Strong character descriptions cooked in picturesque yet simple narrative, Can a seemingly simple man drive us readers crazy with a strong motive? Deep-Fried in strong emotions like revenges and deceptions Enjoy the master-story teller's convincing concoctions!Frederick Forsyth - Also known as the master storyteller, this handsome author has touched the peaks of popularity with his loved novels- The Day of the Jackal, The Afghan, The Fist of God and The Dogs of War . He wrote his first short story collection No Comebacks in 1982.No Comebacks is a wonderful collection of immensely gripping 10 short stories with a seemingly common, meek man as the protagonist in each story, who performs extraordinarily in a trying situation. Interestingly, the geographies covered by the book range from Mauritius to Ireland to India to UK. This book was ranked among the best short story collections in goodreads.com and after reading tons of favourable reviews, I gifted it to myself! Flipkart promptly provided the book at my doorstep and I got reading.It was a herculean task to pick a favourite. But I’m listing a few stories that I adored a trifle more than the rest.The Emperor - Middle aged banker Murgatroyd is thrilled for having won a prize trip to Mauritius for his sincere efforts at banking. His life has offered nothing interesting till now. Taking care of bank accounts and ignoring his wife's constant nagging and complaints has become his daily routine. He is fascinated by the carefree Mauritians and wants to make his holiday a memorable one. While indulging in the scenic and verdant beauty of Mauritius, his colleague invites him on a day at fishing. But Murgatroyd balks as he thinks of his wife who will never approve if she gets to know that he intends to follow an adrenaline rush. The simple day at fishing seems to promise of unseen joys! Will this day change Murgatroyd’s life forever?No Comebacks - The title story features a millionaire Sanderson who falls in love with a married woman Angela. He wants to marry her at any cost although she has no plans of ditching her simple husband. Sanderson’s flaming passion turns into a glaring obsession and he hires a contract killer to kill her husband. He wants no dissatisfying comebacks now! Will his millions buy her love for him as well?The Careful Man - Hanson is a content millionaire but has been detected with terminal cancer. He just has 6 months to go. He prepares a will and hands it over to his lawyer friend for execution. He commits suicide a couple of months later since he realizes that his body is losing the battle of life. He has no family of his own but has a sister whom he sharply dislikes. He knows she would be the first to grab her share of the huge empire. What does his will contain? How does the meticulous and careful man escape the Inland revenue team and wriggle clear out of gift tax bodies to satisfy a noble cause? Will he manage to fool his cunning sister and other money-minded family members after his death?Sharp Practice - Judge Comyn, O’Connor and a priest, strangers to each other meet in a train in Dublin. To pass the long journey interestingly, O’Connor pulls up his pack of cards and they start playing. Being new to the game, the priest is hesitant initially. However, with the goading of the other two, he manages to learn the game good enough to win a few shillings. O’Connor appeared to be a shady player, but does not win anything in the end. Who of the trio has a sharp practice at conning?My Opinion - Though I normally note down a handful of quotes from books for my reviews, I found none noteworthy this time. The language, the style is extremely special though not rich in vocabulary. The flow of each story was so gripping that I was almost thankful that they are short stories else I couldn’t have put the book aside till its finish. An olio of flavours, I enjoyed this book to the fullest.I read each story twice and I am not exaggerating this! This was mainly because I was shocked at the end and wanted a recap of how it all actually happened. My feelings were shock to perplexity to dawning realization to applause to deepening respect for the author! This holds true for each of the gems in this book. I couldn’t reduce even one star try as I did. This is not a book to be borrowed or rented but one to be purchased and treasured! As the famous novelist William Styron has aptly put, “A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.”
No Comebacks by Frederick Forsyth (4.5 - 5 Stars) Forsyth is a master on the same level as Wilber Smith when it comes to being a raconteur of tales. In the same was a Smith, he picks an area of the word he knows best for this set of short stories an pulls the reader in from the first paragraph. Of the ten short stories, I actually have three favorites and a fourth that I loved although it has a slight flaw which may never have been pointed out in previous reviews. First, a bit about my three favorites without giving away the stories: “Comeback” which is the first in the compendium is by far the best, showing us the flaws in the reasoning behind the plan to set up a murder for hire. Well done, right down to the last lines that hit the reader far between the eyes. “The Emperor “wins my second place vote in this series, mainly because of the description of the fight to bring in the fabulous Marlin. Here is descriptive writing at it’s very best, capturing the full imagination of the reader right down to Murgatroyd’s bloody hands and the throes of death displayed by the monster. The final stages brought tears to my eyes. Truly the mark of a fabulous writier! “Used in Evidence” brings out again the Master Tale Teller in Forsyth. He had me hanging on the ending for the old man wondering what the final evidence would show, right up to the last line. Remember to count your chickens.The final great story “There are no Snakes in Ireland” is a mastery of showing human relationships and how different cultures react and perceive the same bits of information. It is also a model for remembering that racism can build up angers and tensions that have a comeback on the perpetrator of a prank. The one flaw is actually only obvious to a snake handling biologist who might have used a bit of tobacco or pipe tar to kill a snake in a manner that leaves it totally relaxed. By the time our snake had been in Big Billie’s tobacco contaminated pocket for even a few minutes it would have been long gone from nicotine poisoning. But my telling you this isn’t a spoiler, since that’s not the end of the story. Enjoy the read. You’ll learn why not to blackmail some “little people” and you’ll laugh at the consequences of greed and philanthropy. A great book to tell your buddies about!
What do You think about No Comebacks (1983)?
Frederick Forsyth è un autore di fama internazionale, i suoi libri di spionaggio ed i suoi thriller sono e fanno da capostipite a tutti quelli venuti dopo, secondo me un maestro del genere insieme a "Le Carrè".In questo libro però non troviamo il solito Forsyth che scrive di spionaggio e thriller, ma un autore diverso, i cui racconti sono semplici storie e sconfinano nella narrativa, ma che riescono comunque a mantenere un legame con i doppi giochi tipici delle trame spionistiche, certo non tutti i racconti sono dei capolavori: di sicuro lo è "Nessuna conseguenza" che da anche il titolo alla raccolta, poi da citare sicuramente "In Irlanda non esistono serpenti", "Una lunga esperienza" e "Certi giorni".Tutti i racconti sono ambientati in Irlanda o in Inghilterra, sono molto dettagliati ma non sono prolissi e non annoiano mai il lettore, tutti hanno come comun denominatore come il fato, la sorte o la sfortuna ma l'astuzia servirà per uscire da ognuno di questi racconti.Un Forsyth insolito, ma pregevole.
—Kelanth, numquam risit ubi dracones vivunt
An OK read, really. Mr Forsyth tries to shove the twist-in-the-end plot twist in every damn story, Thing is, it works with some and fails miserably with others. Case in example being that story of the judge getting conned. It was so plain obvious the priest wasn't who he was and that the other dude was playing him but the author had to drag the reader into an unnecessary court room scene and then the equally flat anti-climax. Pick this book if you are broke at a second hand mart to satiate that month-end yearning for a dose of fiction. Your money and time will be well spent reading something better if the situation is otherwise.
—Vijai
Christian wrote: "Pardon my ignorance, please: what are "krimis?"" I ment crimis like criminal/detective stories... not sure what the correct term in english would be...
—Tereza Fuková
