mardi 15 octobre 2013

Thrilling Reading With Terrorism Fiction

By Megan Landry


There's nothing like an engaging book to help you pass a dreary afternoon. It's even better when the story is filled with action, adventure and intrigue. For truly gripping reading, you can't go wrong with terrorism fiction.

The most common definition of terrorism is that it involves the use of violent means towards a political end by creating fear in the civilian population. Many experts find this definition problematic, however. For example, you might argue that most revolutionary organizations trying to effect social change can then be labeled terrorists too.

Novels with espionage as theme are often great sources of stories about terrorists. Tom Clancy, for instance, is best known for his series of novels where the main character is Jack Ryan, a secret agent in the United States. Ryan often has to stop terrorists in a day's work, like in 'Patriot Games' as well as 'The Sum of all Fears'.

Some of the most fascinating terrorists in history were women. Leila Khaled, for instance, was a Palestinian revolutionary who was famous for not only hijacking airplanes but also for her extraordinary beauty. John le Carre, another master of the espionage genre, created the character of Charlie, an actress turned double agent and terrorist for the Palestinian cause in 'The Little Drummer Girl'.

The Troubles in Northern Ireland have inspired many novels about terrorism. The Irish Republican Army was usually called a terrorist group and several books are centered around members of this organization. An example is 'A Prayer Before Dying' by Jack Higgins.

The fight against apartheid in South Africa also involved acts that were classified as terrorism by some, most notably that country's government. Anti-apartheid novels often deal with this armed struggle. For example, a gripping story is that of Thomas Landman, the hero of Andre Brink's novel 'An Act of Terror'. Landman is an Afrikaner man is drawn into the liberation movement and after a failed attempt to kill the president, has to flee.

From the late Sixties to the Early Eighties, there were many extreme left-wing groups in Europe and the United States who engaged in terrorist activities to raise awareness of causes like Palestinian independence. In West Germany, for instance, the Baader-Meinhof Group, officially known as the Red Army Faction, gripped the public's imagination while in America the Symbionese Liberation Army was on everyone's lips when Patty Hearst, a socialite and heiress, joined them after they had kidnapped her. Some of these groups were really just amateurs, like the one described in Doris Lessing's fascinating 'The Good Terrorist' about such a group in the United Kingdom.

Terrorism fiction is a gripping sub-genre that can keep finding new inspiration with the War on Terror still going strong. A good library or bookstore can be a good place to look for one of these books but you'll also be able to order some novels online. With such thrilling reading to be done, you'll want to hide away by turning off the phone and your email and just escape into another world.




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