5 reviews for The Devil’s Alternative
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The Devil’s Alternative
by Frederick Forsyth
Description:
Russia faces famine. The Soviets are forced to pin their hopes for survival on the U.S. But as the KGB and the CIA watch in horror, the rescue of a Ukrainian freedom fighter from the Black Sea unleashes savagery that endangers peace and plunges leaders from Washington to Moscow into a web of overwhelming intrigue, terror, and suspense. Only two lovers can save the world from nuclear destruction. Yet every way out means certain death. and the countdown has already begun.
About The Author
Frederick McCarthy Forsyth CBE (born 25 August 1938) is an English author, former journalist and spy, and occasional political commentator. He is best known for thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil’s Alternative, The Fist of God, Icon, The Veteran, Avenger, The Afghan, The Cobra and The Kill List.
Forsyth’s works frequently appear on best-sellers lists and more than a dozen of his titles have been adapted to film. He has sold more than 70 million books in total.
Skryf Review
“Good Reading”
Tisha
What can I say about the author Fredrick Forsyth. He is a master storyteller who combines fact with fiction in his writing. He is one of my favorite authors and consistantly writes books that will hold your attention with many twists and turns.The story takes place in the late 70’s early 80’s. The story is a prelude to the cold war era. A political intrigue novel that threatens disastrous results worldwide, with a surprise ending. The book is a very interesting read and you will not be disappointed. I would recommend this book.
Havisha
You know you have a master piece in your hand when you read this book. Although the plot does not unravel until the last two paragraphs of the last page, Mr. Forsyth exhibits his skill and mastery in weaving you into a deception that when the truth dawns on you it is like having ice cold water thrown at your face when you were deep asleep. This is so good, I cannot begin to explain and point out the favorite sub-plots; the whole book is full of it. I loved this book. An example of what an action thriller should be.
Anupama
Set in the Cold War era, this is a thriller with a plot rivalling Ludlum in its scope but vastly superior in terms of realism & believability. Faced with a looming famine crisis, the USSR is in tough negotiations with the US over import of food grains & arms-reduction concessions. As the different protagonists and conspirators on both sides indulge in power struggles threatening the outcome of the negotiations, a group of Ukrainian nationalists end up almost sabotaging them through their own, independent actions. About four different story-lines start independently in the book and converge logically in the plot’s climax.Forsyth’s fascinating research into history and geography, weaponry, diplomacy and espionage, make his books not only fictional thrillers but loaded with sufficient true facts to also make them textbooks. The Devil’s Alternative offers an inside look at Russia’s Politburo and international diplomacy in a credible style, which is different from the far-fetched norm of other thriller writers. Also, the tendency of some other equally well-researched writers to delve into factual details can be irritating in drawing the reader away from the momentum of the story, but I found Forsyth to maintain that delicate balance quite well.To conclude, I would rate this as one of Forsyth’s best books, and one of the better thrillers I’ve read in quite some time
Ira
This is an awesome page-turner crafted by Frederick Forsyth. Like in many of his novels, he combines fact with fiction (and blurs the line between the two), and this makes most parts of this novel exciting. Moreover, there are so many things happening in the novel that involve several nations with multiple possible outcomes, that the author keeps you guessing till the end — the fun is not in predicting what’s going to happen and getting it correct, but rather getting it wrong! (the Oh My God! moments)! Some people may find the ending silly or could have felt it could have been better, but I felt it was good.The story is set in the year 1982, during the Cold War, and this has helped Forsyth bring in a lot of political intrigue and give a glimpse of how the government elites function. Readers will also be able to appreciate the subtle humor in many places in the novel, which is intertwined with the serious and suspenseful plot.But sometimes the author provides too many architectural, dimensional details about buildings, etc. which might bore the reader, and make him/her want to turn the pages not because the story is going good, but to get to more interesting parts of the story quickly.All in all, this is an excellent read, and I’d highly recommend it to aficionados of (political) thrillers.