A good book can not only help pass the time during a long flight, a day on the beach or a rainy Sunday afternoon. It's also a great way to escape and travel to exotic places filled with action and adventure. If you like something that will make you think a little more, you may want to throw politics into the mix with some gripping terrorism fiction.
Definitions of what terrorism actually is, vary. Some people say that one person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter. However, the common thread to the groups or individuals labeled as terrorists seems to be that they use acts or threats of violence to spread fear, so that their political goals can be met.
One of the best genres in which to look for terrorism as a theme is the spy novel. Especially towards and since the end of the Cold War, the work of secret agents often revolve around capturing terrorists. Tom Clancy's series of books featuring secret agent Jack Ryan, made immortal on screen by Harrison Ford, are an example. Two of the most famous titles in the series are 'Patriot Games' and 'The Sum of all Fears'.
Throughout history, female terrorists captured the imagination. This was especially the case when these women were beautiful, like Leila Khaled, a famous Palestinian airplane hijacker active in the late Sixties. John le Carre's novel 'The Little Drummer Girl' features an actress who becomes a terrorist and double agent in the struggle for Palestinian liberation and it was made into a hit movie featuring Diane Keaton.
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.
In South Africa in the Seventies and Eighties, the apartheid government and its allies called almost anybody involved in acts to bring about true democracy as terrorists. Several novels dealing with the fight against apartheid also explore terrorism as a theme. One of the best of these is South African author Andre Brink's 'An Act of Terror', originally written in Afrikaans, about an Afrikaner who becomes involved in the armed liberation struggle.
Europe in the Seventies was a breeding ground for small leftist groups who committed acts of terror. The most famous were probably West Germany's Red Army Faction, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang, and Italy's Red Brigades. In the United States the Symbionese Liberation Army gained widespread notoriety when they kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst, who then later joined the organization. Nobel Prize laureate Doris Lessing illustrated in 'The Good Terrorist' how naive and stupid some of these idealists could be.
As long as there are terrorist groups, there will be novels about them. A good place to find terrorism fiction is online but bookstores and libraries will also have a selection. This theme indeed makes for gripping reading, so be sure to switch off your phone, close the door, get some snacks and escape for a few hours into a world of intrigue.
Definitions of what terrorism actually is, vary. Some people say that one person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter. However, the common thread to the groups or individuals labeled as terrorists seems to be that they use acts or threats of violence to spread fear, so that their political goals can be met.
One of the best genres in which to look for terrorism as a theme is the spy novel. Especially towards and since the end of the Cold War, the work of secret agents often revolve around capturing terrorists. Tom Clancy's series of books featuring secret agent Jack Ryan, made immortal on screen by Harrison Ford, are an example. Two of the most famous titles in the series are 'Patriot Games' and 'The Sum of all Fears'.
Throughout history, female terrorists captured the imagination. This was especially the case when these women were beautiful, like Leila Khaled, a famous Palestinian airplane hijacker active in the late Sixties. John le Carre's novel 'The Little Drummer Girl' features an actress who becomes a terrorist and double agent in the struggle for Palestinian liberation and it was made into a hit movie featuring Diane Keaton.
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.
In South Africa in the Seventies and Eighties, the apartheid government and its allies called almost anybody involved in acts to bring about true democracy as terrorists. Several novels dealing with the fight against apartheid also explore terrorism as a theme. One of the best of these is South African author Andre Brink's 'An Act of Terror', originally written in Afrikaans, about an Afrikaner who becomes involved in the armed liberation struggle.
Europe in the Seventies was a breeding ground for small leftist groups who committed acts of terror. The most famous were probably West Germany's Red Army Faction, also known as the Baader-Meinhof Gang, and Italy's Red Brigades. In the United States the Symbionese Liberation Army gained widespread notoriety when they kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst, who then later joined the organization. Nobel Prize laureate Doris Lessing illustrated in 'The Good Terrorist' how naive and stupid some of these idealists could be.
As long as there are terrorist groups, there will be novels about them. A good place to find terrorism fiction is online but bookstores and libraries will also have a selection. This theme indeed makes for gripping reading, so be sure to switch off your phone, close the door, get some snacks and escape for a few hours into a world of intrigue.
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For an example of attention-grabbing terrorism fiction, visit the web pages here today. More details about titles and authors can be seen at http://rossgallenauthor.com now.
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