Bibliography

The Day of the Jackal (1971)

The Day of the Jackal is a novel about whose main character is the Jackal, a highly feared and infamous terrorist at the time when this novel was written. The plot of the book is a (fictional) account of an attempt by this terrorist to assassinate president de Gaulle.

The Day of the Jackal is very well written and very exciting. The intense style and suspense that sets Forsyth apart as a writer and master of the thriller genre is visible already here in this early book. An extremely worthwhile read! And, yes, the movie with the same name is based on this book!

The Odessa File (1972)

The Odessa File is wonderful! Frederick Forsyth will go down in history as one of the greatest thriller writers of all time and you only have to look at The Odessa File to know why. Like with all of Forsyth's novels, the background research is excellent. You can really believe 100% in the story! The story's plot is very simple and that's one of the things that make this book great.

And, needless to say, the plot has all the twists and turns we have come to expect from Forsyth! The Odessa File, too, has been made into a movie.

The Dogs of War (1974)

The plot in The Dogs of War is centered on a tycoon that discovers a mountain of platinum in the remote African republic of Zangaro. This discovery causes Sir James Manson, a smooth and very ruthless tycoon, to hire an army of mercenaries to topple the government and replace its dictator with a puppet president. But the situation develops into a terrifying power game. And, of course, as Sunday Mirror wrote: "Enormous and convincing detail, and a shattering climax".

Again Forsyth discusses material of particular relevance at the time of writing. There were strong rumors at the time, and some evidence too, that with the right contacts and enough money, mercenaries specialized in coups d'etat could be hired to topple governments. Indeed, some rumors even implicated mr. Forsyth in such a plot!

Regardless, The Dogs of War too is a must for any thriller-loving reader!

The Shepherd (1976)

The Shepherd is a story seemingly based upon Forsyth's own experiences as a RAF pilot. It is the story of a De Havilland Vampire pilot, going home on Christmas Eve 1957, whose aircraft suffers a complete electrical failure over the North Sea en route from Celle in northern Germany to RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. Lost in fog and very low on fuel, he is shepherded to a disused RAF dispersal field by the pilot of a De Havilland Mosquito fighter/bomber of World War II vintage, who has apparently been sent up to guide him in. However, the pilot of the Mosquito, it later turns out, has been missed for 14 years. He too disappeared on Christmas Eve!

The Shepherd is a very short story, a booklet rather than a full book. It is different from the other books by Forsyth, and really a rather delighting, amazing, and interesting little story.

The Devil's Alternative (1979)

The Devil's Alernative is a spy thriller from the end of the 1970's - from the Era of the Cold War. The Russian leader and the American President face off in a crisis situation. Spies and intelligence plays a crucial role: The British happen to have a spy with access to the Russian Politburo meetings. This may provide the key to gaining advantage for the West.

"The story is very exciting, although somewhat unrealistic. As usual, the good guys are trying to prevent World War III while the "hawks" in both the Kremlin and the White House can hardly wait to get going. The ending is somewhat contrived but on the whole the book is a very good read", says Rennie Petersen at the amazon.co.uk web site in his review of the book.

However, The Devil's Alternative is a book written in a political context long gone. But given that most readers will be somewhat familiar with the Cold War, this is probably not a factor that will prevent most readers from enjoying the book even today. The Devil's Alternative is a classic thriller - politicians, spies, terrorists, and huge decisions that needs to be made in a situation where information is scarce.

No Comebacks (1982)

No Comebacks, by Frederick Forsyth No Comebacks is a great collection of ten short stories. Many are set in the Irish Republic where Forsyth lived at the time. One of them, There Are No Snakes In Ireland, won him a second Edgar Allan Poe Award, this time for best short story. This collection shows Forsyth's considerable talent as a storyteller from a somewhat different perspective.

The Fourth Protocol (1984)

The Fourth Protocol features renegade elements within the Soviet Union attempting to plant a nuclear bomb near an American airbase in the UK. The motive for this can be found in a plan hatched by Kim Philby in his Soviet exile, to control British elections and the British premier. The book was filmed in 1987, starring Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan. However, the book is better than the movie!

The Fourth Protocol takes a little while to shift into high gear (about one third of the way), but when it does, it really rocks. It is a great read, some think perhaps even the best of Forsyth's books. Even though it is not on the absolute top for me, the plot is intriguing, the action is thick, and the characters believable. And, it is, of course, well written.

The Negotiator (1989)

The son of the American President is kidnapped as part of a plot to try to force the President out of his office. Veteran hostage negotiator Quinn is asked to come out of retirement in Spain and bargain for the boy's life. Quinn and an attractive FBI agent named Sam Somerville attempt to reason with the kidnappers, unaware that a ransom is not their objective.

The Negoriator is, in many readers opinion, Frederick Forsyth's best novel. It has political conspiracy, espionage and special forces action. It moves from Washington D.C. to London, from the cities of Europe to the snowy landscape of Canada. And at the center is oil - that strategic resource at the center of some many real world thrillers as well. It's a page turner, a thrill, and a great joy to read!

The Deceiver (1991)

This book includes four separate short stories reviewing the career of British secret agent Sam McCready. McCready is a old hand in the intelligence community, known as "the Deceiver". Now the Permanent Under-Secretary (PUS) of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office requires the Chief of the SIS to push Sam into early retirement. The four stories of the book are presented to a grievance committee in an attempt to allow Sam to stay on active duty with the SIS. They show how useful his competence has been, and what role he has played. What will the verdict be?

The Deceiver is a great, and quite interesting book. Its descriptions of how the game is played, correct or not, are detailed and fascinating. A great read!

The Fist of God (1994)

The Fist of God is written in the aftermath of the first Gulf War. Iraq has designed a new super weapon, the Fist of God, in a highly secret project.

When Iraq invades Kuwait, both the British and Americans need top level intelligence on the ground. Major Mike Martin of the Special Air Service is seconded to SIS to work with the Kuwaiti resistance. Major Martin speaks fluent Arabic. He also looks like an Arab, and speaks the language fluently. His brother, Terry Martin, an academic and expert in Arab military studies, is at the same time asked to advise a joint Anglo-American committee on possible Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Thus the two brothers Martin become the key players in this book.

The Fist of God is one of Forsyth's best books. The action is fast, the suspense is there most of the time, and the plots are thick. It's a real page-turner, and a must for thriller fans!

Icon (1996)

The context for Icon is post-Glasnost Russia. The country is in crisis, and a new post-Fascist political party emerges, with a new, strong presidential candidate. A highly popular and charismatic politician, victory was all but guaranteed for Komarov.

Then a secret document surfaces in the West. The document contains extremely very sensitive information regarding Komarov's future policies as president, indicating some relatively problematic tactics: restoration of slave camps, creation of a one-party state, destruction of political opponents, invasion of neighboring republics, and genocide of Russia's ethnic and religious minorities.

The West must do something. But what? And how? A game with high stakes, espionage, and intrigue is started. And the snowball turns and twists. Icon is a wonderful read!

Icon is among Forsyth's best. Definitely!

The Phantom of Manhattan (1999)

This is not a thriller. This is a Forsyth experiment. An attempt to write something which is far outside what he usually writes. It is meant as a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. (not the book, but the play!).

It is Forsyth, in that it is well researched and well thought out, and all of that. On the other hand, it is not, in our opinion, a good book, which is what Forsyth is all about. This book misfired. It didn't work. It may become a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera on the stage, who knows, but as it is, it doesn't work as a book.

And Forsyth? Well, he has since returned to his more normal venues, and not writes the stuff he knows best how to write.

The Veteran (2001)

The Veteran is another collection of short stories. The book has five short stories, all set in very different settings. The settings are, in some ways, almost as interesting as the stories themselves.

The stories read, in a sense, more like five short novels than as short stories. The plots are generally great, though with some variation. We liked three of the stories a lot, and two of them (the thrd and fourth) now quite so much.

As always, Forsyth is a master of detail, and he recreates with superb accuracy the world of his characters. The Veteran is an interesting read, but not quite at the level of his best thrillers.

The Avenger (2003)

Calvin Dexter, the main character of this story, is a quiet lawyer in a quiet little town in America. Or so it seems. However, Dexter was a "tunnel rat" in Vietnam, one of the toughest services there, and came back alive and highly decorated.

It turns out that Dexter doubles as the Avenger, a man who secretly sells services where he uses the set of skills acquired in Vietnam rather than at law school.

The main plot in The Avenger involves a Canadian billionaire that hires the Avenger to identify the killer of his grandson. The Avenger, however, eventually gets involved in this at a personal and emotional level, rather than simply professional.

The Avenger is a great and interesting read, with a very intriguing psychological mechanism at its core. It is highly recommended, but it is not the best book he has ever written.

The Afghan (2006)

British and American intelligence by accident get access to a computer holding topsecret information indicating a serious terrorist plot against the West. But no details are given. No where or when, not even how. And they have no sources in Al Qaeda, and it's impossible to plant someone. A great challenge for the intelligence services in the US and Great Britain.

The Afghan is in many ways a sequel to The Fist of God. Again the brothers Martin, the soldier and the academic, play prominent part. The plot is thick and convoluted. The action is tough and interesting. It is a great book, but not quite top of the line. For instance, Forsyth unnecessarily introduces a highly improbable accident involving a fighter and a falling jet engine to create some action that, by and large, seems unnecessary for the plot.

The Afghan is good, but not among his best.

Other interesting bibliographies: [Next] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

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© a.r.e.a./Dr.Vicente Forés López
Universitat de València Press
Creada: 15/10/2008 Última Actualización: 05/11/2008

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