[1] He had previously written numerous non-fiction books, including Empire Lite: Nation-Building in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan and The Lesser Evil - Political Ethics in an Age of Terror (for the Gifford Lectures) which were both published in 2003 along with Charlie Johnson in the Flames.

[3] An article in the journal English Studies compared the characterizations of war correspondents in Ignatieff's Charlie Johnson in the Flames and Pat Barker's Double Vision, both of whom report on violence to "image-dominated cultures" and deal with debates regarding intervention.

[4] Likewise, an article in the New York Times Book Review compared fictional portrayals war correspondents in Alan Cowell's A Walking Guide and Gil Courtemanche's A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali with Ignatieff's Charlie Johnson.

"[1] In the Library Journal review, HM comments that it has the "rapid-fire pacing of a modern thriller and the escalating emotions of Graham Greene's best"[1] and writes, "Readers will be hooked from the get-go and wish that Charlie's odyssey weren't quite so short.

"[6] The review in The Economist commented on the books uneven pace, concluding, "The fine writing and potential for interesting development that the novel's early sections promise burn out all too quickly.

"[10] In Quill & Quire, Bronwyn Drainie wrote that, despite some flaws, "the book is a gripping short read, largely due to Ignatieff's sharp eye for detail and his sinewy, journalistic prose.