Rating: 
Summary: Perfection
Review: The blurb on the dust cover calls it a "tour de force." Understatement. I thought that the art of the short story was dead and forgotten. But no one since Hemingway has written short stories like this. Words cannot do justice to the words found in The Veteran. Simply the best. Read it and join me in wishing there was more to read.
Rating: 
Summary: I expected better
Review: The first two stories weren't bad, but the fourth was little but an excrutiating amount of minutia with a very thin plot thrown in, and the fifth story, the novella, started with the premise that a human could hibernate for over 100 years and just got more ludicrous from there. I'd be willing to suspend disbelief a little, but very little else about the story was believable, either--the characters, their motivations, ect. I'd recommend that others not waste their time on this book.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyed It More Than His Last Novel
Review: The new media of, "electronic only", reading is very exciting, for not only will it allow many new writers to appear, but also it facilitates great work by established Authors. There is no actual book to produce, and I would guess this allows writers to create new novella length works without disturbing the progress of traditional novels.This short story is wonderful. At the penultimate page it delivers a neck-snapping twist only to deliver a second thrashing on the final page. The entire novella is concisely written and has the pace of Mr. Forsyth's memorable classics of traditional length. The characters are all well drawn and are used to deliver a tale that seems familiar with a type of cynicism toward a profession that in life is all too often demonized. The Author uses this familiarity as a bit of a sleight of hand so you expect little in the way of an explosive ending. I cannot recommend these e-books more highly. There are easily downloaded to your computer, there is a vast library of quality work that expands daily, and they are a bargain as well. Download and read!
Rating: 
Summary: entertaining short fiction
Review: The Veteran is a collection of five short stories/novellas by Frederick Forsyth. Unlike The Deceiver, they are not unified by a single character or overall scheme. What they are unified by is Forsyth's ability to tell a good story, and he tells each in a unique setting of place and time including modern-day Britain, World War II Italy, an international airliner, and the American West. "Whispering Wind" is the real gem in this book. It's a simple but delightful tale about a lone survivor from Custer's Last Stand. Each of the stories in The Veteran has a twist somewhere along the way - sometimes more obvious than others and sometimes revealed closer to the end too. Each also has a significant amount of detail for its setting, showing Forsyth's ability to pay attention to the little things in his writing. Mainly these stories are a pleasure to read and that's what makes The Veteran worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: entertaining short fiction
Review: The Veteran is a collection of five short stories/novellas by Frederick Forsyth. Unlike The Deceiver, they are not unified by a single character or overall scheme. What they are unified by is Forsyth's ability to tell a good story, and he tells each in a unique setting of place and time including modern-day Britain, World War II Italy, an international airliner, and the American West. "Whispering Wind" is the real gem in this book. It's a simple but delightful tale about a lone survivor from Custer's Last Stand. Each of the stories in The Veteran has a twist somewhere along the way - sometimes more obvious than others and sometimes revealed closer to the end too. Each also has a significant amount of detail for its setting, showing Forsyth's ability to pay attention to the little things in his writing. Mainly these stories are a pleasure to read and that's what makes The Veteran worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Review: The Veteran is a great read, especially to those who haven't yet read Forsyth. The last story dragged on a bit, but the rest of the book more than made up for it. Though not one of Forsyth's best, worth reading nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Review: The Veteran is a great read, especially to those who haven't yet read Forsyth. The last story dragged on a bit, but the rest of the book more than made up for it. Though not one of Forsyth's best, worth reading nonetheless.
Rating: 
Summary: Twist in the Tail
Review: The Veteran is a new collection of short stories by thriller writer Frederick Forsyth. Like his earlier collection No Comebacks, the stories are all one shot wonders that depend for their effect on the sting in the tail that cast a whole new light retrospectively over the events leading up to the denouement. They are beautifully written, but you can only read them once. When the shock ending is known, the element of surprise is missing and the stories become rather tedious. So borrow this one from the library; don't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Fine collection from the author of No Comebacks
Review: The Veteran is just as fine, and in many ways better than No Comebacks, even though I know that it can never equal the original feeling I had when I first discovered No Comebacks. The title story concerns the investigation of a mugging. We are introduced to police constables, lawyers, and the whole judicial process unfolds before our eyes as we witness the necessary evils that are used in bringing someone to justice. Forsyth pulls a twist on us, as usual, and though it's not as effective as some of his other work, it's still quite worth the ride. Also in this collection is "The Miracle," a shorter twisting tale of a couple who are stopped on their way by a man with some very interesting information. Both of these stories alone were worth the relatively minimal price of the book, given that I will no doubt be rereading The Veteran many times to come.
Rating:
Summary: novelettes-as different and as unique from each other
Review: The Veteran showcases Forsyth's talent in the short story realm, & he proves that he is equally good at home in writing short-fiction as in writing thriller novels like that of The Day of The Jackal or The Odessa File. This is Sir Frederick Forsyth's first collection of short stories since the publication of No Comebacks more than a decade ago. The title story "The Veteran" is a suspense thriller, where a high profile attorney gets the release of two hardened murderers in spite of strong evidence against the accused. A fast-paced story, "The Veteran" also has a historical significance attached to it. It's the first legal thriller story to be published in the form of an e-book. "Art of the Matter" is a hilarious caper, with double-cross & triple-cross in the background of an art deal. "Whispering Wind" can best be described as a 'mystic mystery' reminiscent of the author's earlier work "The Shepherd". "The Citizen" is a story of a drug smuggling operation. However, my personal favourite is "The Miracle" a story about a ghostly visit of a saint in a hospital unit during the World War with an unexpected twist in the tale finish. The five stories make an engrossing read & are storytelling in its best & purest form. Any reader who enjoys twists in the tale endings, like that of the stories of O'Henry or the short stories of Jeffrey Archer, is sure to enjoy this superb & diverting collection. All in all The Veteran is highly entertaining, & makes delightful reading. Highly recommended.
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