Rating: 
Summary: Fists of Forsyth
Review: Definitely a captivating read, Fist of God is a great way to relive the Gulf War. Forsyth's writing is fast-paced and laboriously researched. At times, however, the length of the book and the depth of the detail become mildly irritating. As a first time Forsyth reader, I found the author's habit of detailing every scene an unnecessary waste of space and words. Overall, however, this story about espionage during the Gulf War and Saddam Hussein's attempt to beat the odds very compelling - - at times it becomes very difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. Definitely recommended to anyone interested in getting a taste of Forsyth.
Rating: 
Summary: A Very Good Book!
Review: Forsyth does a very good job of describing the Gulf War through this book. He is able to point out the devastation that is cast on Iraq as a result of the Allied bombing campaign. He also is able to display the vicious nature of Saddam Hussein who expends the lives of Iraqi like they are ragdolls. The focus of this story is a source behind enemy lines named Jerico. This source is being used to locate Saddam's secret nuclear bomb facility. The true identity of Jerico is stunning. The ending of the book is a true classical manner in ways to end a book. This book was a very interesting read. Once again Forsyth has written an outstanding book. Definitely read this.
Rating:
Summary: Top Class !!
Review: Frederick Forsyth's research has always been awe-inspiring, but this novel exceeds all expectations.Peopled with vivid characters, brilliantly displaying Forsyth's incomparable, knowledge of intelligence operations and tradecraft, moving back and forth between Washington and London, Baghdad and Kuwait, desert vastnesses and city bazaars, this breathtaking novel is an utterly convincing story of what may
actually have happened behind the headlines.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping!
Review: I've always been a fan of Forsyth, and I think that this has to be one of his best yet. His storytelling skills, interesting characters, and interesting subject matter all prove to make one excellent book. Very rarely does a book give me chills or goosebumps, but this one certainly did (Especially the surprise ending!). The idea of writing a fictional story based around a real event (The Gulf War) was pure genious. It really helps set the stage. This novel is hard to put down and super-exciting to the very end. Read it.
Rating:
Summary: A master at work, yet again
Review: Reading a Forsyth novel is a bit like watching a Scorsese mob movie; you know that you are in the presence of someone who is a true master of their art. "Fist of God" is maybe Forsyth's best, and that is saying something. He follows the structure familiar to anyone who has read any of his previous works, beginning with a broad panapoly of characters, then gradually bringing them together for a nerve-jangling climax. You will finish this novel with a new perspective on the war in the Gulf, which is both the author's intent and the true joy of the book
Rating:
Summary: Handbook for George W's Attack Iraq
Review: I picked this book up for a quarter at a book sale, remembering the name Forsyth from somewhere (Day of the Jackal). This book is a delightful synopsis of the original Gulf War; it's difficult to separate the fictional storyline from historical fact. Forsyth's account reads extremely well, with (boring) detail, unpronounceable and unmemorable Arabic names, and credible peeks into the workings of military intelligence. A few pieces that are not credible, though, is the insouciance with which military and intelligence analysts overlook and then dismiss as meaningless a weapons scientist and a nuclear plant. Only through the irresponsible and loose sharing of classified photos with more than a handful of inconsequential personalities is the "dread truth" understood and repeatedly brought back under the nose of the CIA/SAS folk. This reads like a Ms. Marples adventure and presents US and British intelligence as being dumber than sheep. Or maybe... It begs the questions: Was the demolition of Iraq in the early 90's incomplete, missing major weapons development sites? Are spies watching bank secretaries and ignoring WMD designers who roam freely elsewhere in the world for viable employment? I'd like to believe Forsyth's storyline is fantasy. Yet, more than a decade later, it seems George W. is using the plot of this thriller as justification for invading Iraq: to destroy all the other WMD facilities that nobody recgonized. If today's allied military technology can miss an elephant hiding in a pear tree, even though allied reconnaissance and surveillance systems are "accurate enough to measure the inseam of an Iraqi pilot," then we could have saved the invasion, many lives, and more than $87 billion by sending Angela Lansbury's Jessica Fletcher to Iraq for a week or two.
Rating:
Summary: Watch the HBO Movie Along With this Novel For Full Effect..
Review: One of my favorite stories, and one of my favorite all time novels by an author I had been introduced to with this book. Forsyth writes with a passionate 'between the lines' feeling to this riveting true story, which relates much to the politics of the world's second Gulf War in 2003. In 1994 director Robert Young, inspired by Forsyth's book wrote and directed a summary-like script to the story in the form of HBO's original docudrama 'Doomsday Gun'. Whereas Forsyth's novel begins with a third-person account of the assassination of Dr. Gerald Bull, HBO's film turns the story towards the life and death of Dr. Bull. 'The Fist of God' may read like stereo instructions towards the body of explanation; (The Iraq weapons program, the violation(s) of international weapons embargo laws), watching the film first can make reading Forsyth's version so much more intriguing. Parts in the film played by actors Michael Kitchen, Francesca Annis and Marianne Dennicourt are abolished, for the book will make you see the entire story for what it was outside of the Space Research Corporation and Dr. Bull's massive (put poorly constructed) weapon. However Forsyth does'nt make an attempt to swing left of that aspect, 'The Fist of God' is simply a more detailed and much more credible source for information on what continues to be a growing mystery within the US and British governments...and of course Iraq.
Rating: 
Summary: Can't this man afford an editor?
Review: While it may be true that this is an informative book about the Gulf War, its poor writing makes it almost painful to read:
"The port arrived as if unbidden"
"The elation among the pilots had been ecstatic"
"He felt himself enfolded in the warm, comforting embrace of the kind, gentle stockbroker"
"The twenty-four F-15E Strike Eagles crouched in silence, fearsome beasts waiting for the spidery little creatures of the same species who had designed and built them to climb aboard and unleash with insignificant fingertips their awful power"
I have 8th grade students who can write better than this. Muddle through the book if you like, but be prepared for a lot of wincing.
Rating:
Summary: A simply great book
Review: I could not put this book down. Along with A Day of the Jackal, his best.
Rating: 
Summary: Dissapointed
Review: The characters are dimensionless and symbol-like. The plot is
OK, though there are too many unnecessary details. The narration
is like a newspaper account -- clear but what is to be enjoyed? I listened to the (abridged) cassette ediction. It was a dissapointment. I recommend John Le Carre, who is not known for researched
details. His characters are vividly presented, and the writing,
not mush plot-driven, is witty and engaging.
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