Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Avenger by Frederick Forsyth .
Frederick Forsyth wrote Avenger in 2003 and it was published in paperback in 2004. This novel is a thriller centered on a guy called Calvin Dexter. The story spans about 40 years of Calvin's life from a boy to a 50 year old man who has a codename of Avenger. This book follows Calvin's life and includes his relationship with his father, some work on construction sites, Army service in Vietnam, working as a lawyer and his sideline work as Avenger. Forsyth's style of writing is great. This is a quality read and Forsyth is a master at the art of storytelling. He explains everything to the reader as the story unfolds. You are not left in the dark as to why things have happened, every incident is reasoned. Forsyth eschews psychological complexity in favour of meticulous plotting, based on detailed factual research. His novels read like investigative journalism in fictional guise.
This book features locations in Vietnam, Bosnia, the United States and South America. I am familiar with the history of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia but I knew nothing about the tunnels used in Vietnam by the resistance. The parts of this book relating to Calvin's work as a soldier in Vietnam when he was a tunnel rat I found amazing. Forsyth really expressed the horrors of life and warfare among these narrow and claustrophobic underground tunnels. Later in this book Calvin uses the skills he developed as a soldier together with the skills of people he has met along the way. It is a great story and I vote this book a hit.
So what does the reader bring away from this book? It shows the power of loyalty among diverse people and the unquestionable use of giving and calling in favours. It demonstrates the importance of skills, the skills of every person and the skills of others. It shows just what can be achieved when people pull together and use all their skills. By harnessing all this skills nowhere is impenetrable, there is always a way in. This means that the War on Terror can never be won because the terrorists can simply plug away at their target using the skills of their widespread membership base.
Frederick Forsyth wrote Avenger in 2003 and it was published in paperback in 2004. This novel is a thriller centered on a guy called Calvin Dexter. The story spans about 40 years of Calvin's life from a boy to a 50 year old man who has a codename of Avenger. This book follows Calvin's life and includes his relationship with his father, some work on construction sites, Army service in Vietnam, working as a lawyer and his sideline work as Avenger. Forsyth's style of writing is great. This is a quality read and Forsyth is a master at the art of storytelling. He explains everything to the reader as the story unfolds. You are not left in the dark as to why things have happened, every incident is reasoned. Forsyth eschews psychological complexity in favour of meticulous plotting, based on detailed factual research. His novels read like investigative journalism in fictional guise.
This book features locations in Vietnam, Bosnia, the United States and South America. I am familiar with the history of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia but I knew nothing about the tunnels used in Vietnam by the resistance. The parts of this book relating to Calvin's work as a soldier in Vietnam when he was a tunnel rat I found amazing. Forsyth really expressed the horrors of life and warfare among these narrow and claustrophobic underground tunnels. Later in this book Calvin uses the skills he developed as a soldier together with the skills of people he has met along the way. It is a great story and I vote this book a hit.
So what does the reader bring away from this book? It shows the power of loyalty among diverse people and the unquestionable use of giving and calling in favours. It demonstrates the importance of skills, the skills of every person and the skills of others. It shows just what can be achieved when people pull together and use all their skills. By harnessing all this skills nowhere is impenetrable, there is always a way in. This means that the War on Terror can never be won because the terrorists can simply plug away at their target using the skills of their widespread membership base.
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