Book Review - "THE AFGHAN" by Frederick Forsyth
I am not much of a Forsyth fan. The only other book by him that I have read is "The Day of the Jackal", which was brilliant. I even managed to miss his other best sellers "The fist of God" and "Icon".
PLOT:
So few days ago, when I bought his latest book published this year "The Afghan", it was because a friend recommended it to me. The book is not that long- only 322 pages. It is set in the aftermath of the 7/11 London blasts. Al-Qaeda is supposedly planning some horrible terrorist attack of which the CIA and the British intelligence have no idea of.
To find out, they decide to do, what is considered impossible. Infiltrate Al-Qaeda. They send Mike Martin, a retired Army man instead of Izmat Khan, an Afghan captured by the CIA and held in Guantanamo Bay. Mike undergoes extensive training to do this.
REVIEW:
It is evident that a lot of research and background work has gone into writing this novel. In the first half, the background story is weaved into actual historical events which happened. The British and the US siding with the Afghans to defeat the USSR, then the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Then 9/11 happens and the US attack on Afghanistan and how they responded. Till this point, the novel almost seemed like a non-fiction history book. It was the best part and I enjoyed reading the first 180-200 pages thoroughly. Then the fiction part starts, the details about the infiltration, and the training and related happenings. From then on, it is completely fiction, incredulous at times.
This is where the book begins to sag. I felt from that point on, the book wasn't detailed enough. It could have done with 200 pages more and being more descriptive. I don't know why Forsyth chose to rush ahead with the story. Though the final pages are quite well written and at no point does one feel bored of reading the story, after finishing the book, there is a lingering feeling that it does not quite justify the talent of a writer in the league of Forsyth.
There are also some events that are so co-incidental that seem impossible to happen.Other than that, the book is certainly worth a read, and certainly better than what writers like Sidney Sheldon offer.
26 people have commented:
Very well done da, I want u to write more such book reviews so that ppl like me could select books, I will also try to do bookreviews da in my blog
nice review yaar !!! eh ? not yet read ne books of Frederick Forsyth :(:(
ll buy this book first ..hehehe !!
thnks for the review man, I was reluctant to buy this book .... :)
Hmm... Good review. Will try to go thru it.
@subramani:
Ok da...I will sure come up with more reviews
@Sweety:
Buy a pirated one, the original costs 260...too much
@Brute:
It's a above average but less than brilliant book
@kalpana:
Yeah...read it...the plot is good, if you are a forsyth fan, then you will love it..
tnxxx Ganesh!
Keshi.
Good review ganesh!!! U r a good critic! frank and well observed. :)
am planning to pick this book, so i kinda skipped this blog.
Hmm critical review there!
Well, when it comes to hard core pulp fiction, there are some things which are impossible to believe.. I used to love reading those kinds of books way back.. Nowadays I ve just stopped reading this kind of fiction.. Maybe I ve become too old for it :-(
Anyways good review..
Okayie!..so books like these also interest u..cool! better than what writers like Sidney Sheldon offer
Hmm..I think Sheldon's an awesome story teller:)
@Keshi:
No sweat
@Prithz:
Thanks prithz, I don't think you would get pirated books in Singapore... poor you :-)
@appu:
No need to skip the blog, Appu, I didn't reveal anything about the plot which you won't find on the back cover of the book, my idea was to review it, not to spoil anyone's fun...
@Kalpana:
No point in doing a review if one intends to be partial.
@rebel:
Yeah maybe 10 years later, I would feel about these book the same way I now feel about Enid Blyton, which was my absolute fave in my childhood days.
@Krithika:
Oops, I seemed to have touched a nerve there.
I didn't like any of the sidney sheldon books I have read so far with the exception of "If tomorow comes". Very predictable and like a masala movie, a bit of everything
good review...I havent read a forsyth in ages but used to enjoy that stuff...
should catch this one!
hey ur reveiw is great..
proveking enough to insist anybody to read this book...
if i get the time , ill definetly try my hand on this...
@chandni:
Try it...
@tanushree:
Certainly not a waste of time, vintage forsyth
yup, the review was good enough to shift this up in my 'to-read list'... but it still will take some time ;)
hey neat review. i am a relatively decentish forsythe fan but never got my hands on this one. Now to think of it, its been a while since i've read anythg. lack of time/ interst. *sigh*... have to catch up.. still have to finish up on the memoirs of a geisha.. anyhoo, thks for the review ! was great.. :)
hey what happened to my prev. comment??????????????????????
I think i already commented... Okay anyways..
Hope I get to read that book soon. I have already read a book similar to this. "The Cell" by Colin Dole, I guess... but that was not very interesting... just about Al-Quada... bombs.... and stuff.
Ha..thts a nice review..and will try 2 read soon ;)
@adi:
read it at leisure, a forsyth book can't be hurried
@soul:
How is memoirs of a Geisha??
@karthik:
I don't delete any comments, maybe you didn't comment in the first place. This is more than about Al-Qaeda, yeah it is central to the story but it does not dominate it
@ponnarasi:
try it..
I didn't mean that u deleted it. :)
I think it is the sadhi velai of Blogger beta! :D
Happy Diwali Ganesh!
Keshi.
Happy Diwali
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The plot is awesome and has the ineternational appeal. Thoroughly engrossing experience!!
Post a Comment