Lord Miles in Afghanistan: The Travel Diary of a Modern-Day British Adventurer During the 2021 Taliban Takeover

by Routledge, Lord Miles

On August 15th, 2021, the nation of Afghanistan passed from West back to East. On that day the victorious Taliban insurgency retook the city of Kabul after twenty years of American occupation. The NATO-backed government had collapsed within days. Tens of thousands of people fled to the city to seek refuge and evacuation. And there in Kabul was a hitherto unknown British university student enjoying his holiday, suddenly caught up in history.


Lord Miles Routledge was the last person issued a tourist visa by the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Miles began chronicling his travels in one of the most dangerous countries in the world on the online message board 4chan, where he found himself with a riveted global audience. When the Taliban reached Kabul, headlines around the world picked up his story and people watched to see if he would make it back home. Fortunately, he did, and through the process discovered his calling as a true modern adventurer, traveling over the following year to other places including the Kazakhstan protests, the frontlines of the Ukraine conflict, South Sudan, and eventually back to Afghanistan for some desert target practice with his new friends in the Taliban. This book is his first-hand account of his first and most infamous trip to Afghanistan. Miles experiences a fascinating kaleidoscope of natural beauty, war-torn desolation, poverty, humanity, courage, and generosity. He finds himself in many places off the beaten path and meets a colorful range of characters. Throughout it all, his eternal optimism and indomitable faith ensure an invigorating narration for this unique journey.

Genres: Travel, History, Biography, Memoir

154 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2022

Reviews

[Will E Hazell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Think again before you tell an internet recluse to touch grass. This book is a literary warcrime. On just about every page he deploys ‘retard’ and ‘based’ with the tactical subtlety of a napalm strike.

With moments of abject cringe:

‘I smirked to myself at the unconscious, post ironic usage of meme lingo’

And my personal favourite quote:

“…and the S.A.S walked up and down telling everyone to “smile and wave, boys, smile and wave.” I smirked remembering the line from Madagascar.”

But as he travels into the interior, his writing improves markedly. I thought this might have reflected a growing maturity. WRONG. His interactions with the Taliban are mortifying, he gambles his life on the most uncouth, culturally insensitive internet humour.

But the fall is what matters; and in the chaos, the recount becomes heart-thumping; and those short moments are worth reading.

[Oofaloofa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilariously written in a down to earth style, and very easy to read. 10/10 would recommend

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

You mad lad, you!

[Yang-Yi Shen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord Miles in Afghanistan is a very entertainingly written and gripping account of Lord Miles Routledge's experiences in Afghanistan, both on the eve of the Taliban takeover and during his evacuation back to Great Britain. In the book, he details how he travelled to Afghanistan in the first place, how he explored the area surrounding Kabul and, mainly, his arduous escape upon news of the Taliban ultimatum.

I really appreciate how Routledge describes his escape in vivid, cogent language, allowing the reader to really experience the intensity of the situation. He manages to convey the pressing nature of his circumstances while maintaining a very composed and unserious tone. I was greatly impressed not only by the quality of the writing but also the man's actions during the crisis, especially by the fact that he took multiple sassy selfies during his escape from Kabul, apparently as he was running through streets filled with panicking crowds and deadlocked cars. The selfies are included in the book.

I like this book very much, and hope that Routledge will write a sequel to this exciting story. Based on his Twitter feed, he has many more interesting tales to tell, and assuredly enough content for a second book on further adventures in Afghanistan. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story.

[Tudor · Rating 1 out of 5]

When the Taliban took over I followed the events closely and came over Miles story. A guy from England who decided to do some war tourism, got caught in Kabul during the take over and was somehow evacuated by the British Forces.
Fast forward to the present day, I saw he released a book covering the events and I thought it would be interesting to know the whole story. Unfortunately, what I described in the first paragraph is almost the whole story, as there is not that much else to it.
The first half covers events prior to the take over, while the second describes the moving back and forth between locations until finally being airlifted out.

The writting is of poor quality, if anyone has seen any videos from "bald and bankrupt", imagine something like that but edgier and much less sophisticated. I regret paying for the book, but at the same time my curiosity would have eaten me up if I had not.

[Dong · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who followed this event on Twitter and 4chan while it was happening it was finally cool to read exactly his perspective from the horses mouth. There’s some no fun allowed types who cry about him using “based” and other silly chronically online words but again - I really thought it captured HIS voice rather then some sterilized editorial version of himself. I need pt 2

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lol