What Really Happened in the First Gulf War
The Fist of God by Frederick Forsyth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I picked up The Fist of God when I purchased three other Frederick Forsyth titles. I added this book to my shopping cart because I thought its subject matter would be helpful for background in the screenplay I’m writing. In that respect the book stimulated my creativity, and helped me think outside of the box. I think that is mainly due to the level of research and detail incorporated by Forsyth. The detail makes the story feel authentic.
There are several story lines Forsyth included that I liked, with a slightly new spin. One of these story lines involved the spy ring in Iraq.
When I talk about loving the details Forsyth breaths into his novels, they can be seen everywhere, but in this case it was his characters’ development I focused on. I’d be interested to know how much backstory Forsyth puts on paper. There is one scene where he talks about two characters in their youth. Forsyth tells the reader how they caddied for a Mr Thatcher and his wife, a women who was interested in politics. It was an interesting way of adding additional connection between important characters at an earlier point in their lives. It also let me pull off into an unrelated tangent that had me considering possible backstory that Forsyth may have omitted.
I will say that I was a little disappointed in the ending of the book. Forsyth put some spins into the ending that I didn’t see coming, but the ending as a whole felt rushed. The loose ends were all tied up, but I felt it was like the author said, “Okay. I need to get this done before I blow my page count.” I think an additional chapter or two could have been included to smooth out the ending, but he’s the New York Times best seller and I’m the guy who’s struggling to sell my first book.
All in all The Fist of God was an exceptional read, and I highly encourage you to give it a look if you are interested in historical fiction, suspense/thrillers, or mysteries.
© Christopher L. Hedges and AverageJoesStory.com, 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Christopher L. Hedges and AverageJoesStory.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
