Fox, the

by Frederick Forsyth

Most weapons do what you tell them. Most weapons you can control.
But what if the most dangerous weapon in the world isn’t a smart missile or a stealth submarine or even an AI computer programme? What if it’s an 18-year-old boy with a blisteringly brilliant mind, who can run rings around the most sophisticated security services across the globe, who can manipulate that weaponry and turn it against the superpowers themselves? How valuable would he be? And what wouldn’t you do to get hold of him?

The Fox is a race-against-time thriller across continents to find and capture, or protect and save, an asset with the means to change the balance of world power. Whatever happens he must not fall into the wrong hands. Because what follows after that is unthinkable…

'Forsyth deserves his place among the thriller greats.' The Times

'The master of the modern espionage novel returns . . . this is Forsyth at his spellbinding best.' Daily Mail

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Espionage, Mystery, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Politics

309 pages, Hardcover

First published October 16, 2018

About the author

Frederick Forsyth, CBE was a English author and occasional political commentator. He was best known for thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil's Alternative, The Fist of God, Icon, The Veteran, Avenger, The Afghan, and more recently, The Cobra and The Kill List.

The son of a furrier, he was born in Ashford, Kent, educated at Tonbridge School and later attended the University of Granada. He became one of the youngest pilots in the Royal Air Force at 19, where he served on National Service from 1956 to 1958. Becoming a journalist, he joined Reuters in 1961 and later the BBC in 1965, where he served as an assistant diplomatic correspondent. From July to September 1967, he served as a correspondent covering the Nigerian Civil War between the region of Biafra and Nigeria. He left the BBC in 1968 after controversy arose over his alleged bias towards the Biafran cause and accusations that he falsified segments of his reports. Returning to Biafra as a freelance reporter, Forsyth wrote his first book, The Biafra Story in 1969.

Forsyth decided to write a novel using similar research techniques to those used in journalism. His first full length novel, The Day of the Jackal, was published in 1971 and became an international bestseller and gained its author the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel. It was later made into a film of the same name.

Reviews

[Natalie M · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars at best! The epitome of average. I love Forsyth, some of my favourite works are his but this will not be one of them. It feels like a political rant in places, in others a review of world events. Through all this is an unrealistic, unbelievable, even ridiculous plot which has an even stranger ending. It’s so far from a Forsyth I’d hazard a guess at a ghost-writer.

[Chinmay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Worst Forsyth book ever written.

The book was a horrible disappointment. The overarching plot can be at best described as genius boy waving his magic fingers to defeat all the enemies of the West using a computer. And I use the "magic" deliberately because though the book is about hacking, no explanation is ever given as to how exactly the boy hacks in to the most complex firewalls in the world. While I do not expect detailed and boring manual about how hacking takes place at least the author could have made it sound interesting. Instead the author has used a rather convenient plot device of the boy being autistic and having a sixth sense. Which me leads to a pet peeve of mine. What is with people's predilection towards stereotyping and misrepresenting people suffering from autism? Everywhere you see in pop culture, people suffering from autism are depicted to be socially awkward but some kind of geniuses or savants, which is as far from reality. While I am no expert, I hate it when people try to depict autism as some kind of a "cool" disorder where you are a genius savant and your only draw back is being shy and unable to converse with people; which precisely what the author does in this book. Does the author even understand the problems faced by autistic children and parents trying to raise such kids?

The second problem with the book was that there was no coherent plotline by the author and some parts of the book felt downright surreal. The author jarringly jumps from one scene to the next like an impatient teenager telling a story.While previous books by Forsyth were focused on a singular plotline, this one rambled from one instance to another. The plot was an endless reiteration of boy hacks this country's database; then hacks another country's database; ad nauseam. The spook Sir Adrian conveniently has contacts with all the important people in his own country as well as in America. All agencies and governments of U.S., U.K. and Israel are all goody-goody with each other and spy agencies share everything immediately with each other. Bureaucracy does not exist in Forsyth's world. A lot of filler content in the guise of various secret agencies of different countries is bombarded without furthering the plot.

The book also suffers from the typical West is Superior the East Syndrome. All that is good is in the West, while all the others are just corrupt, selfish and evil. Everything the Iranians, Russians, Koreans can do, Westerners can do better! The reasons why a country follows a certain course is never ventured in to, but the author is ever prepared to pass moral judgments on all of them.

In the end I just have one question which I am sure many other would also be wondering about; Did Forsyth even write this book? It felt as if an intern had written the book in his spare time. If this had been the authors first attempt at writing, I am sure it would not even be published. Alas a lot of people, like me, will buy and read it simply because of the authors prior reputation. If this is the best Forsyth can now come up with, then I completely agree with him, he has indeed run out of things to say.

Forsyth should have stayed in retirement.

[Linda Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forsyth continues to master the international spy thriller in his latest book. "The Fox" has hacked into the NSA, and US and British agents join forces to find the hacker. The story is modern without relying on excessive technical detail. The scenario is both plausible and frightening.

[La pecera de Raquel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aunque la trama en principio es muy interesante, el servicio de inteligencia de EEUU ha sufrido una intromisión,"un ataque", sin embargo, no han robado nada, no han dejado nada, no hay extorsión... no han dejado ni una solo pista de quién o qué puede haber sido. Adrian Weston ex jefe del Servicio de Inteligencia Secreto Británico es el encargado de realizar estas investigaciones que le llevan hasta un niño de 16 años con Síndrome de Asperger, Luke Jennings, el mejor hacker del mundo y los americanos quieren su deportación porque ha hackeado sus sistemas, su misión será protegerlo de los espías enemigos y aprovechar sus conocimientos.
Novela al más puro estilo de las películas norteamericanas de espías, muy entretenida en cuanto a la trama pero no en cuanto a la narración, parece casi más una crónica periodística de la actualidad internacional con pocos diálogos y muchos datos reales, mezclados con la ficción.
Tiene tantísimos nombres de espías, datos reales, viajes, situaciones, a veces inverosímiles y un final tan surrealista que resulta complicado seguir la trama.
Para los muy aficionados a las novelas de espías a lo John Le Carré.

[Paula Lyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once upon a time there was an autistic English boy that could hack Anything. He causes havoc in all the Bad places in the world and survives several attempts at assassination. He does all this within 7 months so he never gets any older. Then, because this is a fairy tale, he becomes a Real Boy. This allows him to live happily ever after. The End.

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

I find this boring and tough to follow. 2 of 10 stars

[Brett · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible book. Much like Wilbur Smith and Tom Clancy, Forsyth has entered the realm of successful thriller writers that allow publishers to ghost write books for them. This book has none of the style, or pace of of a Forsyth novel. There’s no depth to any of the characters and the plot lurches from one confrontation to the next. The computer hacking is described only through cliched metaphors and the only exposition is about the covert military and intelligence services of various countries which is repeated ad nauseam throughout the book.
In short, don’t buy it.

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up (for all of his past accomplishments in this genre.) Someone has hacked into the impenetrable computer systems of the U.S. intelligence community. Turns out, it's a 18-year Brit, working in his attic with standard equipment, who awakens to find a team of black-clad anti-terrorist operators in his bedroom. Luke Jennings is a shy introverted kid, with Asperger's Syndrome, who was just looking around and did no damage. He is whisked off to a secure location, and becomes a central figure in engineering break-ins to various systems belonging to the bad guys: Russia, Iran, North Korea. Sir Adrian Weston, the former Deputy Chief of MI6 comes out of retirement at the Prime Minister's request to run, nurture, and protect Luke as an intelligence asset, and he needs all of his prodigious skills to avoid retribution by the Russians and their nasty friends. Not as good as his earlier stuff, but decent enough.

[Terence M - [Quot libros, quam breve tempus!] · Rating 1 out of 5]

0.5-Star ^ 1-Star for The Fox - DNF @ 49%

A brief review to come... Nah, not worth the effort!

From my Listening Activity: @ 49%
Heard: 04:00 Hours - Balance: 04:13 Hours - 29/03/2025
"If, like me, you are a fan of Frederick Forsyth, don't read/hear this egregiously written book! In Aussie rhyming slang, it is an absolute "Barry Crocker", ie, a shocker! (Barry Crocker is an Aussie actor/comedian). I agree with reviewers who suggest this book might have been ghost-written!"

[Adah Udechukwu · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fox is an average novel. The novel does not flow properly and it keeps referencing past events which was kinda annoying.

[Dawnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be very realistic. It has a modern day international espionage. Very though provoking considering the state of our world affairs right now. When you thin an eight-teen -year old hacker could tap in a become a weapon and a target. A great read.

I won a copy of this from the publisher for my honest review.

Dawn Ruby-BookGypsy
Novels N Latte Book Blog
Novels & Latte Book Club
Hudson Valley NY

[Jerry B · Rating 3 out of 5]

We’ve been enjoying Frederick Forsyth since his debut with “The Day of the Jackal” in 1971. Unlike other popular authors, he doesn’t pump out a full-length novel every year, but rather has published a new international thriller at roughly three-to-five year intervals – a span no doubt reflected in the diligent research and contemporaneous timeliness of his suspenseful plots.

“Fox” is no exception as it traces the “art” of cyber warfare via the unbelievably brilliant hacking abilities of a British teenager, Luke Jennings, who ironically is afflicted with Asperger’s Syndrome. After he comes to the attention of the US NSA, the Brits ask him to perform similar tasks that affect Russian ship navigation and other unusual assignments.

While the plot elements are certainly fresh, and the hacking results great fun, we weren’t quite as impressed with the character development and other attributes for which the author is duly well known. Now an octogenarian, perhaps the author had “help” that affected the overall quality of his latest novel.

[Alexw · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not up to par with his masterpiece of The Day Of The Jackal, Forsyth keeps the action flowing. His description of gun fights is so vivid that you imagine that he personally had to be in several gun fights. Throw in enough conspiracies that boggle the imagination and you have a good read.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This adventure centres on a teen lad with Asperger's who lives in his computer attic and hacks. Ah - no it doesn't. If it did he'd have lines, right?
This adventure centres on a retired agent who is called back by a Theresa May lookalike to control the young hacker Luke and point him at targets. Sir Adrian seems to be a reflection of the author, who is now in his eighties. He sends in the SAS but otherwise seems tolerant, then people start getting killed. My impression is that the story was dictated and not edited.

Sadly it's obvious that Forsyth doesn't have the foggiest idea what hackers do or how they do it. 'He got around the air gap which is considered impossible' from his attic? The air gap is got around by sending somebody to the office or bank which is not connected to the outside world, who plugs in a flashdrive to a computer in that building. Or by infecting a laptop carried by someone who works in that building. Hackers will look for badges dropped at conferences and airline ticket stubs, will skim debit cards, make phone calls impersonating staff, send phishing e-mails, so on, to gain details for access. Forsyth says none of this; he only knows a few buzz words which have been told to him by someone else. The other sides don't seem to have any hackers.

Similarly with the series of incidents which can be chalked up to Luke. Anyone who reads the news on the internet knows as much as Sir Adrian does about the goings on in global politics and the Novichok nerve agent. The various characters seldom interact and remain one-dimensional through the story. Apart from Mrs May-alike, we get no decent female roles, while nobody begins to discuss Asperger's. The solid characters were all soldiers, SAS and a former soldier in Scotland, now a gamekeeper; these came across well if, again, completely one-dimensionally. Mostly what they do is keep the boy alive and make exemplary shots.

Forsyth's wishful thinking near the end is quite fun and readers could enjoy the thinly-veiled portraits of the world leaders. I found the way that only a surname and location are required to track down a boy from outside his country, to be reminiscent of The Lord of The Rings (Shire, Baggins) and The Terminator (Sarah Connor).

If you want to read about hacking in thrillers, try DS Kane, Thomas Waite, Barry Eisler, Reece Hirsch, etc. If you want to support your longstanding favourite British author, read The Fox.

I downloaded an e-ARC from Fresh Fiction. This is an unbiased review.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Such a Cunning Fox!

For once, with this author, when a publisher puts extravagant claims in their blurb it's hard to argue. Frederick Forsyth has written some of the all-time thriller greats so deserves the ultimate respect. They suggest he defined the thriller genre so is he still at the leading edge all these years later? He certainly throws a lot at this book to make it up to date and relevant with everything from Novichok to computer hacking being cast into the mix!

For me David Rintoul was more the star here with his superbly smooth narration which I always enjoy. The story itself relies on the now well-used super teenage hacker who can do things that no-one else can and in fact the first way they use his skills made me smile. However, I never felt that the characters came to life and the story was a fairly repetitive re-hash of the same thing happening in different ways.

It still felt that it had some of Forsyth's classy writing and one or two of the various secret service types made for good characters so with that excellent narration it's certainly not bad but Forsyth is no cyber security expert and this won't go down as one of his greatest hits.

[Ruth Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but thought the ending a bit lame.

[Barry who enjoys well-written thrillers, mysteries , & espionage & loathes romance, horror & supernat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frederick Forsyth has been one of my favorite authors for many years although he seemed to have peaked with what may have been his first book, The Day of the Jackal. The result was that I hadn't read one of his novels in years but I decided to give The Fox a shot because I knew that, minimally, it would be good. It turns out that it was, in my not very modest opinion, excellent.

As was the case for many of his earlier works, he used the current world situation and real characters except for the really central roles. He was kind to Trump, although he never mentioned his name, rather referring to him as the President or POTUS.

The world is, as is actually the case, in a mess with North Korea developing a delivery system for their nuclear weapons, Iran developing such weapons and Putin attempting to subjugate Europe. Then, it appears that someone has hacked into the unhackable US military site that controls nuclear weapons and other goodies.

The hacker is quickly identified as a British teenager with Asperger's syndrome. Then the fun begins. Unlike most books, there is no superagent with a big red S on his chest, leaping tall buildings at a single bound, etc.

The book, which was fairly lightly regarded by critics, reads somewhat like a news account of events that could well be occurring in real time with, as mentioned before, many real characters. I found that plot absolutely compelling with suspense building at every turn. The characters seemed quite realistic although the politicians were, inexplicably, somewhat smarter than blocks of wood.

I strongly recommend The Fox is anyone who enjoys a good espionage yarn set in current times and realistically dealing with the dangers facing the world.

[Stanley Goldyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It will be the saddest of days when Frederick Forsyth ultimately chooses to 'cap his pen', and retire from the writers' world.

My first brush with his novels was decades ago when I couldn't set aside "The Day Of The Jackal". And in the intervening years, I have purchased his every hardcover, read and kept, and in some cases, re-read them. Those tomes continue to sit proudly on my library shelf.

The Fox is simply his latest achievement. Easy to read; bubbling along with that Forsyth trademark of clarity and methodical flow, and difficult to bookmark and abandon temporarily, because life calls us away.

An easy 5-star, like everything else he has turned his keyboard to. I encourage you to read and enjoy this, his latest, and then be saddened by the unacceptably long, impatient wait for his next.

[Jim A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical Forsyth. Just the right amount of suspense as well as an excellent story.

The Fox is an 18 year old boy suffering from Asperger's. He also has the unique ability to hack into any other computer system without leaving a trace. This ability comes to the attention of British MI-6 and the story is off to the races. Victims of The Fox include Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

All in all a very satisfying novel.

[Michael Baker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing

I have really enjoyed some of his earlier books. This one was a huge let down. No character development to the point that you couldn’t care less if the main characters were all murdered half way through the novel.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a longtime fan of Forsyth, I was very interested in how he approached this tale of contemporary technological espionage without falling off the edge into tech speak and so forth. I respect his story telling skill ...The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Forth Protocol etc ... and was pleased that it was again demonstrated in The Fox.

The world is a much smaller place than it once was due to the cyber reliance of all of us in control of every day as well international political affairs. Forsyth introduces Sir Adrian Weston , a sort of retired British cold war agent, who must bring his highly developed espionage instincts to bear on a cyber threat. Multiple invisible enemies, grave overall threats ... how can Weston utilize "The Fox" to manipulate the complex geopolitical attacks to prevent the resumption of the Cold War and minimize the impact of North Korea , the re-emerging Russia and Iranian nuclear aspirations.

As real as the inside info on today's news as only Forsyth can relate . If you like modern, contemporary intrigue , well researched and clearly presented, you will enjoy The Fox.

[Xabi1990 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una de espías, a la antigua usanza con el único toquecito del hacker que aparece como conseguidor casi mágico de información pero no lo hace ni como personaje con voz ni como protagonista ni ná.
Eso sí, aparecen todas las siglas de las agencias de espionaje y contraespionaje y cuerpos de élite de Inglaterra, USA, Rusia, Israel, Irán y varios más.
Más que novela parece un artículo/ensayo del funcionamiento de las operaciones encubiertas de espionaje…pero funciona lo suficiente como para que te haga desear seguir leyendo.
Es cortito y es como una descripción de distintas operaciones de tiempos totalmente recientes. Por aquí desfila el envenenamiento en Inglaterra del ex-espía ruso y su hija, los encuentros de Trump con Kim Jong-un, la denuncia del acuerdo nuclear con Irán y varias más delas últimas internacionales.
Graciosamente no menciona los nombres de Trump, ni May, ni Putin, pero aparecen y mucho.

Menos rollo: ¿merece o no la pena?. No es lo que me esperaba, no hay una historia de largo desarrollo ni buenos personajes pero sí, creo que merece.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you FREDERICK FORSYTH for writing THE FOX. Thank you G.P. Putnam's for publishing it. The 21st century has seen the birth of a new type warfare - cyberwarfare. Mr. Forsyth has produced a book whose plot seems to be ripped from major news headlines (not "fake news!").

Among the major characters is Sir Adrian Weston retired number2 at MI6. Then there is Luke Jennings an 18 year computer hacker of unmatched skills who is affected by Asperger's Syndrome. Sir Adrian recruits Luke to MI6. Also appearing is Yevgeni Krilov head of Russia's SVR, the Russian spy agency (see N.S.A and C.I.A.). Making cameo appearances are Kim Jong-un, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. None of the last three are painted in favorable colors.

The story centers around schemes that Adrian Weston presents to Luke Jennings involving hacking into sensitive Russian, North Korean and Iranian top secret projects. Yevgeni Krilov is posed with the dilemma of stopping these hacks. The story moves seamlessly from Moscow to London to North Korea to Iran to the United States and other locations.

I highly recommend this book to fans of Mr. Forsyth and readers of spy thrillers. Although a work of fiction, there are morsels of truth throughout.

GO! BUY! READ!

[Stuart Ashenbrenner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forsyth is 80-years-old, and he writes a book that is one of the most relevant and current pieces of mystery and thrill that there is available. I will skip over the synopsis of the book, but long story short, there is a young hacker, Luke Jennings, who assists in finding "The Fox".

Not only is writing a thriller in which the antagonist a computer hacker difficult, is hard to make it into a "thriller." Typically thrillers have a bad guy with fantastical skills that rival the protagonist, which is why I was a little apprehensive when starting this book. Part of it, and this may make me a little ageist, was the fact that an 80-year-old was writing it.

BUT...Forsyth delivered magnificently! This was a great book, with a plot that continued to move along, and it truly kept me captivated until the end. Also, as someone who works in the computer/software industry, Forsyth nailed every term and piece that revolves around the tech industry.

You also have to admit that Forsyth is one of the best writers out there, meaning his prose is stellar, his characters are dynamic, his plots are realistic and believable, and his books keep you engaged and hooked.

[Susy · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars
Thinking I would be reading a (thrilling) thriller, I was highly disappointed by this book. It read more as a combination of a handbook in politics combined with a history book, with hints of a thriller here and there. The narrator doesn’t help, reading it as if it were a news item or documentary. So that’s why I’m giving it half a star more, giving the book a slight benefit of the doubt: maybe it would’ve be been a 2 star rating had I read it myself. Definitely not more than that though. I had a very hard time focusing and a lot of the details went from one ear to the other. The only reason I didn’t DNF it was because of a couple of reading challenges/readathons I was participating in.

Characters 2
Atmosphere 1
Writing Style 1
Setup 1
Plot 1
Intrigue 1
Logic 1
Enjoyment 1
Narration 1

[Jawahar Surti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually 2.5/5
Picked this up with great expectations, having been a fan of Forsyth's novels. But was disappointed. The writing style is good enough, the flow, the language. But where is the story? You suddenly come across a hacker of all hackers and get impossible things done through him. He makes all other people appear dumb! The events jump. Not very coherent. And then like some movie things change to bring other things to an end!
Thoughts: Did he actually write it?

[Alona · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
It’s not Forsyth’s Day of the Jackal or even The Odessa File, but I enjoyed reading The Fox.
Frederick Forsyth is over eighty years old and still writing wonderfully even if not as sharp and brilliantly as when he was a young pilot turned journalist turned novelist 😊

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the voice of David Rintoul, the narrator, and his British accent. Just as much as I loved him in some of Robert Harris’s books. Wonderful job!

[José Alfredo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vuelve el clásico maestro del suspense. El Zorro es una novela de rabiosa actualidad que se desarrolla en nuestro propio tiempo. Un joven con Asperger tiene la capacidad y facilidad de burlar cualquier sistema de seguridad informática existente, lo que le convierte en el arma más peligrosa que existe. Un thriller vertiginoso en que se repasa toda la actualidad geopolítica con situaciones que recuerdan peligrosamente a la era de la Guerra Fría, un libro de espías, escuadrones asesinos y hackers. Se lee de una sentada, totalmente recomendable.

[Shalini Agarwal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Utter disappointment!

The fact that I had to start the book from the beginning again should have been my cue to put it down once and for, all owing to the boring, twisted and unrealistic story line. But there's a thing with me, that however boring or hard it is becoming to get along with a book, I try my best to complete it as a respect for the author and his efforts. Well, it didn't pay me this time, as I had initially expected. Reading the book blurb of this book, one will surely want to pick it up and gorge through it but hardly did I know that it would turn to be a disaster read. Though the concept of the whole story was a goldmine to be honest but the execution failed miserably and the silent glorification of Britain all throughout the story made it even worse to contain it.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

"This is what I've been missing, I've read two Tom Clancy books recently and have been really disappointed in how the writers who have continued his franchise have handled the series. Thank goodness for Frederick Forsyth, a writer that
truly understands how espionage should be written. The fox is an intense thriller that would make a great movie.

Russian snipers, double agents, the SAS, The Fox truly delivers readers into the dark and dangerous world, that only a few ever really get to experience. Two spy masters play a dangerous game of cat and mouse that will leave only one of them alive. Great read 4 stars - perfect book for dad this Christmas.