The Gunpowder Prince by Michael Archer – book review

Book: The Gunpowder Prince
Author: Michael Archer
Published: 2018
Format I read: Kindle E-Book
Pages: 145
Highlight – love reading about international wars and the hidden truths between the lines? there you go!

I am, to be honest, very little interested in reading the books which don’t offer anything interesting. And the ones that offer me a lot to be interested in, I rarely miss. Likewise, recently, I came to know about the insides, the conspiracy theories and some secrets about the Vietnam War. Moreover, everything I studied, pointed more and more to the historical, controversial and very important Khe Sanh battle which almost got the USA by the throat. My search, curiosity and recommendations by experts led me to the book by Michael Archer – the person who was present on the battlefield himself – a US Marine, now retired and enjoying a career as an author. The Gunpowder Prince came to me as a surprisingly satisfactory, sufficient and to the point book which did not only concern with the insides of Khe Sanh battle but also opened a new dimension with the details of the person who saved the battle for the USA that time – Captain Mirza Munir Baig, an India-born hero in the Baig clan, the warriors and tactic-experts.

The book is very interesting as it is narrated in a first-person account. As a reader, I could get the real-time experience of what transpired on the battlefield and under which circumstances the seemingly impossible battle was fought by the US Marine and not only fought but also won – can you imagine the might of 6,000 officers against the lethal force of 30,000 NVA members? That will be fascinating to know how could Captain Baig handle the hostile situations so flawlessly…

True, the book concerns a little more on Baig’s contribution to the US Victory and it has to because the book is dedicated to him only. Khe Sanh comes secondary and the Gunpowder Prince comes first because he was the person who ‘saved Khe Sanh’. Captain Baig’s first introduction with Archer and the discussions as well as the quotes which have been taken from his own autobiography are very interesting to read. Michael Archer makes things even more interesting with his expertise in the narrative skills.

More than the battle and Captain Baig, the book also analyses the events prior to the Khe Sanh, during the Khe Sanh and post the Khe Sanh. The author, with an authority, analyses the situations and presents the analysis to the readers with a conviction which will always be very interesting and intriguing to read – knowing perspectives on the events which have occurred. I will not give it away entirely but Michael Archer has made several claims and assumptions (based on his understanding of course) which might be very surprising to the Americans, Indians as well as the Vietnamese. Along with these, anyone who reads will certainly feel that.

In short, to cut short my case and conclude the experience with The Gunpowder Prince: How Marine Corps Captain Mirza Munir Baig Saved Khe Sanh, I will make certain points and sign off:

The book is authentic because the author was himself involved in the battle
The book makes many interesting claims which will certainly be surprising for many readers
The book brings to light the real hero of the Khe Sanh battle
The book is short and compelling
The book can be read and enjoyed by the readers of all genres

You can get your copy from the Amazon website: