Brilliant ... gripping ...a terrific narrative that reinforces Frederick Forsyth’s reputation as a master storyteller few can rival in delivering spellbinding suspense ... This timely, well-written thriller has it all ... A fast, tremendously entertaining read. Since The Day of the Jackal, Frederick Forsyth has been considered a giant of the political and espionage thriller genre. This giant just became even more towering.
Outstanding ... Frederick Forsyth does it again. For a story like this to work, the details have to be on point, and it’s clear that the author has done his homework as he breaks down how hackers work, often detailing their various methods and the different virtual traps they can set ... just the kind of stunning, relevant, full-throttle story that thriller fans have been waiting for, and nobody delivers quite like Frederick Forsyth, one of the very best writers the genre has ever known.
Fascinating ... scant on dialogue, leaving room for the action sequences that have made Mr. Forsyth’s novels best sellers for decades. The author’s spooky scenarios are somehow soothing: How comforting to think that bad actors might be stopped by the teamwork of one 'anxious boy with spectacular gifts' and 'an elderly Englishman who sat at the back and remained silent.'
Forsyth may be the victim of bad timing in his latest international adventure. It’s set in 2019, with the focus on a British teen on the autism spectrum who has managed to hack into the heart of the U.S. national security system. Unfortunately, the real-life cyberterrorism of the past two years has far outpaced even the most gifted spy novelist’s darkest projections, making Forsyth’s premise seem a little ho-hum. The story takes a long time getting going ... once it gets going, [the story] is satisfyingly tense and world-based, but without the usual sense of shocked foreboding that Forsyth has been able to generate in the past.
It is in one regard an odd tale but it’s also ingenious, expertly written and a serious look at international conflicts that threaten the future of the world ... Forsyth’s story includes scathing descriptions of several world leaders ... exciting, surprising and satisfying ... Forsyth is supremely well-informed about world affairs, politics, diplomacy, weaponry and the mysteries of spycraft. In The Fox, as in all his novels, he lays them out in brilliant detail.
Closer to a fairy tale than a thriller ... too much of it isn’t fiction at all, with the perfunctory action and dialogue often merely punctuating Forsyth’s lengthy briefings on aspects of spying or enemy nations’ knavish tricks.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a Forsyth novel, but he is still a pro at intriguingly minute details... and cinematic, slow-boil descriptions ... But there are issues, too. The writing is, at best, utilitarian. Clichés and national stereotypes abound... and the pace is weighed down by way too much background material ... But the most grievous fault, I think, is Forsyth’s failure to delve into Luke’s remarkable psyche. We get no insight at all into Asperger’s in general or Luke’s mind or character in particular; we know only that he is fragile, change-resistant and completely absorbed in the work ... The Fox, in short, is not Forsyth’s best, but fans will probably enjoy it anyway.
Terrifically entertaining ...That these attacks seem to explain some real-life events make the book even more fascinating ... Genre fans will be enthralled.
