBD)
Guest, 17/08/2017
Untitled
Colombiano is a powerful story which blends fact with fiction. It follows the life of a 15yr old boy called Pedro. It takes you through the darker side of Colombia where he joins an illegal paramilitary group. A gripping novel for fans who loved Gregory David Robert's Shantaram. - Maylee (QBD)
Guest, 15/08/2017
Untitled
From the innocence of teenage love to jungle drug labs, Colombiano covers it all.
Pedro's life is forever changed when his father is executed in front of him. To seek revenge on those who killed his father he joins a paramilitary group where he is taught the skills he will need. In a fast paced journey will Pedro find the closure he needs before he becomes as corrupt as those he is hunting. - Jodie (QBD)
Guest, 14/08/2017
Untitled
Combining fact with fiction, Colombiano is a novel that gives us insight into the dark and corrupt history of Colombia.
Pedro was only trying to save his best friend from joining an illegal paramilitary group when his family catches the attention of the Guerrilla Army and his father is executed in front of him.
Pedro descends on a path of revenge to find his fathers killers and finds himself in a world of violence, drugs and corruption. Will he be able to find a way out before it is too late? - Jessica (QBD)
Guest, 14/08/2017
Untitled
Rusty Young has done a phenomenal job of bringing an intriguing perspective to an obscure subject like Child Soldiers, showing readers the heart-wrenching reality these children face while turning their stories into a truly powerful novel. Colombiano is a coming-of-age story twisted into a gripping revenge plot; by the second chapter you'll be wishing you had picked this book up earlier. - Ashlee (QBD)
Guest, 14/08/2017
Untitled
Colombiano is an intense novel, made more so by the knowledge that it is heavily based on fact.
Rusty Young draws on his counter-terrorism efforts within Colombia and his interviews with the children who were victim to the two rival terrorist factions within the country to create his 15-year old protagonist, Pedro. Pedro is forced into the violent reality of the world, and I couldn't turn away. - Alex (QBD)
Guest, 14/08/2017
Untitled
Rusty Young presents an utterly gripping story through Colombiano, dabbling in revenge, violence, and redeeming love! Following the success of Marching Powder, Young gives a harrowing voice to the countless lives sacrificed to terrorism and corruption with a specific focus on child soldiers. Through the eyes of Pedro Gutierrez, readers can expect to be immersed in a desperate battle for humanity. - Linda (QBD)
Guest, 14/08/2017
Untitled
Colombiano sheds light upon the tragic story of child soldiers in Colombia. R. Young drew upon his real experiences in Colombia to create a sobering, thought-provoking tale. Fictitious, but the realism shines through, holding a high degree of accountability to the truth.
Do you enjoy biographies and stark accounts of horrors faced beyond our shores? Look no further; Colombiano is for you. - Jerzy (QBD)
Guest, 14/08/2017
Untitled
I was daunted by the size of this book, but once I got stuck in I couldn't stop reading! This is a world I didn't know much about but I'll definitely be trying Marching Powder after powering through Colombiano. It was a tense novel that pummeled through plot points and twists like there was no tomorrow! - Nicole (QBD)
Guest, 14/08/2017
Untitled
Colombiano is a riveting, tensely written book based on true events in Colombia where the government is at war with it's own people. When Pedro's own father is killed in front of him, he vows to take revenge by joining an illegal paramilitary group where he learns to fight. But how far is too far before he finds himself the cause of the pain and suffering that he is fighting to avenge? - Andrew (QBD)
Guest, 14/08/2017
Untitled
Thrilling, deeply moving and – surprisingly given its subject material – funny, Young’s debut novel Colombiano stands head and shoulders above the pack. It follows Pedro: an optimistic adolescent who is thrust into the depravity of Colombia's child army. Young succeeds not only in making a novel that entrhals but one that inspires, remaining with the reader long after the last page has been turned - Joshua (QBD)
Guest, 14/08/2017
Untitled
A well-researched look into the modern Colombian political and social cliimate. From renegade military groups and youth soldier recruitment, mass killing and forceful execution of loved ones, it's the kind of story that will open your eyes to an entirely new kind of life you never understood on such a personal level.
The kind of book you didn't realise you'd enjoy until you pick it up. - Benjamin (QBD)
Guest, 14/08/2017
Untitled
"They came on a Wednesday to execute my father"
This is the cannon of the first sentence of Colombiano. It leaves you with the feeling that anything you read from this point forward is either leading up to or the aftermath of an event that you know is going to be inevitable. That's what Rusty Young is good at - you're invested, straight from the beginning, and left with a desire to know more. - Madeleine (QBD)
Guest, 14/08/2017
Untitled
I was hesitant to read this book as it's not in my usual genre & I don't usually read such heavy material. But after listening to several interviews with the author, hearing how passionatly he spoke about the books, I knew I had to read it.
I was right about it being a heavy read but Rusty kept it so fast-paced that I couldnt seem to put it down. It was a thought provoking read, start to finish. - Hannah (QBD)
Guest, 14/08/2017
Untitled
This is a fast-paced, action-packed story which moves along at a great rate - hooked from the start! However it is disturbingly violent and graphic and, despite the good story, this is preventing me from enjoying it. - Shoshana (QBD)
Guest, 13/08/2017
Untitled
This is Rusty Young's first foray into fiction for this epic tale of love and loss against the backdrop of the beautiful Colombian landspace.
Young's love for Colombia really comes across in his writing. He is quite good at making you feel emotionally connected to the characters. I was so invested in Pedro's journey, I just had to get to the end of the book, and found it a worthwhile read! - Karina (QBD)
Guest, 13/08/2017
Untitled
Wow, what a novel! The sheer size of it may seem daunting at first but once you start, you can't stop! At first I was a bit hesitant but I steam rolled through it. Colombiano is a dazzling, intricately weaved revenge tale that takes you deep into the heart of Colombias civil war and its devastating effects and the rich emotion at the heart of this story will cling to you long after the book ends. - Karen (QBD)
Guest, 12/08/2017
Untitled
Colombiano is a heart breaking, grittty, often tough to read coming of age story of a boy on the ledge between good and evil. Having winessed his fathers brutal murder and now banished from his home, Pedro seeks revenge, soon heading down a destructive path...will he succumb to the evil that now surrounds him or will he find the strengh to bring himself back from the terror that surround him? - Sarah (QBD)
Guest, 12/08/2017
Untitled
If Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn had been set in Colombia and written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez perhaps he would have created Colombiano.
Rusty Young's first novel is a follow up to the brilliant non-fiction bestseller Marching Powder which has haunted the bestseller lists for nigh on 15 years.
It is a harsh story seen through the eyes of Pedro whose father is shot dead in front of him by guerillas. - David (QBD)
Guest, 12/08/2017
Untitled
Colombiano is both a coming of age and riveting revenge thriller. A world in which the only choice you have is which side you chose to kill for. Pedro is a promising young man until his world is turned upside down by the murder of his father. After witnessing this act of brutality, he swears vengeance against the perpetrators. This pledge begins his descent into a life of violence and cruelty, totally against the morals his father instilled in him as an innocent child. Will his obsession destroy him or can he stop himself from becoming a ruthless killer? - Nola (QBD)
Guest, 12/08/2017
Untitled
Colombiano is all you want in a book. A dash of crime, a dollop of fact and the right amount of heartbreak. Rusty Young is an incredible local author who really knows how to hook a reader from the very first page. With 10% of royalties going to charities that help the child soldiers he wrote about and came to know so well, why would you buy anything else? - Zoe (QBD)
Guest, 12/08/2017
Untitled
This coming-of-age story is like no other. Young boy turned soldier Pedro descends into a world of indescribable violence after his father is killed in front of him. This tale of revenge is a fact meet fiction suspense thriller that is a totally absorbing read. You will be hooked from the very first sentence. - Remy (QBD)
Guest, 12/08/2017
Untitled
An astonishing tale of survival and determination, Rusty Young's "Colombiano' is a uniquely personal portrayal of life in the corrupt Colombian country towns. Pedro Gutierrez is determined to avenge his father, who was brutally executed by the Gurerrilla soldiers, by joining the Paramilitary Unit with his best friend. This exciting and heartbreaking journey is a must have for fans of Shantaram. - Kale (QBD)
Guest, 12/08/2017
Untitled
There is one word to describe Colombiano- EPIC!
This book is intense, heart-stopping, confronting and absorbing!
Colombiano shows the unspeakable horror and brutality of the Guerilla, telling of Pedro's moral descent from an everyday teenager to a child soldier who is becoming as brutal as the men he plans to exact revenge on. How far is he willing to go, and how much will he lose to get it? - Coreena (QBD)
Guest, 12/08/2017
Untitled
This is a jaw-dropping account of child soldiers and drug wars in Colombia. Rusty Young has done the research as it worked secretly for the US government in Colombia, so he's fictionalised all sorts of people and situations in the most compelling way. An unputdownable read that will keep you in the edge of your seat from the first page to the last, Colombiano is not one you want to miss this year! - Emma (QBD)
Guest, 11/08/2017
Untitled
A solid, fast-paced thriller from the author of 'Marching Powder'. Young's familiarity with the region and its perils are clear in this book which, while fictional, draws strongly on interviews with former child soldiers. It's easy to get pulled into Pedro's story - which spirals quickly into violence. There are impossible decisions to make, with savage consequences. Worth persevering with. - Amy (QBD)
Guest, 11/08/2017
Untitled
A rough and gruelling, yet unbelievably gripping tale of child soldiers in post-Escabar Colombia, Columbiano is the story of 15 year old Pedro, a young boy who, after the execution of his father, finds himself descending into a world of terrible violence.
Young portrays the violent underground in almost too vivid detail, a setting that destroys Pedro's innocence and any hope that this might be a book you can read and retain any kind of emotional stability throughout.
Join Pedro as he learns to fight, kill, and crush weakness with an illegal paramilitary group. Learn to hope as he navigates through young love. Hold your breath as he explores drug labs and cocaine supermarkets.
Colombiano explores all this and so much more in it's near 700 pages. A book that should be read slowly to truly take in all the detail, but you won't be able to help speeding through. - Alison (QBD)
Guest, 11/08/2017
Untitled
Rusty Young's new novel Columbiano draws you in to a world of unimaginable events from the very first page. Set in a post-Escobar Colombia, it tells the story of Pedro Gutierre who's world is thrown into turmoil after his father is murdered in front of him. Colombiano seamlessly blends fact and fiction in a gripping story filled with violence, revenge, complex moral issues, and innocence. 5/5! - Samantha (QBD)
Guest, 10/08/2017
Untitled
Pedro Gutiérrez is just a young boy when his life is ripped apart after his father is brutally executed in front of him by the communist Guerrilla soldiers. On a path of revenge, Pedro swears to avenge his father and family. But will he succeed? Colombiano is an epic coming-of-age tale of love and revenge and is a must read by best selling author Rusty Young. - Sophia (QBD)
Guest, 10/08/2017
Untitled
This was a good book for an authors first try at a fiction book. After reading Marching Powder several years ago I thought his next book would be another true crime story. The attention to detail is quite good for most of the book with only a little bit of "waffle" throughout. - James (QBD)
Guest, 10/08/2017
Untitled
Colombiano is an epic, in your face, gripping tale about a 15yr old boy Pedro, who joins an illegal army after his father is brutally executed in front of him. It's violent and unpredictable but at the same time, addictive. Although it is fiction I can't help but believe there is quite a lot of factual content in this story. A great read. - Jo (QBD)
Guest, 10/08/2017
Untitled
Colombiano is fast paced, unpredicateble and utterly shocking in its detail. Young has blended his past events, interveiws and expertise to bring this fiction story to life, I couldnt put it down! You can really get a grasp on what it would have been like to live amongst these children soldiers in a post Escobar world. An absolute must read for anyone who enjoys fact and fiction alike. - Peta (QBD)
Guest, 09/08/2017
Untitled
The lines between fact and fiction are blurred in this one of a kind novel from bestselling author Rusty Young. Pedro, just merely fifteen, is witness to the brutal murder of his father, and desperate to get revenge on the men who tore his family apart, he joins the dark Columbian underbelly of drugs, violence and hurt. Soon he begins to question - at what point does he stop being a good kid seeking revenge and start being as awful as the men who tortured him and his family? Pedro was an extremely interesting protagnist, and I loved the way Young wrote about something so 'adult' from a teenager's perspective.
Fast paced, thrilling and heart breaking, I highly recommend this book to everyone. - Emily (QBD)
Guest, 08/08/2017
Untitled
In Colombia you have to pick a side, or eventually one will be picked for you...
In a masterpiece that blends fact with fiction, international bestselling author Rusty Young presents an electrifying coming-of-age story.
A story of vengeance, innocent love, torture and drugs makes Colombiano an epic tale that is a must read for all True Crime and Criminal Fiction lovers alike. - Adriana (QBD)
Guest, 05/08/2017
Untitled
A compelling tale of revenge and corruption from the author of MARCHING POWDER.
Pedro, 15, joins the paramilitary after seeing FARC guerillas murder his father. After a training regime that makes FULL METAL JACKET look like PLAY SCHOOL, he tracks the guerillas and kills several, but his obsession with revenge endangers his friends and family. A great action-packed thriller with a political twist. - Stephen (QBD)
Guest, 05/08/2017
Untitled
I thought 'Colombiano' was a very gripping and interesting read. It explores the Latino/ Hiispanic culture in a very avante-guarde writing style, in which the author confronts the harsh reality of the thriving drug trade in Columbia and the casualties it leaves behind, particularly the child soldiers who are forced into its crossfire. It is undeniably a page turner that stays with you. - Tiana (QBD)
Guest, 05/08/2017
Untitled
I am obsessed with this book! Rusty Young knows how to write an elegant yet confronting tale and I was hooked from the get go. I have never read much about child soldiers and now that I am, I am horrified at what Colombians have to deal with and fear every day of their lives. And even though this is classified as a fiction title, it is the perfect way to experience a different, real life. - Lisa (QBD)
Guest, 04/08/2017
Untitled
A descent into unspeakeable violence. How far would you go to get revenge of those that killed your father? I am not much of a reader but this book caught me with the first couple of chapters. I was hooked and could not wait to finish it to see what Pedro would do and what his choices would be. If he would lose all that he loved, and if he got his revenge on his father's killers. - Jessica (QBD)
Guest, 03/08/2017
Untitled
Although one I would not usually read, I found Colombiano great to read, it is gripping, poignant and darkly comic, I found it to be a remarkable story of a boy whose moral descent becomes a metaphor for the corruption of an entire nation. Both blockbuster thriller and electrifying coming-of-age story, for redemption over his fathers killers. - Naomi (QBD)
Guest, 03/08/2017
Untitled
Not usually a book that I would pick up and read on my own accord but I found this book to be a very interesting read.It's an epic tale of villages held to ransom, jungle drug labs, cocaine supermarkets, witch doctors and buried millions.With innocent teenage love, barbaric torture and planned revenge it has a bit of everything in there for everyone. Another great read if you love Marching Powder. - Cassandra (QBD)
Guest, 03/08/2017
Untitled
'Traitor if you do, Liar if you don't'
In the war torn Colombian town of Llorona, young Pedro Gutiérrez learns from a young age how to stay away from all the fighting factions. However, when his father is murdered in front of him and he and his mother are cast away from their home, Pedro makes a decision to change the course of his life from one of peace to that of war and vengeance. - Grace (QBD)
Guest, 03/08/2017
Untitled
Colombiano by Rusty Young proves to be a realistic and confronting account of a young boy soldier's transition from boy to manhood following his quest for vengence after major executions by Guerrilla soldiers struck his home town. - Katelyn (QBD)
Guest, 03/08/2017
Untitled
With us or against us, live or die, the decision is yours!
Rusty Young gives us confronting insight into the tragic human side of the pervasive and noxious world of the evil Colombian cocaine drug cartels and the people whose lives are controlled by these ruthless drug lords and their recruits. Compulsive reading! - Janet (QBD)
Guest, 03/08/2017
Untitled
This is the second novel written by Rusty Young. It tells the tale of a boy who is thrust into a world of unspeakable violence in Colombia. A gripping and poignant read about the underworld in Colombia based on the writer's true life experiences. - Colette (QBD)
Guest, 03/08/2017
Untitled
A unique blend of fact and fiction, Colombiano is a gritty tale based on almost unbelievable real life experiences of child soldiers in South America. The author himself said that their stories affected him deeply and changed his life. After reading this book I totally see why. A great read from another great Australian author! - Steven (QBD)
Guest, 02/08/2017
Untitled
Rusty Young, international bestselling author of Marching Powder. Welcome to the fiction stage. Look out James Swallow. Stand aside Brad Thor. All of these giants should be trembling in their boots with the release of Colombiano. Rusty Young has delivered a quick punch in the guts to the genre. Drawing on his lifetime of experience with Colombian culture and his work in anti-terrorism, Colombiano is a novel of vengeance, brutality and the human condition in one of the most violent countries on Earth. An innocent boy torn from his family faces a lifetime of barbarism in order to avenge the death of his father. An instant favourite for me. - Samantha (QBD)
Guest, 01/08/2017
Untitled
Never before has a fiction writer been able to encapsulate the lives and motives of child soldiers in such a terrifyingly real and haunting way. The way Pedro's actions and decisions are fuelled by revenge and as a reader witnessing his innocence being taken so young makes this a heart stopping and thoroughly captive read. - Kimberley (QBD)
Guest, 31/07/2017
Untitled
Young draws upon his real-life experiences in Colombia to weave together tragedy and triumph in this fact-meets-fiction novel of political violence and drug cartels, focussing on the use of children-soldiers as cannon-fodder, and where they end up. An absorbing read that brilliantly bridges the gaps between Crime, True Crime and Suspense/Thriller. 'Marching Powder' gets the 'Shantaram' treatment. - Jeremy (QBD)
Guest, 31/07/2017
Untitled
Pedro Gutierrez had a carefree life, but when his dad is murdered by Guerrilla Soldiers he swears vengeance against the men who did it. Banished from home Pedro & best friend Palillo join an illegal group where they train to fight & kill. Consumed by revenge can Pedro stop himself before he becomes as bad as who he's hunting? Or will retribution cost him everything? - Alicia (QBD)
Guest, 30/07/2017
Untitled
Confucius said: Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.
The moral implication of this quote strikes at the core of Rusty Young's new novel “Colombiano”.
In this coming of age story we follow a young boy named Perdo, whom after seeing his parents brutally murdered, joins a paramilitary group with the aim of seeking revenge. The book explores many issues of mortality as Perdo slowly realises he is becoming the monster which he is seeking. Combining fiction and reality, Young creates a mesmerising story that is both factious and factual. A truly inspiring and majestic read for readers of all types. - Adrian (QBD)
Guest, 30/07/2017
Untitled
The book pages were flying from right to left as I devoured myself on this fantastic read!
A gripping tale that feels as though it was ripped straight from the news headlines! 'Colombiano' is a dark tale that unflinchingly grabs you by the hand and pulls you into a world of crime, vengeance and corruption. - Caitlin (QBD)
Guest, 29/07/2017
Untitled
Rusty Young's newest release since his breakout hit “Marching Powder”, 'Colombiano' uses a unique insight to paint a reality as gritty as it is gripping, post-Escobar Colombia. Blending Young's recent experiences living in this reality, with his interviews and relationships with those he met during, 'Colombiano' forges a larger-than-life narrative, grounded firmly in reality. A truly unique read. - Samuel (QBD)
Guest, 29/07/2017
Untitled
I found Colombiano to be very interesting, intriguing, almost educational .
Pedro is a child soldier out for revenge on Guerilla soldiers who murdered his father. He soon has the moral dilemma of becoming just like the Guerillas.
Colombiano is well researched and excellently written.
The short chapters keep the story moving at a cracking pace.
You won't be able to put it down once you start. - Peter (QBD)
Guest, 28/07/2017
Untitled
Pedro's world comes crashing down, after his father is murdered right in front of him and his family loses everything. This young teen must learn how to fight and kill in order to exact his promised revenge. But his course leads him into the arms of an illegal paramilitary group with his best friend, where he must decide how far he will go. Pushed by the dedication of his peer group and driven by his need for vengeance and his lust for strength.
What path does Pedro choose?
Will his friendship help him or hinder him?
Does he become as vial as those on whom he vows revenge?
You will have to read to find out.
This book sucks you straight into the story of this character and has you spending the whole book praying for Pedro to succeed. You will feel the amount of turmoil Pedro must confront and will see how small steps toward what you think is right, can lead to a huge downfall. You will not want to put this book down until you have your answers. - Sam-Maree (QBD)
Guest, 26/07/2017
Untitled
Well known for the international bestseller ''Marching Powder", Rusty Young is back with an electrifying coming-of-age story about a colombian teenager Pedro, who joins an illegal paramilitary group to pursue his goal of revenge on the men who murdered his family. Thrust into a world of violence and cruelty, Pedro must decide how far he is willing to go to avenge his loved ones. - Mitchell (QBD)
Guest, 25/07/2017
