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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN num: 9780451221834
ISBN number: 0451221834
Label: Signet
Manufacturer: Signet
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 400
Printing Date: August 07, 2007
Publishing house: Signet
Sale Popularity Level: 152188
Studio: Signet
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
When British and American intelligence discover an al Qaeda operation in the works, they enlist undercover imposter Colonel Mike Martin to pass himself off as Taliban commander Izmat Khan. But nothing prepares Martin for the dark and shifting world into which he is about to enter-or the terrible things he will find there.
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Rated by buyers 
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Started with a Bang. Ended with barely a whimper. Very disappointing. Time to put away the "quill" Frederick!!!
Rated by buyers 
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If you want a great read this is it.I have read reviews quoting errors in his facts to quote a quote in the book by Mike Martin the hero in the book 'nobodys perfect'Buy the book and enjoy a jolly good read.Forsyth is a master at the game.
Rated by buyers 
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Frederick Forsyth, acknowledged grandmaster of the international thriller, took on an ambitious project in writing The Afghan. Perhaps a bit too ambitious. One could easily make the argument that the material contained in The Afghan is wide ranging and extensive enough to provide the basis for two full length novels.
The multifaceted storyline revolves around an Anglo-American plot to infiltrate Al Qaeda for the purpose of staving off an anticipated terrorist attack. Not just any attack but one whose magnitude, according to intelligence sources, will surpass 9/11.
Mike Martin is a swarthy complected Englishman, recently retired from the paratroopers with the rank of colonel. He speaks perfect Iraqi Arabic and knows the Middle East as few outsiders do. The British SIS along with the CIA has devised a complex plan to have Martin impersonate Izmat Khan, a legendary Afghan fighter currently imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Forsyth likes to back up his storytelling with plenty of detail. Much of the book consists of recounting Col. Martin's military career, the majority of which was spent in dangerous hot spots all over the world. We also learn how Izmat Khan grew up in the unforgiving mountains of Afghanistan to ultimately become a Taliban warrior of exceptional courage and dedication.
The Afghan contains an abundance of historical information, most of which is quite interesting. Particularly well presented is the lead up to the present conflict in Afghanistan, a land so rooted in tribalism it is essentially ungovernable.
My one major criticism of this book is its pacing. So much of The Afghan concerns itself with build up. When the actual terrorist act to be thwarted finally manifests itself, it is given relatively short shrift.
Bottom line: A worthwhile read for fans of international thrillers. But not the best Frederick Forsyth has to offer.
Rated by buyers -
My favorite thriller is Forsyth's "Day of the Jackal" - which "The Afghan" attempts to equal or exceed; but the bar has been set too high. Although the book has patches of excellence, an equal number are deficient. A fussy reader will find many distractions; however, there is enough Forsyth to carry the day, at least to three stars.
Rated by buyers -
I agree with many of my fellow reviewers that this is not among Forsyth's best books - not by a long shot. I kept thinking perhaps the intelligence world has changed so much since Odessa, et al, that the Forsyth felt compelled to explain every angle of an operation or a country's service, that the story line became stilted. Lastly, while I thought the premise was good; find an operative (in this case an SAS Officer), who had the skills and ability to infiltrate an al Qaeda cell, I though the plot was based too much on the operative's luck getting involved in a one-off terrorist operation. There was no pre-thought or planning as to what the undercover operative was supposed to do once inside the group. The story would have been much more believable if the good guys new about a significant terrorist operation ahead of time, and used the plan and the operative to stop it.
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