The Afghan by Frederick Forsyth Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $2.06 You Save: $7.93 (79%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Afghan
Book Review: Not very good.
Summary: 1 Stars
Ive read more than half the novel and I am ready to put it down for good. The intro is so long and boring. For me this novel is a waste of time.Book Review: Outsmarting bin Laden.
Summary: 4 Stars
Frederick Forsyth, acknowledged grandmaster of the international thriller, took on an ambitious project in writing The Afghan. Perhaps a bit too ambitious. One could easily make the argument that the material contained in The Afghan is wide ranging and extensive enough to provide the basis for two full length novels.
The multifaceted storyline revolves around an Anglo-American plot to infiltrate Al Qaeda for the purpose of staving off an anticipated terrorist attack. Not just any attack but one whose magnitude, according to intelligence sources, will surpass 9/11.
Mike Martin is a swarthy complected Englishman, recently retired from the paratroopers with the rank of colonel. He speaks perfect Iraqi Arabic and knows the Middle East as few outsiders do. The British SIS along with the CIA has devised a complex plan to have Martin impersonate Izmat Khan, a legendary Afghan fighter currently imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Forsyth likes to back up his storytelling with plenty of detail. Much of the book consists of recounting Col. Martin's military career, the majority of which was spent in dangerous hot spots all over the world. We also learn how Izmat Khan grew up in the unforgiving mountains of Afghanistan to ultimately become a Taliban warrior of exceptional courage and dedication.
The Afghan contains an abundance of historical information, most of which is quite interesting. Particularly well presented is the lead up to the present conflict in Afghanistan, a land so rooted in tribalism it is essentially ungovernable.
My one major criticism of this book is its pacing. So much of The Afghan concerns itself with build up. When the actual terrorist act to be thwarted finally manifests itself, it is given relatively short shrift.
Bottom line: A worthwhile read for fans of international thrillers. But not the best Frederick Forsyth has to offer.
Book Review: Rocky Read
Summary: 3 Stars
My favorite thriller is Forsyth's "Day of the Jackal" - which "The Afghan" attempts to equal or exceed; but the bar has been set too high. Although the book has patches of excellence, an equal number are deficient. A fussy reader will find many distractions; however, there is enough Forsyth to carry the day, at least to three stars.
Book Review: The Afghan
Summary: 3 Stars
Started with a Bang. Ended with barely a whimper. Very disappointing. Time to put away the "quill" Frederick!!!Book Review: Top man
Summary: 4 Stars
For me, Forsyth and Seymour are the masters of the genre. Forsyth does not take as many disparate strands and thread them together in the end as Seymour does. He knows his SAS and its heroes. A good read. The terrorist target is a well kept mystery. Only one small criticism. The Taliban are even more repressive than he says. No laughter or applause is allowed. I hope no terrorist will ever learn from this plot as people learned how to get false passports from The Jackal. One improvement could be made, some maps.