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A very timely book as many are left wondering what the conflict in Afghanistan was all about, now that the United States and its allies have pulled out. Harnden has clearly done his homework and offers what is overall a good work. The beginning is a little hard to get through, as he introduces many of the important figures and gives a little backstory. Trying to introduce them once the action was moving would probably have been worse, though it's a little trying for the reader to keep everyone straight in the opening. Harnden's best skills are on display as he narrates the fast-moving conflict, combat, and politics of the early phases of Operation Enduring Freedom. As the action progresses, Harnden doesn't hold back from noting when the higher-ups in the U.S. government went off-track. He offers ideas about how things might have been done differently, and how that might have led to other outcomes as well. As he moves to the more epilogue portion, he seems to gloss over a few things or maybe even get a couple of details confused, but that does not detract from the level of effort he clearly placed on interviewing the participants and reviewing what sources were available on his main topic. He does sometimes adopt a few too many acronyms and too much jargon, but not egregiously so.
Overall a good read and an excellent place to start for those hoping to understand what just happened in Afghanistan, and what might be in the offing to happen next.