Happy Birthday Frederick Forsyth, Frederick Forsyth one of my favorite novelists, whose stories with a political backdrop, were one of the reasons for me to get interested in geo politics. A brilliant storyteller, whose novels are backed up with solid research.

Forsyth started his career as a journo with Reuters in 1961, later with BBC in 1965. His first assignment was covering an attempted assasination of Charles De Gaulle, which would form the background of his first and best novel to date. He would however gain fame for his reporting of the Biafra Civil War in Nigeria( 1967). When he was asked to come back after 6 months into the war, Forsyth quit BBC, covered the conflict as a freelance reporter, which also resulted in his first book The Biafra Story.

In a way his coverage of the Biafran Conflict, would define Forsyth’s style of writing, attention to detail, well researched, a fast paced narrative without any distractions, sticking straight to the plot, that made him one of the top writers. Unlike Robert Ludlum, whose novels were usually set against the backdrop of shady global organizations and conspiracy theories, Forsyth’s novels were more realistic, with a backdrop of contemporary political events.

It was this that led Forsyth to write the Day of the Jackal his first novel in 1971, about the attempted assasination on Charles De Gaulle, based on the real life events of the OAS attempting to assasinate De Gaulle. The Day of the Jackal is one of the best thrillers ever, the constant cat and mouse mind games between the nameless assasin and the French police, building up to the tense climax. And one of the few times where the movie based on it was good as the novel.

Another feature of Forsyth’s novels was the detailing, and insights he provided into various issues. In the Day of the Jackal, it’s on getting the fake passports, a major scam even now.

His second novel The Odessa File, about a shady organization of ex Nazis, and a young German reporter trying to locate a former Nazi camp commandant was another great read.

The Dogs of War set in a fictional African country about a group of mercenaries, on a mission to depose their leader, was another great read. It was based on Forsyth’s own experiences in covering the Biafran conflict. Again The Dogs of War, gives a lot of details and insights into how coups are actually executed right from the planning stage to the recruitment, training, logistics. As also the games played by rich Western mining magnates in Africa.

I personally felt The Devil’s Alternative is Forsyth’s best work along with The Day of the Jackal, about an Ukrainian nationalist group, trying to stage an uprising against the Soviet Union, however the novel was much more layered. You have Ukrainian nationalists, US trying to browbeat Soviet Union over it’s grain crisis, factions in the Politburo,a Swedish oil tanker in the mix. Kind of novel, you do need multiple readings.

The Fourth Protocol set against the backdrop of British spies defecting to KGB, deals with a Soviet conspiracy to blow up a nuke in UK. Again Forsyth provides some brilliant detailing on how nukes could be illegally transported, assembled and detonated. The movie version of The Fourth Protocol starring Michael Caine in the lead role, was quite good too. And Pierce Brosnan as the main villian, before his 007 Days.

The Negotiator about a professional negotiator trying to secure the release of the kidnapped US President’s son, was a pretty good thriller with the internal White House intrigues, and a deep rooted conspiracy, revealing the mastermind in the ending. It actually became quite famous in India after Rajiv Gandhi’s assasination in 1991, with it’s in depth detailing of human bombs and what goes into making one, very similiar to what happened.

The Fist of God, was again brilliant, especially in it’s detailing of the 1991 Gulf War, Sadddam’s invasion of Kuwait, his regime and the torture chambers, and how Mossad foils his plans to make a nuke. Again a superb twist in the end. Another good novel of Forsyth was Icon, set against the backdrop of post Cold War Russia, and an authoritarian figure trying to gain power, who does seem to be modelled a lot of Putin.

His 2003 novel The Avenger was about a Canadian millionaire hiring an ex Vietnam vet, to get his grandson’s killer a former Serbian warlord. Has some really good details this time on the Bosnian conflict.

Again Forsyth’s Afghan in 2006, sort of sequel to the Fist of God, has the conflict in Afghanistan as the backdrop, with pretty in depth detailing, and an Al Qaeda plot to blow up a nuke in the West. Was a decent read.

While his 2010 novel Cobra, provides excellent detailing on the Colombian drug mafia and the illegal drug trade, it’s let down by quite a lame plot. Not one of his best at all.

Apart from his novels, Forsyth’s collection of short stories- No Comebacks, Great Flying Stories, The Veteran are quite a good read too.

Incidentally Forsyth was also an informant for MI6, during the Biafran conflict, a fact he revealed much later. Have not read his last 2 novels, The Kill List and Fox, though he announced in 2016, he would no longer be writing thrillers anymore, due to his age.

by LoneWolfInCyberia