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Afrika, Zangaro, ca 1970
I en lille forhistorie introduceres Cat Shannon, mens han og hans mænd siger farvel til "generalen", som de har tjent i seks måneder, men som nu har tabt krigen. (Cat er bare en forkortelse af hans initialer Carlo Alfred Thomas Shannon.)
Imens i et lille afrikansk land
Mason har kun drøftet planen med sin sikkerhedsmand, Simon Endean, og økonomirådgiveren Martin Thorpe. Den går ud på at lade et til formålet oprettet firma få overdraget minerettighederne af den nye regering. Når støvet så har lagt sig kan Manson Contracting købe det lille firma og Sir James Mason kan stikke 60 millioner pund i lommen. I alt fald hvis alt går godt. Faktisk forsøger han jo også at snyde sit eget firma og fortjenesten skal gemmes for skattevæsenet og statskup er jo heller ikke normalt lovligt, så risikoen er stor. Han forsøger at dække sig ind ved at bruge Endean og Thorpe udenom firmaet; prospektoren, der fandt platinbjerget, bliver sendt afsted på mission langt væk og med en bonus, så han er godt tilfreds; og den laboratoriechef der skjulte prøvernes reelle værdi blev bestukket med penge til sit handicappede barn.
Men lejesoldaten Cat er ikke dum og sporer henvendelsen tilbage til Mason og laboratoriechefen taler over sig til en bekendt, der tilfældigvis er medlem af det britiske kommunistparti. Cat åbner en anden front, da han lægger an på Masons 19-årige datter, som er meget mere erfaren udi seksuelle udfoldelser end hvad faren tror.
Forfatteren skildrer i detaljer Cats forberedelser til et commandoraid på præsident Kimbas palads og hvordan alle mulige andre i spillet også forsøger at opnå fordele og oplysninger om de andre.
Cat har en rival i Paris, en anden lejesoldat Charles Roux, som i forvejen var sur på ham, men som bliver rasende da det går op for ham at han blev vraget til jobbet i Zangaro. Roux får en lejemorder til at forsøge at myrde Cat, men det går galt.
Vi følger alle forberedelserne og hvordan Mason forsøger at skjule sine spor, samtidigt med at Cat holder øje med ham. Efter 100 dage er alle brikkerne til planen samlet og commandoraid'et begynder. Alle i præsidentresidensen bliver massakreret af mortergranater, raketstyr og automatvåben, men angrebet koster Janni Dupree, Bette Marc og Johnny livet. Helt efter planen tilkalder Cat så Simon Endean, der dukker op med oberst Bobi, der skal overtage styret. Her knækker filmen så for Endean og Mason, for Cat skyder og dræber uden videre Bobi og præsenterer sin egen kandidat til præsidentposten.
Endean må rasende indse at Cat har fat i den lange ende og tager tilbage til London med tomme hænder. Cat når at se at det nye styre under "generalen" vinde fodfæste, hvorefter hans lungekræft begynder at plage ham. En måned efter kuppet går han en tur ud i junglen og skyder sig.
I en eller anden grad er det vel en "happy ending".
Hvis handlingen synes usandsynlig, så kig lidt på baggrunden for Biafra, en lille klump af Nigeria, der havde selvstændigt liv fra 1967-1970. Zangaro er formentlig modelleret over Ækvitorial Guinea
I en lille forhistorie introduceres Cat Shannon, mens han og hans mænd siger farvel til "generalen", som de har tjent i seks måneder, men som nu har tabt krigen. (Cat er bare en forkortelse af hans initialer Carlo Alfred Thomas Shannon.)
Imens i et lille afrikansk land
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finder et mineselskab Manson Contracting ud af at et bjerg indeholder store mængder platin. Mineselskabets leder, Sir James Mason, forfatter en plan om at vælte diktatoren, Jean Kimba, og erstatte ham med en regering, som er mineselskabet mere venligt stemt. Kimba er nemlig marxist og forresten også splittergal. Til at udføre kuppet finder man en flok lejesoldater under ledelse af Cat. Ikke at det er et let job, men det bliver i hvert fald svært da russerne får nys om sagen og begynder at blande sig. Cats lille flok er en tysk ekssmugler Kurt Semmler, en sydafrikaner Janni Dupree der er dygtig til at bruge en morter, en belgisk bazooka ekspert, Bette Marc Vlaminck - kaldet Bette - fordi han er så stor og endelig en korsikaner Jean-Baptiste Langarott, der er uhyggeligt god til knivkamp.Mason har kun drøftet planen med sin sikkerhedsmand, Simon Endean, og økonomirådgiveren Martin Thorpe. Den går ud på at lade et til formålet oprettet firma få overdraget minerettighederne af den nye regering. Når støvet så har lagt sig kan Manson Contracting købe det lille firma og Sir James Mason kan stikke 60 millioner pund i lommen. I alt fald hvis alt går godt. Faktisk forsøger han jo også at snyde sit eget firma og fortjenesten skal gemmes for skattevæsenet og statskup er jo heller ikke normalt lovligt, så risikoen er stor. Han forsøger at dække sig ind ved at bruge Endean og Thorpe udenom firmaet; prospektoren, der fandt platinbjerget, bliver sendt afsted på mission langt væk og med en bonus, så han er godt tilfreds; og den laboratoriechef der skjulte prøvernes reelle værdi blev bestukket med penge til sit handicappede barn.
Men lejesoldaten Cat er ikke dum og sporer henvendelsen tilbage til Mason og laboratoriechefen taler over sig til en bekendt, der tilfældigvis er medlem af det britiske kommunistparti. Cat åbner en anden front, da han lægger an på Masons 19-årige datter, som er meget mere erfaren udi seksuelle udfoldelser end hvad faren tror.
Forfatteren skildrer i detaljer Cats forberedelser til et commandoraid på præsident Kimbas palads og hvordan alle mulige andre i spillet også forsøger at opnå fordele og oplysninger om de andre.
Cat har en rival i Paris, en anden lejesoldat Charles Roux, som i forvejen var sur på ham, men som bliver rasende da det går op for ham at han blev vraget til jobbet i Zangaro. Roux får en lejemorder til at forsøge at myrde Cat, men det går galt.
Vi følger alle forberedelserne og hvordan Mason forsøger at skjule sine spor, samtidigt med at Cat holder øje med ham. Efter 100 dage er alle brikkerne til planen samlet og commandoraid'et begynder. Alle i præsidentresidensen bliver massakreret af mortergranater, raketstyr og automatvåben, men angrebet koster Janni Dupree, Bette Marc og Johnny livet. Helt efter planen tilkalder Cat så Simon Endean, der dukker op med oberst Bobi, der skal overtage styret. Her knækker filmen så for Endean og Mason, for Cat skyder og dræber uden videre Bobi og præsenterer sin egen kandidat til præsidentposten.
Endean må rasende indse at Cat har fat i den lange ende og tager tilbage til London med tomme hænder. Cat når at se at det nye styre under "generalen" vinde fodfæste, hvorefter hans lungekræft begynder at plage ham. En måned efter kuppet går han en tur ud i junglen og skyder sig.
I en eller anden grad er det vel en "happy ending".
Hvis handlingen synes usandsynlig, så kig lidt på baggrunden for Biafra, en lille klump af Nigeria, der havde selvstændigt liv fra 1967-1970. Zangaro er formentlig modelleret over Ækvitorial Guinea
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Genres
Publication
Lademann, 1975.
Description
In a remote corner of Zangaro, a small republic in Africa, lies Crystal Mountain. At certain times of the day the mountain emits a strange glow. Only Sir James Manson knows why. The mountain contains ten billion dollar's worth of the world's most valuable mineral, platinum. " Not only exciting but truly surprising" --Atlantic. Now the only question is, how to get hold of it. Sir James knows how. Invade the country with a band of savage, cold-blooded mercenaries. Topple the government and set up a puppet dictatorship. Unleash the dogs of war.
Media reviews
More jackals -- and better than The Odessa File -- the terrain this time is a godforsaken little kingdom of nothing called Zangaro on the coast of West Africa now put on the map for one James Manson of Manson Consolidated Mining Company Ltd. by a mineral deposit thought to be tin, later revealed as
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platinum. There seem to be only two kinds of people in the world, at any rate Forsyth's, namely predators and grazers; Manson is one of the former but so is the mercenary Cat Shannon from Ulster whom he hires to take over the republic of Zangaro and dispose of its Papa Doc president. Commando style. Show Less
Lecturalia
El mundo de los mercenarios constituye el telón de fondo de esta gran obra de Frederick Forsyth. En primer plano, una anécdota de trepidante acción descubre algunos aspectos siniestros y poco conocidos de ciertas actividades: minería, altas finanzas, operaciones bancarias y el mundo de los
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traficantes de armas. De París a Ostende y Marsella, donde son reclutados los mercenarios; de Berna a Brujas, donde se montan las operaciones financieras; y de Alemania a Italia, Grecia y Yugoslavia, donde se compran las armas; Forsyth devela, en un viaje literario apasionante, un mundo en el que no sólo las armas, sino quienes las disparan, se venden al mejor postor. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member TomVeal
What could have been a ripping tale about an African coup d'etat is spoiled by an amateurish mistake: The author is in love with his hero and can't bear to put him into any truly tight spot. Auctorial providence intervenes as routinely as in the vita of a medieval saint. Then, after the predestined
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victory, we are treated to a bathetic ending. I didn't mind reading this book but have never felt an impulse to pick up anything else by Mr. Forsyth. Show Less
LibraryThing member gmillar
This is a good yarn about mercenary participation in other peoples' wars. Read Forsyth's "The Biafra Story" first. Fiction is always close to the truth.
LibraryThing member scottcholstad
The Dogs of War is another excellent Forsyth book that is well plotted and heavily detailed with some limited action at the end. It's almost an injustice to call it a thriller, but a thriller it is. Just a slow paced one.
It's about Zangara, a small republic in West Africa, where a mountain is
Enter Cat Shannon, mercenary. He's one of the best, if not the best around. He and his gang are looking for work when he's approached with this offer and so begins a lengthy round of planning and logistics that would bore the hell out of many readers (including my wife), but really gives one the feel of what it takes to purchase, transport, and store black market arms, as well as other goods. Shannon has 100 days to execute his plan. He buys a ship, hires a few more men, trains, and on Day 100 storms the beach, ready to take on the dictator's men. I'm not going to give away the ending of the book, but suffice it to say that there is such an unexpected plot twist that I pushed my rating up from four to five stars based solely on that alone. Simply brilliant.
This isn't Forsyth's best book, but it's really pretty good. I understand they made a movie of it and now I shall have to seek it out and watch it. If you're easily bored by books that aren't fast paced 100% of the time (or even 50%), this isn't the book for you, but if you like good political and military thrillers with depth, I'd give this a try. Recommended.
It's about Zangara, a small republic in West Africa, where a mountain is
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discovered that is thought to have tin in it. However, it's discovered to be platinum and about 10 billion dollars' worth. The mining company that has done this survey, located in London, is eager to gain mineral rights to the mountain, but the dictator of the country is cozy with Russia and the concern is once it's made known what's in the mountain, Russia will get first dibs. So, the owner of this company dreams up this elaborate scheme to hire mercenaries to overthrow this African nation's government and install a puppet regime which will give him mineral rights to the mountain containing the platinum.Enter Cat Shannon, mercenary. He's one of the best, if not the best around. He and his gang are looking for work when he's approached with this offer and so begins a lengthy round of planning and logistics that would bore the hell out of many readers (including my wife), but really gives one the feel of what it takes to purchase, transport, and store black market arms, as well as other goods. Shannon has 100 days to execute his plan. He buys a ship, hires a few more men, trains, and on Day 100 storms the beach, ready to take on the dictator's men. I'm not going to give away the ending of the book, but suffice it to say that there is such an unexpected plot twist that I pushed my rating up from four to five stars based solely on that alone. Simply brilliant.
This isn't Forsyth's best book, but it's really pretty good. I understand they made a movie of it and now I shall have to seek it out and watch it. If you're easily bored by books that aren't fast paced 100% of the time (or even 50%), this isn't the book for you, but if you like good political and military thrillers with depth, I'd give this a try. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member DavidMKelly
Frederick Forsyth's attention to detail and seeming "insider" knowledge made this one of the best novels of his that I read. Much better and believable than the movie derived from it, this was one I could barely put down!
LibraryThing member antiquary
An unscrupulous financier hires an honorable mercenary to run a coup in the fictional African nation of Zangaro and install a president who will sign over a profitable mineral concession. The mercenary seduces the financier's daughter and learns the details of the plan. (Spoiler warning); he had
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apparently served in the Biafra war (unnamed but recognizably described) and learns there are Biafran refugees in Zangaro, so during the coup he kills the intended new president and instead installs a government run by the refugees. At the end it turns out he knows he is dying of brain cancer. Show Less
LibraryThing member NickHowes
Mercenary leader Cat Shannon is hired to put together an invasion of a small African nation run by a mad dictator. Author Frederick Forsyth lays out the detailed process in preparing and executing a mercenary invasion, with knowledge gained by his alleged involvement with the Biafra war. Shannon
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has to constantly dodge legalities and an unsuspected vengeful competitor for the contract. It's a sampler of an era and a mid 1970s Africa which has since changed, but only in details. A very interesting book. Show Less
LibraryThing member spooks101
In my opinion, this is Frederick Forsyth's best work. An exceptionally detailed and well researched look into the lives and operations of a mercenary group, right down to the fine detail. No wonder they thought it was a planning book for a real coup!
The story draws you in with the fine detail from
A must read for anyone into Military fiction.
The story draws you in with the fine detail from
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the start. It appears at first to be an innocent discovery of oil in an african nation. But then, it take's you through the dangerous world of mercenary work as the main character recruits his troops, trains them and equips them for the job. The story twists and turns in typical Forsyth style, and he really is in his element here.A must read for anyone into Military fiction.
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LibraryThing member ikeman100
Another good book by one of the master thriller writers. This was much better then I expected it to be. Forsyth adds so much factual information to his fiction that you always get an education along with a good fictional story.
LibraryThing member RajivC
This book is a fun read. A ruthless billionaire hires mercenaries to topple a corrupt government in Africa to get his hands on the platinum in the country.
The book poses some interesting questions on corruption. Who is corrupt? The western business man, or the African leader?
In the end, the
A good book, all the better for describing the one hundred days of planning.
The ending is disappointing, It seems as though Frederick Forsyth ran out of steam,
The book poses some interesting questions on corruption. Who is corrupt? The western business man, or the African leader?
In the end, the
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mercenary is the one with scruples and morals. A good book, all the better for describing the one hundred days of planning.
The ending is disappointing, It seems as though Frederick Forsyth ran out of steam,
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LibraryThing member Zare
This one took me a while to finish but only because of me not the book. Due to the work and my complete lack of focus I forgot to pack this book and ended up with other bunch that I finished in the meantime just to go back to this gem and read it to the end in matter of couple of hours.
One of the
Excellent book, highly recommended to anyone enjoying spy and mercenary literature.
One of the
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reviewers said that book is slow and action consists of only last chapter - that is correct. Forsyth's books are as a matter a fact very detailed shows that confirm that actual violence, strike of assassins knife in the dark, silenced gunshot or all-out bombardment are either side-shows or culminations of days if not months of very careful planning and maneuvering. Without logistics, planning, asset acquirement there would be no actual action to execute in the first place.Excellent book, highly recommended to anyone enjoying spy and mercenary literature.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1974-06-03
Physical description
336 p.; 23.5 cm
ISBN
8715004228 / 9788715004223
Local notes
Omslag: Ikke angivet
Omslaget viser en soldat, der kommer løbende med et automatvåben i hænderne
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra engelsk "Dogs of War" af Mogens Boisen
Side 113: At smadre en bank eller skyde en tank i stykker er barbarisk, sagde han. Men jeg synes, at der er en vis stil over at slå en hel stat i smadder.
Side 115: Vi gør jo det samme med vores charms, relikvier og vor antagelse af guddommelig beskyttelse for vores specielle sag. Vi kalder det bare religion, når det drejer sig om os selv, og overtro, når det gælder de andre.
Side 146: Som god schweizer måtte han være enig i, at det intet formål tjente at overtræde bestemmelser, når man på lovlig måde kunne gå uden om dem, med det udtrykkelige forbehold, at det ikke drejede sig om schweiziske regler.
Side 156: De eneste ydre tegn på hans mangelfulde psykiske konstitution lå i hans evne til at tillægge sig selv en status og vigtighed, der var totalt illusorisk, en selvgodhed, der hævdede, at han aldrig nogen sinde havde haft uret, men at alle, som ikke var enige med ham, var forkert afmarcheret, og endelig en evne til blindt had til dem, som han syntes havde handlet forkert imod ham.
Side 160: Ved hjælp af disse penge var han i stand til at gøre sig bemærket blandt den kreds af nassekarle og dagdrivere, der ynder at betegne sig som lejesoldater, og de viste ham endnu en vis loyalitet, men af den købte slags.
Omslaget viser en soldat, der kommer løbende med et automatvåben i hænderne
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra engelsk "Dogs of War" af Mogens Boisen
Side 113: At smadre en bank eller skyde en tank i stykker er barbarisk, sagde han. Men jeg synes, at der er en vis stil over at slå en hel stat i smadder.
Side 115: Vi gør jo det samme med vores charms, relikvier og vor antagelse af guddommelig beskyttelse for vores specielle sag. Vi kalder det bare religion, når det drejer sig om os selv, og overtro, når det gælder de andre.
Side 146: Som god schweizer måtte han være enig i, at det intet formål tjente at overtræde bestemmelser, når man på lovlig måde kunne gå uden om dem, med det udtrykkelige forbehold, at det ikke drejede sig om schweiziske regler.
Side 156: De eneste ydre tegn på hans mangelfulde psykiske konstitution lå i hans evne til at tillægge sig selv en status og vigtighed, der var totalt illusorisk, en selvgodhed, der hævdede, at han aldrig nogen sinde havde haft uret, men at alle, som ikke var enige med ham, var forkert afmarcheret, og endelig en evne til blindt had til dem, som han syntes havde handlet forkert imod ham.
Side 160: Ved hjælp af disse penge var han i stand til at gøre sig bemærket blandt den kreds af nassekarle og dagdrivere, der ynder at betegne sig som lejesoldater, og de viste ham endnu en vis loyalitet, men af den købte slags.
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Pages
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DDC/MDS
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