42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent blend of fact and fiction..., June 11, 2000
I don't normally read spy thrillers of this type, and this was the first of Forsyth's books I've read, but I loved it! I grabbed this book from my husband one day when I was bored, and was drawn in immediately by the tense prose and gripping plotline. I won't give a synopsis, you can get that above. But I will say I read this almost straight through from start to finish.
No one seems to know how much of this novel is really true, and in the end, that doesn't matter, because it's writen so well that it might as well be true. The plot is crafted around a war that really happened, and the author spoke with those who had taken part in the war, giving his work an authenticity hard to match. If you're looking for an intelligent novel of this genre, then this one is hard to beat. Don't hesitate!
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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best of the genre., November 16, 2000
There is a reason why so many other reviewers rave about this book. Just like his earlier works, from "The Day of the Jackal"' to "The Devil's Alternative", he keeps the reader turning the pages. Even though we know going in that Iraq loses in the end, it is an incredibly compelling story. It may be Forsyth's best read ever.
F. Forsyth is a master of suspense novels, taking factual bases and turning them into riveting stories. This is as great as any of his earlier works. The plot twists are stunning.
His research is the equal of Tom Clancy's. His writing style is so much tighter, and there does not seem to be a single wasted word. If you have an early morning meeting, or something else that must be done, DO NOT start this book.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The story of Saddam Hussein's secret weapon, July 7, 2005
"The Fist of God" is an international/military thriller based on the first Gulf War in 1991 (and the prelude in the last half of 1990), when the USA and a large number of coalition countries forced Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. I liked the book a lot, especially the first half. The last half of the book begins to drag, and one ends up feeling that it is too long and that Frederick Forsyth himself was a bit tired of it by the time he reached the end.
This story works very well at two levels - a high level conflict and various individual conflicts. The high level conflict involves Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the build-up to the Gulf War and the decisions being made by President Bush Sr. and Margaret Thatcher and the CIA and the British MI6. This conflict is very exciting, even though we know the final result: a coalition victory and Iraq's withdrawal from Kuwait.
The individual conflicts consist of the fights between the various good guys and the Iraqi soldiers and agents of the Iraqi secret service and Iraqi counter-intelligence. There are also some Israeli Mossad agents involved just to make things more complicated.
At the individual conflicts level the main good guy is Mike Martins, a British SAS soldier who is recruited by MI6 and who is inserted into occupied Kuwait and later into Baghdad. Mike Martins' adventures are certainly exciting enough, but it seems too contrived that the same hero gets sent on three different missions. In particular, pulling Mike Martins out of Kuwait to send him to Baghdad has the negative effect of making the Kuwait operation seem unimportant. Similarly, his escape from Baghdad just at the time when someone is needed for a third mission is too big a coincidence.
The basic story involves the British discovering that Saddam Hussein has some kind of secret weapon, code-named "The Fist of God". So then the British (and Americans) have to determine exactly what kind of weapon it is, and where it's located. The story is a bit farfetched, but not totally implausible, so it's easy to get involved and feel a desire to keep reading to find out what's going to happen next.
One thing I liked a lot was that certain historical facts are mixed into the story, although perhaps not in a completely accurate way. For example, the Canadian weapons expert Dr. Gerry Bull and his death in Brussels in the spring of 1990 are woven into the story. Similarly, the Manhattan Project (the American nuclear weapons effort during WW II) and the Oak Ridge laboratory play a role in the story, and I found the information presented to be very interesting.
Among the things I wasn't so happy about was the emphasis on the British involvement in the Gulf War. Yes, the British did play a significant role, but still the Gulf War was basically an American show. But to hear Frederick Forsyth tell it you'd almost think the Americans couldn't have gotten anywhere without the British, and he even has a scene where Margaret Thatcher tells President Bush to pull himself together and do something about Saddam Hussein!
Another negative aspect is the description of the third mission that the hero, Mike Martins, is sent on in chapter 22, the second-last chapter of the book. Frederick Forsyth tells about this operation in such a dry and factual style that it's almost like reading a telephone directory. I definitely got the feeling that Mr. Forsyth had gotten tired and just wanted to wrap up the story.
Still, I liked "The Fist of God" a lot, and recommend it, especially if you're interested in a fairly modern thriller interwoven with a major real-life conflict.
Rennie Petersen
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