THE AFGHAN by Fredrick Forsyth
From an early look at The Afghan it was supposedly my type of book, fast-moving with lots of action and adventure, but once I got past the first fifty pages I found it quite hard to keep up with the story.
It begins quickly and gets straight in to the main idea of the story but after that it goes on a lot about the general background of the Impersonator, Mike Martin, and the Afghan, Izmat Khan. It is quite a recently set story about the Al Qaeda and the recent attacks such as 9/11 and the Taliban rebellion.
Although I was looking forward to the best bits of the story it never really appealed to me as much as I thought it would
I would recommend this book to people who are looking for a gradually intensifying action and modern-warfare story but are willing to put up with a long and slow build up to reach the heart of the story and the more adventurous part. If I was to enjoy this book more I think it would have to be faster moving and it would have to get into the story more quickly to keep me satisfied. OK in places, 4/10.
By Charles S.
From an early look at The Afghan it was supposedly my type of book, fast-moving with lots of action and adventure, but once I got past the first fifty pages I found it quite hard to keep up with the story.
It begins quickly and gets straight in to the main idea of the story but after that it goes on a lot about the general background of the Impersonator, Mike Martin, and the Afghan, Izmat Khan. It is quite a recently set story about the Al Qaeda and the recent attacks such as 9/11 and the Taliban rebellion.
Although I was looking forward to the best bits of the story it never really appealed to me as much as I thought it would
I would recommend this book to people who are looking for a gradually intensifying action and modern-warfare story but are willing to put up with a long and slow build up to reach the heart of the story and the more adventurous part. If I was to enjoy this book more I think it would have to be faster moving and it would have to get into the story more quickly to keep me satisfied. OK in places, 4/10.
By Charles S.
The Afghan by Frederick Forsyth
I chose this book because, when I was Charles’ age, I had been introduced to Frederick Forsyth through his first novel, ‘The Day of the Jackal’. I therefore reasoned that Charles (a fan of Anthony Horowitz’s ‘Alex Rider’ series of spy adventures) would find Forsyth’s fast paced and meticulously detailed thrillers appealing.
‘The Afghan’ is classic Forsyth. British and US security agencies become aware of an Al Qaeda plot to commit a huge attack against the West but are unable to discover the target. The only way to find this crucial information seems to be to get a human intelligence source into the heart of Al Qaeda – a task that seems impossible, until a chance conversation highlights Mike Martin, a retired British Army Officer of mixed parentage who had been born and brought up in the Middle East. He speaks the language like a local, understands the culture and by happy coincidence was a member of the SAS! Reluctantly Martin is persuaded out of retirement to track down the terrorists. The scene is now set for a rollercoaster ride in true Forsyth style as the hero sets out on his mission to discover the details of the plot and its perpetrators, and ultimately avert disaster.
As with most of his books, Forsyth has researched his subject extensively and filled ‘The Afghan’ with detail and realism that brings both the story and the characters to life. The narrative moves along at a slick pace and ends in a cliff-hanging climax that keeps the reader guessing to the last few pages of the book.
This is Frederick Forsyth at this best. I thoroughly enjoyed the book - it was entertaining and very readable. 9/10 – I would recommend it to anyone.
Iain S.
I chose this book because, when I was Charles’ age, I had been introduced to Frederick Forsyth through his first novel, ‘The Day of the Jackal’. I therefore reasoned that Charles (a fan of Anthony Horowitz’s ‘Alex Rider’ series of spy adventures) would find Forsyth’s fast paced and meticulously detailed thrillers appealing.
‘The Afghan’ is classic Forsyth. British and US security agencies become aware of an Al Qaeda plot to commit a huge attack against the West but are unable to discover the target. The only way to find this crucial information seems to be to get a human intelligence source into the heart of Al Qaeda – a task that seems impossible, until a chance conversation highlights Mike Martin, a retired British Army Officer of mixed parentage who had been born and brought up in the Middle East. He speaks the language like a local, understands the culture and by happy coincidence was a member of the SAS! Reluctantly Martin is persuaded out of retirement to track down the terrorists. The scene is now set for a rollercoaster ride in true Forsyth style as the hero sets out on his mission to discover the details of the plot and its perpetrators, and ultimately avert disaster.
As with most of his books, Forsyth has researched his subject extensively and filled ‘The Afghan’ with detail and realism that brings both the story and the characters to life. The narrative moves along at a slick pace and ends in a cliff-hanging climax that keeps the reader guessing to the last few pages of the book.
This is Frederick Forsyth at this best. I thoroughly enjoyed the book - it was entertaining and very readable. 9/10 – I would recommend it to anyone.
Iain S.
No comments:
Post a Comment