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hooksforeverything's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
3.0
There are very few authors I can bear this much technical detail from, & I can't identify why I'm ok with it here but I am.
storygcam's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ingalls1969's review against another edition
2.0
Oh, man. After almost 20 years of reading and enjoying Forsyth's globe-trotting espionage/mystery thrillers, I knew I was bound to come across a clunker, and this one's it.
In a way, this book is similar to his deservedly acclaimed "Day of the Jackal" in that in concerns the plot and execution of a serious crime for political gain. While "Jackal" is about the assassination of French President Charles De Gaulle, "Dogs of War" concerns the attempted coup d'etat of a small, fictional African country in order for a British mining company to take advantage of the country's seemingly endless supply of platinum. In order to do this, the company hires mercenaries to invade the country and depose its dictator.
Sounds like a great yarn, right? WRONG! Great idea for a story, horrible execution. First of all, Forsyth seems to have come across the problem that makes Tom Clancy's books so insufferable: endless, monotonous details about a the planning and execution of an operation. We get it, Freddie: you did your research. Now, how about some interesting characters and dialogue? How about some suspense, maybe?
While "Day of the Jackal" went into great detail about certain aspects of planning for the operation, it was on a much smaller scale and therefore, much easier to take in. Here, it's torture. Also, "Jackal" told its story from the point of view of both the assassin and the police chasing him. It's a fantastic cat-and-mouse thriller. Here, there's nobody to root for. It's incredibly dull.
The book does have it's rare moments, and I particularly enjoyed the twist ending. But other than that...meh.
Forsyth wrote great novels before this one: "Day of the Jackal," "The Odessa File." He also wrote many great novels since: "The Negotiator," "The Deceiver," "The Fourth Protocol," "Icon," among others. Also, his short story collection, "No Comebacks," is definitely worth checking out. But he seemed to be sleepwalking through this one.
In a way, this book is similar to his deservedly acclaimed "Day of the Jackal" in that in concerns the plot and execution of a serious crime for political gain. While "Jackal" is about the assassination of French President Charles De Gaulle, "Dogs of War" concerns the attempted coup d'etat of a small, fictional African country in order for a British mining company to take advantage of the country's seemingly endless supply of platinum. In order to do this, the company hires mercenaries to invade the country and depose its dictator.
Sounds like a great yarn, right? WRONG! Great idea for a story, horrible execution. First of all, Forsyth seems to have come across the problem that makes Tom Clancy's books so insufferable: endless, monotonous details about a the planning and execution of an operation. We get it, Freddie: you did your research. Now, how about some interesting characters and dialogue? How about some suspense, maybe?
While "Day of the Jackal" went into great detail about certain aspects of planning for the operation, it was on a much smaller scale and therefore, much easier to take in. Here, it's torture. Also, "Jackal" told its story from the point of view of both the assassin and the police chasing him. It's a fantastic cat-and-mouse thriller. Here, there's nobody to root for. It's incredibly dull.
The book does have it's rare moments, and I particularly enjoyed the twist ending. But other than that...meh.
Forsyth wrote great novels before this one: "Day of the Jackal," "The Odessa File." He also wrote many great novels since: "The Negotiator," "The Deceiver," "The Fourth Protocol," "Icon," among others. Also, his short story collection, "No Comebacks," is definitely worth checking out. But he seemed to be sleepwalking through this one.
murielc's review
2.0
Do not read this book. At least 200 pages' worth of logistics, money transfers, budgeting, letter writing, postage rates, telephone calls, and issuing of shares. I almost gave up with less than 100 pages to go because it was so infuriatingly boring. I eventually skipped to the end and managed to finish.
btanis's review
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
bookaneer's review against another edition
3.0
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Dogs of War!
The idea is interesting, to have mercenaries to conduct a coup in a small (fictitious) country in West Africa. However, Forsyth spent too much time explaining the process in preparing the action. Well, might be useful if one wants to do the same thing in the 70s though. I felt kinda bored reading the middle part of this book. Couldn't care less about all of the business arrangements and Bond-esque love affair. Thank goodness, the last chapter was exciting enough. Interesting twist too.
In conclusion, I definitely prefer this book than its two predecessors, The Day of the Jackal and the Odessa File.
The idea is interesting, to have mercenaries to conduct a coup in a small (fictitious) country in West Africa. However, Forsyth spent too much time explaining the process in preparing the action. Well, might be useful if one wants to do the same thing in the 70s though. I felt kinda bored reading the middle part of this book. Couldn't care less about all of the business arrangements and Bond-esque love affair. Thank goodness, the last chapter was exciting enough. Interesting twist too.
In conclusion, I definitely prefer this book than its two predecessors, The Day of the Jackal and the Odessa File.
testpattern's review against another edition
3.0
You know how the best parts of Robinson Crusoe are the trips to the wreck, the lists of stores, the account of the building and provisioning of the stockade? This is that sort of boy's adventure process porn writ large. Ostensibly a military thriller about a mercenary-orchestrated coup of a fictional African pocket republic, what The Dogs of War is at heart is the best novel ever written about a shopping trip. If you are into the nuts and bolts of how illegal military operations took place 50 years ago, this book is for you. Your mileage may vary.
The why of the coup, and its bloody actualization bookend the meat of the novel, which is a painstakingly detailed account of the logistics of organizing a small-unit invasion of a country in the Telex and poste-restante days of the turn of the 1970s. Pages are spent describing our hero, Cat Shannon's crisscrossing of Europe in his relentless quest to outfit and transport his gang of merry murderers down the African coast for their date with mayhem, leaving a trail of secret bank accounts, shell corporations, and pounds sterling in his wake. Along the way there are periodic briefings about the history of mercenary operations in Africa, breakdowns of the international arms market, and a frisson of skulduggery and violence for spice.
Forsyth spent years as a journalist in Africa, and wrote this novel with a journalistic approach to research and background. The rogue's gallery of notable mercenaries salting the pages, guys like Black Jack Schramme and Bob Denard, actually participated in the bloody end of post colonial Africa, and the grounding of our characters in this world feels very plausible. Indeed, the book performs as a fairly broad overview into mercenary operations in the middle of the 20th century.
One could fault the characters for being a bit thinly drawn (although character isn't so much the point of the proceedings at hand), but the carefully detailed resumés they are given feel quite plausible. All are veterans who feel more at home in warfare than they do in civilian life. Most of them have criminal records, or stains upon their military records, that preclude them from finding places with conventional armies. Only Vlaminck, the colossal bazooka specialist seems to have much of a life outside of fighting.
The writing is fluent and smooth, with enough detail to make to world feel lived in, but nothing extraneous. One of the ancillary pleasures of the book is its evocation of a pre-PC, pre-digital Europe. Although much about the novel's setting feels very contemporary, much of the action of the book would have been taken care of with burner phones and encrypted emails in a few afternoons rather than the two months and thousands of pounds in travel and hotels that it takes our man Shannon. Less charming to a contemporary reader are the hopelessly dated gender politics of the book. Thankfully, these moments are minimal, since so much of it takes place in a very male world space. Oddly, considering the plot of the book, the handling of Africa and colonialism is a bit more progressive than one would assume. The main characters are respectful of the Africans they work with, and these fictional mercenaries have a moral core, albeit small and pragmatic.
If you like English thrillers from the period, Forsyth is a unique and important voice. This is definitely pulp, but a worthy way to spend an afternoon or two.
The why of the coup, and its bloody actualization bookend the meat of the novel, which is a painstakingly detailed account of the logistics of organizing a small-unit invasion of a country in the Telex and poste-restante days of the turn of the 1970s. Pages are spent describing our hero, Cat Shannon's crisscrossing of Europe in his relentless quest to outfit and transport his gang of merry murderers down the African coast for their date with mayhem, leaving a trail of secret bank accounts, shell corporations, and pounds sterling in his wake. Along the way there are periodic briefings about the history of mercenary operations in Africa, breakdowns of the international arms market, and a frisson of skulduggery and violence for spice.
Forsyth spent years as a journalist in Africa, and wrote this novel with a journalistic approach to research and background. The rogue's gallery of notable mercenaries salting the pages, guys like Black Jack Schramme and Bob Denard, actually participated in the bloody end of post colonial Africa, and the grounding of our characters in this world feels very plausible. Indeed, the book performs as a fairly broad overview into mercenary operations in the middle of the 20th century.
One could fault the characters for being a bit thinly drawn (although character isn't so much the point of the proceedings at hand), but the carefully detailed resumés they are given feel quite plausible. All are veterans who feel more at home in warfare than they do in civilian life. Most of them have criminal records, or stains upon their military records, that preclude them from finding places with conventional armies. Only Vlaminck, the colossal bazooka specialist seems to have much of a life outside of fighting.
The writing is fluent and smooth, with enough detail to make to world feel lived in, but nothing extraneous. One of the ancillary pleasures of the book is its evocation of a pre-PC, pre-digital Europe. Although much about the novel's setting feels very contemporary, much of the action of the book would have been taken care of with burner phones and encrypted emails in a few afternoons rather than the two months and thousands of pounds in travel and hotels that it takes our man Shannon. Less charming to a contemporary reader are the hopelessly dated gender politics of the book. Thankfully, these moments are minimal, since so much of it takes place in a very male world space. Oddly, considering the plot of the book, the handling of Africa and colonialism is a bit more progressive than one would assume. The main characters are respectful of the Africans they work with, and these fictional mercenaries have a moral core, albeit small and pragmatic.
If you like English thrillers from the period, Forsyth is a unique and important voice. This is definitely pulp, but a worthy way to spend an afternoon or two.
tbr_the_unconquered's review
4.0
The whole of this novel is a very exhaustive plan as to how to mount and execute a small military operation. While the overall slice of military action is a small one, the outcome of this operation is one that is meant to have huge economic advantages. A corrupt and crumbling African republic, a huge pile of unmined platinum, corporate greed and a ruthlessly inventive mercenary group form the key players of the story. While the three act structure of the story itself appeared a tad too idealistic and cliché, the book shines through with the amount of detail that is shed on the planning of the military operation. Forsyth’s pen misses no details and leaves no stone unturned as to how effectively one needs to plan the logistical side of a mercenary op. It is like watching a solid and cost effective structure take place step by step and brick by brick.
A bit of reading about history will tell you that the ones who usually wins the wars are the ones who have a better control over their logistical systems. Strategy, tactics, firepower and luck can help you win battles but the wars are almost always won by those who know how to handle their supplies, ammunition and personnel. More important than all this, they do know how to get these constituent elements from one location to another too. The story is an illustration of this fact wherein the key player, Shannon spends almost 80% of the story planning for a military action that would take roughly half a day to complete. The specifics of the op are rather immaterial here since that would give away a little too much of the plot. As in real life, the planning is entirely slow moving and painstaking while the action when it comes is bloody, brutal and gets over pretty quick.
Recommended if you like a practical and grounded view of how a special forces op might be set up. The surrounding detail on the geopolitical landscape etc. are very dated now and yet the specifics still stand out.
A bit of reading about history will tell you that the ones who usually wins the wars are the ones who have a better control over their logistical systems. Strategy, tactics, firepower and luck can help you win battles but the wars are almost always won by those who know how to handle their supplies, ammunition and personnel. More important than all this, they do know how to get these constituent elements from one location to another too. The story is an illustration of this fact wherein the key player, Shannon spends almost 80% of the story planning for a military action that would take roughly half a day to complete. The specifics of the op are rather immaterial here since that would give away a little too much of the plot. As in real life, the planning is entirely slow moving and painstaking while the action when it comes is bloody, brutal and gets over pretty quick.
Recommended if you like a practical and grounded view of how a special forces op might be set up. The surrounding detail on the geopolitical landscape etc. are very dated now and yet the specifics still stand out.
adammp's review
4.0
I listened to this book in audio form. The pacing is incredibly slow but paying attention anyways really pays off in the end. Seemingly irrelevant or even florid details becoming relevant is a regularly employed motif.