The Shepherd [Hardcover]

Frederick Forsyth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1992

Forced to crash land because of a faulty electrical system, a young RAF pilot finds salvation on a chilly Christmas Eve. By the author of The Day of the Jackal, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Odessa File, and No Comebacks.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Frederick Forsyth is the author of a number of bestselling novels including The Day of the Jackel, The Odessa File, The Dogs of War, The Devil's Alternative and The Fourth Protocol. He lives in Hertfordshire, England. www.frederickforsyth.co.uk --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (November 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553090135
• ISBN-13: 978-0553090130
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #463,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short and sweet, but spine-tingling and suspenseful., October 5, 2001

By 

Godly Gadfly - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shepherd (Hardcover)

It's Christmas Eve 1957, and an English pilot is flying his single-seat fighter from Germany, on his way home for Christmas. But when the electrical circuits fail, he is suddenly on his own in a lonely sky, unable to contact the men below who alone can guide him home through the foggy skies. With fuel running out, radio contact gone, and navigation impossible, and when it seems that he's destined to ditch only to freeze to death in a deserted sea, a miraculous saviour appears. A World War 2 style plane appears out of the gloom, and its brave pilot "shepherds" the helpless flyer down through the frosty night sky towards safety. Will he succeed? And why does the airport seem deserted? And who is the mysterious shepherd?

Although "The Shepherd" is a very short novel that can easily be read in under an hour, it doesn't hinder Forsyth from capturing your attention. He cleverly heightens the intensity of the action and suspense by using the first person point of view. The stricken pilot's fears and bewilderment quickly become your own, until they are resolved in a spine-chilling last-page climax that raises as many questions as it answers.

The gripping plot is marred only by a few incidences of blasphemy. But the paperback edition is beautifully enhanced by Lou Feck's full-page black and white illustrations. "The Shepherd" may be a departure from Forsyth's usual fare in that it is a short and sweet Christmas story that exploits the season's fondness for supernatural miracles. But it lacks none of his trademark spine-tingling suspense. Unlike the pilot, it will be a while before you come back down to earth after reading this one!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There's more to The Shepherd than meets the eye, December 24, 2002

By 

Gregory F. Haas (Shingle Springs, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Shepherd (Mass Market Paperback)

I first became aware of this gem when I was given a now out-of-print audiobook of the same. I acquired the book in hardback shortly thereafter. As others have observed, this masterpiece stands quite on its own as a simple and engaging suspense yarn. But Forsyth is reaching deeper here. Set against the backdrop of Christmas Eve in 1957, the story is detailed with rich and often mysterious religious allegory. Consider, for example, flight Lt. Marks, Old Joe, Jake King, and, most importantly, the now abandoned Air Force Base named Minton, with all its "many rooms". None of this is spoon fed to us, however, and there are a number of dots that we as readers must connect for ourselves. Originally written as a Christmas present for his wife, The Shepherd is most certainly a gift for us as well. There is a magical quality to the story that will make it an annual must for every reader. NOTE: If you can obtain the unabridged audio reading of the story by the great Robert Powell, you'll never spend a Chistmas without it.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHERE'S JIMMY STEWART WHEN WE NEED HIM?:, January 16, 2006

By 

Orrin C. Judd "brothersjudddotcom" (Hanover, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Shepherd (Hardcover)

It's too bad Jimmy Stewart is gone, because this book is pretty much a cross between The Spirit of St. Louis and It's a Wonderful Life and he -- a pilot like Mr. Forsyth -- would have made a Christmas classic of it. On Christmas Eve 1957, a young RAF pilot takes off from Germany in his Vampire to fly home to Britain. But first his instrumentation fails on him, including the radio, and then he flies into increasing fog, making it awfully unlikely he'll avoid crashing into the North Sea, nevermind land safely. This prompts a dark night of the soul:

Ten minutes went by, nearly two complete triangles. I had not prayed, not really prayed, for many years, and the practice came hard. Lord, please get me out of this bloody mess... No, you mustn't talk like that to Him. "Our Father, which art in Heaven --" He'd heard that a thousand times, and would be hearing it another thousand times tonight. What do you say to Him when you want help? Please, God, make somebody notice me up here; please make someone see me flying in triangles, and send up a shepherd to help me down to a safe landing. Please help me, and I promise -- What on earth could I promise Him? He had no need of me, and I, who now had such need of Him, had taken no notice of Him for so long that He'd probably forgotten all about me.

Well, you pretty much know how the rest of it goes, but Mr. Forsyth handles it all quite deftly and the novella certainly belongs on your annual Christmas reading list.