No comments about The Afghan [Unabridged Library Edition].

5 comments about The Phantom of Manhattan.

1. Via Amazon - Excellent service, prompt delivery, excellent condition
   as described, packaged well.
   Would use again.



2. I am an avid PotO fan, and when I heard Love Never Dies was coming, I immediately began researching all I could, and apparently this book was at least partially the inspiration for it. Earlier, I looked upon the sequel with anticipation, but now that I have read this piece of garbage, my hopes have been dashed. This book is HORRENDOUS. It has none of the wonder that exists within Leroux's novel, or any of the magic that is in the ALW musical. The entire book seemed completely forced, and had no real decency to it.
   
   If you are looking for more PotO, I suggest Phantom by Susan Kay, which is much more enjoyable (and ties in to the original story better). I gave this 1 star simply because I'm forced to give it something.



3. If you want to look like you are busy and instead sneak a porn magazine in between these pages its a good book for that. Otherwise please don't bother - terrible, terrible, doesn't evoke any connection with characters, destroys images that were lovely...I wanted to vomit and stopped reading it after two chapters...I threw it in the trash!!



4. Well, first off, I have to say that I heard how awful this book was by a couple of friends who had read the book before I had. (Needless to say, they were utterly and absolutely right!) I decided from the reviews that I didn't want to waste my hard-earned money on something that seemed so not worth the investment/buy, so I went to the library and checked the book out instead...
   
   What can I say? (Are there that many words and phrases to describe it - and do I have enough room here on Amazon to write them all?) Trash. Waste of time. Waste of money. Waste of effort. Not worth the read. Joke. Absolutely abhorrent story, with an even more detestable storyline! Are you sure Forsyth was writing about "The Phantom of the Opera" - or his own personal life/past?
   
   I only got about half-way through the book, until I had to put it down - disgusted and annoyed by what I had just read! After leaving the book, unopened and unread after a couple of days, I decided it was time to take it back to the library. (In all honesty, I would have *LOVED* to have thrown it into the trash or taken it out to the backyard, where I would have burned it - but then it would have cost me money to replace the book!)
   
   So, in the end - here's a simple, yet worthy piece of advice. Don't waste your money, time, or effort in buying or reading this book! It simply is not worth it. (If you want to read a good book, and love the story of the "Phantom of the Opera" - read Gaston Leroux's original novel! Leroux's novel is not only witty - but has a good, solid storyline!)



5. As one who came to this book as a Forysth fan who had never seen the original PHANTOM I really loved this novel and thought it was a wonderful tale well told. Well, I finally saw the original PHANTOM on stage last month and thought it was not nearly as good as this book. And to read that the staged LOVE NEVER DIES sequel largely gutted Forsyth's tale makes me want to avoid that sequel. Shame. And, incidentally, the hysterical one star reviews below reveal more about the reviewers than they do about this book!

No comments about The Cobra.

No comments about The Day of the Jackal.

5 comments about The Veteran.

1. Forsyth is a master story teller and can spin a yarn cleverly which keeps you coming back for more. All five of these short stories are clever with the outcomes not necessarily predictable. In Whispering Wind Forsyth's knowledge of the Cheyenne and Souix tribes, and The Battle of the Little Big Horn impressive. His introduction of the "Everywhere Spirit" makes him a bit of a Mystic...br



2. Please read this book. I believe that you will go out and buy all Forsyth has written when you read this book.



3. Usually authors' careers follow predictable patterns of good patches and bad. One decade might bring greatness, another competence, another bare professionalism.
   
   Frederick Forsyth seems to encompass his entire bell curve in a single book. As an avid Forsyth fan, I declare that "The Veteran" contains the best piece of fiction I've read from Forsyth since "Day Of The Jackal," and also the motliest.
   
   To start with the best, "Heart Of The Matter" is even more of a gem for its sharp characterization and ample good humor, both not qualities I associate with Forsyth the cold chessmaster. Trumpington Gore is a down-on-his-luck actor who finds himself trumped out of a prize painting by a sleazy auctioneer. Lucky for him he's not the only victim, and a common-cause revenge plan is struck.
   
   Add some cyber-sleuthing, in-depth detail about the rare-art auction world, and a forger whose taste for the Old Masters is matched only by a thirst for Bordeaux, and you have a light-but-thrilling caper comedy worthy of the Blake Edwards spider-in-gossamer treatment.
   
   Nothing else is nearly as good as "Heart", a hard act for any author to follow. But "Whispering Wind", the novella in this collection, is just as different for Forsyth, and almost as bad as "Heart Of The Matter" is good. A sordid, revisionist take on Little Bighorn is unpleasant enough, but then the wooden hero goes on a time trip and seeks out his lost Cheyenne love on a tour bus. Forsyth doesn't have a clue what he wants to do from page to page, and it shows in a story that limps along from one coincidence to another. And it goes on and on and on...
   
   Between those two poles, you get three stories featuring last-minute Forsyth twists, the best being "The Miracle". It has the sharpest ending after "Art" and presents Forsyth as an artist at his hard and soft best, telling a tale about violence and hope during the battle for Siena in World War II. Something else, too: Is the twist ending here an acknowledgment by Forsyth of the games people play when they ply his trade? Perhaps I'm reading too much into it.
   
   "The Veteran" is a solid police procedural about the attempted prosecution of two yobbos guilty of a vicious beating. Not as clever as it portends, but Forsyth sets a compelling, gritty mood; making you feel some of the helplessness loved ones of crime victims must go through regularly.
   
   "The Citizen" is the other bad one in this bunch. Not as bad as "Whispering Wind" because its not as long, but so confusing as Forsyth plays way too many games with the reader, giving you nothing to hold onto, even false narration, a dirty trick. I was disappointed.
   
   But any book that has "Art Of The Matter" is worth recommending to Forsyth fans, and others too will enjoy it thoroughly. It's about as good a time as 70 pages can provide, and a perfect remedy for the summertime blues.



4. 
   The Veteran by Frederick Forsyth is by far my favorite author and I may be therefore biased. However, this is a collection of short stories which are captivating as well as extraordinary. The reader will be pleasantly pleased with each delivers. I highly recommend this book as well as all his books. T.Ware



5. The only relevant thing you really need to know about THE VETERAN, especially if you buy it, as I did, thinking it a single story, is that it's a compendium of five shorts. The fifth chapter, "Whispering Wind", is perhaps a novelette as it comprises roughly 40% of the 344-page volume.
   
   Two of the stories were previously published, which suggests that Frederick Forsyth's publisher asked him to scour his odds bin for material to flesh out a profitable new release. Or perhaps the author just needed something to forestall the demands of his publisher made cranky by a delay in the contractual delivery of a feature-length novel. Or maybe Forsyth just needed an infusion of funds to refurbish his home's loo.
   
   All five tales revolve around a veteran of some profession or another: "The Veteran" (British Para trooper), "The Art of the Matter" (bit-part actor), "The Miracle" (WWII Wehrmacht medical officer), "The Citizen" (British drug enforcement cop), "Whispering Wind" (19th century U.S. Seventh Cavalry scout).
   
   All stories were above average in their ability to engage and retain my interest even so far as to attract my attention between snaps during yesterday's USC-Notre Dame football contest. (USC 38, Irish 3. Fight on!) All five had a plot twist, and the author's attention to detail gave added value. In particular for those with no prior knowledge of Custer's Last Stand in 1876 in the present state of Montana, Forsyth's summary of the U.S. Army's greatest defeat at the hands of the native tribes provides a very nice introductory overview.
   
   The first four stories take place in more or less the present and, unlike the fifth and last, completely exclude any paranormality. This sudden change in direction may be slightly disconcerting, much like finding an otherworldly Sci-Fi plot rounding out a collection of sagebrush Western shoot-'em-ups.
   
   THE VETERAN is the perfect accompaniment for that flight home for the holidays or the wait through the wash and spin cycles at the launderette.

1 comments about The Odessa File (Library Edition).

1. We are told that the best stories come from people that write about what they know. Therefore, if this story seems insightful it may be because Frederic Forsyth worked for Reuters reporting from London and he wrote the story in hotels from Germany to Austria. He mixes the real, not so real and the plausible to make you think "what if."
   I do not want to say much as the fun is being surprised during the reading. However compared to the movie the book is much more in-depth with more characters and details. Manny times you think Forsyth is going off on some tangent and not focusing on the main story; then with out warning the information makes sense later on. One example to look for is the quick encounter with military maneuvers where he describes the tank sergeant.
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------
   It is the night of the John F. Kennedy assassination. Peter Miller, freelance reporter in the process of chasing ambulances is disappointed by the apparent suicide of a person of no consequence.
   Turns out the dead man is holocaust survivor Salomon Tauber; he left behind a diary of his experiences. Miller reads this diary and seems particularly interested in some details. This inspires him to do a story on what happed to prominent people that where in the "National Socialist German Workers' Party". His quest puts him at odds with many people including an organization, O.D.E.S.S.A, (Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen), that was designed to help the SS escape justice. He also encounters independent agents out for their own agenda. Then there is the MOSSAD. Everyone accuses Miller of having his own secret agenda and not just out for a story. Can they be right?
   -------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Be sure to also watch the movie with famous actors that actually fit the characters from the book. Naturally a lot of information had to cut out and some sequence changes to fit the media. We still get the full speech from Eduard Roschmann (Maximilian Schell)
   
   The Odessa File Starring: Jon Voight, Maximilian Schell

3 comments about The Shepherd And Other Christmas Stories: The Gift Of The Magi, The Cricket On The Hearth, Yes, Virginia There Is A Santa Claus, Hoodoo Mcgiggin And Christmas Cake Recipe.

1. In Canada people start calling the CBC in early December to ask when they will broadcast the story, "The Shepherd" read on the radio by the late Alan Maitland. I suspect that much of Canada was quiet the last half hour when they just played it on Radio One.
   It is a tense & beautiful spirit/ghost story about a young RAF pilot lost over the North Sea on Xmas Eve.
   I highly recommend it for its expert narration, as an event for the whole family to listen to, ages 10 & up, & as just a darn good story.
   
   The rest of the stories, each w/a bit of irony or a bittersweet taste, are well done, too.



2. While living in the Bay Area of California we were lucky enough to have a radio station that rebroadcast Canada's CBC radio station. "The Shepherd" read by Alan Maitland was a special on Christmas Eve for a number of years and we made sure to tune in each year. Living now in an area we cannot receive the broadcast we have bought the disk and now have our own tradition playing it for ourselves and friends on Christmas Eve. Makes a wonderful gift and stocking stuffer. Recommended highly.



3. Listening to "The Shepard" is a Christmas Tradition at our house. If anyone doesn't know the story, don't worry about it. Just buy it and listen. The story is good to start but the telling makes it even better. It sounds like an odd subject for Christmas, but, if you think about it, "A Christmas Carole" with three ghosts haunting someone has got to be unusual too. "The Shepard" is in the same genre and just as good.

5 comments about The Day of the Jackal.

1. The best thriller I have ever read in my life and the book that introduced me to learn to love reading fiction



2. I bought this book on hopes that it would be a gripping read about spies, sabotage, and suspense. This novel moved very slowly and was bogged down with French details, too many acronyms, and weak, uninteresting plot development. On one level, the Jackal's character was interesting, mysterious and somewhat dynamic, but this novel dragged and was such a slow read. Look elsewhere for a page-turner. Ken Follett's Eye of the Needle is a far better choice in this genre; now that was a fantastic, gripping spy novel.



3. This is the most suspenseful book I have ever read bar none. It is a must read. Most of the nearly 400 pages of the book are one continuous race against time to the ending. The only thing I can think to compare it to is the beginning of Hitchcock's Psycho which builds suspense for the first half of the movie continuously, only this may be even more of a feat. It makes me want to ready all of Forsyth's books. I stayed up until 2 am, reading the last 100 or so pages.



4. "...The day of the Jackal was over."
   As you read the last sentence of the novel, you feel like a marathoner finally crossing the finish line; breathless, exhausted, your head spinning, but also euphoric and feeling you have just participated in a meaningful experience.
   
   The Jackal, a professional assassin, is hired by OAS, a now disbanded real life French militant organization, Organisation de l'armee secrete. His mission is to kill the French President de Gaulle (an actual historical figure). French authorities know of the mission and choose Inspector Lebel to identify and find the killer. The Jackal conducts research on his intended victim and then, despite Lebel's best efforts, relentlessly closes the gap between himself and his target. He uses any methods necessary, seducing and murdering men and women in order to gain shelter on his way to Paris. He is unstoppable.
   
   It is hard to believe that The Day of The Jackal was Forsyth's first fictional novel (originally published in 1971). You realize the writer's mastery when, as you read, you find yourself unable to let go of the feeling of dread and suspense, though fully aware de Gaulle was alive and well in real life, and therefore had to be that way in the book as well. Despite over 350 pages, the novel is a quick read. You forgo meals and become a stranger to your family, all in the effort to find relief in that last sentence:
   
   "...The day of the Jackal was over."



5. I started The Day of the Jackal with high hopes, and I was just making my way through the first chapter, trying to sort out the characters, when I came across this information: On August 22, 1961, dusk had fallen at 8:10 pm, but on August 22, 1962, dusk fell at 8:35 pm. Those 25 minutes were to change the history of France." Maybe some physicist or astronomer out there can correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that impossible? On the same day of the year, in the same location, wouldn't dusk fall within a few seconds of the time it fell the year previously? Since the failure of the assassination plot depended on this fact, and since I'm not normally interested in plots and chases and assassination attempts, I stopped reading the book.

5 comments about The Afghan.

1. A gripping novel, a great read. A truly well done thriller, espionage to the extreme and very timely. A chameleon hero involved in an entertaining and twisting plot. An international bestseller.462 pages(paperback)and was finished all too soon, Highly recommended reading.



2. The main flaw/inconsistency of this book (and other reviewers have noted many) which would become immediately obvious if a movie were ever made, is that the switch between an Afghan agent and a British agent would be obvious and would fail immediately . It's not enough to look very very like the same Afghan agent, you'd still be spotted instantly as a fraud. Why? Because among all the hi tech gear Forsyth has employed , he's forgotten about something which would instantly give you away. It's called a 'photo'.
   
   i.e The Afghan and Mike Martin could be compared in a photo by someone who knew The Afghan, and even if you didn't know him you could still see they're not the same person. There seems to be an element of 'all these Muslim types, they've all got straggly beards and wild eyes and all look the same really'
   
   The plot is still riveting at times and it's very entertaining (in a slightly old fashioned way) but is so full of holes it ultimately falls apart.



3. As usual, Frederick Forsyth keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what's going to happen next, although I was extremely disappointed in the ending. I've never felt that way before about a Forsyth book. Most of his fans will probably like the book.



4. Forsyth writes fast-paced page-turners and this is no exception. It is also pretty well-researched on the political and social culture of Afg-Pak and is therefore a lively introduction to some of the the issues that are headlined currently in the press. A good thriller and not a bad way for the uninitiated to become a little better acquainted with the region.



5. This is an interesting book but certainly not Forsyth's best effort. It deals with a very complicated Al Qaeda terrorist plot against the west. The target is never disclosed which leaves the reader in suspense until the very end as to who is the target and how the attack will come down. The intelligence services discover a serious plot is underway which they must discover and thwart. To do so they enlist the help of an arabic speaking British Marine who assumes the identity of an Afghan held in the Gitmo Prison. The first half of the book is devoted to outlining the plot and preparing the Marine for his role while the second half is devoted to his adventures within the hidden world of Al Qaeda. All of this is fascinating although not as suspensful as other Forsyth works, plus it left me with a couple of disconnects. During the introduction Forsyth made a point of noting that like most Muslim men, the Afghan was circumcised. Later while the Al Qaeda are vetting the Marine undercover they do not verify he is circumcised. Since most European men are not circumcised it seemed to me that this would have something the Al Qaeda would have checked. If this wasn't important to the plot why was it noted at the beginning? The other disconnect came toward the end when the pseudo Afghan is placed on board the ship with no particular duties. Given that the Afghan was held in such high regard and viewed as a role model it was never made clear why Al Qaeda would sacrifice such a hero.
   
   The book is slow to get to disclose the plot but it turns out to be a twist ending and a cliff hanger. This really saves the book. It is a fun read and I enjoyed it but it isn't Forsyth's best effort.

5 comments about Avenger.

1. This is a superb novel, complete with realistic, well-developed characters who perform in a quite believable way. Three cheers for Mr. Forsyth who has delivered some first-rate entertainment to those of us who choose to read for pleasure.



2. `Avenger' by thriller veteran Frederick Forsyth is everything a thriller should be with scintillating entertainment, historical information and astonishing twists. Forsyth introduces us to the nationalistic Cal Dexter and develops his character expertly skipping no details in the exposition on how he recruits himself for the army and develops his skills by joining the elite Tunnel Rats squadron while operating in Vietnam. After the Vietnam War, Dexter returns to his sovereign America and uses his military credibility to get a degree and eventually land a job as a small time attorney in the Bronx. Dexter later marries, but his family is hit with tragedy after tragedy, from the rape and murder of his young daughter to the suicide of his wife, devastated he becomes a dogged mercenary devoted to bringing foreign criminals to justice.
   
   Forsyth writes an inimitably layered plot by concurrently involving us with the story of a compassionate young man Ricky Colenso who decides travel to war torn Bosnia as an aid worker to facilitate the dejected citizens who are brutally murdered in their thousands by the callous Milosevic regime. He is later viciously killed along with a whole village and discarded into a cesspit by the Machiavellian, vindictive Serbian war lord, drug dealer and weapons trader Zoran Zilic who utilises his ruthless army to commit terrible atrocities. Unknown to the vile Zilic and his band wagon of psychotic paramilitaries posing as patriots is that Ricky's grandfather Stephen Edmond is a wealthy business man who can afford the best revenge. Edmond later summons the services of `The Avenger' (Cal Dexter) to bring Zilic, who fleas with a small fortune to the fictional Republic of San Martin after the fall of Milosevic, to American justice.
   
   To further obscure matters, the leader of an elite section of the CIA, dedicated patriot Paul Devereaux III recruits Zilic to eavesdrop on a weapons deal with a new terrorist Usama Bin Laden who poses a much larger threat to American lives. In doing so, Devereax needs to keep Zilic alive and when he hears of the Avenger's pursuit to capture Zilic, he is determined to stop him.
   
   Dexter's extensive preparation and investigation along with almost symphonic implemntation and execution of plans are a pleasure to read and will ensure that anyone who finds enjoyment in the thriller genre will be hooked. Forsyth also provides plenty of history for the reader to enjoy to truly understand the Serbian Bosnian conflict and captures the surroundings and settings beautifully from the mountains of Serbia to the buildings of New York. Forsyth also doesn't fail to impress with his rigorous, scrupulous research of laws, countries and history, he builds the tension steadily and allows the novel to culminate in an unforgettable ending and a remarkable twist that will have you gasping for air.



3. Avenger is a quick read that is intricately plotted with excellent detail and believable action and execution. The characters a well-thought out and believable, and are fleshed out with only the faintest of telling descriptions.
   
   Forsyth's writing technique almost defies summarization, and he divides the narrative into topical chapters that focus on a single thread, the final pattern of the tapestry is not self evident until the final line.
   
   The plot follows the revenge of a wealthy industrialist trying to bring to justice the murder of his beloved grandson. The murderer is a uber-wealthy retired thug in an impregnable fortress in a land beyond justice where he bribed authorities into tame submission. Enter our hero, a lone wolf with just the background to take on the thug.
   
   Readers will enjoy the mastery with which Forsyth lays out his thrills. He always delivers. Highly recommended.



4. I'm a first time reader of Frederick Forsyth and about three quarters through "Avenger." I will definitely be reading more of his novels! I decided to check out the reviews before I continued to see what other readers had to say. Since I find this novel excellent and very informative about world history that for the most part always seems a little fuzzy and complicated, I thought it might be helpful to get some opinions of Mr. Forsyth's views brought about through the characters and circumstances of this novel. I looked at the negative views mostly as I always like to hear another side of an argument before I make up my mind what to believe. Without exception the naysayers claimed his writing was boring, trite, ridiculous character development, and generally too political or pushing his own interpretations of what's going on in our world today in regard to terrorism. I read a lot of books by a variety of authors and I totally do not agree Forsyth is a trite and boring author. James Patterson would be a good example as trite and poor character creations in his latest novel. J. Patterson used to write some wonderful fictional works, but no more! Anyway, in addition, I also believe terrorism cannot be dealt with through arbitration, negotiation, or any civil conversation between the terrorist and those he/she opposes. The events described in this book ring true in my understanding and Mr. Forsyth brings them clearly and succinctly together to tell a tale based in reality. Thank you, Mr. F.! All those who say he's all weak and wet in his writings and politically clueless, need to get a grip!"



5. This is my third attempt at Forsyth after Fist and Jackyl. Jackyl is simply the best thriller I've ever read and Fist was too long and had too much exposition. This one is somewhere in between. The first part is incredibly tightly written, but part two goes overboard into exposition, reviewing history lessons about things I already know. It's paragraph after paragraph of basic modern history, with the only reward being the occasional quip at each paragraph's end. It's distracting and the time should have been used in other ways. Still, it is a fun read, but there will never be another Jackyl.