In the past, I have read and thoroughly enjoyed a few historical Ken Follett novels. Never, however, as a modern war or political thriller about the possibility of nuclear disaster, was a definite departure for me.
Never is a saga about a crisis that could lead to a third world war. Follett himself says that the story was in part a result of his discovery that no one wanted the first world war. This book spans the globe from Africa’s Sahara Desert to China and the United States. It is 800 pages of story filled with a large cast and numerous story lines.
The Washington Post calls Never “a cautionary tale of global catastrophe.” Exactly. They also say that it is “credibly detailed and alarmingly plausible.” Disturbing? Yes, but I agree.
VIDEOS
The first video shown below is a short trailer for the book, illustrating the Defcon system and alluding to the suspenseful nature of this novel. The second video, called Behind the Scenes with Ken Follett, is more interesting, detailing how he came up with the idea for this book.
RATING
Readers on Goodreads gave Never four stars; readers on Amazon gave it four stars as well.
Many reader comments show that people enjoyed the book, as I did. The story was extremely well researched and detailed and the storylines were interesting.
Many also found the book a bit longer than they thought it might have been and a bit slow or hard to be absorbed by at first and I agree on both of those points. I was also disappointed with how the individual story lines were sorted out and with the ending.
The premise of this book is disturbing. That is, seeing how a nuclear war might be played out. Let us hope that we never know the truth.
Like other readers, I give the book four stars and recommend it for those who enjoy political thrillers and for those who have enjoyed Follett’s previous contemporary thrillers. You can find Never here on Amazon in whatever format you prefer be that Kindle, audiobook, hardcover, paperback or audio CD.
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