The following excerpts from an award winning book contain rare insights into the mysterious world of the archetypal terrorist of all times and the kind of ideological spell that drives his followers. These selected quotes from the book reveal a spine-tingling picture of a wicked movement and its fanatically single-minded leader.

The book describes the chosen fortress of this exiled dissident as:

“… a rock six thousand feet high in a countryside of bare mountains, forgotten lakes, sheer cliffs and narrow passes. The greatest army could only reach it in single file and the most powerful catapults could not graze its walls. The Shahrud River, nicknamed the ‘mad river’, dominated the mountains, swelling up in springtime with the melted snow of the Elburz mountains and snatching up trees and stones as it sped down its course. Woe to him who dared approach it! Woe to the army who dared pitch camp on its banks.” Read More »