Canary Islands on 23 January 1973, foiling the plot. There was a coup d'état in Equatorial Guinea in 1979 – Francisco Macías Nguema, the left-wing dictator, was overthrown and killed by his nephew, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo the right-wing President. In 2004, in a copycat plan based on Forsyth's book, a coup d'état intended to secure lucrative mining rights granted by a client puppet government was attempted. The plan involved Mark Thatcher, who was intending to trade on his mother's (former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher) connections and reputation to call favours, and the mercenary Simon Mann, who subsequently stood trial and was convicted. Thatcher received a suspended 4-year sentence; Mann was sentenced to 34 years in 2008 but was pardoned in 2009. In Ken Connor's book How to Stage a Military Coup, the author praises The Dogs of War as a textbook for mercenaries. Film adaptation United Artists released a 1980 film adaptation directed by John Irvin and starring Christopher Walken and Tom Berenger. References 1974 British novels Novels by Frederick Forsyth British war novels Novels set in Nigeria British novels adapted into films Hutchinson (publisher) books Novels set in London Novels set in Belgium Novels set in Paris Novels set in Rome Novels set in Yugoslavia Novels set in Spain Novels set in Switzerland Novels set in fictional countries