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Rebels of Mindanao: A Novel
Al Qaeda terrorists are spreading silently throughout the globe wreaking violence on all who oppose them. Their newest target: the small Philippine island of Mindanao. On the brink of civil war, success in Mindanao would trigger a chain reaction across the pacific threatening democracy and peace around the globe.Haunted by the failure of his last mission and the lost lives of his team, Thomas Thornton had hoped to escape his former life as a military operative, seeking the calm beauty of tropical Mindanao. When two West Point friends, now high ranking officials in the government and military, ask him to run one last op, he finds himself in the fray once more. Thornton recruits a hunter-killer team of Manobo tribesmen to begin covert actions against the insurgency. The mission: eliminate a Turkish warrior carrying millions in cash into Mindanao to finance an Islamic revolution. The deal: make the Turk and the cash disappear, no questions asked.
- GenresFiction
301 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
18 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
Tom Anthony
2 books1 followerTom Anthony graduated from West Point and spent six years as an Army officer. Following his discharge, he earned an MBA in International Business and lived all over Europe and Asia working for a large U.S. multinational as well as smaller, new technology companies. Tom lived in Mindanao for seven years, where he had close contact with military and political leaders of the highest stature. His personal observation of the struggle that continues to this day became the basis for this first novel. Tom currently resides in Southern California.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Currently reading
January 3, 2009I gather a very recent review of this book from my editor. I am reading the free chapters, while I am planning to read a copy of this.
My editor's article about this book is posted below. Its posted today, January 3 and would be read in our web (www.mindanews.com) tomorrow, January 4. I posted it here because it might also interest the rest.
I am hoping to have a copy of this soon, if the author distributes many copies in local bookstores.
-VMG
------
"Rebels of Mindanao" book author says it's fiction with "a lot of truth to what's going on"
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/03 January) -- Mindanao's image as an alleged "haven of terrorists" has been reinforced by yet another book on Mindanao and Terrorism: "Rebels of Mindanao," written by an American West Point graduate who recently lived in Mindanao, based in Davao City, for three years.
"Rebels of Mindanao" is the first novel of Tom Anthony, who,
according to the book's website http://rebelsofmindanao.com/), is "a
West Point Graduate (1964) and combat veteran who spent his
professional civilian career living in Austria, Spain, Japan, England,
and Poland" and has worked in "global business throughout Europe,
Asia, Latin America, and Africa."
Interviewed in Kababayan LA18, the video clip linked to the website,
Anthony was asked why he wrote the book on Mindanao when he is not
Filipino. He said he wrote because "it captured my imagination. I
lived in Mindanao for three years" with his wife, Emelyn whom he met
when she was a babysitter for a rich Chinese family in Singapore where
he was engaged in an "electronics business." The couple has two
daughters and has been based in California for the past two years.
In the television interview, he described his book as "a novel. It's
fiction. And it's action-adventure romance but there's a lot of truth
to what's going on."
The book is one of 35 in MindaNews' annual listing of books and
journals published the year just ended. (See other story)
Asked by the Filipino-American host if he was aware of "how dangerous"
Mindanao is, Anthony replied, "that's an over-generalization also.
There are different parts of Mindanao. Davao is different from the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao…"
The book's synopsis, according to the website: "Al Qaeda terrorists
are spreading silently throughout the globe wreaking violence on all
who oppose them. Their newest target: the Philippine island of
Mindanao. On the brink of civil war, success in Mindanao would trigger
a chain reaction across the Pacific threatening democracy and peace
around the world. Haunted by the failure of his last mission and the
lost lives of his team, Thomas Thornton had hoped to escape his former
life as a military operative, seeking the calm beauty of tropical
Mindanao. When two West Point friends, now high ranking officials in
the government and military, ask him to run one last clandestine
operation, he finds himself in the fray once more. Thornton recruits a
hunter-killer team of Manobo tribesmen to begin covert actions against
the insurgency. The mission: eliminate a Turkish warrior carrying
millions in cash into Mindanao to finance an Islamic revolution. The
deal: make the Turk and the cash disappear, no questions asked."
MindaNews asked the author by e-mail if the book is distributed in the
Philippines. The book is available in amazon.com, among others. A
search in the website of the Philippines' National BookStore yielded
nothing.
Anthony, who said they lived in Davao City's Toril district for three
years, replied: "It is not distributed in the Philippines; I intend to
print a soft cover edition there sometime."
He also told MindaNews he "did not intend to write a book when I
arrived there, but received interest on my blogs and e-mails reporting
what I saw. I believe the world does not know about what is going on
there, so I simply described images I saw, and then wrote a fictional
story to tie it together, I did not want to preach nor give my
opinions so much as to report and let others form their own opinions.
I think controversy is OK.Ex President Ramos was an inspiration to me,
as was Freddie Aguilar and his music."
Two sample chapters – 10 and 11 (The Mango Tree and The Dam on Agusan,
respectively) are featured in the website, with the last chapter
ending with the Abu Sayyaf's bombing of the US consulate in Davao City
and the airport.
In reality, there is no US consulate in Davao City. There was a USIS
(United States Information Service) until shortly after EDSA 1986.
The US Embassy in Manila, however, did set up recently a "virtual
consulate," an internet-based consulate.
Based on the two chapters, it appears that the author used
non-fictitious characters (and events such as the airport bombing) in
his fiction. He refers to the terror group as Abu Sayyaf and mentions
Task Force Davao as well. He also mentions Kabayan whom he describes
as "the only Philippine Eagle living in the wild." Kabayan was the
name of the first Philippine Eagle returned to the wild in 2004.
Kabayan, however, was electrocuted as it was not trained to avoid
high-tension power lines.
The book has generated six customer reviews in amazon.com.
Thomas W. Leo of Delaware, 1959 West Point graduate, said the book is
a "contemporary work of fiction by a 1964 graduate of West Point
using fictional friends, classmates from West Point to set the stage
for an Islamic revolutionary takeover and the interdiction thereof on
the island of Mindanao in the Philippines."
"In the opinion of the reviewer, a book such as this, where the story,
the action takes place in a continually, ever changing geographical
environment, a map of the general area should be a basic requirement;
here that requirement is fulfilled. I was able to constantly refer
back to the geography of the Island of Mindanao with its relationship
to the rest of the Philippine archipelago, containing more than 7,000
islands, and the surrounding seas which enabled me to relate the
on-the-ground action to the proper geographical setting just by
flipping back to the map page in the front of the book," Leo wrote.
Another reviewer, Robert Mount of California, said, the book is an
"action adventure 'fiction' novel wrapped around what is a very
serious present day situation in the Philippines."
Richard Puckett of Virginia wrote, "Anthony knows the Philippines and
uses this knowledge to build a mosaic of threads of history, culture,
and geography that provides a rich background for the story. Read it
to learn about one of those other parts of the world where budding
terrorists are establishing relations with Al Qaida, or read it
because it reminds us of the long term partnership between the US and
the Philippines, or read it because it is just a good story. But read
it."
It is not clear if Richard Puckett the reviewer is also Dick Puckett,
"insurgency analyst, and CIA (Central Intelligence Authority) retired"
who is quoted under "Recommendations" in the book's website: "Rebels
of Mindanao is more than fiction. Anthony gives insight into a part of
the world that most of us have ignored. While we focus on Iraq and
Iran, we ignore Muslim interests in Southeast Asia. Anthony shows that
seeds of discontent can grow into terrorism and revolution," Dick
Puckett wrote.
A Chris Miller wrote: "Anthony tells an absorbing story with excellent
attention to dialogue and description. As a person who has studied the
subject and traveled to the areas described in the book I would have
to say that I am very impressed with the research and the insight
Anthony provides. This is a must read for anyone wants edge of their
seat entertainment while also being informed."
C. Edman of California wrote, "a fast-paced page turner, I could not
put it down. Great character development. Tom Anthony sure knows his
stuff when it comes to the Philippines, I learned so much. Is there
perhaps going to be a sequel? Mr. Anthony has written an excellent
book. Be sure to read it."
Midwest Book Review wrote the book is " a gripping thriller, sure to
keep the reader glued from first page to last."
Retired Brig. Gen. Ramon Ong is featured in the book's website under
"Recommendationsl."
Ong wrote: "An exciting epic of love versus hate, duty versus
friendship and idealism versus patriotism, all in a tropical setting
in Southern Philippines, where insurgents have resisted government
forces for the past 400 years. The author shows a remarkable mastery
of Philippine geography, politics and culture as he weaves a non-stop
adventure through a deadly conflict of greed, ideology and intrigue,
from the first page to the last".
The book, however, is not the first fiction on Mindanao and Terrorism.
"Escape from Mindanao," written by Russ L. Long and published by
Iuniverse Inc in 2003 takes the readers to the Moro Gulf and
Zamboanga.
Here's the book's synopsis, according to
http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Escape%20...
"World Oil had experience exploring islands of the Philippines, but
they had not run into the Moro Separatist who were determined to
government would not allow oil production to develop in their area. It
would bring law and order, making their control of Mindanao
impossible. Tim McClellan and his friends had experience dealing with
the kidnappers who attempted to end their fieldwork. A chase through
forest of valuable hardwoods, marketed by the terrorists, led to
conflicts between dhows in the Moro Gulf. They drove to Zamboanga to
save Melani, daughter of a pirate, for her lover who disrupted the
kidnapping." (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)
My editor's article about this book is posted below. Its posted today, January 3 and would be read in our web (www.mindanews.com) tomorrow, January 4. I posted it here because it might also interest the rest.
I am hoping to have a copy of this soon, if the author distributes many copies in local bookstores.
-VMG
------
"Rebels of Mindanao" book author says it's fiction with "a lot of truth to what's going on"
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/03 January) -- Mindanao's image as an alleged "haven of terrorists" has been reinforced by yet another book on Mindanao and Terrorism: "Rebels of Mindanao," written by an American West Point graduate who recently lived in Mindanao, based in Davao City, for three years.
"Rebels of Mindanao" is the first novel of Tom Anthony, who,
according to the book's website http://rebelsofmindanao.com/), is "a
West Point Graduate (1964) and combat veteran who spent his
professional civilian career living in Austria, Spain, Japan, England,
and Poland" and has worked in "global business throughout Europe,
Asia, Latin America, and Africa."
Interviewed in Kababayan LA18, the video clip linked to the website,
Anthony was asked why he wrote the book on Mindanao when he is not
Filipino. He said he wrote because "it captured my imagination. I
lived in Mindanao for three years" with his wife, Emelyn whom he met
when she was a babysitter for a rich Chinese family in Singapore where
he was engaged in an "electronics business." The couple has two
daughters and has been based in California for the past two years.
In the television interview, he described his book as "a novel. It's
fiction. And it's action-adventure romance but there's a lot of truth
to what's going on."
The book is one of 35 in MindaNews' annual listing of books and
journals published the year just ended. (See other story)
Asked by the Filipino-American host if he was aware of "how dangerous"
Mindanao is, Anthony replied, "that's an over-generalization also.
There are different parts of Mindanao. Davao is different from the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao…"
The book's synopsis, according to the website: "Al Qaeda terrorists
are spreading silently throughout the globe wreaking violence on all
who oppose them. Their newest target: the Philippine island of
Mindanao. On the brink of civil war, success in Mindanao would trigger
a chain reaction across the Pacific threatening democracy and peace
around the world. Haunted by the failure of his last mission and the
lost lives of his team, Thomas Thornton had hoped to escape his former
life as a military operative, seeking the calm beauty of tropical
Mindanao. When two West Point friends, now high ranking officials in
the government and military, ask him to run one last clandestine
operation, he finds himself in the fray once more. Thornton recruits a
hunter-killer team of Manobo tribesmen to begin covert actions against
the insurgency. The mission: eliminate a Turkish warrior carrying
millions in cash into Mindanao to finance an Islamic revolution. The
deal: make the Turk and the cash disappear, no questions asked."
MindaNews asked the author by e-mail if the book is distributed in the
Philippines. The book is available in amazon.com, among others. A
search in the website of the Philippines' National BookStore yielded
nothing.
Anthony, who said they lived in Davao City's Toril district for three
years, replied: "It is not distributed in the Philippines; I intend to
print a soft cover edition there sometime."
He also told MindaNews he "did not intend to write a book when I
arrived there, but received interest on my blogs and e-mails reporting
what I saw. I believe the world does not know about what is going on
there, so I simply described images I saw, and then wrote a fictional
story to tie it together, I did not want to preach nor give my
opinions so much as to report and let others form their own opinions.
I think controversy is OK.Ex President Ramos was an inspiration to me,
as was Freddie Aguilar and his music."
Two sample chapters – 10 and 11 (The Mango Tree and The Dam on Agusan,
respectively) are featured in the website, with the last chapter
ending with the Abu Sayyaf's bombing of the US consulate in Davao City
and the airport.
In reality, there is no US consulate in Davao City. There was a USIS
(United States Information Service) until shortly after EDSA 1986.
The US Embassy in Manila, however, did set up recently a "virtual
consulate," an internet-based consulate.
Based on the two chapters, it appears that the author used
non-fictitious characters (and events such as the airport bombing) in
his fiction. He refers to the terror group as Abu Sayyaf and mentions
Task Force Davao as well. He also mentions Kabayan whom he describes
as "the only Philippine Eagle living in the wild." Kabayan was the
name of the first Philippine Eagle returned to the wild in 2004.
Kabayan, however, was electrocuted as it was not trained to avoid
high-tension power lines.
The book has generated six customer reviews in amazon.com.
Thomas W. Leo of Delaware, 1959 West Point graduate, said the book is
a "contemporary work of fiction by a 1964 graduate of West Point
using fictional friends, classmates from West Point to set the stage
for an Islamic revolutionary takeover and the interdiction thereof on
the island of Mindanao in the Philippines."
"In the opinion of the reviewer, a book such as this, where the story,
the action takes place in a continually, ever changing geographical
environment, a map of the general area should be a basic requirement;
here that requirement is fulfilled. I was able to constantly refer
back to the geography of the Island of Mindanao with its relationship
to the rest of the Philippine archipelago, containing more than 7,000
islands, and the surrounding seas which enabled me to relate the
on-the-ground action to the proper geographical setting just by
flipping back to the map page in the front of the book," Leo wrote.
Another reviewer, Robert Mount of California, said, the book is an
"action adventure 'fiction' novel wrapped around what is a very
serious present day situation in the Philippines."
Richard Puckett of Virginia wrote, "Anthony knows the Philippines and
uses this knowledge to build a mosaic of threads of history, culture,
and geography that provides a rich background for the story. Read it
to learn about one of those other parts of the world where budding
terrorists are establishing relations with Al Qaida, or read it
because it reminds us of the long term partnership between the US and
the Philippines, or read it because it is just a good story. But read
it."
It is not clear if Richard Puckett the reviewer is also Dick Puckett,
"insurgency analyst, and CIA (Central Intelligence Authority) retired"
who is quoted under "Recommendations" in the book's website: "Rebels
of Mindanao is more than fiction. Anthony gives insight into a part of
the world that most of us have ignored. While we focus on Iraq and
Iran, we ignore Muslim interests in Southeast Asia. Anthony shows that
seeds of discontent can grow into terrorism and revolution," Dick
Puckett wrote.
A Chris Miller wrote: "Anthony tells an absorbing story with excellent
attention to dialogue and description. As a person who has studied the
subject and traveled to the areas described in the book I would have
to say that I am very impressed with the research and the insight
Anthony provides. This is a must read for anyone wants edge of their
seat entertainment while also being informed."
C. Edman of California wrote, "a fast-paced page turner, I could not
put it down. Great character development. Tom Anthony sure knows his
stuff when it comes to the Philippines, I learned so much. Is there
perhaps going to be a sequel? Mr. Anthony has written an excellent
book. Be sure to read it."
Midwest Book Review wrote the book is " a gripping thriller, sure to
keep the reader glued from first page to last."
Retired Brig. Gen. Ramon Ong is featured in the book's website under
"Recommendationsl."
Ong wrote: "An exciting epic of love versus hate, duty versus
friendship and idealism versus patriotism, all in a tropical setting
in Southern Philippines, where insurgents have resisted government
forces for the past 400 years. The author shows a remarkable mastery
of Philippine geography, politics and culture as he weaves a non-stop
adventure through a deadly conflict of greed, ideology and intrigue,
from the first page to the last".
The book, however, is not the first fiction on Mindanao and Terrorism.
"Escape from Mindanao," written by Russ L. Long and published by
Iuniverse Inc in 2003 takes the readers to the Moro Gulf and
Zamboanga.
Here's the book's synopsis, according to
http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Escape%20...
"World Oil had experience exploring islands of the Philippines, but
they had not run into the Moro Separatist who were determined to
government would not allow oil production to develop in their area. It
would bring law and order, making their control of Mindanao
impossible. Tim McClellan and his friends had experience dealing with
the kidnappers who attempted to end their fieldwork. A chase through
forest of valuable hardwoods, marketed by the terrorists, led to
conflicts between dhows in the Moro Gulf. They drove to Zamboanga to
save Melani, daughter of a pirate, for her lover who disrupted the
kidnapping." (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)
January 11, 2021
Its a good book, a bit weird with dialogue but i like the story overall.
October 19, 2009
A romance novel for sixtysomething men. Being 59 - how can I not like this? The hero is 62, gets called out of retirement to "save the world"; & is teamed up with a twentysomething, gorgeous, smart, exotic girl. They fall in love, fall short of the goal, but do find happiness, start a family, and grow mangoes in paradise with no worries about money. All right!! I am down!!!! Seriously, though ... this is a good book for what it does--educate the reader on just how complicated the "War on terror" is. This is Tom Anthony's first novel (my favorite genre) and while not perfect prose, it does bring to life certain realities and is a page turner/thriller.
It is gripping and brutal about the realities of desperate people waging war with nothing to lose, except their life, which they don't give a s__t about. Kill or be killed ... and send a message. The characters are disgusting and self-involved ... and familiar. There are surprises ... ahh, life as it is: The fear on the face of monkey who is about to be roasted alive; A man gutted while alive and left to die. What happens to people when a bomb explodes above them (as it is designed to do) ... how it rips, tears, and slices the body into pieces but might, if you are unlucky, leave the head intact so you can watch yourself die. Any book about war is anti-war, if it is honest. This is an honest book and I love the love component!
It is gripping and brutal about the realities of desperate people waging war with nothing to lose, except their life, which they don't give a s__t about. Kill or be killed ... and send a message. The characters are disgusting and self-involved ... and familiar. There are surprises ... ahh, life as it is: The fear on the face of monkey who is about to be roasted alive; A man gutted while alive and left to die. What happens to people when a bomb explodes above them (as it is designed to do) ... how it rips, tears, and slices the body into pieces but might, if you are unlucky, leave the head intact so you can watch yourself die. Any book about war is anti-war, if it is honest. This is an honest book and I love the love component!
February 23, 2012
The best part of this book is that it took place in a part of the world that I don't know much about. So, from that perspective it was interesting to read more about the people and culture of SE Asia. However, the character development and the dialogue between characters needed some work.
August 4, 2016
For .99 (Kindle Daily Deal bargain) it was okay.
November 2, 2013
Awful from beginning to end.
April 28, 2015
It's a story with some thought provoking ideas about Muslims and their goals. How true, who knows
*** Read an Advanced Reading Copy***
*** Read an Advanced Reading Copy***
May 19, 2012
Love to read books about the Philippines but this one was bit a hokey. U.S. Consulate in Davao huh?
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews