They Will Have to Die Now

Mosul and the Fall of the Caliphate

By: James Verini

Narrated by: Ray Porter

James Verini arrived in Iraq in the summer of 2016 to write about life in the Islamic State. He stayed to cover the jihadis' last great stand, the Battle of Mosul, not knowing it would go on for nearly a year, nor that it would become, in the words of the Pentagon, "the most significant urban combat since WWII."

They Will Have to Die Now takes the listener into the heart of the conflict against the most lethal insurgency of our time. We see unspeakable violence, improbable humanity, and occasional humor. We meet an Iraqi major fighting his way through the city with a bad leg; a general who taunts snipers; an American sergeant who removes his glass eye to unnerve his troops; a pair of Moslawi brothers who welcomed the Islamic State, believing, as so many Moslawis did, that it might improve their shattered lives. Verini also relates the rich history of Iraq, and of Mosul, one of the most beguiling cities in the Middle East.

©2019 James Verini (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"Ray Porter’s forceful narration heightens the propulsive quality of Verini’s writing, while also highlighting the general and enduring absurdities of war." (The New York Times Book Review)

Best narrarated book I've ever heard

I listen to a lot of audio books, and this was by far the best narrarated one I've heard. The story itself is enthralling (though graphic, so skip if you're squeamish) and emotional, and the combination of a fantastically written book and expert narraration is unbeatable. Strongly recommend for anyone wanting to learn more about the rise of ISIS, Iraqi history, and the Battle for Mosul.

Great Read

Excellent history of the defeat of ISIS in Mosul, Iraq in 2016. The author displays deep insight into causes of the recent conflict. Although many of my veteran friends who have read the book thinks the author disrespects the American military, I disagree. There is no doubt however, that our foreign policy in the region was disastrous. Of course, our misadventures in the Middle East didn’t start with the “War on Terror “. The book gives a summary of the West’s mistakes, including Pico-Sykes and the Balfour Declaration. In addition, the book does a good job in describing the history of Mosul and ancient civilizations including the Assyrian.
Missing from the book was the destruction of the monastery of St Elijah by ISIS in 2014. As a Medical Corps Army officer in Mosul in 2007, the visit to that 1400 year old Christian church was profound.
Bottom line, an excellent read that I’d highly recommend.

Great history told engagingly

As a resident of Baghdad since mid-2020 I thoroughly enjoyed this account of the events that preceded my arrival only a few years, and that deeply affected my work colleagues. I'm grateful to James Verini for putting time into researching and recounting the history of Mosul and the groups involved, and explaining it in the horrible context he experienced. The narration was a little too dramatic for my taste, at times almost sarcastic and condescending, but perhaps that's what Verini felt too. Whilst Verlini is mostly respectful of the Iraqis, who are really delightful people, and also appropriately disparaging of America's recent engagements here, I felt a slight disrespect for Islam and the Arab world throughout. This is absent from, for example, Tim Mackintosh Smith's wonderful book simply called "Arabs", which I highly recommend (better in.print I think). No doubt Verini's first hand experience of the violence of the ISIS caliphate influenced his focus on violence throughout the history of Mosul, but it's obviously not the defining characteristic of those periods of history in that town.

A must read

This should be required reading for all Americans. The author brings you into this tortured country brought down by American arrogance and we get to know and feel real people suffering though this “end of times”

Personal and informative thru a great performance.

Porters performance felt natural, yet captivating, with energy and an astonishing array of voices for the characters that Verini encountered. Verini delivers a great balance of historical background and personal experiences to enlighten the reader of the very real world that many people endure but most Americans cannot fathom.
I had to listen to the whole book a second time before I was ready to consider starting another book.