The Shepherd

Rating:
Summary: Short and sweet, but spine-tingling and suspenseful.
Review: It's Christmas Eve 1957, and an English pilot is flying his single-seat fighter from Germany, on his way home for Christmas. But when the electrical circuits fail, he is suddenly on his own in a lonely sky, unable to contact the men below who alone can guide him home through the foggy skies. With fuel running out, radio contact gone, and navigation impossible, and when it seems that he's destined to ditch only to freeze to death in a deserted sea, a miraculous saviour appears. A World War 2 style plane appears out of the gloom, and its brave pilot "shepherds" the helpless flyer down through the frosty night sky towards safety. Will he succeed? And why does the airport seem deserted? And who is the mysterious shepherd?

Although "The Shepherd" is a very short novel that can easily be read in under an hour, it doesn't hinder Forsyth from capturing your attention. He cleverly heightens the intensity of the action and suspense by using the first person point of view. The stricken pilot's fears and bewilderment quickly become your own, until they are resolved in a spine-chilling last-page climax that raises as many questions as it answers.

The gripping plot is marred only by a few incidences of blasphemy. But the paperback edition is beautifully enhanced by Lou Feck's full-page black and white illustrations. "The Shepherd" may be a departure from Forsyth's usual fare in that it is a short and sweet Christmas story that exploits the season's fondness for supernatural miracles. But it lacks none of his trademark spine-tingling suspense. Unlike the pilot, it will be a while before you come back down to earth after reading this one!

Rating:
Summary: Short and sweet, but spine-tingling and suspenseful.
Review: It's Christmas Eve 1957, and an English pilot is flying his single-seat fighter from Germany, on his way home for Christmas. But when the electrical circuits fail, he is suddenly on his own in a lonely sky, unable to contact the men below who alone can guide him home through the foggy skies. With fuel running out, radio contact gone, and navigation impossible, and when it seems that he's destined to ditch only to freeze to death in a deserted sea, a miraculous saviour appears. A World War 2 style plane appears out of the gloom, and its brave pilot "shepherds" the helpless flyer down through the frosty night sky towards safety. Will he succeed? And why does the airport seem deserted? And who is the mysterious shepherd?

Although "The Shepherd" is a very short novel that can easily be read in under an hour, it doesn't hinder Forsyth from capturing your attention. He cleverly heightens the intensity of the action and suspense by using the first person point of view. The stricken pilot's fears and bewilderment quickly become your own, until they are resolved in a spine-chilling last-page climax that raises as many questions as it answers.

The gripping plot is marred only by a few incidences of blasphemy. But the paperback edition is beautifully enhanced by Lou Feck's full-page black and white illustrations. "The Shepherd" may be a departure from Forsyth's usual fare in that it is a short and sweet Christmas story that exploits the season's fondness for supernatural miracles. But it lacks none of his trademark spine-tingling suspense. Unlike the pilot, it will be a while before you come back down to earth after reading this one!