Frederick Forsyth has released tens of books and has written scripts for movies, TV and video games. (Image: Getty)
Frederick Forsyth has a legacy of over five decades as a successful author and journalist. The mind behind more than a dozen novels which have been adapted to film, Frederick’s work has been sold more than 70 million times in more than 30 languages across the globe.
His first books were published way before readers had access to the internet, but, to this day, his earlier titles are being read and reviewed by 21st century audiences – earning their place in the literary timeless classics hall of fame.
Here, we rank and take a look at Frederick Forsyth’s most popular books, according to readers’ opinions on reviewing platform Goodreads.
11. Icon – 11,485 ratings
In 1999-2000 Russia, former CIA agent Jason Monk is tasked with stopping the rise of the charismatic but dangerous Igor Komarov, who is poised to win the presidential election and whose secret agenda, revealed in “The Black Manifesto,” threatens the country and the world.
The story also shows real-life spy Aldrich Ames as a character, as well as several real-life political figures, as members of the “Council of Lincoln” – a secret group of influential world leaders. In 2005, a film adaptation of Icon starred Patrick Swayze as the main character.
10. Avenger – 11,678 ratings
A former Vietnam “tunnel rat” turned small-town lawyer, Cal Dexter, embarks on a deadly quest for revenge when a Canadian tycoon hires him to hunt down a Serbian warlord responsible for his grandson’s death, leading to a global chase and potential chaos.
In 2006, Avenger was adapted into a television thriller film, starring Sam Elliott and Timothy Hutton.
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9. The Deceiver – 11,883 ratings
In The Deceiver, Sam McCready, a highly valued but unorthodox Secret Intelligence Service operative, – the head of Deception, Disinformation and Psychological Operations – faces a threat from within, as someone seeks to expose his past and force him out. He must choose a risky, confrontational path to escape the trap, potentially destabilizing the British SIS in the process.
The book was an adaptation of Forsyth’s own script of a miniseries written for television, and appeared in the New York Times’ list of best-sellers of the time, peaking at number 6.
8. The Negotiator – 12,954 ratings
A young man’s kidnapping in Oxfordshire triggers a ruthless plan to destabilize the US President, forcing the world’s top negotiator, Quinn, to bargain for the innocent man’s life, unaware the kidnappers’ true goal is not ransom.
The story then evolves into an intricate narrative involving the governments of countries, political drama, familial ties and multiple threads that are woven together in the end.
7. The Fist of God – 12,981 ratings
The Fist of God is a suspense novel set during the Persian Gulf War, following SAS agent Mike Martin as he infiltrates Baghdad to find a suspected Iraqi nuclear weapon, “Qubth-ut-Allah,” and contact a mole in Saddam Hussein’s entourage.
As do other Forsyth works, the novel features real-life people as characters. Some notable figures who are shown in the story are U.S. President George Bush, Secretary of State James Baker, Gerard Bull, the Engineer of the supergun, and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
6. The Afghan – 14,568 ratings
In The Afghan, a joint operation by MI6, the CIA, and Pakistan’s ISI uncovers documents about a planned terrorist attack codenamed “al-Isra,” leading to a desperate mission to plant a Westerner into the deepest reaches of al-Qaeda.
The Afghan is seen by some as a sequel to The Fist of God, as some characters overlap, but with slightly altered backstories. The book was received with mixed reviews when first published in 2006.
5. The Devil’s Alternative – 16,261 ratings
A devastating wheat crop failure leads the Soviet Union to famine, and forces the USSR to seek food aid from the US, but a rescue of a Ukrainian nationalist from the Black Sea plunges the world into a web of intrigue and threatens nuclear war.
The Devil’s Alternative was Forsyth’s fourth novel, and was set in the near future: the book, depicting society in 1982, was published in 1979. As many others, it featured real life figures – such as Margaret Thatcher, Jimmy Carter and Cyrus Vance – as characters.
4. The Dogs of War – 24,278 ratings
The Dogs of War is a thriller about mercenaries hired by a British industrialist to overthrow the government of a fictional African nation, Zangaro, after a valuable mineral discovery, exploring themes of political intrigue and the moral complexities of war.
To prepare for the book, Forsyth pretended to be preparing a coup d’état against Equatorial Guinea on behalf of the Igbo people – an act of research that was the subject of a feature story in The Times. Following its publishing, many people believed he was planning a real coup d’état in Equatorial Guinea.
The book was also proven to have a strong political impact: There was an actual coup d’état in Equatorial Guinea in 1979, and in 2004, a copycat plan involving Margaret Thatcher’s son intended to secure lucrative mining rights in the country.
Frederick Forsyth with actor Michael Caine, who starred in The Fourth Protocol (Image: PA)
3. The Fourth Protocol – 34,810 ratings
In this novel named after the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, a professional thief stumbles upon top-secret documents, leading to a KGB plot to destabilize Britain through a nuclear attack – forcing MI5 to race against time to prevent a revolution.
Critical reception to the novel was mixed, with some publications lauding it as Forsyth’s best work and some describing it as predictable and dull. Regardless, the story was made into a video game in 1985 and a film starring Michael Caine and Pierce Brosnan in 1987.
2. The Odessa File – 61,657 ratings
In this thriller, a young German journalist, Peter Miller, becomes obsessed with finding a former SS concentration camp commander, Eduard Roschmann, after discovering a diary detailing his atrocities and learning about the secret organization ODESSA, which protects former SS members.
A film adaptation loosely based on the book was released in 1974, starring Jon Voight and Maximilian Schell, and with a score by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
1. The Day of the Jackal – 140,174 ratings
Forsyth’s most popular release was his second one, published in 1971. In The Day of the Jackal, a professional assassin, known only as “The Jackal,” is hired by a French paramilitary group to assassinate President Charles de Gaulle, while a determined detective, Commissaire Lebel, races against time to track him down.
The plot evolves from historical fiction – as the French dissident organisation OAS did exist and planned on acting as the novel described – to made-up events after the opening.
The Day of the Jackal was received with praise when it was published, and received a 1972 Best Novel Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America. It was also adapted into a film starring Edward Fox in 1973 and a TV series featuring Eddie Redmayne and Lashana Lynch in 2024.
