Frederick Forsyth - "Icon" Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1996

Frederick Forsyth received a lot of praise for this book at the time because - even though it was set three years in the future - it was eeriely like reading newspaper headlines!

Answer: Igor Komarov

The fictitious Igor Komarov is head of the Union of Patriotic Forces (UPF), an alliance of all major right-wing parties in the former USSR. Russia is in such chaos at the time that most voters welcome the ruthless Komarov because he seems to be the only hope for the starving and broke country.

Answer: The other three answers are all problems faced by Russia

This picture of Russia is very similar to Germany before the end of Weimar Republic - if not worse. The few rich and happy people in the country are the Russian Mafia and corrupt politicians who more often than not are in the former's pocket. The economy and social conditions are so bad that many are forced to become criminals to survive.

Answer: A Secret Document Of The UPF

Igor Komarov has written in his very frank (and top-secret) manifesto that when he comes to power he plans to exterminate all Jews, Chechens, and any other ethnic minorities he can get his hands on. He also plans to make Russia a one-party state like it was under communism (though he's clearly fascist) and conquer as many of the surrounding countries as possible. Obviously he doesn't want anyone to see this manifesto!

Answer: A cleaner

Leonid Zaitsev was an old cleaner nicknamed "The Rabbit" (that's what his surname means in Russian). One night he stumbled across Igor Komarov's heinous masterplan and reads it out of idle curiosity. The Rabbit had been raised by Jews after his village was wiped out in WW2 so he cannot understand why Komarov hates them so much.

He decides to take the document and give it to the British embassy.

Answer: Jason Monk

In typical Frederick Forsyth fashion we get to see Jason's past in a series of flashbacks. His childhood, his schooling, his time in Vietnam, and his recruitment in 1974 by the CIA as a language specialist.

Answer: Aldrich Ames

In real life, Aldrich Ames was finally arrested in 1994 by which time he had been paid millions by Moscow to betray many Soviets working for the CIA and western agents in Eastern Bloc territories. Many died because of him, not to mention the numerous CIA operations he ruined.

In this novel he had betrayed Jason Monk's "assets" to the KGB before the fall of communism and Jason learned how they had all been horribly tortured before execution (or sent to labour camps, which amounts to the same thing).

Answer: He assaulted a CIA Director in his home

The infamous Aldrich Ames had finally been exposed (ironically by the FBI, not the CIA) and Jason's repeated warnings about a high-level mole in the agency were proven true. But all his assets and friends had all been executed by then, so it was too late. Frustrated and furious, Jason went around to the home of Ames' boss (who had also been Ames' protector and drinking-buddy) and punched him.

Answer: All these places

Jason was very fluent in Russian, which helped when he met Russians disillusioned with communism or badly needing something "The State" couldn't provide, or both. The men he recruited became his "assets" because he could provide medicine for their dying children, reunite them with their families or help pay for their futures.

In time they also became his friends because he could lend a sympathetic ear or disobey orders and sneak across the Iron Curtain if they needed to see him.

Answer: True

It is certainly a close thing. It is no easy matter for any Russian to get near a foreign embassy so the Rabbit waits until one of the staff drives off for lunch and follows her. He throws the volatile document into her car, and is shortly after captured by Komarov's goons.

They torture him, execute him, and later ransack the woman's apartment but they are too late - the document is on its way to London.

Answer: False

Unfortunately the British and American powers-that-be cannot do anything about it. Officially they should never have seen Komarov's manifesto, and anyway he is not elected yet. The bigwigs are reluctant to do anything that could backfire and embarrass their governments. However the British Under-Secretary does subtly hint that "unofficial" action is always possible.

Answer: The Council of Lincoln

Presumably this council was named after Honest Abe. They meet every so often to unofficially discuss world affairs and offer advice whenever possible. They see the Black Manifesto and (especially the Jewish members) want to stop Komarov from coming to power.

They agree however that assassination will not work because someone else could easily replace him. They put their heads together to think of a solution.

Answer: The Carribean

Jason Monk now spends his days fishing and taking tourists out in his boat for charter fishing. He seems quite happy to be away from the chaos of the clandestine intelligence world, making a modest living and paying off his boat gradually. Then one day a new tourist arrives, who brings with him a secret document called the Black Manifesto.

Answer: Tells him of Colonel Anatoli Grishin

As it happens Irvine does all these things but Jason only decides to go with him when Grishin's name is mentioned. In 1999 Grishin is Komarov's chief of security (and chief thug/executioner/interrogator rolled into one). But when the USSR still existed he worked for the KGB, and was personally responsible for the deaths of Jason's friends. Jason has owed him for years.
At the airport Irvine reveals that he had not been serious about the threats to Jason's boat or home, he just wanted to test him.

Answer: All of these are proposed

The Council of Lincoln agreed before they contacted Jason that killing Komarov would not help because he would simply become a martyr and someone else in his party would fill his shoes. Jason's job would be to put his forgotten spy-powers to use inside Russia and contact key people to reveal what Komarov was really up to.

Answer: The Chechen Mafia

Such a small world! When Jason was in Oman he stopped a visiting KGB man from being mugged. The man, Umar Gunayev, was Chechen by birth and resigned when he got back to Moscow, sick of the racial discrimination and no promotions. He now banded together his harassed countrymen into the Chechen Mafia, with himself as head.

When Jason contacts him he acknowledges he owes Jason his life and gives him shelter.

Answer: He visisted all these people

At first none of these people can believe Komarov could be so evil. But then Jason shows them the documented proof of the deaths "The Rabbit" and others who have seen the document. Why would Komarov's people be going to such extremes if this was just a hoax? Sir Nigel Irvine and other members of the Council of Lincoln devised this ingenious plan to sabotage Komarov.

While Jason is making his visits some of Irvine's ex-spies are planting explosives in Komarov's printing presses.

Answer: Dr Lancelot Probyn

Dr Probyn works for the College of Arms and the old Russian Monarchy is a hobby of his. He meets several times with Sir Nigel Irvine to decide who, of all the last czar's surviving relatives, would be the best candidate.

Answer: False

The fascists do hire an assassin and he does make his way into Europe to successfully shoot the target. But it turns out the victim was never Irvine's chosen candidate. One of Komarov's moles recorded a conversation where Irvine deliberately gave a false name to protect the real descendant of royalty.

At the end the real Czar-to-be is revealed to be Prince William of Kent - an English relative of the house of Romanov.

Answer: A military coup

Thanks to Jason Monk's and Nigel Irvine's quick thinking, the coup is foiled in time, the principle targets and their families leave Moscow in time, and Komarov and his followers are exposed. Komarov and his PR manager are caught trying to sneak out of the country in a boat to Sweden. One member of Komarov's inner circle who does not get arrested is the sadistic Colonel Grishin.

He and Jason have their final confrontation in The Kremlin and Jason finally avenges his friends. Jason then returns to his life as a charter fisherman, but one hopes he was paid the large sum of money offered!