The Shepherd (novella)
Christmas Eve, 1957: An RAF pilot just wants to get home to spend the holiday with his family, but his jet develops electrical trouble over a fog-bound North Sea. His only hope to survive the night, let alone get home, is that somebody notices him on radar and sends up a guide aircraft to bring him in - a "shepherd."
Frederick Forsyth's novella The Shepherd was originally a Christmas gift to his wife in 1974, which was published by Hutchinson in 1975. Then it was read on-air on the CBC Radio program As It Happens in 1979, and the story became a Christmas tradition.
The Other Wiki has a spoiler-laden synopsis of the story's plot.
WARNING! There are unmarked Spoilers ahead. Beware.
This page needs more trope entries. You can help this wiki by adding more entries or expanding current ones.
- Twist Ending: It wouldn't be a Frederick Forsyth story without one. In this case, it concerns the shepherd's identity.
- Write What You Know: Frederick Forsyth was an RAF Flying Officer before becoming a writer.
Spoiler tropes:
- Christmas Ghost Story: The shepherd of the story died during World War II, trying to shepherd another aircraft home on Christmas Eve. The reveal serves as the story's Wham! Line.