Shadow Wars [Hardcover]

Clyde Farnsworth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1998

From its startling premise to its high-stakes conclusion, Clyde Farnsworth's debut novel delivers top-notch suspense through a devious journey of twists and turns, betrayal and treachery. Russian physicist Dmitri Sherbatov has discovered a means of creating artificial gold and defects to Israel with the knowledge, but not before attracting the attention of the Russian and American governments. The U.S. recruits Professor Hillsdale Landover to infiltrate the high-security lab where the Mossad has installed Sherbatov. With the help of Israeli physicist Rachel Ravid, Landover is successful, but together the two discover that it is not the Israeli government that will profit from Sherbatov's gold, but a small cadre of Mossad Army officers, with the CIA deeply involved. These powerful men will do anything to keep their secretincluding terminating Landover and Rachel before they can go public with their astonishing story of greed and lust for power. •This is a brilliant debut from a top New York Times journalist. •Count on Farnsworth's New York Times contacts for great publicity.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Add New York Times writer Clyde Farnsworth to the ranks of foreign correspondents who enter the thriller world with all their information-gathering equipment turned up to full volume. In Shadow Wars, Farnsworth invents a Russian physicist who discovers a way to make the ancient alchemists' dream of turning lead into gold come true. But his anti-Semitic superiors reject his theories, so Dmitry Sherbatov sneaks away to Israel to continue his work. A feud within the Israeli secret service soon brings the CIA and the Iraqis into the picture. Farnsworth's journalistic abilities work to keep the story credible, while his fictional talents have a field day with scenes of stealth and action.

From Library Journal

"We know too much," Israeli physicist Rachel Ravid tells American physicist Hillsdale Landover. "Washington will write you off like a loan to Zaire." The White House has recruited Landover to investigate rumors that Israel has discovered a way to create artificial gold. The rumor is true, but the gold is being diverted to finance a right-wing army plot against the government. The novice spies are among fearsome enemies: former KGB agents, Mossad muscle, an Arab killer team, and a rogue CIA agent. As the body count rises, the White House denies all knowledge of Landover and the Israelis declare Rachel a dangerous traitor, to be shot on sight. The book is slow to take off, and the juggling of multiple plot lines is a bit awkward, but novice novelist Farnsworth has penned a thoroughly enjoyable tale of rip-roaring high-stakes adventure. Recommended for all public libraries.?David Keymer, California State Univ., Stanislaus
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; First edition (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556115180
• ISBN-13: 978-1556115189
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,678,018 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars my most difficult reading experience in some time, October 19, 2000

By 

J. K. Kelley "literary mercenary" (Eastern WA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadow Wars (Hardcover)

About twenty pages into _Shadow Wars_, a 'thriller' about intrigues concerning Israeli nuclear technology, I wanted to just put it aside--far aside. Then I decided I had a duty to other readers, however painful, to finish the book so as to be able to give it an honest review. Now I feel like my literary sensibilities have been beaten and left for dead, but I may yet save others from this fate.

Why? Well, at the top of the list I'd put the use of language. Farnsworth has a large vocabulary and is sure to use it whenever possible. Sample snippet: "Dmitri tipped a little of the rich, black, glutinous caviar onto his bread. The eggs were smooth and oily on his tongue, and as he chewed, they popped and tingled almost erotically." For a moment I was afraid he might get amourous with the caviar jar. Or: "At Princeton he weighed the parallels between an old car engine and the universe. Some bolts were tiny and remote as dwarf stars. Piston rings were black holes. God was the universal voltage regulator." Hey, what'd Princeton ever do to Farnsworth, anyway? I'm serious. I couldn't make this stuff up.

On the positive side, Farnsworth seems to have consulted some pronunciation and linguistic references; on the downside, he overdid the shallow and bungled when it got at all deep. He has an adult male Israeli addressing another as though the latter were female (a grammatical distinction in Hebrew that stands out like a neon sign). The shelf in the apartment can't just be a simple shelf; no, it's an 'étagère'. And on, and on, until we say 'oy, vay, sacre bleu'.

The story had potential and even held some periodic excitement, though the suspension of disbelief was generally hanged by the neck, so to speak, in most parts. Let's put it this way: any book whose demonization of the CIA strikes me as unbelievably harsh must truly have strained credibility. In another area, one of the technologies (cold fusion; no, *really*) in the book would have applications extending far, far past the uses portrayed, yet not until deep into the book does this even occur to anyone. One just cannot picture real people in the real world behaving as do the characters in the book.

Hard to say to whom _Shadow Wars_ might appeal. There's something here to turn off just about everyone. I recommend you let it pass you over.

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent and Suspenseful, January 1, 2003

By 

Stephen J Farrell (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow Wars (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed this book. The story is fast moving and unpredictable, the settings (particularly in Israel) are richly described, and best of all, the characters are extremely well developed. As a stream of interesting new characters are introduced, the reader is kept guessing as to which ones will become ongoing parts of the story and which will be left in the wake.

In particular, I liked the matrix of relationships between the character communities. On the one hand, each person has a political affiliation: Russian, Israeli, Palestinian, American, ... And on the other hand, each person has a professional affiliation: Science, Intelligence, Executive Government, Journalism, ... Who should trust whom? The combination of possibilities is complex and fascinating - particularly since even those that share the same politics and profession are usually in competition with each other. The author has a great knack for showing the genuinely difficult context that each group must operate within, and how easy it is for members of each group to justify just about anything in the name of their greater good - which in most cases, coincidently, seems to support their personal ambitions as well.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very exciting, much character development & sense of place!, May 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Shadow Wars (Hardcover)

A real page turner, from opening scenes in Lake Baikal, through escapes and escapades in the Middle East (mainly Israel and Egypt), Washington, Colorado, Paris, Zurich and Palo Alto. Amazing knowledge of physics and finances adds to verisimilitude of background. One of the few novels where a nuclear physicist is the hero -- in fact, there are several, including one woman. Much more character development and sense of locale than the ordinary thriller. I assume it will become a movie someday.