Forbidden Area by Pat Frank

Forbidden Area Reviews

• 
  Checkman

  A true Cold War thriller in the vein of Fail-Safe and Red Alert and possibly an alternative outcome to Frank's famous novel Alas,Babylon. Published in 1956 Forbidden Area was one of the first novels (I believe) to look at the possibility of Soviet "Sleeper" agents infiltrating the United States. Like Frank's other novels it moves rapidly, keeps your interest and is more of a novella than a full-length work of fiction. It's suspenseful and the lack of 21st century communication technology will frustrate, but also ratchet up the suspense. The characters simply can't disseminate information as easily as we can in 2015. A situation which helps the Soviet agents at first. In addition to being a thriller about nuclear brinkmanship it's a warning to Americans about being too complacent and to be wary of Soviet assurances that they simply want peace. In other words, "The Big Red Dog" is out there and just waiting for us to let our vigilance waver.
  
  Reading novels written during the 1950's and early 1960's can be a real eye opener. I recommend it to people trying to understand Senator McCarthy and the purges that occurred during the "Red Scare". When you read what people were actually thinking and, more importantly, what they believed the enemy was capable of things will begin to fall into place. While I am not justifying what occurred it can explain much. Fear is a powerful motivator and in the 1950's Americans were afraid. While we like to think of that decade as some type of Golden Age reading works written during that time period will show that many thought differently.
  
  Forbidden Area is a product of its time and there is a a real Middle-Class morality running through the book - which is also to be expected. For example, the female protagonist is single has a high-level Federal Government job and, when the novel begins, has no desire to give up her independence for a husband and children. However, by the end of the book, she's changed her mind and realizes that true happiness will come from being domesticated. Whew. That was a close call.
  
  In the past (other reviews) I've written that if older novels (attitudes and morals) offend one's modern-day sensibilities then one should avoid reading the older novels. I attach this same warning to "Forbidden Area". Mr. Frank was of the Depression and World War II generation. The post-modern angst and cynicism of the post-Vietnam/Watergate world did not yet exist. It's simply too much to expect a man writing in 1955 to be able to know what readers will be thinking in 2015. Okay you've been warned.
  
  In conclusion Forbidden Area works. A fast-moving espionage thriller, but also a warning about staying on guard and the dangers of nuclear proliferation. I found my copy at a Goodwill Store in the greater Portland, Oregon area. Out of print for over fifty years that's the only way you're going to find it. However, that's part of the fun. Good luck and happy hunting.
• 
  Emily

  Written in 1956 and taking place in the present or possibly the near future, this book imagines that the Russians have achieved the ability to destroy the US and are planning to do so very soon. The narrative follows the Intentions Groups, a multi-disciplinary committee with CIA, Army, Navy, Air Force and Atomic Energy Commission representatives. The latter is an incredibly intelligent woman in a high place of power, which is very forward-thinking of the author.
  I don't really know much about military processes, particularly in the late 50's, but I learned a lot reading this book. It would probably better enjoyed by someone who could tell the difference between what was accurate and what was invented for the novel. Because of all the technical terms and descriptions of military operations, it was a little difficult to get into at first, but towards the end, with the attack creeping nearer, the pages turned almost of their own volition. Recommended!
• 
  Emre

  3.5
• 
  Fantasy Literature

  4.5 stars from Jana, read the full review at
  FANTASY LITERATURE
  
  Disclaimer: just so you know, some of the books we review are received free from publishers
  
  Foreign espionage and sabotage undermining the credibility of American armed forces. A counter-intelligence group mocked and silenced for its theories. Shadowy plans, decades in the making. The fate of the world caught in the balance between devastation and salvation. Pat Frank describes all of these in Forbidden Area, which was first published in 1956 and is still terrifying sixty-one years later.
  
  Harper Perennial’s 2016 re-issue of Forbidden Area only clocks in at just over 200 pages and contains four interlocking plotlines, each of which is essential to the overarching story. First there’s the introductory tale of Henry and Nina, two teenagers who happen to be necking in the Florida surf on what, in hindsight, will be an extremely momentous night. They see something that should be impossible: a large submarine discharging a smaller craft, out of which drives a Buick. The Buick contains the impetus for a second plotline concerning Stanislaus Lazinoff, alias Stanley Smith, and three co-conspirators who have all been trained by the Soviet government for deep-cover missions. The third plotline concerns the Pentagon’s “Intentions of the Enemy Group,” a carefully chosen task force comprised of seven civilian experts in various fields, all of whom work toward determining what a given enemy might do, then advising the American government with regards to the best course of reaction or avoidance. When B-99 bombers begin exploding on what should be utterly routine “milk run” training missions, the I.E.G. combines that information with troubling reports of Russian submarine movement around the world, and comes to a terrifying conclusion. Finally, there’s Robert Gumol, a banker with deep ties to the Soviet government, who spots a chance to flee Philadelphia for Havana under the pretense of a golf vacation, hoping that his many betrayals won’t incur execution by either the Russians or the Americans....4.5 stars from Jana, read the full review at
  FANTASY LITERATURE
• 
  Nestor Rychtyckyj

  I've always enjoyed reading this book ever since my father gave me a paperback copy years ago. The paperback is long gone, but I found a hardcover at John King in Detroit and needed to read it again.
  
  It's a novel on the Cold War written in 1956 where the Russia is planning a sneak attack on the USA on Christmas Eve. Some parts of the novel have held up pretty well - the interactions between the military and civilians , the fact that we are still threatened by China and Russia and the major role that low-ranking seemingly insignificant people can take in times of crisis. Obviously, our world and society has changed a lot since 1956 and the salaries/prices that are quoted in the book are pretty funny in 2018.
  
  Nevertheless, this book is always fun to read and author Pat Frank did a wonderful job in both describing the emotions and pressure that people lived under in those times (atomic bomb shelters) and in writing an enjoyable thriller. Tom Clancy did have at least one forerunner way back in the 1950s.
• 
  Randal

  Incredibly prescient for the year in which it was written (1956), as it presages many of the realities of the war scares and crises of the early sixties. It doesn't fully anticipate the Cuban crisis (the book is a few years pre-Castro), but as far as the rest of it, the close calls and near misses are all here.
  
  The book is a bit slow, not really much of "thriller," but it does a great job driving home how often high-level strategy could be blown to hell by simple human foibles (a person doesn't answer a ringing phone, a cop doesn't pull over a car because he wants to finish his coffee, suspicious activity is not reported because a girl doesn't want her dad to find out she was out after curfew). The book relies heavily on coincidence, but that is kind of the point. It really is a wonder that the globe has not seen an accidental detonation all these years, from pure chance.
• 
  Rob Roy

  If you think Tom Clancy invented the techno-thriller, think again. This novel was published in 1956 and depicts a prossable first strike by the Soviet Union. Yes, it is dated, but it is a wonderful window into the fears of the "duck and cover" world of the 1950s. The aulthor also wrote Alas, Babylon which I and many other read while in high school. The writting is clear and tention packed. You finish the book with the unsettling question, can we have another Pearl Harbor, that is a surprise attack by another nation. While dated, this novel is relevent to today as well.
• 
  Ian

  Forbidden Area starts out a little slow. But, give it a little bit and it takes off. After the character introductions this book will keep you engaged. First time in a while I've really not been sure of how it will turn out. As with most of Pat Frank's work, the nuclear bomb is one of the main characters and you'll really wonder if or when someone uses one in this book. I felt connected to the characters and the plot so I'd recommend this as a good, quick read.
• 
  Bill Yardley

  RIVETING
  
  This book held my attention all the way through. During the times that I was unable to be actively reading, I was counting the minutes until I was able to climb back inside the story.
  The only disconcerting thing that REALLY got under my skin was the discovery of five misspelled words (as best as I remember).
• 
  Joshua Grønberg

  Pat Frank was a notorious doomsday author from the 1950’s. I previously read Alas Babylon and, while not remembering the plot, enjoyed it.
  
  I went into this book as a 10 year old in 1956, reading this with sweaty palms and dry mouth. “That was some generation!” It was an entertaining read more like 4.25 stars.
• 
  Pamela

  Dated but good story of a U.S. Soviet War begun by saboteurs planted ahead of time on US SAC bases. Foiled just in time by alert members of US military, gov't, and public. Written by the author of Alas, Babylon the classic sci-fi/disaster novel of a nuclear attack.
• 
  Tim

  Almost Babylon
  
  Another novel by Pat Frank, similar to Alas Babylon. In this story, the United States comes to the brink of nuclear war. Russia backs down, and their attack is thwarted. The nuclear exchange never occurs, and life in the atomic age returns to “normal.”
• 
  Nick

  Excellent!
• 
  N.

  Some slow moments but overall, a gripping read.
• 
  John

  Not my kind of book but I enjoyed it being ahead of its time, could mirror us today. Will forget all about it in a few days time though.
• 
  José Van Rosmalen

  In het Nederlands uitgegeven als 'de fatale 7 dagen'. Spannende koude oorlogthriller, prismapocket
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• 
  MisterFweem

  This is the third Pat Frank book I've read, and I've got to say I enjoyed it. It's a short-coupled tale that a t times feels like it could go places Frank doesn't take it, but still for the Atomic Age, it's a wonderful "what if" that gets you to thinking about military policy, political gamesmanship and general skullduggery. A good read all the way around.
• 
  Todd

  This is the 2nd book from Pat Frank I have read, the first has been one of my favorite books, Alas Babylon. This is a great Cold War thriller, a quick read, and a real page turner. I look forward to reading more of Frank's work.
• 
  Aaron

  Nice, cold-war apocalytpic book! Kept me engaged until the end....I liked the writing.