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.
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'.
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'.
While Palestinian liberation has long been a favorite theme in the genre, many writers have also looked to Northern Ireland for inspiration. The actions of the Irish Republican Army have often been called terrorist acts. Books like Jack Higgins' 'A Prayer Before Dying' revolve around members of this organization and how they deal with the violence they've been responsible for.
A very gripping book about terrorism is 'An Act of Terror'. Translated from the Afrikaans, it's South African writer Andre Brink's account of the life of a young Afrikaans-speaking photographer who is involved in a botched attempt at a terrorist action and has to flee across the country. It is set in apartheid South Africa, when liberation movements were banned and usually called terrorists.
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.
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'.
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'.
While Palestinian liberation has long been a favorite theme in the genre, many writers have also looked to Northern Ireland for inspiration. The actions of the Irish Republican Army have often been called terrorist acts. Books like Jack Higgins' 'A Prayer Before Dying' revolve around members of this organization and how they deal with the violence they've been responsible for.
A very gripping book about terrorism is 'An Act of Terror'. Translated from the Afrikaans, it's South African writer Andre Brink's account of the life of a young Afrikaans-speaking photographer who is involved in a botched attempt at a terrorist action and has to flee across the country. It is set in apartheid South Africa, when liberation movements were banned and usually called terrorists.
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.
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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