Rating: 
Summary: very good, but not quite Forsyth's best novel
Review: Forsyth actually wrote Icon in 1996 and set it in the Russia of 1999, a country he projected would be plagued by a vast criminal underworld, increasingly disillusioned with the new democracy and capitalist systems, and subject to a return to Communist and other totalitarian rule. That makes Forsyth's work even more impressive with hindsight, in a similar way as for The Devil's Alternative and The Fist of God - describing specific elements or trends that in fact appear quite familiar later on. The Jason Monk character is one of Forsyth's more memorable ones, and he is developed a little differently than the norm with the way the book is written in two parts. There is also a reappearance of some characters in previous Forsyth books, something which works well in Icon but is not something which Forsyth often does. Icon isn't quite at the level of Forsyth's best work, but it is certainly good enough to demonstrate his ability to tell a good story and spin an entertaining yarn involving international intrigue.
Rating: 
Summary: Icon has all the suspense of staring at a statue
Review: Written more as a historical document of the end of the Cold War between Russia, and the U.S., and England, Icon just plods along.
Though well written, the characters have no personality, the story, no life, and all the suspense of watching a block of ice melt.
Read instead, his;
1. Day of the Jackal
2. Odessa File
3. Negotiator
4. Fourth Protocol
All of these are much more exciting books by Forsyth, and highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Nice mixture of reality and story-telling...
Review: With all the reading I do, I haven't read any of Forsyth's stuff. While on vacation, I packed his novel Icon. An enjoyable read...
Set in 1999, Russia is falling apart. Elections are coming, and a dynamic personality (Igor Komarov) seems to have the hearts and minds of the people. But things are not as they seem. A document titled The Black Manifesto falls into the hands of an American embassy worker, and no one is quite sure what to do about it. Written by Komarov, it outlines a return to tolitarian rule, elimination of Jews and other minorities, and an active role in the government by the Russian mafia. A former CIA agent named Jason Monk is "asked" to once again go undercover to work behind the scenes to destabilize the election campaign of Komarov so that he isn't able to use the denunciations of external governments to his advantage. Monk also has to avoid being caught and killed as a spy due to his prior activities in the country.
There are a number of things that make this an intriguing novel. The breakdown of the Soviet machine is factual, and presents a realistic backdrop to the storyline. Forsyth also works in the CIA mole Aldrich Ames and the damage he did to destroy the entire American intelligence infrastructure in Russia. It doesn't take a lot of effort to see this as a recounting of actual events. The only problem I had was that nearly everything that Monk does works perfectly and seems to be a real stretch after awhile. Still, it's a very good novel and I'll probably end up reading his other works.
Rating:
Summary: Out of the pages of the New York Times
Review: Frederick Forsyth hasn't lost his penchant for international intrigue.
It is 1999. A 'Black' manifesto falls into the hands of British Intelligence. In it are details of a plan by a presidential candidate in Russia to unleash mayhem, and return the Motherland back to the Stalinist era.
With the British Government pleading hands off, a covert operation is embarked upon. Former CIA spy runner Jason Monk is drafted in to frustrate Komarov's chances in the election. Will he get the job done; if he does, will he escape, alive?
In Icon we get vintage Forsyth: Engaging and contriving. The lot could be picked from any newspaper headline, but only he is capable of infusing life into the story, making it uninterrupted. Historical details are sprinkled throughout the book, and his knowledge of British and Russia, as well as disinformation (or propaganda) make it realistic.
Yet with all his bona fides as a storyteller, Frederick Forsyth suffers from a flaw which is magnified in this novel. He distinguishes between good and evil as he does black and white. Therefore we are left in no doubt of where his loyalty lies.
To him, Komarov, the Russian fascist, is bad, so anyone who opposes him is good. Simplistic? Yes, but the truth.
Unfortunately, because of this mindset, we aren't treated to worthy villians, but instead to a cat and mouse chase where we know the cat's fate.
Still Icon triumphs inspite of its defects. It is a worthy novel that will be enjoyed by everyone who reads the paper(or watches the screen.)
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding Genre work
Review: This is possibly my favorite Forsyth novel, and Forsyth is definitely my favorite spy-novelist. As in The Negotiator, this book has a somewhat disjointed flow - there's a great deal of set-up (half the book) that isn't really part of the rising action. But who cares - it's thrilling and fun, and Forsyth has a good ear for the language. First Rate!
Rating:
Summary: Icon - The Finest Spy Thriller
Review: Russia is in ruins with famine, inflation, corruption, and widespread unemployment in the summer of 1999. The story begins with the accidental sighting of a secret file containing the plan of recreating Hitler's Third Reich in Russia. This document belongs to Igor Komarov, the future president, who is providing hope to the people for law, order, and prosperity. The `Black Manifesto' falls into the hands of the British and American governments. They are appalled by its contents, but refuse to take any action. They cannot do anything officially yet because Komarov does not yet have any government backing. Nevertheless, an ex-British spymaster, Sir Nigel Irvine, decides to stop Komarov. He recruits ex-CIA agent-runner, Jason Monk, for the job. Monk is introduced as the finest CIA agent-runner ever. His agents, however, fell into KGB hands because of a mole in the CIA. These agents were then tortured in Russia by Colonel Anatoli Grishin of the KGB, who now happens to be Komarov's personal security chief. Monk had sworn never to go back into Russia, but decides to stop Komarov and avenge the torture that Grishin had inflicted on his agents. Monk and Sir Irvine put together a plan using ingenuity and guile to force Komarov and Colonel Grishin to panic and commit mistakes. It is exciting to discover the strategies used by two retired spies to foil Komarov's plans. I love the way Forsyth uses the pace to build up the excitement to a climax and keep the reader glued to the book. He increases it gradually making the book more than just thrilling by the climax. The way he goes over all the background information in the beginning connects you to the story. Forsyth's style of blending the actual historical references with fiction is exceptional and the story seems to be more factual than fictional. I had also read his first book, The Day of the Jackal, and found these same qualities of painting a clear picture with the background information and blending actual occurrences into his fiction. Furthermore, I enjoyed the epilogue that explains the final fate of the characters and clarifies some of the obscurities. I also liked the way the co-incidences help to pull the plot along making it amusing. Forsyth's style of writing novels with all the twists and turns always leaves you asking for more. This sample passage from Icon will give you a taste of the book. This extract is the start of the planning Sir Irving and Jason Monk do. Sir Irvine has just convinced Monk to go back into Russia and is beginning to crystallize his plan. Things were very different now. Russia had changed out of all recognition from the old USSR that Monk had briefly known and duped. Technology had changed, almost every place name had reverted from its Communist designation to its old pre-Revolutionary name. Dumped into modern Moscow without the most intensive briefing, Monk could become bewildered by the transformation. There could be no question of his contacting either the British or American embassies to seek help. These were out of bounds. Yet, he would need some place to hide, some friend in need.
The worst hazard for Monk was the pandemic level of corruption. With virtually limitless funds, which Komarov, and therefore Grishin, seemed to have from the Dolgurki Mafia, that underpinned their drive for power, there was no level of cooperation from the organs of the state that they could not simply buy by bribery. Enough money could buy complete cooperation from any state security organization, or a private army of Special forces soldiers.
Add to that Grishin's own Black Guard and the thousands of fanatical Young Combatants, plus the invisible street army of the underworld itself, and Komarov's henchman would have an army out to track down the man who had come to challenge him.
Of one thing the old spymaster was certain: Anatoli Grishin would not be ignorant of the return of Jason Monk to his private turf, and he would not be pleased.
The first thing Irvine did was to assemble a small but trustworthy and thoroughly professional team of former soldiers from Britain's own Special Forces. I selected this passage because it was a good representation of Forsyth's style of setting the scene for the main action. It gives you a feel of the difficult conditions Monk would need to work under and the risks involved. He has already explained the whole background and is just about to launch an operation. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspense thrillers. Frederick Forsyth is a master of suspense and this is a book that would make one seek out more of his works.
|
