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A review by rschmidt7
The Dogs of War by Frederick Forsyth
3.0
Sir James Manson, a scheming mining tycoon, hatches a plan to topple the government of a tiny African country in order to secure the mining rights to Crystal Mountain. This particular mountain contains an enormous deposit of platinum, and through a series of intricate plans involving Swiss banks and the manipulation of shares, Sir Manson plans to exploit the platinum find and make billions.
To carry out the coup on corrupt Zangaran president Kimba, Sir Manson hires Cat Shannon, a ruthless mercenary, and a professional in the business of war.
This book has a very interesting premise, and it begins well, with Cat Shannon and his cohorts defeated at the end of an unspecified African war. The atmosphere created in these first scenes really draws you in. Each of the mercenaries has their own unique personality, and the character of Shannon makes a likeable, interesting protagonist.
After the first scene, the mercenaries make their way out of Africa and back to their various home bases. And here things begin to bog down. As many reviews have pointed out, the level of detail that goes into planning Manson's grand scheme is insanely meticulous and realistic (which means like real life, it's monotonous and tedious at times).
Some of the pros of this book are:
*Any of the scenes set in Africa.
*The mercenaries themselves.
*The characters of Shannon and Endean and Roux.
*The attack on Zangaro (when it finally, at long last, happens)
*The ending. Did not see it coming, and it ALMOST made all the lead up worth it.
Some of the cons of the book:
*There are not enough scenes in Africa! And way too many in places like Belgium and Switzerland (boring).
*Pacing. Terribly slow.
*Lack of action for significant portions of the book.
*Very little war for a book with such a promising title.
Overall, I understand that the focus and emphasis is on realism here. But sometimes too much realism in writing is just downright boring. This may be the way that a real operation like this might be planned, but it reads boring. Add a little action and excitement, and don't spend 50 pages explaining to me how each and every single piece of equipment was bought and paid for. I wanted to read a thriller, not somebody's budget.
To carry out the coup on corrupt Zangaran president Kimba, Sir Manson hires Cat Shannon, a ruthless mercenary, and a professional in the business of war.
This book has a very interesting premise, and it begins well, with Cat Shannon and his cohorts defeated at the end of an unspecified African war. The atmosphere created in these first scenes really draws you in. Each of the mercenaries has their own unique personality, and the character of Shannon makes a likeable, interesting protagonist.
After the first scene, the mercenaries make their way out of Africa and back to their various home bases. And here things begin to bog down. As many reviews have pointed out, the level of detail that goes into planning Manson's grand scheme is insanely meticulous and realistic (which means like real life, it's monotonous and tedious at times).
Some of the pros of this book are:
*Any of the scenes set in Africa.
*The mercenaries themselves.
*The characters of Shannon and Endean and Roux.
*The attack on Zangaro (when it finally, at long last, happens)
*The ending. Did not see it coming, and it ALMOST made all the lead up worth it.
Some of the cons of the book:
*There are not enough scenes in Africa! And way too many in places like Belgium and Switzerland (boring).
*Pacing. Terribly slow.
*Lack of action for significant portions of the book.
*Very little war for a book with such a promising title.
Overall, I understand that the focus and emphasis is on realism here. But sometimes too much realism in writing is just downright boring. This may be the way that a real operation like this might be planned, but it reads boring. Add a little action and excitement, and don't spend 50 pages explaining to me how each and every single piece of equipment was bought and paid for. I wanted to read a thriller, not somebody's budget.