Rating: 
Summary: Predictable
Review: Although this is a good story, is predictable almost when you read half of it, and it has to many descriptions out of the main story, I think that in a small story like this one it doesn't matter if it is 10 pages shorter and you just tell the story.
I think that at least once in our life we had an experience like this, not so big and maybe we didn't put attention if that happened to us, but think about the miracles in your life.
Rating: 
Summary: Unexpectedly touching aviation/suspense Christmas story
Review: Christmas eve, 1960 or thereabouts. Night over the North Sea. A young RAF pilot, flying his jet fighter home from Germany for the holidays, suddenly finds himself with no radio and no navigation aids, dwindling fuel supplies, and no way to find an airfield in an English countryside shrouded in night and heavy cloud. In an aircraft whose design would make bailing out an act of suicide, no way to call for help, and too little fuel to return to Germany, he realizes that he is, quite simply--barring a miracle--doomed. But Christmas has been, after all, a season of miracles for tellers of stories for a thousand years, and in Forsyth's short story, the unfolding of this young man's otherwise inexplicable salvation, with supernatural echoes of Ernest Gann's notion of aviation's Band of Brothers, touches the heart. It's an aviation story even for those with no interest in flying, a mystery/suspense story even for those indifferent to the genre, a wonderful read for all ages--and above all a tale that finally it reveals itself, in literally its last lines, for what it is: a genuine, involuntary-intake-of-breath, lump-in-the-throat, tears-in-the-eyes Christmas story. From Frederick Forsyth?? Believe it! Read it in an hour this season, even if you never thought you'd read Forsyth, and prepare to be moved.
Rating:
Summary: Unexpectedly touching aviation-suspense Christmas story
Review: Christmas, 1960 or thereabouts. A young RAF pilot flying his jet fighter home for the holidays from Germany finds himself with no radio, no navigation aids, and little fuel remaining, over the North Sea, heading for an England shrouded in night and clouds, in an aircraft whose characteristics would make bailing out an act of suicide. He realizes that he is, quite simply--barring a miracle--doomed. This is an aviation story that can be enjoyed by those who have no interest in flying, a suspense/mystery story for those with no love for the genre, a short story that's a great read for anyone, and a tale that reveals itself literally in its last lines for what it is: a genuinely involuntary-intake-of-breath, lump-in-the-throat, tears-in-the-eyes Christmas story. From Frederick Forsyth?? Believe it! Read it and be moved, even if you never imagined yourself reading a master of spy novels.
Rating:
Summary: An annual, holiday "must listen to" yarn.
Review: Each year, around Christmas, I look forward to this wonderful, suspense-filled tale, along with IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and A CHRISTMAS STORY - "No,it'll put your eye out!" The descriptive language and sound effects put you right inside the cockpit of the Vampire fighter with the Goblin, Rolls Royce engines. The action takes place on Christmas Eve,1957. A routine one-hour flight from Germany to England. This is just like a "Twilight Zone" episode on cassette. Did the events take place....or not? Thoroughly entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: An annual, holiday "must listen to" yarn.
Review: Each year, around Christmas, I look forward to this wonderful, suspense-filled tale, along with IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and A CHRISTMAS STORY - "No,it'll put your eye out!" The descriptive language and sound effects put you right inside the cockpit of the Vampire fighter with the Goblin, Rolls Royce engines. The action takes place on Christmas Eve,1957. A routine one-hour flight from Germany to England. This is just like a "Twilight Zone" episode on cassette. Did the events take place....or not? Thoroughly entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Cold war remembered.
Review: For those of us who flew for NATO in the Fifties, this is priceless remembrance. Forsyth seats us in single-seater solitude of nighttime peril. This little book treats a reader of any age to the cold war's privations, its simple joys, and its connections to WW-II: Nothing surpasses the adrenalin flow of a blackout emergency, in a "hairy" night-weather experience. And sometimes nothing tastes better than scrambled eggs and wine, even on Christmas Eve. I'm proud of Frederick Forsyth's recall, and imagination, for the best short story I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent Christmas Fantasy envolving a real problem
Review: Having flown a vampire jet fighter myself for several years in the Canadian airforce; I feel confident that Forsyth actually flew a Vampire at some time. The details he gives of the aircraft and flying it, reveal a thorough knowledge of the aircraft. The problem around which the story revolves, was a real one, that I always feared myself, when flying the aircraft on instruments. Forsyth's mastery of the `short story', combined with his overall writing genius, mark `The Shepherd' as a Christmas treat no one should miss. The story can be read in much less than an evening and a friend of mine reads it every Christmas Eve to his family. Although I am not a mystic, I still enjoy such stories involving miracles, especially at Christmas. I hope it will be reprinted again soon.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Story but Listed in the Wrong Catagory!
Review: I am an avid reader of Christian fiction. This book was listed as such so I purchased it. Well, the story was excellent. It kept you on the edge of you seat until the end. However, when I finished the book, I realized that it is a Mystery/Suspense novel not a Christian/Fiction novel. There is no mention of God, church or the Bible in this novel. It is an enjoyable short story, but if anyone is expecting Christian fiction, pick another book!
Rating:
Summary: There's more to The Shepherd than meets the eye
Review: I first became aware of this gem after I was given a now out-of-print audiobook of the same. I acquired the book in hardback shortly thereafter. As others have observed, the masterpiece stands quite on its own as a darn good yarn. Forsyth goes further, however. The entire story is littered with tempting religous allegory. Consider, for example, flight Lt. Marks, Old Joe, along with the now abandoned storage depot with many rooms, and all of it occuring on Christmas Eve. However, none of it is spoon fed, and a number of dots left to the reader to connect. Originally written as a Christmas present for his wife, it is most certainly a gift for us as well.
Rating:
Summary: A Christmas ghost story
Review: I usually read a book and give it away or donate it to the library, but this is one I've kept for over 20 years and have read many times. It's simple and its imagery is so vivid I am amazed by Forsyth's talent. Having been a military officer and having spent a lot of time on lonely assignments, plus having spent holidays far from home, I think that all these things combined to put me in a position to appreciate Forsyth's little gem. The Shepherd is one of my favorite books...and normally I don't read too much fiction, but I've definitely made an exception in this case.
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