The Afghan
by Frederick Forsyth
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 312)
Read in October, 2007
Pros
As always, great attention to detail and a gripping plot
Cons
Less than substantive conclusion
Review
I’ve been a Frederick Forsyth fan from the moment I read The Day of the Jackal, years ago in the 10th or 11th grade. When I saw that he had a new book out, I grabbed the opportunity to be transported into the world of high espionage, foreign lands and uber-cool characters. I was not to be disappointed on a number of these fronts. In the Afghan, Forsyth takes a more contemporary a...more
As always, great attention to detail and a gripping plot
Cons
Less than substantive conclusion
Review
I’ve been a Frederick Forsyth fan from the moment I read The Day of the Jackal, years ago in the 10th or 11th grade. When I saw that he had a new book out, I grabbed the opportunity to be transported into the world of high espionage, foreign lands and uber-cool characters. I was not to be disappointed on a number of these fronts. In the Afghan, Forsyth takes a more contemporary a...more
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Read in May, 2008
I wouldn't rank this in the same league as Forsyth's earlier, first-rate work (e.g., The Dogs of War or Day of the Jackal) Still, below-average Frederick Forsyth is better than a lot of espionage thriller writers who are on form.
The basic premise of this one is that British and American intelligence services have got wind of a plan for a terrorist attack. They do the near-impossible job of infiltrating an agent into al-Qaeda. For the mission, they choose a former SAS officer wh...more
The basic premise of this one is that British and American intelligence services have got wind of a plan for a terrorist attack. They do the near-impossible job of infiltrating an agent into al-Qaeda. For the mission, they choose a former SAS officer wh...more
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Read in February, 2007
Listened to the Audiobook from Recorded Books
Narrated By: Robert Powell
When British and American intelligence catch wind of a major Al Qaeda operation in the works, they are primed for action - but what can they do? They know nothing about the attack: the what, where or when. They have no sources in Al Qaeda, and it’s impossible to plant someone. Impossible, unless ... The Afghan is Izmat Khan, a five-year prisoner of Guantanamo Bay and a former senior commander of the Taliban. The Afg...more
Narrated By: Robert Powell
When British and American intelligence catch wind of a major Al Qaeda operation in the works, they are primed for action - but what can they do? They know nothing about the attack: the what, where or when. They have no sources in Al Qaeda, and it’s impossible to plant someone. Impossible, unless ... The Afghan is Izmat Khan, a five-year prisoner of Guantanamo Bay and a former senior commander of the Taliban. The Afg...more
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Read in June, 2008
I would consider Forsyth to be the best spy writer out there. His books like Fist of God, The Deceiver and The Day of the Jackal are impressive monuments to thriller literature. This books contains his same meticulous detail without overweighting itself the way Clancy does and a reasonable terrorist scenario.
It makes me really wish for what the spy writers call the "good old days" with the Russians and the cold war and defections and phone booths and booze and lots of sex. I hope t...more
It makes me really wish for what the spy writers call the "good old days" with the Russians and the cold war and defections and phone booths and booze and lots of sex. I hope t...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
Any writers circle wanting an illustration of how not to write a thriller
You don't read Forsyth for the dialogue or the narrative style - you read him for twisty, page-turning plot and for know-how. This one, I have to admit, kept me turning the pages, but I found precious little new in the know-how.
Forysth's dialogue is wooden at best. In this one, he handles dialogue by mostly omitting it altogether. When he does break his long, grey, heavy paragraphs for a line of dialogue, it's not wooden any more - it's like lead.
Much the same goes for the narrative s...more
Forysth's dialogue is wooden at best. In this one, he handles dialogue by mostly omitting it altogether. When he does break his long, grey, heavy paragraphs for a line of dialogue, it's not wooden any more - it's like lead.
Much the same goes for the narrative s...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
Forsyth fans
The story within the book is fascinating and convoluted but Forsyth writes with very little dialogue and long narrative passages that cover vast portions of the story in short order. He gives interesting background and too much background for me. I found myself skipping areas where his narration told me much more than I needed to know to follow the story. If you read to know more about the amazing armaments carried on helicopters, ships and portable weapons, this may be a lot of fun.
Michael...more
Michael...more
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Read in April, 2008
Frederick Forsyth is a very interesting author in that even more then his plots, when you are done you understand geopolitical events that you just didn't understand before.
His book The Avenger left me a working knowledge about the breakup and reorganization of the Balkans.
The Afghan is similar in that when you are done, you have a new appreciation of the history and organization of Al Qaeda around the world. His books are history and philosophy well explained, easy to read, and aga...more
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Read in July, 2008
I don't often use this site but I enjoyed this book so much I thought I'd share.
This author is an ex-RAF pilot/ex-journalist who researches meticulously and provides an explicit, step-by-step, behind-the-scenes account of his topic (usually international intrigue, this time it's Islamic terrorism). The novel is more historical than fiction (at least seems that way). It details the recent history of Afganistan, Pakistan, Iraq, the Taliban, the British and Soviet wars in Afganistan, Al Qaeda, r...more
This author is an ex-RAF pilot/ex-journalist who researches meticulously and provides an explicit, step-by-step, behind-the-scenes account of his topic (usually international intrigue, this time it's Islamic terrorism). The novel is more historical than fiction (at least seems that way). It details the recent history of Afganistan, Pakistan, Iraq, the Taliban, the British and Soviet wars in Afganistan, Al Qaeda, r...more
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There are quite many Indonesian citizens in this story. But as an Indonesian I feel totally misrepresented. Because all the Indonesians are terrorist. For people who didn't know Indonesia would have a very wrong idea of the really wonderful and peaceful place we live in. Also the author doesn't even bother a bit to tell the friendliest atmosphere of the majority of Indonesian people. Of course we can't deny that there are fanatical terrorist that is written in this book but all in all they only ...more
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1 comments
All Forsyth's stories come off the same. A really compelling introduction to the story set against a factual and equally compelling backdrop, and you're thinking this has all the makings of your favorite novel of all time, and then after you're finished, waiting for the second installment to magically appear, you realize it wasn't really that good at all. See: Icon. See: The Odessa File. I'm not reading another Forsyth until he learns how to finish a story.
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Read in October, 2007
recommended to Salvador by:
Daverecommends it for: people who like thrillers
Not really into International Military Thrillers but this book was recommended to me by someone who's literary taste i trust, so i read it and enjoyed the story. The detail that went into describing everything was staggering, especially for someone who doesn't know much about the military. It was very plausible, which is what makes it so engaging and kind of scary.
The suspense is really good if you can get through the military jargon.
The suspense is really good if you can get through the military jargon.
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Read in August, 2007
My review while reading the book halfway through:
A new novel from Forsyth after quite some times.
Still meticulous as always, although from an intrigue point of view, might not be as interesting as "The Odessa File"..
And yes, Forsyth is still focusing on man of arms.
================================
My review after finished reading the book, having seen Bourne Ultimatum:
Can't Forsyth's man be as nimble as Bourne? <grins>
A new novel from Forsyth after quite some times.
Still meticulous as always, although from an intrigue point of view, might not be as interesting as "The Odessa File"..
And yes, Forsyth is still focusing on man of arms.
================================
My review after finished reading the book, having seen Bourne Ultimatum:
Can't Forsyth's man be as nimble as Bourne? <grins>
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Read in August, 2007
One book with two entirely different halves and not for the light-hearted. A real look into life in modern day Afghanistan and the terrorists we hear about on the nightly news. The first half is sort of Micheneresque because Forsyth takes that part of the book to build a foundation of understanding for the reader before he really engages you with a "story" in the second half. Excellent read!
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Read in September, 2006
buku dari Forsyth selalu saya tunggu. masih tetap tentang spionase, dan saat ini settingnya adalah pasca kejadian 11 september 2001.
seperti biasa, ending dari cerita Forsyth selalu tak tertebak. kadang2 saya merasa: kok gitu ya? tapi itulah yang bikin cerita2 Forsyth jadi menarik. kesannya cerita jadi real.
seperti biasa, ending dari cerita Forsyth selalu tak tertebak. kadang2 saya merasa: kok gitu ya? tapi itulah yang bikin cerita2 Forsyth jadi menarik. kesannya cerita jadi real.
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Read in September, 2007
I liked this book. The story is about a Western spy who infiltrates a terrorist network. There is a huge amount of background information, so the first 200 pages or so seemed pretty boring to me. But, the characters are much more intricate because of it, and the last 200 pages are great.
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Read in December, 2007
This book was a little slow, but it was very well researched and smartly put together. One thing I really like about it is how clean it was. He didn't swear left and right like other books in this genre. It would be nice if there was a book rating just like there is a movie rating.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
air travelers
Easy airport reading. Quite fast paced, in touch with Islamic things, lot of detail about technology (think Clancy novel), and just a good read. Our hero tries to find out what the next 9-11 threat that Al Quida and all have in store for the Western world by posing as one of them.
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Read in March, 2008
I actually really enjoyed this book...the first I've read by Frederick Forsyth. My dad recommended it to me and loaned me his copy. I learned SO much about the whole conflict in the Middle East all wrapped up in a pretty scary-cool story.
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Read in September, 2007
recommended to Caroline by:
Dadrecommends it for: Forsyth fans
This book starts off strong and is certainly topical with the plot being a suspected terror plot by Al-Qaeda. Mostly standard Forsyth fare and overall an enjoyable read, but it fell a little flat for me at the end.
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Read in October, 2007
Enh. As entertainment, the book is slow, and I keep wanting to put it down. As any sort of factual study of terrorism, it adds a bit to my knowledge-base, but I'm not sure how to evaluate its accuracy.
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