The Fist Of GOD by Frederick Forsyth | Book Reviews

First published in 1994, The Fist of God is a typical Frederic Forsyth suspense-thriller set in the background of the war that followed the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in 1989. The story focuses on a super-gun with a capacity to fire the nuclear weapon called Qubt-ut-Allah or The Fist of God.

The story starts with the murder of Dr. Gerald Bull, whose specialty is designing super-power rocket launchers. Like other science geniuses, he is politically naive, and is duped into designing the gun. When Iraq invades Kuwait, the American and British intelligence agencies are hard-pressed to acquire the inside information. An Anglo-American penal of analysts, forming Medusa committee, includes academician Terry Martin, who is a well-known Arabic scholar. Terry and his brother Mike were born and raised in Baghdad, and Terry informs the SIS that Mike, with his dark skin and hair, actually looks like an Arab. The fact that Mike is Major Mike Martin, working in the Special Air Service of Britain, also makes him the right candidate for the job.

Mike goes to Kuwait, disguised as a Bedouin and plays a vital role in the armed Kuwaiti resistance. But, soon, he is called back, and is sent on an even more dangerous mission, right into Baghdad. There is someone, very high-up in Saddam Husein’s hierarchy, who is a mercenary. Known as Jericho, he is willing to give away the valuable inside information for money. Mike, this time disguised as a poor Arab gardener, is sent to work for a Soviet official. During day-time, he runs shopping errands for the household on his ancient bicycle and in the night, he sends the information to the Allies by radio.

The analysts on Medusa committee prepare the summary of the weapons of mass destruction that Iraq has and the possible locations for these weapons. They conclude that while Iraq has been working towards developing a nuclear bomb, it hasn’t developed the capability, as yet. It is by chance, that a frustrated American pilot Don Walker destroys an industrial complex, which is not on target list, to reveal strange looking metallic structures. No one is able to figure out what the complex contained. Terry Martin, on his trip to America, takes these photographs to a very old physicist. He recognises it as a nuclear bomb developing technology from 1940s.

Panic hits the Allied forces, with this news. Now, Iraq’s moves make sense to them, and more than ever, they need the information on this weapon and its exact location, in order to destroy it. What happens next? Is it too late to destroy the weapon? How many lives will it cost? Who is Jericho? What happens to him?

Weaving through with immaculate details as ever, Frederic Forsyth takes us through the ride of the world of shadows and light, of spies and armies, of wars that are fought at many fronts, simultaneously.

And we all know, that Major Mike Martin, will be safe at the end of this war, so we can meet him again as “The Afghan”, in 2006………….

BTW: Did the glimpses of this book remind you Timothy Dalton starring James Bond Movie – The Living Daylights; or Arnold Schwarzenegger starring – True Lies (of course the area of operations are different)? Do let us know via your comments.