Reviews

The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth

calaxem's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5

astalnar's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

jmoses's review against another edition

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4.0

an excellent read, delightfully cold war and twisty.

sandin954's review against another edition

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5.0

Excellent cold war thriller with a huge cast and numerous exciting and tense plot lines that come together seamlessly in the end.

jorgjuar's review against another edition

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4.0

Situada en el ocaso de la Guerra Fría, La alternativa del diablo narra los eventos geopolíticos desencadenados por una mala cosecha de trigo en la URSS, que implican negociaciones no deseadas con occidente, y que a la par desencadenan una lucha interna por el poder dentro del Kremlin.

La trama es bastante elaborada, donde en el mismo lapso de tiempo ocurren múltiples sucesos en distintas partes del mundo, que eventualmente terminan colisiando entre todos. Fiel al género, Frederick Forsyth incluye a múltiples personajes, desarrollando a cada uno de ellos de forma paulatina a lo largo de la novela. Sin embargo, la lectura es bastante ágil y es difícil dejar de leer; no hay un sólo capítulo en el que no se incluyan elementos que serán usados posteriormente.

En resumen, si te gustan las novelas de espionaje, La alternativa del diablo debe estar en tu lista. Cabe mencionar que fue escrita en 1979, así que no debe compararse con los estándares actuales del género.

Por otro lado, he leído algunas otras reseñas que mencionan haber sido abrumados por la cantidad de personajes que además aparecen en rápida sucesión, pero esto es algo normal en las novelas de espionaje. Si esta es la primera novela que lees dentro del género, prepárate para hacer mapas mentales o llevar una lista de personajes.

philwynne's review against another edition

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

bf777's review against another edition

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4.0

Brilliant writing from Forsyth. His thrillers are a class apart from the rest and this one is a classic among his works. In this book, Forsyth marries the suspense of a thriller with the painstaking, Dan Brown-caliber research of a great historical fiction novel, and throws in nerdy yet relevant details about historical figures, places and even machinery featured throughout the novel. An exciting yet intellectual read, with a dramatic yet well-founded plot.

henkda's review against another edition

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3.0

2nd time through. Perhaps doesn't age as well now that the Big Bad Russian Bear no longer looms overtly over Western Europe, but still a fun read.

veronian's review against another edition

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3.0

Would have been a solid 4 stars, but the second half of this book was a real slog due to lots of filler and distracting events. The ending is a lot less compelling because you never really get to know the Nightingale to begin with.

hellofred99's review against another edition

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5.0

Forsyth as his best--perfectly convoluted plot, intricately intertwined subplots, insane amounts of characters, and an amazing ending