The fifth rider

The Fifth Horseman is a 1980 novel by the writers Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre .

action

In the White House in Washington, DC is an anonymous message. After examination, a sketch of an apparatus turns out to be the blueprint of a hydrogen bomb . The functionality is confirmed by the fact that the test explosion announced by Muammar al-Gaddafi in the desert of Libya is observed by the American government. This is commented on with the words that a fifth apocalyptic horseman has been added to the four biblical ones, namely Gaddafi.

The demand is that all Israeli settlements in the West Bank should be evacuated, otherwise a hydrogen bomb will explode in New York City after 36 hours . A "game" of life and death begins, in which both sides are determined to the utmost. The fanaticism of Gaddafi and his terrorists stands against the gigantic apparatus of the USA. First of all, the Israelis, whose secret service noticed the test explosion, immediately (within 30 minutes) start preparations for a nuclear attack on Libya . This is prevented by the American president by conveying the intentions of Israel to the Soviet leadership. The Soviets then threaten to destroy Israel.

The effects of a nuclear explosion of the size observed are explained to the stunned politicians by a military expert.

In the following period, the American President and his advisors do everything possible to get enough time to find the bomb. In-house and foreign experts are called in to support the negotiations. At the same time, the president tries to persuade the Israelis to withdraw. When they categorically refuse, the American military is tasked with attacking Israel and clearing the settlements, which means war between Israel and the United States.

An evacuation of the city of New York is examined and its impossibility is depicted in drastic pictures.

In the end, the bomb is found and the terrorists are killed while confronting the police. Libya and Israel turn their weapons against each other and co-exist in a balance of horror .

success

For a week in 1980, the book was number 1 on the Spiegel bestseller list .

French and German version

In an alternative version that u. a. was published in France and Germany, Gaddafi receives a message from the USA, a quote from the Koran , which announces to him that the USA will find and kill him. Carter invites Menachem Begin and Gaddafi to Camp David to negotiate a peace treaty and decide the fate of the Palestinians .