Slow-Moving, Implausible Antiterrorist Story
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The Afghan will be most appealing to people who don't know much about Al Qaeda, antiterrorism, current military technology, and recent Afghan history and want to get a smattering in novel form. For those who are knowledgeable in those areas, this plot is filled with unnecessary details that considerably slow down the story. In addition, the plot is so far-fetched in places that you'll wonder if you are supposed to be reading a fairy tale or a realistic thriller. Strangely, the book contains more than its share of factual errors that hurt the credibility of the story. Above all, I found myself always feeling like I was reading a story rather than being drawn into something that seemed real to me.
Occasionally, the book reminds you of Day of the Jackel for a few paragraphs . . . but mostly the emotional juice has been replaced with artificial sweetener. I think the biggest weakness of The Afghan is that you probably won't identify with the protagonist all that much. In the best of Forsyth's books, someone is trying to save the world and you find yourself rooting strongly for and identifying with them. That identification with the hero simply isn't strong enough here to allow that kind of reading pleasure.
Basically, Mr. Forsyth tried a little too hard. With a slightly different and more plausible plot, fewer details, and a more accessible hero, this could have been a terrific story.
If you don't know the book's basic premise, let me summarize it for you. A senior Al Qaeda operative's computer is captured after a ridiculous security breach. On the computer comes a veiled reference to a new operation. What's going on?
Through a string of coincidences, it occurs to the powers-that-be that they may be able to infiltrate a ringer to find out the plot. Retired SAS colonel Mike Martin is transformed in a few weeks into the Afghan, a legendary Taliban leader, who is now incarcerated at Guantanamo. It turns out that the two men have a shared past which makes the switch more likely to succeed. You'll find yourself wondering what the plot is until very near the end, which is the main element of suspense that keeps the book from being a below-average offering.
My final quibble about the book is that it makes Al Qaeda seem vastly more capable and threatening than it is. People who are afraid of terrorists will find their fear fanned by this book. Statistics suggest that your chance of being harmed by a deer are greater than being injured by a terrorist.
My advice to Mr. Forsyth is that he move on to some more realistic premise in the future such as a possible war between the United States and Iran over the oil fields in the Middle East . . . and keep it simple. In addition, hire someone to check your facts for you.
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Slow-Moving, Implausible Antiterrorist Story
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The Afghan will be most appealing to people who don't know much about Al Qaeda, antiterrorism, current military technology, and recent Afghan history and want to get a smattering in novel form. For those who are knowledgeable in those areas, this plot is filled with unnecessary details that considerably slow down the story. In addition, the plot is so far-fetched in places that you'll wonder if you are supposed to be reading a fairy tale or a realistic thriller. Strangely, the book contains more than its share of factual errors that hurt the credibility of the story. Above all, I found myself always feeling like I was reading a story rather than being drawn into something that seemed real to me.
Occasionally, the book reminds you of Day of the Jackel for a few paragraphs . . . but mostly the emotional juice has been replaced with artificial sweetener. I think the biggest weakness of The Afghan is that you probably won't identify with the protagonist all that much. In the best of Forsyth's books, someone is trying to save the world and you find yourself rooting strongly for and identifying with them. That identification with the hero simply isn't strong enough here to allow that kind of reading pleasure.
Basically, Mr. Forsyth tried a little too hard. With a slightly different and more plausible plot, fewer details, and a more accessible hero, this could have been a terrific story.
If you don't know the book's basic premise, let me summarize it for you. A senior Al Qaeda operative's computer is captured after a ridiculous security breach. On the computer comes a veiled reference to a new operation. What's going on?
Through a string of coincidences, it occurs to the powers-that-be that they may be able to infiltrate a ringer to find out the plot. Retired SAS colonel Mike Martin is transformed in a few weeks into the Afghan, a legendary Taliban leader, who is now incarcerated at Guantanamo. It turns out that the two men have a shared past which makes the switch more likely to succeed. You'll find yourself wondering what the plot is until very near the end, which is the main element of suspense that keeps the book from being a below-average offering.
My final quibble about the book is that it makes Al Qaeda seem vastly more capable and threatening than it is. People who are afraid of terrorists will find their fear fanned by this book. Statistics suggest that your chance of being harmed by a deer are greater than being injured by a terrorist.
My advice to Mr. Forsyth is that he move on to some more realistic premise in the future such as a possible war between the United States and Iran over the oil fields in the Middle East . . . and keep it simple. In addition, hire someone to check your facts for you.
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