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Never
The new must-read epic from master storyteller Ken Follett: more than a thriller, it's an action-packed, globe-spanning drama set in the present day.
In the Sahara Desert, two elite intelligence agents are on the trail of a powerful group of drug-smuggling terrorists, risking their lives—and, when they fall desperately in love, their careers—at every turn. Nearby, a beautiful young widow fights against human traffickers while traveling illegally to Europe with the help of a mysterious man who may not be who he says he is.
In China, a senior government official with vast ambitions for himself and his country battles against the older Communist hawks in the government, who may be pushing China—and its close military ally, North Korea—to a place of no return.
And in the United States, Pauline Green, the country's first woman president, navigates terrorist attacks, illegal arms trading, and the smear campaigns of her blustering political opponent with careful and deft diplomacy. She will do everything in her power to avoid starting an unnecessary war. But when one act of aggression leads to another, the most powerful countries in the world are caught in a complex web of alliances they can't escape. And once all the sinister pieces are in place, can anyone—even those with the best of intentions and most elite skills—stop the inevitable?
Never is an extraordinary thriller, full of heroines and villains, false prophets and elite warriors, jaded politicians and opportunistic revolutionaries. It brims with cautionary wisdom for our times, and a delivers a visceral, heart-pounding read that transports readers to the brink of the unimaginable.
In the Sahara Desert, two elite intelligence agents are on the trail of a powerful group of drug-smuggling terrorists, risking their lives—and, when they fall desperately in love, their careers—at every turn. Nearby, a beautiful young widow fights against human traffickers while traveling illegally to Europe with the help of a mysterious man who may not be who he says he is.
In China, a senior government official with vast ambitions for himself and his country battles against the older Communist hawks in the government, who may be pushing China—and its close military ally, North Korea—to a place of no return.
And in the United States, Pauline Green, the country's first woman president, navigates terrorist attacks, illegal arms trading, and the smear campaigns of her blustering political opponent with careful and deft diplomacy. She will do everything in her power to avoid starting an unnecessary war. But when one act of aggression leads to another, the most powerful countries in the world are caught in a complex web of alliances they can't escape. And once all the sinister pieces are in place, can anyone—even those with the best of intentions and most elite skills—stop the inevitable?
Never is an extraordinary thriller, full of heroines and villains, false prophets and elite warriors, jaded politicians and opportunistic revolutionaries. It brims with cautionary wisdom for our times, and a delivers a visceral, heart-pounding read that transports readers to the brink of the unimaginable.
802 pages, Hardcover
First published November 9, 2021
About the author
Ken Follett
392 books54.1k followersKen Follett is one of the world’s most successful authors. Over 170 million copies of the 36 books he has written have been sold in over 80 countries and in 33 languages.
Born on June 5th, 1949 in Cardiff, Wales, the son of a tax inspector, Ken was educated at state schools and went on to graduate from University College, London, with an Honours degree in Philosophy – later to be made a Fellow of the College in 1995.
He started his career as a reporter, first with his hometown newspaper the South Wales Echo and then with the London Evening News. Subsequently, he worked for a small London publishing house, Everest Books, eventually becoming Deputy Managing Director.
Ken’s first major success came with the publication of Eye of the Needle in 1978. A World War II thriller set in England, this book earned him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. It remains one of Ken’s most popular books.
In 1989, Ken’s epic novel about the building of a medieval cathedral, The Pillars of the Earth, was published. It reached number one on best-seller lists everywhere and was turned into a major television series produced by Ridley Scott, which aired in 2010. World Without End, the sequel to The Pillars of the Earth, proved equally popular when it was published in 2007.
Ken’s new book, The Evening and the Morning, will be published in September 2020. It is a prequel to The Pillars of the Earth and is set around the year 1,000, when Kingsbridge was an Anglo-Saxon settlement threatened by Viking invaders.
Ken has been active in numerous literacy charities and was president of Dyslexia Action for ten years. He was chair of the National Year of Reading, a joint initiative between government and businesses. He is also active in many Stevenage charities and is President of the Stevenage Community Trust and Patron of Home-Start Hertfordshire.
Ken, who loves music almost as much as he loves books, is an enthusiastic bass guitar player. He lives in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, with his wife Barbara, the former Labour Member of Parliament for Stevenage. Between them they have five children, six grandchildren and two Labradors.
Born on June 5th, 1949 in Cardiff, Wales, the son of a tax inspector, Ken was educated at state schools and went on to graduate from University College, London, with an Honours degree in Philosophy – later to be made a Fellow of the College in 1995.
He started his career as a reporter, first with his hometown newspaper the South Wales Echo and then with the London Evening News. Subsequently, he worked for a small London publishing house, Everest Books, eventually becoming Deputy Managing Director.
Ken’s first major success came with the publication of Eye of the Needle in 1978. A World War II thriller set in England, this book earned him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. It remains one of Ken’s most popular books.
In 1989, Ken’s epic novel about the building of a medieval cathedral, The Pillars of the Earth, was published. It reached number one on best-seller lists everywhere and was turned into a major television series produced by Ridley Scott, which aired in 2010. World Without End, the sequel to The Pillars of the Earth, proved equally popular when it was published in 2007.
Ken’s new book, The Evening and the Morning, will be published in September 2020. It is a prequel to The Pillars of the Earth and is set around the year 1,000, when Kingsbridge was an Anglo-Saxon settlement threatened by Viking invaders.
Ken has been active in numerous literacy charities and was president of Dyslexia Action for ten years. He was chair of the National Year of Reading, a joint initiative between government and businesses. He is also active in many Stevenage charities and is President of the Stevenage Community Trust and Patron of Home-Start Hertfordshire.
Ken, who loves music almost as much as he loves books, is an enthusiastic bass guitar player. He lives in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, with his wife Barbara, the former Labour Member of Parliament for Stevenage. Between them they have five children, six grandchildren and two Labradors.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,601 reviews
November 13, 2021
Well, it seems that I should stop giving top priority or “running” to the stores to buy the latest releases by Stephen King, Jeffrey Archer, John Grisham, Dean Koontz and now (sadly) Ken Follett. But I will get free copies from the library as this way I won’t feel the obligation to finish a disappointing book.
With this one, during the first 15% I thought that I was watching an episode of “Homeland” and I was very excited about it. Unfortunately I did not find this book as remarkable as the TV series.
“Never”, a contemporary book, imagines a series of global events that brings the world closer to a Third World War, a nuclear war that few would survive.
I will be honest saying that I can hardly believe that it was written by Follett.
His attempt to “humanize” some characters with some cheesy romantic encounters and cheesy dialogues was a let down. At least he did not try to write sex scenes.
Also, the top leaders had some childish behaviour (example: “what’s the point of having nuclear weapons if not to use it?” “If you attack America you are toast!”).
The part that I found more exciting was the ring of smugglers.
I really don’t feel like writing about my experience reading this book.
I can’t hide my disappointment.
It seems that, as at today, I’m the first one in my group of friends to have finished this book, so I’m quite sure that I will be the outlier.
I do hope that you all will enjoy this book.
I think that it’s going to be hard to top the excellent Kingsbridge Tetralogy and The Century Trilogy.
PS. I did listen to the audiobook narrated by January LaVoi, while I simultaneously read the book. I found her voice sleepy and speeding makes her voice too young and not very convincing.
The book: 816 pages (cover to cover), 213k words, 42 chapters. An average reader would need between 17 and 19 hours.
Audiobook: 24 hours if played at regular speed.
With this one, during the first 15% I thought that I was watching an episode of “Homeland” and I was very excited about it. Unfortunately I did not find this book as remarkable as the TV series.
“Never”, a contemporary book, imagines a series of global events that brings the world closer to a Third World War, a nuclear war that few would survive.
I will be honest saying that I can hardly believe that it was written by Follett.
His attempt to “humanize” some characters with some cheesy romantic encounters and cheesy dialogues was a let down. At least he did not try to write sex scenes.
Also, the top leaders had some childish behaviour (example: “what’s the point of having nuclear weapons if not to use it?” “If you attack America you are toast!”).
The part that I found more exciting was the ring of smugglers.
I really don’t feel like writing about my experience reading this book.
I can’t hide my disappointment.
It seems that, as at today, I’m the first one in my group of friends to have finished this book, so I’m quite sure that I will be the outlier.
I do hope that you all will enjoy this book.
I think that it’s going to be hard to top the excellent Kingsbridge Tetralogy and The Century Trilogy.
PS. I did listen to the audiobook narrated by January LaVoi, while I simultaneously read the book. I found her voice sleepy and speeding makes her voice too young and not very convincing.
The book: 816 pages (cover to cover), 213k words, 42 chapters. An average reader would need between 17 and 19 hours.
Audiobook: 24 hours if played at regular speed.
January 9, 2022
2.5 stars. Thank goodness that ordeal is over! I have read all of Ken Follett's previous novels and enjoyed them. 'Never' was a book of over 800 pages, but I have read books with more pages where the time flew by rapidly. I regret I was never absorbed by 'Never' and found it moved very slowly. I didn't become engaged until around page 450 when momentum carried the reader along more rapidly. I have to react to how I felt reading this book and realize my opinion will not be popular with many readers.
I feel that the author achieved his goal of describing how a war could break out in modern times without either side desiring for this to happen. He based his premise on the outbreak of WW1 and created an interesting diplomatic and political scenario. This geopolitical part worked very well. I thought there were too many distractions and too much emphasis on the main characters' personal lives and their clothing. It veered into soap opera territory with some cringe-worthy dialogue which was particularly cheesy between male and female characters in their romantic relationships.
For the first part of the book, I struggled with continuing it but vowed I would finish by the end of 2021. On New Year's Day, 2022, I wondered if I would finish by the end of 2022; it seemed so slow and long! The pace quickened in the mid 400 pages and briskly moved towards the finale.
Connections were made. Jihadist terrorists in the Chad desert enslaved people to work at their gold camp. They smuggled gold and drugs to finance their struggle and obtain arms, mainly supplied from North Korea. Minor skirmishes and battles in remote regions led to involvement by North and South Koreas, Japan, and finally, China and the USA, escalating the situation to the distinct possibility of a nuclear war.
I imagine that the author is figuring out how to write a sequel. I hope Never!
I feel that the author achieved his goal of describing how a war could break out in modern times without either side desiring for this to happen. He based his premise on the outbreak of WW1 and created an interesting diplomatic and political scenario. This geopolitical part worked very well. I thought there were too many distractions and too much emphasis on the main characters' personal lives and their clothing. It veered into soap opera territory with some cringe-worthy dialogue which was particularly cheesy between male and female characters in their romantic relationships.
For the first part of the book, I struggled with continuing it but vowed I would finish by the end of 2021. On New Year's Day, 2022, I wondered if I would finish by the end of 2022; it seemed so slow and long! The pace quickened in the mid 400 pages and briskly moved towards the finale.
Connections were made. Jihadist terrorists in the Chad desert enslaved people to work at their gold camp. They smuggled gold and drugs to finance their struggle and obtain arms, mainly supplied from North Korea. Minor skirmishes and battles in remote regions led to involvement by North and South Koreas, Japan, and finally, China and the USA, escalating the situation to the distinct possibility of a nuclear war.
I imagine that the author is figuring out how to write a sequel. I hope Never!
November 29, 2021
I've just finished Mr. Follett's latest epic novel, and just realized that the 816 pages really just flew by. That is how immersed I was in the story. No counting pages, no gazing at the ceiling or checking my phone.
I loved his WWII thriller, The Eye of the Needle , this one is more terrifying because it imagines a WWIII scenario with nuclear weapons. It feels too close to home with all the world unrest. It was a bit too political for me.
It is a complex plot, with 3 different world scenarios converging into a hair-raising and alarming conclusion.
My favorite substory involved Abdul and Kiah, stuck traveling in the Sahara desert, trying to escape Africa and get to France. It is an intense, edge of your seat ride with many frightening moments.
There is a lot of political chapters highlighting the White House negotiations and the personal life of the fictional President and her family. This was my least favorite storyline and it felt somewhat overwritten.
I wasn't a fan of how the novel ended. It felt unfinished and left me wondering.
Recommend to fans of the author, spy/political thrillers, and action-packed plots, dictorial governments and power grabs full of greed and evil intentions.
Library loan/ November 2021
I loved his WWII thriller, The Eye of the Needle , this one is more terrifying because it imagines a WWIII scenario with nuclear weapons. It feels too close to home with all the world unrest. It was a bit too political for me.
It is a complex plot, with 3 different world scenarios converging into a hair-raising and alarming conclusion.
My favorite substory involved Abdul and Kiah, stuck traveling in the Sahara desert, trying to escape Africa and get to France. It is an intense, edge of your seat ride with many frightening moments.
There is a lot of political chapters highlighting the White House negotiations and the personal life of the fictional President and her family. This was my least favorite storyline and it felt somewhat overwritten.
I wasn't a fan of how the novel ended. It felt unfinished and left me wondering.
Recommend to fans of the author, spy/political thrillers, and action-packed plots, dictorial governments and power grabs full of greed and evil intentions.
Library loan/ November 2021
August 10, 2023
Ken Follet se imagina por nosotros cómo podría llegar a producirse una escalada en las hostilidades entre las grandes potencias, con el fatal desenlace de una conflagración nuclear que puede llevar a estas, y al resto del planeta, a una solución final, con aniquilación mutua. Es decir, la tercera guerra mundial, y, posiblemente, la última.
La cosa empieza con un conflicto entre El Chad y Sudán, dos países que a muchos nos costaría situar en el mapa. Allí chocan intereses de diversa índole entre EEUU por una parte, y China y Corea del Norte por otra. A partir de aquí, se nos presentan los diversos personajes que llevarán la trama hasta el clímax final. A saber, Pauline Green, presidenta americana, que no atraviesa su mejor momento matrimonial, y que tiene las próximas elecciones a la vuelta de la esquina, con un candidato republicano (una copia de Trump) que va ganando adeptos con cada barbaridad que suelta en los medios. Chang Tai, al cargo de la agencia de inteligencia militar china, un moderado al que los halcones del viejo régimen comunista ven como débil y proclive al entendimiento con los americanos. Tamara Levit, de la CIA, estacionada en el Chad y heroína ocasional. Y Abdul, americano-libanés, en una misión especial que implica la trata de personas y el tráfico de drogas. Todos estos personajes están bastante bien perfilados. Algo menos lo están el presidente chino, la presidenta surcoreana, y algunos secundarios que no dejan de ser personajes de relleno, y un poco de paja.
La trama es terroríficamente plausible, y con ella vamos pasando de DEFCON 5, el nivel más bajo de alerta, hasta el DEFCON 1, donde la guerra nuclear es ya inminente o incluso ha comenzado.
Mi mayor pega con esta novela son los diálogos, sobre todo entre los altos mandatarios. Hablan entre ellos de tal manera que parecen, en algunos casos, estudiantes en una visita escolar. Pero ello es justificable, pues el autor debe informar al lector sobre las diversas situaciones y posibles soluciones que se van presentando. Si lo hicieran como verdaderos expertos que se suponen que son, es posible que no nos enterásemos de nada. Pero, aún así, en más de una ocasión chirrían esos intercambios de frases.
Novela para pasar (a pesar de la temática) un buen rato. No es el típico producto de la factoría Follet. Se va desgranando a fuego lento, pero no llega a aburrir, pues lo que nos cuenta nos mantendrá pegados a las páginas. Eso sí, al ser un producto occidental, notarás que “los buenos” suelen estar más de este lado que del otro. El presidente chino no queda muy bien retratado, pero a la presidenta americana solo le falta llevar la capa de Super Woman. Quien espere otra cosa, saldrá defraudado. Quién solo quiera evasión y algo de aprendizaje de geopolítica, se lo puede pasar muy bien leyéndola.
Como deseo final, esperemos que Rusia se esté quietecita en Ucrania, no vayamos a seguir el guión que Mr Follet, imagino, pretendió como mero entretenimiento.
4 🌞🌞🌞🌞
La cosa empieza con un conflicto entre El Chad y Sudán, dos países que a muchos nos costaría situar en el mapa. Allí chocan intereses de diversa índole entre EEUU por una parte, y China y Corea del Norte por otra. A partir de aquí, se nos presentan los diversos personajes que llevarán la trama hasta el clímax final. A saber, Pauline Green, presidenta americana, que no atraviesa su mejor momento matrimonial, y que tiene las próximas elecciones a la vuelta de la esquina, con un candidato republicano (una copia de Trump) que va ganando adeptos con cada barbaridad que suelta en los medios. Chang Tai, al cargo de la agencia de inteligencia militar china, un moderado al que los halcones del viejo régimen comunista ven como débil y proclive al entendimiento con los americanos. Tamara Levit, de la CIA, estacionada en el Chad y heroína ocasional. Y Abdul, americano-libanés, en una misión especial que implica la trata de personas y el tráfico de drogas. Todos estos personajes están bastante bien perfilados. Algo menos lo están el presidente chino, la presidenta surcoreana, y algunos secundarios que no dejan de ser personajes de relleno, y un poco de paja.
La trama es terroríficamente plausible, y con ella vamos pasando de DEFCON 5, el nivel más bajo de alerta, hasta el DEFCON 1, donde la guerra nuclear es ya inminente o incluso ha comenzado.
Mi mayor pega con esta novela son los diálogos, sobre todo entre los altos mandatarios. Hablan entre ellos de tal manera que parecen, en algunos casos, estudiantes en una visita escolar. Pero ello es justificable, pues el autor debe informar al lector sobre las diversas situaciones y posibles soluciones que se van presentando. Si lo hicieran como verdaderos expertos que se suponen que son, es posible que no nos enterásemos de nada. Pero, aún así, en más de una ocasión chirrían esos intercambios de frases.
Novela para pasar (a pesar de la temática) un buen rato. No es el típico producto de la factoría Follet. Se va desgranando a fuego lento, pero no llega a aburrir, pues lo que nos cuenta nos mantendrá pegados a las páginas. Eso sí, al ser un producto occidental, notarás que “los buenos” suelen estar más de este lado que del otro. El presidente chino no queda muy bien retratado, pero a la presidenta americana solo le falta llevar la capa de Super Woman. Quien espere otra cosa, saldrá defraudado. Quién solo quiera evasión y algo de aprendizaje de geopolítica, se lo puede pasar muy bien leyéndola.
Como deseo final, esperemos que Rusia se esté quietecita en Ucrania, no vayamos a seguir el guión que Mr Follet, imagino, pretendió como mero entretenimiento.
4 🌞🌞🌞🌞
March 31, 2022
I’ve read a couple chunky books so far in 2022, and Never just may be my favorite. This never felt long. It was oh so good!
Have you read any books by Ken Follett? I’m discovering his books late with this being my first, but I have a few on my TBR.
Never is an epic thriller. It’s a complex story as three different storylines converge. Set across the Sahara Desert, China, and the United States, Never imagines a World War III type scenario, and the authenticity is especially terrifying and timely right now.
Ken Follett truly takes his time layering this story. My analytical brain had a blast thinking about the pieces and making predictions throughout, while also trying not to panic that all of this could actually happen.
A solid reading experience with a book I could not wait to pick up each time; I’ll be moving my other Follett books up the TBR soon. Epic.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Have you read any books by Ken Follett? I’m discovering his books late with this being my first, but I have a few on my TBR.
Never is an epic thriller. It’s a complex story as three different storylines converge. Set across the Sahara Desert, China, and the United States, Never imagines a World War III type scenario, and the authenticity is especially terrifying and timely right now.
Ken Follett truly takes his time layering this story. My analytical brain had a blast thinking about the pieces and making predictions throughout, while also trying not to panic that all of this could actually happen.
A solid reading experience with a book I could not wait to pick up each time; I’ll be moving my other Follett books up the TBR soon. Epic.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
January 5, 2022
What a great book to start the new year with. Tense, Exciting and Unputdownable.
With this novel Ken Follett makes a return to contemporary storytelling and a clash of superpowers as China reacts to a generals revolt in North Korea and America battles a terrorists thread in central Africa. A young window and her son embark on a journey to find better lives for themselves in a country where human trafficking in rife. Set in the present day and one can help wonder how close to the bone this one cuts. We watch events unfold through a host of wonderful and complicated characters, some whom are spies in Beijing and Chard and US President Pauline Green. The World on the brink of war and a war that could end civilization as we know it.
I can honestly say that the premise of Ken Follett’s novels never excite me and yet once I read the first chapter of any of his novels I am completely drawn in and hooked.
This is my sixth novel by Follett and once again I was captivated by his storytelling, terrified by the “what if” and in love with his vast host of characters.
Well researched and beautifully written this is one novel that had me kept me reading well past my bedtime. I very rarely read novels over 400 pages and yet the 800 pages of this one flew by.
I read the hard copy of this one and listened to audio version as well and the narrator was excellent.
With this novel Ken Follett makes a return to contemporary storytelling and a clash of superpowers as China reacts to a generals revolt in North Korea and America battles a terrorists thread in central Africa. A young window and her son embark on a journey to find better lives for themselves in a country where human trafficking in rife. Set in the present day and one can help wonder how close to the bone this one cuts. We watch events unfold through a host of wonderful and complicated characters, some whom are spies in Beijing and Chard and US President Pauline Green. The World on the brink of war and a war that could end civilization as we know it.
I can honestly say that the premise of Ken Follett’s novels never excite me and yet once I read the first chapter of any of his novels I am completely drawn in and hooked.
This is my sixth novel by Follett and once again I was captivated by his storytelling, terrified by the “what if” and in love with his vast host of characters.
Well researched and beautifully written this is one novel that had me kept me reading well past my bedtime. I very rarely read novels over 400 pages and yet the 800 pages of this one flew by.
I read the hard copy of this one and listened to audio version as well and the narrator was excellent.
November 28, 2021
I've just finished Mr. Follett's latest epic novel, and just realized that the 816 pages really just flew by. That is how immersed I was in the story. No counting pages, no gazing at the ceiling or checking my phone.
I loved his WWII thriller, The Eye of the Needle , this one is more terrifying because it imagines a WWIII scenario with nuclear weapons. It feels too close to home with all the world unrest and gets a bit too political for my taste.
It is a complex plot, with 3 different world scenarios converging into a hair-raising and alarming conclusion.
My favorite substory involved Abdul and Kiah, stuck traveling in the Sahara desert, trying to escape Africa and get to France. It is an intense, edge of your seat ride with many frightening moments.
There is a lot of political chapters highlighting the White House negotiations and the personal life of the fictional President and her family. This was my least favorite storyline and it felt somewhat overwritten.
I wasn't a fan of how the novel ended. It felt unfinished and left me wondering what happened to the rest of the novel.
Recommend to fans of the author, spy/political thrillers, and action-packed plots, dictorial governments and power grabs full of greed and evil intentions.
Library loan / November 2021
I loved his WWII thriller, The Eye of the Needle , this one is more terrifying because it imagines a WWIII scenario with nuclear weapons. It feels too close to home with all the world unrest and gets a bit too political for my taste.
It is a complex plot, with 3 different world scenarios converging into a hair-raising and alarming conclusion.
My favorite substory involved Abdul and Kiah, stuck traveling in the Sahara desert, trying to escape Africa and get to France. It is an intense, edge of your seat ride with many frightening moments.
There is a lot of political chapters highlighting the White House negotiations and the personal life of the fictional President and her family. This was my least favorite storyline and it felt somewhat overwritten.
I wasn't a fan of how the novel ended. It felt unfinished and left me wondering what happened to the rest of the novel.
Recommend to fans of the author, spy/political thrillers, and action-packed plots, dictorial governments and power grabs full of greed and evil intentions.
Library loan / November 2021
August 12, 2022
4,5⭐
Una novela de lo más perturbadora
Aviso a navegantes. No es el thriller típico de Follett. Han publicitado el libro anunciando a bombo y platillo que Follett regresa al thriller. No es que sea incierto, pero no es una vuelta a esos que se nos vienen a la mente. No tiene absolutamente nada que ver con novelas emblemáticas como "La clave está en Rebeca", "La isla de las tormentas", "Doble juego" o "El valle de los leones", por poner un ejemplo. Si lo que esperamos es algo parecido, nos vamos a llevar una decepción. Eso no significa que no sea un buen libro, a mí me ha gustado, pero creo que es mejor ir sobre aviso.
Nos dice Follett, que cuando se documentaba para escribir "La caída de los gigantes" le impactó darse cuenta de que la Primera Guerra Mundial fue una guerra que nadie quería. Ningún líder europeo de ninguno de los dos bandos tenía intención de que sucediera. Pero, uno por uno, los emperadores y primeros ministros, sin pretender la guerra, tomaron decisiones lógicas y moderadas, que nos acercaron un pasito más a uno de los conflictos más terribles que el mundo ha conocido. Y se pregunta si podría suceder de nuevo. Pues bien, exactamente de eso va la novela.
Son varias las cosas que me gustaría destacar de este libro.
La primera, la tremenda capacidad que tiene Follett para analizar los contextos y situar el conflicto entre las potencias susceptibles a iniciarlo. Acabando la novela, escuché que Biden y Xi habían realizado una videoconferencia para rebajar tensiones entre ambos países. Reconozco que pensé ¡qué grande es este hombre!, aunque espero encarecidamente que se equivoque en todo lo demás.
En segundo lugar, como desarrolla la trama. No es una novela de intriga y acción trepidante. Tiene un poco de todo eso circunscrito a una de las subtramas, pero no es lo fundamental. Follett, nos plantea una trama en la que un cúmulo de decisiones tomadas por parte de EEUU y China, que en principio no parecen peligrosas, van a ir, gota a gota, elevando la tensión, hasta degenerar en lo que nadie desea.
El detonante es hecho puntual en un país africano, lamentable, pero que no debería haber tenido mayor trascendencia. A partir de aquí, empieza el juego del "y yo más", ¿qué tú haces esto?, pues yo te respondo con esto otro hasta que la cosa se les va por completo de las manos. De Defcon 5 a Defcon 1, así como el que no quiere la cosa. Todo ello ante el estupor y el agobio del lector. Si la intención de Follett era sacudirnos y sobrecogernos, conmigo lo ha conseguido.
El autor nos muestra a unos dirigentes que mayoritariamente no quieren la guerra, pero también a esos otros fanáticos de ambos bandos, que consideran necesario aniquilar al contrario para salvaguardar su hegemonía. Me ha sonado tan cotidiano que me ha puesto los pelos como escarpias.
No es menos importante que me haya hecho reflexionar sobre un tema al que ya prácticamente hemos desplazado de nuestras prioridades, como es el de la guerra nuclear. Se supone tenemos asumido que, ante un conflicto con armas de este tipo, no hay vencedores sino solo vencidos. De hecho todo el planeta habría perdido la guerra. Bueno, pues no lo tenemos. Digamos que Follett ha puesto del revés este concepto y lo ha vuelto a situar donde le corresponde. Mientras haya armas nucleares existirá la posibilidad de que alguien las detone. Ese alguien no tiene que ser necesariamente un ególatra, un iluminado o un loco. La presidenta de EEUU en esta novela, es una persona moderada sí, pero tiene claro que de ser necesario dará la orden de detonar las armas. En varias partes de la novela, su hija le pregunta si sería capaz de hacerlo, su respuesta siempre es "si no lo fuera no podría ocupar este cargo". Lo dicho, los pelos como escarpias.
Igualmente pone sobre la palestra el tema de la pobreza extrema del África subsahariana, que lleva a sus habitantes a emigrar a Europa y el del tráfico de personas que tienen que padecer. Lo incierto del viaje, la desprotección, el abuso y el cómo pueden acabar, sin que nadie haga nada por ponerle remedio.
Los personajes están bien, aunque no en la medida que acostumbra Follett. Algunos son más potentes que otros. Kiah y Abbdul están entre mis preferidos, igualmente Tamara y Tab. En cambio no he conseguido empatizar ni con Pauline, la presidenta de EEUU, ni con ningún otro dirigente, estadounidense o chino, moderados o no. Supongo que era de esperar. Otra cosa en la que me ha hecho reflexionar Follett es que hay que tomarse muy en serio a quién votamos para que dirija nuestros destinos y mejorar todo tipo de mecanismos de control al poder.
El final, el esperado. Tremendo como juega Follett con la desesperanza del lector, al menos con la mía. Todos esos personajes que iniciaban nuevos comienzos. Lo que podría haber sido. Todos los sueños y todas las vidas. Todo dependiendo de que alguien de una orden. Qué triste, qué miedo, qué horror.
Añadir que, como de costumbre en él, la ambientación impecable y la documentación tan bien introducida que ni se nota.
En conclusión, una novela perturbadora, que me ha gustado al tiempo que me ha sobrecogido.
Una novela de lo más perturbadora
Aviso a navegantes. No es el thriller típico de Follett. Han publicitado el libro anunciando a bombo y platillo que Follett regresa al thriller. No es que sea incierto, pero no es una vuelta a esos que se nos vienen a la mente. No tiene absolutamente nada que ver con novelas emblemáticas como "La clave está en Rebeca", "La isla de las tormentas", "Doble juego" o "El valle de los leones", por poner un ejemplo. Si lo que esperamos es algo parecido, nos vamos a llevar una decepción. Eso no significa que no sea un buen libro, a mí me ha gustado, pero creo que es mejor ir sobre aviso.
Nos dice Follett, que cuando se documentaba para escribir "La caída de los gigantes" le impactó darse cuenta de que la Primera Guerra Mundial fue una guerra que nadie quería. Ningún líder europeo de ninguno de los dos bandos tenía intención de que sucediera. Pero, uno por uno, los emperadores y primeros ministros, sin pretender la guerra, tomaron decisiones lógicas y moderadas, que nos acercaron un pasito más a uno de los conflictos más terribles que el mundo ha conocido. Y se pregunta si podría suceder de nuevo. Pues bien, exactamente de eso va la novela.
Son varias las cosas que me gustaría destacar de este libro.
La primera, la tremenda capacidad que tiene Follett para analizar los contextos y situar el conflicto entre las potencias susceptibles a iniciarlo. Acabando la novela, escuché que Biden y Xi habían realizado una videoconferencia para rebajar tensiones entre ambos países. Reconozco que pensé ¡qué grande es este hombre!, aunque espero encarecidamente que se equivoque en todo lo demás.
En segundo lugar, como desarrolla la trama. No es una novela de intriga y acción trepidante. Tiene un poco de todo eso circunscrito a una de las subtramas, pero no es lo fundamental. Follett, nos plantea una trama en la que un cúmulo de decisiones tomadas por parte de EEUU y China, que en principio no parecen peligrosas, van a ir, gota a gota, elevando la tensión, hasta degenerar en lo que nadie desea.
El detonante es hecho puntual en un país africano, lamentable, pero que no debería haber tenido mayor trascendencia. A partir de aquí, empieza el juego del "y yo más", ¿qué tú haces esto?, pues yo te respondo con esto otro hasta que la cosa se les va por completo de las manos. De Defcon 5 a Defcon 1, así como el que no quiere la cosa. Todo ello ante el estupor y el agobio del lector. Si la intención de Follett era sacudirnos y sobrecogernos, conmigo lo ha conseguido.
El autor nos muestra a unos dirigentes que mayoritariamente no quieren la guerra, pero también a esos otros fanáticos de ambos bandos, que consideran necesario aniquilar al contrario para salvaguardar su hegemonía. Me ha sonado tan cotidiano que me ha puesto los pelos como escarpias.
No es menos importante que me haya hecho reflexionar sobre un tema al que ya prácticamente hemos desplazado de nuestras prioridades, como es el de la guerra nuclear. Se supone tenemos asumido que, ante un conflicto con armas de este tipo, no hay vencedores sino solo vencidos. De hecho todo el planeta habría perdido la guerra. Bueno, pues no lo tenemos. Digamos que Follett ha puesto del revés este concepto y lo ha vuelto a situar donde le corresponde. Mientras haya armas nucleares existirá la posibilidad de que alguien las detone. Ese alguien no tiene que ser necesariamente un ególatra, un iluminado o un loco. La presidenta de EEUU en esta novela, es una persona moderada sí, pero tiene claro que de ser necesario dará la orden de detonar las armas. En varias partes de la novela, su hija le pregunta si sería capaz de hacerlo, su respuesta siempre es "si no lo fuera no podría ocupar este cargo". Lo dicho, los pelos como escarpias.
Igualmente pone sobre la palestra el tema de la pobreza extrema del África subsahariana, que lleva a sus habitantes a emigrar a Europa y el del tráfico de personas que tienen que padecer. Lo incierto del viaje, la desprotección, el abuso y el cómo pueden acabar, sin que nadie haga nada por ponerle remedio.
Los personajes están bien, aunque no en la medida que acostumbra Follett. Algunos son más potentes que otros. Kiah y Abbdul están entre mis preferidos, igualmente Tamara y Tab. En cambio no he conseguido empatizar ni con Pauline, la presidenta de EEUU, ni con ningún otro dirigente, estadounidense o chino, moderados o no. Supongo que era de esperar. Otra cosa en la que me ha hecho reflexionar Follett es que hay que tomarse muy en serio a quién votamos para que dirija nuestros destinos y mejorar todo tipo de mecanismos de control al poder.
El final, el esperado. Tremendo como juega Follett con la desesperanza del lector, al menos con la mía. Todos esos personajes que iniciaban nuevos comienzos. Lo que podría haber sido. Todos los sueños y todas las vidas. Todo dependiendo de que alguien de una orden. Qué triste, qué miedo, qué horror.
Añadir que, como de costumbre en él, la ambientación impecable y la documentación tan bien introducida que ni se nota.
En conclusión, una novela perturbadora, que me ha gustado al tiempo que me ha sobrecogido.
July 17, 2021
I've read Follett's books before and have never been this upset. It's how World War III happens with African, French, American, North and South Korea, and China all playing out what they believe to be true. You have to read the book to get the jest of it and to gain insight to the people who rule. It's full of characters that you will love and villains you will hate. It's a long read but it's worth the time spent reading (816 pages). You will be intrigued by the stories that Ken gives you. I was captivated by his story that happened in Chad, but the other ones are just as interesting. I always like it when you get to know the characters and how they think. Way to write Ken!
May 23, 2022
This book had everything. Human trafficking, nuclear war, Communism, and the best part a female President of The United States of America Ms Pauline Green. It had terror and love and loss and a younger generation (Pauline’s spritely daughter) learning and understanding the tragedy of annihilation.
My father suggested this book as it would NEVER have been a book I would consider. The only Follett book to cross my radar is that of an old hard cover book that a lovely friend made a love heart out of the pages, by following an intricate pattern of folds. It’s impressive, as is this book.
I needed dad’s help here, and he is relatively new to text messaging, and I appreciated his input. This review is more about this connection between he and I, not a synopsis. This is a hefty tome, with equally as hefty themes.
Nuclear war, ‘mutually assured destruction’ - MAD. Thousands of lives lost during the middle section of this book, and a lot of that has to do with ego. Pauline Green is sensible, tries to come to suitable agreements, but those on the opposing side are not willing to be like her. As dad said, ‘mutually assured destruction’.
The build up of characters from all sides is very clever, we get to know all the major players; the spies, undercover operatives, families of these and the cultures. It seems the older generations of the enemy are stubborn and tied to their country first and foremost, in a warped way even against their family.
So, a basic run down for this girl who never reads such books, and one that I needed. Goodies V Baddies. US, South Korea, UK, Japan V. North Korea, China, Russia. They were crazy!
I learned a lot about nuclear war, the destruction. One side reacts, then the other side retaliates. A complete tragedy when ego gets in the way. As my dad said, it is MAD.
It’s hard to cover the entirety here. There was a large portion of this story that I haven’t mentioned, where I loved the characters - the undercover agent following drug smuggling terrorists, and the human connection he formed while doing this alarmingly difficult task, he was very good at his job.
Pauline Green and her spineless husband dealing with family issues that must take the back seat given the state of war. Their daughter grappling with adolescence but being oh so smart and understanding a lot of what her mother is teaching her while she must do what her job demands.
The final scene was harrowing, and the imagery captured in my mind. This audio read was superb. I’d not be able to manage the hardcopy; my attention would have waned many times but listening was an extraordinary experience. Thanks to my book loving dad! This was a five star read for me, one which I'd never have considered hadn't it been for a recommendation. I heartily encourage others to take onboard something different, even if like me you choose the audio, to make the experience more palatable.
What a gifted author, the writing was fantastic.
Thanks, dad!
My father suggested this book as it would NEVER have been a book I would consider. The only Follett book to cross my radar is that of an old hard cover book that a lovely friend made a love heart out of the pages, by following an intricate pattern of folds. It’s impressive, as is this book.
I needed dad’s help here, and he is relatively new to text messaging, and I appreciated his input. This review is more about this connection between he and I, not a synopsis. This is a hefty tome, with equally as hefty themes.
Nuclear war, ‘mutually assured destruction’ - MAD. Thousands of lives lost during the middle section of this book, and a lot of that has to do with ego. Pauline Green is sensible, tries to come to suitable agreements, but those on the opposing side are not willing to be like her. As dad said, ‘mutually assured destruction’.
The build up of characters from all sides is very clever, we get to know all the major players; the spies, undercover operatives, families of these and the cultures. It seems the older generations of the enemy are stubborn and tied to their country first and foremost, in a warped way even against their family.
So, a basic run down for this girl who never reads such books, and one that I needed. Goodies V Baddies. US, South Korea, UK, Japan V. North Korea, China, Russia. They were crazy!
I learned a lot about nuclear war, the destruction. One side reacts, then the other side retaliates. A complete tragedy when ego gets in the way. As my dad said, it is MAD.
It’s hard to cover the entirety here. There was a large portion of this story that I haven’t mentioned, where I loved the characters - the undercover agent following drug smuggling terrorists, and the human connection he formed while doing this alarmingly difficult task, he was very good at his job.
Pauline Green and her spineless husband dealing with family issues that must take the back seat given the state of war. Their daughter grappling with adolescence but being oh so smart and understanding a lot of what her mother is teaching her while she must do what her job demands.
The final scene was harrowing, and the imagery captured in my mind. This audio read was superb. I’d not be able to manage the hardcopy; my attention would have waned many times but listening was an extraordinary experience. Thanks to my book loving dad! This was a five star read for me, one which I'd never have considered hadn't it been for a recommendation. I heartily encourage others to take onboard something different, even if like me you choose the audio, to make the experience more palatable.
What a gifted author, the writing was fantastic.
Thanks, dad!
May 20, 2022
Awful long snooze fest. 0 of 10 stars!
November 28, 2023
“A lie goes halfway round the world while the truth is getting its boots on.”
NEVER is a masterpiece. No doubt about it! A compelling, gripping, breathtakingly credible, terrifying, provocative, heart-stopping, and predictably open-ended version of a concatenation of incidents, confrontations, political decisions, scenarios, sabre-rattling, threats and retaliations, and globally dispersed events that lead to the beginning of the use of nuclear weapons in what would certainly escalate to WW III. At the close of the novel, the reader is left with no doubt as to what is coming and will almost certainly ask themselves whether there would actually be any historians or history books who would remain to analyze the events that brought about the horror!
On a side note – for me it was an open question whether Follett was making mock and lampooning politics in the US or portraying the danger that current right-wing neo-fascist and obstructionist knee-jerk Republicans pose to a fragile world peace. It doesn’t take much knowledge of the US political stage to know who a female president with a philandering husband and a demagogue blowhard male opposition candidate for the opposing party actually represent.
But I digress.
The bottom line is that NEVER has definitely been added to my Top 10 of 2023 list and, even more notably, to my short list of lifetime favourite novels. Obviously, recommended wholeheartedly without reservation for your reading enjoyment.
Paul Weiss
NEVER is a masterpiece. No doubt about it! A compelling, gripping, breathtakingly credible, terrifying, provocative, heart-stopping, and predictably open-ended version of a concatenation of incidents, confrontations, political decisions, scenarios, sabre-rattling, threats and retaliations, and globally dispersed events that lead to the beginning of the use of nuclear weapons in what would certainly escalate to WW III. At the close of the novel, the reader is left with no doubt as to what is coming and will almost certainly ask themselves whether there would actually be any historians or history books who would remain to analyze the events that brought about the horror!
On a side note – for me it was an open question whether Follett was making mock and lampooning politics in the US or portraying the danger that current right-wing neo-fascist and obstructionist knee-jerk Republicans pose to a fragile world peace. It doesn’t take much knowledge of the US political stage to know who a female president with a philandering husband and a demagogue blowhard male opposition candidate for the opposing party actually represent.
But I digress.
The bottom line is that NEVER has definitely been added to my Top 10 of 2023 list and, even more notably, to my short list of lifetime favourite novels. Obviously, recommended wholeheartedly without reservation for your reading enjoyment.
Paul Weiss
January 16, 2022
Es un libro lleno de acción, con varios países enfrentados, China, Corea del Norte, Corea del Sur, Japón, Estados Unidos.
Al principio el libro nos habla de un grupo terrorista que hay que liquidar, encontrar su cabecilla y eliminar el grupo. En esto se ven implicadas varias agencias de inteligencia secretas.
Me ha encantado la parte del espionaje, cómo se hace frente a los terroristas, el tema de las armas, del tráfico de drogas y de personas.
La historia da un giro y se convierte de pronto en una carrera contrarreloj para evitar una guerra nuclear.
El libro está muy bien documentado, todos los hechos suceden en una línea temporal que no se rompe en ningún momento y que mantiene al lector pegado entre sus páginas.
No se lleva las cinco estrellas porque ha habido partes, que aunque finalmente me han gustado porque aligeran la parte de la guerra y la política, se me han hecho un poco pesadas, cómo la parte amorosa de la agente de la CIA, Tamara, al igual que la vida privada de la presidenta. También mucha parte de la política, se me ha hecho un tanto pesada pero es una parte necesaria para entender el funcionamiento de cada gobierno.
Pero en resumen, si os gustan las películas y las historias de guerra y naciones, tenéis que leerlo.
Al principio el libro nos habla de un grupo terrorista que hay que liquidar, encontrar su cabecilla y eliminar el grupo. En esto se ven implicadas varias agencias de inteligencia secretas.
Me ha encantado la parte del espionaje, cómo se hace frente a los terroristas, el tema de las armas, del tráfico de drogas y de personas.
La historia da un giro y se convierte de pronto en una carrera contrarreloj para evitar una guerra nuclear.
El libro está muy bien documentado, todos los hechos suceden en una línea temporal que no se rompe en ningún momento y que mantiene al lector pegado entre sus páginas.
No se lleva las cinco estrellas porque ha habido partes, que aunque finalmente me han gustado porque aligeran la parte de la guerra y la política, se me han hecho un poco pesadas, cómo la parte amorosa de la agente de la CIA, Tamara, al igual que la vida privada de la presidenta. También mucha parte de la política, se me ha hecho un tanto pesada pero es una parte necesaria para entender el funcionamiento de cada gobierno.
Pero en resumen, si os gustan las películas y las historias de guerra y naciones, tenéis que leerlo.
November 15, 2021
Oh brother, how does this book make you think .... Starting from a seemingly insignificant conflict, everything escalates quickly and irrevocably. Every possibility is analyzed and decisions are made that can end the conflict, but the communist tradition, or the pressure to defend people, leads to an unexpected and unwanted end.
It makes you aware of the dangers exposed in the book, whenever this can happen, the great powers have weapons, they have ambitions, they have interests, it is easy to see that the story in the book is not exaggerated.
A book written with a lot of talent, but also with a lot of research work, as Follett used to do.
It makes you aware of the dangers exposed in the book, whenever this can happen, the great powers have weapons, they have ambitions, they have interests, it is easy to see that the story in the book is not exaggerated.
A book written with a lot of talent, but also with a lot of research work, as Follett used to do.
September 22, 2021
I've read Follett's historical fiction (Pillars of the Earth, etc), but had not read any of his modern/suspense/spy books. If this is an example, I think I'll skip them. With multiple characters in multiple countries, and multiple issues this book just bored me. I read almost 1/2 and finally gave up. I didn't really care about any of the characters, and the suspense that's apparently leading to world war just didn't capture my attention either. Maybe I'll try again at a later date, but for now....
January 26, 2022
Ken Follett returns with another stunning novel, where political and social action are layered throughout. Follett proves that some stories require a slow and intricate delivery, which can take time and many pages. Three significant goings-on take place in different parts of the world, each with their own implications. As tensions rise and political actors demonstrate their power, all eyes turn to the US president and how she plans to handle the crises. What begins as a mistake with a drone strike soon mushrooms into a cataclysmic event. All eyes look to the two counties who can solve it, though they are are odds as well. A brilliant piece that had me on the edge of my seat throughout, proving that Ken Follett still has it.
The world is an extremely precarious place, as politics weave their way into every possible situation. The country of Chad, long known to be full of corruption, is at the heart of a political situation involving two intelligence agents who are seeking to rid the region of a ruthless terrorist group. While no one said it would be easy, what’s even more difficult is trying to ignore the ongoing romantic sentiments that have developed. Lives and reputations are on the line, though no one seems too worried quite yet.
A strong supporter of some less than democratic regimes in the area, China is keeping its eye on what has been going on, including a senior government official who hopes to climb the ranks of the Communist Party, leaving the old wing in his dust. However, it is a delicate balancing act just to get one’s views noticed, let alone herd by those with some power. As a situation in Chad leaves China feeling vulnerable, talk of retaliation against America begins, with an annoying cousin nation, North Korea, happy to play a role in the action.
The American president, Pauline Green, has been facing a great deal of backlash as the country’s first female POTUS, both from the people and within the Republican Party. She’s held them off as best she can, but wants to make a name for herself in whatever way possible. Unwilling to go to war over something that could be handled with diplomacy, Green works channels for peace after a gaffe in Africa sees the Chinese boiling with ire. Events domino and the blowback gets more and more troubling, leaving both sides unwilling to turn the other cheek. It’s time to test resolve, diplomacy, and nuclear arsenals, but who will blink first and become the ultimate aggressor?
As the world watches, two superpowers do the dance and use their proxies to lay the groundwork for what could be a third and cataclysmic world war. It’s now time to see how things will go, in hopes of finding a final solution. Otherwise, it will be the obliteration of millions, if not billions, of lives and an end to any possible civility. All this, culminating in an act that no one could have predicted. A brilliant piece by Ken Follett that left me gasping aloud on many occasion and begging for more of this sort of book.
Ken Follett returns with a piece that is both sensational in its delivery and devastatingly chilling in its plausible nature. Putting politics, regional skirmishes, and the art of diplomacy in the spotlight, he hints at how the dominoes could fall, leaving everyone grasping for a shred of sensible maneuvering in a time when one wrong move could lead to disaster. His three-pronged storytelling is masterful and left me in awe, as things slowly inched together in a tale that is as plausible as anything seen in the news today. All the actors are there, with their own flavourings, in a narrative that leaves the reader feeling on the front lines.
There are many who take up the role of protagonists in their own right, forcing me to look at the larger character pool. Follett develops his characters with great backstories and powerful personal growth, pushing them to blossom as the story unfolds. There are many whose lives receive some of the limelight and this helps add depth to the overall story for all to enjoy. Politicians, intelligence officers, and even every day citizens play their role to shape the narrative and keep the plot from being too easily revealed. Brilliant efforts by Follett make it all worthwhile.
I have never come across a book by Ken Follett that I did not truly adore. His detailed narrative builds up a story like no other, using surrounding situations and people’s personal views to shape how things will go. Strong characters are always a key part of the story and Follett never fails there either, using believable names and scenarios to make things click. Plot lines that work effectively help shape the larger story and keep the reader enthralled with all that is taking place, culminating in some of the tensest storytelling I have come across. I could not get enough of the story, its intricate detail, and the plausible nature of things, based on the world in which we live. As Follett mentions in the opening, just like the Great War, the next ‘great war’ could be fought because politicians could not stop the momentum of something they did not want themselves.
Kudos, Mr. Follett, for a sobering and stunning look at the political landscape of hate world today. I hope many of your dedicated fans will take some time to enjoy this piece and feel as strongly as I do about it.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
November 21, 2021
Long, meandering and ultimately disappointing. The book is very up to date in current affairs and shows how the world can spiral out of control. There are several plot lines and not all of them hang all that well together. It’s not top form for Ken Follet by any means.
April 4, 2022
El tema es interesante, escenarios emocionantes, algún personaje muy potente, pero el libro se va deslizando, estirando, perdiendo y acaba aburriendo. Aunque también puede ser un problema mío que no soporto los libros largos.
November 17, 2021
Follet's description of the events that lead to a nuclear holocaust seems plausible, particularly since he models the events after WWI in the sense that one small crisis leads to another, the major powers strive to control events, but ultimately history and politics lead to the US execution of "the China plan." Much of the plotline here is thrilling and makes the book difficult to put down.
However, the writing is stunningly bad for someone with Follet's oeuvre. There are multiple instances of repetition within a few pages of each other--explanations for why a specific restaurant is popular, thoughts about the difficulties of parenting, noting that a CIA field agent hadn't been in combat but was an exceptional shot, etc.--suggesting his editor wasn't paying attention to his book. I was also concerned with his depiction of US politics, which were often so implausible that it makes his grasp of our political system suspect. Follett's historical novels are compelling largely because they're educational and reliant on research; when there are obvious flaws in the areas you know it makes the reader question his portrayal of less-familiar settings (e.g., China and Chad). Would a 61-year-old Vice President really have a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old, professing to the President that he truly loves this child? Would a CIA station head be so ridiculously incompetent that he can't function and hinders the entire agency? Would a successful president be primaried by her own party by someone who becomes the favorite despite wearing cowboy fringe and repeatedly threatening to nuke other countries? (Follett tries to avoid piling on Trump by making the admirable President Republican, though he emphasizes she’s moderate and is being primaried by someone with many of Trump’s attributes who is often interviewed on a Fox-like network).
Dialogue in this book is often ridiculous, either because supposedly-serious characters talk like children (Follett has a terrible tendency to have powerful women--the US president, a CIA Field Agent--giggle in the midst of a crisis) or because he wants to include exposition and can't find a better way to do it than through intelligent accomplished men and women reciting the most basic facts possible: which countries are allied with each other, world leaders' past histories, even the President asking to be told what happens when a nuclear missile explodes.
Even worse are the characters themselves. In addition to the powerful women who inexplicably giggle at inopportune times, there's the president's 14-year-old daughter who smokes pot but asks her mother "can you say you'll use nuclear weapons but cross your fingers behind your back?", the National Security Advisor harboring a crush on the (married) president who makes wholly inappropriate comments while also putting her on a pedestal (quietly telling her “You’re the wisest person I’ve ever met”), the aforementioned incompetent and ignorant CIA station head, etc. Follett also apparently believes everyone who is beautiful (meaning all the heroes in this book) want to have sex all the time: escaping kidnappers and not sleeping for 36 hours, recently killing a man for the first time, the world on the brink of a nuclear holocaust, and people are either hopping in the sack or daydreaming about it in cabinet meetings.
I was most concerned by his depiction of President Green. She’s one of the heroes, a middle-aged former gymnast (his women must be cute and athletic) who’s repeatedly described as exceptionally smart and more insightful than anyone on her cabinet and in her orbit. So why is she fantasizing about a sexual affair during a crisis? Why does she giggle so much? Why does she ask such asinine and obvious questions? While Follett’s intention was likely to show his support for empowering women, he objectifies them throughout this book in demeaning ways by making sexuality and beauty a core defining characteristic.
Follett has written some of my favorite books, both historical fiction and thrillers. This one has a page-turning plot but a remarkable lack of empathy and understanding for the human condition.
However, the writing is stunningly bad for someone with Follet's oeuvre. There are multiple instances of repetition within a few pages of each other--explanations for why a specific restaurant is popular, thoughts about the difficulties of parenting, noting that a CIA field agent hadn't been in combat but was an exceptional shot, etc.--suggesting his editor wasn't paying attention to his book. I was also concerned with his depiction of US politics, which were often so implausible that it makes his grasp of our political system suspect. Follett's historical novels are compelling largely because they're educational and reliant on research; when there are obvious flaws in the areas you know it makes the reader question his portrayal of less-familiar settings (e.g., China and Chad). Would a 61-year-old Vice President really have a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old, professing to the President that he truly loves this child? Would a CIA station head be so ridiculously incompetent that he can't function and hinders the entire agency? Would a successful president be primaried by her own party by someone who becomes the favorite despite wearing cowboy fringe and repeatedly threatening to nuke other countries? (Follett tries to avoid piling on Trump by making the admirable President Republican, though he emphasizes she’s moderate and is being primaried by someone with many of Trump’s attributes who is often interviewed on a Fox-like network).
Dialogue in this book is often ridiculous, either because supposedly-serious characters talk like children (Follett has a terrible tendency to have powerful women--the US president, a CIA Field Agent--giggle in the midst of a crisis) or because he wants to include exposition and can't find a better way to do it than through intelligent accomplished men and women reciting the most basic facts possible: which countries are allied with each other, world leaders' past histories, even the President asking to be told what happens when a nuclear missile explodes.
Even worse are the characters themselves. In addition to the powerful women who inexplicably giggle at inopportune times, there's the president's 14-year-old daughter who smokes pot but asks her mother "can you say you'll use nuclear weapons but cross your fingers behind your back?", the National Security Advisor harboring a crush on the (married) president who makes wholly inappropriate comments while also putting her on a pedestal (quietly telling her “You’re the wisest person I’ve ever met”), the aforementioned incompetent and ignorant CIA station head, etc. Follett also apparently believes everyone who is beautiful (meaning all the heroes in this book) want to have sex all the time: escaping kidnappers and not sleeping for 36 hours, recently killing a man for the first time, the world on the brink of a nuclear holocaust, and people are either hopping in the sack or daydreaming about it in cabinet meetings.
I was most concerned by his depiction of President Green. She’s one of the heroes, a middle-aged former gymnast (his women must be cute and athletic) who’s repeatedly described as exceptionally smart and more insightful than anyone on her cabinet and in her orbit. So why is she fantasizing about a sexual affair during a crisis? Why does she giggle so much? Why does she ask such asinine and obvious questions? While Follett’s intention was likely to show his support for empowering women, he objectifies them throughout this book in demeaning ways by making sexuality and beauty a core defining characteristic.
Follett has written some of my favorite books, both historical fiction and thrillers. This one has a page-turning plot but a remarkable lack of empathy and understanding for the human condition.
April 28, 2022
NUNCA
Por razões óbvias, não há ninguém que, em seu perfeito juízo, deseje uma terceira guerra mundial.
Contudo, a Primeira Guerra Mundial foi um evento que, embora por todos indesejado, aconteceu e doeu:
“A Primeira Guerra Mundial foi uma guerra que ninguém queria. Nenhum governante europeu queria que acontecesse. Apesar disso, os imperadores e primeiros-ministros, um a um, tomaram decisões lógicas e moderadas, que nos levaram, passo a passo, ao maior conflito que o mundo já conheceu. E isso fez-me crer que foi tudo um trágico acidente.
E interroguei-me: poderá voltar a acontecer?”
“Nunca” propõe-se alertar-nos para uma guerra que, mediante uma eventual cadeia de “ses”, poderá concretizar-se. Porém, até as almas mais ímpias rezam a cada segundo, para que NUNCA aconteça!!!
Por razões óbvias, não há ninguém que, em seu perfeito juízo, deseje uma terceira guerra mundial.
Contudo, a Primeira Guerra Mundial foi um evento que, embora por todos indesejado, aconteceu e doeu:
“A Primeira Guerra Mundial foi uma guerra que ninguém queria. Nenhum governante europeu queria que acontecesse. Apesar disso, os imperadores e primeiros-ministros, um a um, tomaram decisões lógicas e moderadas, que nos levaram, passo a passo, ao maior conflito que o mundo já conheceu. E isso fez-me crer que foi tudo um trágico acidente.
E interroguei-me: poderá voltar a acontecer?”
“Nunca” propõe-se alertar-nos para uma guerra que, mediante uma eventual cadeia de “ses”, poderá concretizar-se. Porém, até as almas mais ímpias rezam a cada segundo, para que NUNCA aconteça!!!
August 31, 2021
Huh. That’s about all I can say.
May 30, 2022
Unfassbar beklemmend, intensiv, spannend.....und aktueller denn je...!
Ken Follett entwirft ein apokalyptisches Szenario, in dem den durch Verträge gebundenen Spermächten China und USA keine andere Wahl bleibt, als den vernichtenden Atomkrieg auszulösen.
In mehreren Erzählsträngen baut der Autor den unabwendbaren Konflikt logisch und raffiniert auf.... die Spannung erreicht so mehrfach den Höhepunkt...!
Ein Meisterwerk der politischen Erzählkunst, spannend bis zu letzten Minuten!
Ich bete und hoffe, dass die Welt niemals in eine so geschilderte Lage kommen möge!
Absolut lesenswert!
Ken Follett entwirft ein apokalyptisches Szenario, in dem den durch Verträge gebundenen Spermächten China und USA keine andere Wahl bleibt, als den vernichtenden Atomkrieg auszulösen.
In mehreren Erzählsträngen baut der Autor den unabwendbaren Konflikt logisch und raffiniert auf.... die Spannung erreicht so mehrfach den Höhepunkt...!
Ein Meisterwerk der politischen Erzählkunst, spannend bis zu letzten Minuten!
Ich bete und hoffe, dass die Welt niemals in eine so geschilderte Lage kommen möge!
Absolut lesenswert!
August 9, 2022
Meh....too many minor diversions in the storyline. My least favorite book of his.
January 5, 2022
Spannend en wat een onverwacht einde.
February 7, 2022
What a horrible thing to do to you loyal readers
Why? Why would one of the worlds greatest authors lower themselves to a work of fiction like this? Where is the hope for humanity? You have lost me and I’m certain others who have always walked away from your novels anxiously awaiting the next one. For me, this is the last Follett book I will ever read.
Why? Why would one of the worlds greatest authors lower themselves to a work of fiction like this? Where is the hope for humanity? You have lost me and I’m certain others who have always walked away from your novels anxiously awaiting the next one. For me, this is the last Follett book I will ever read.
June 10, 2022
Follett applies his skill and storytelling to a modern thriller, with all of the suspense, action, and embraceable characters of his historical thrillers. Like his Century trilogy, the Kingsbridge series, and others, this book is many stories, as we follow a top Chinese spy, a CIA spy imbedded with terrorists in Chad, a junior CIA analyst in Chad, and the President of the United States. Follett's simple brilliance is to jump to a different character's story as it reaches an important part. The result is dozens of chapters that are all high-points with no filler.
North Korea is destabilizing, terrorists are plotting in Chad, Sudan, and neighboring countries, and the people of this story are trying to keep the peace, stop the bad guys, and survive. If there's a flaw to this particular Follett book, it's that the stories don't really merge. The battle against terrorism in North Africa connects only tangentially with rogue North Korean nukes. It's not a flaw so much as a missed opportunity; in Follett's other works, the unconnected characters and their goals always end up merging. Still such a pleasure to read, even thought of as two thrillers: North Korea must be stopped, and Sudan terrorists must be stopped. Call them 'Never' and 'Not Again.'
North Korea is destabilizing, terrorists are plotting in Chad, Sudan, and neighboring countries, and the people of this story are trying to keep the peace, stop the bad guys, and survive. If there's a flaw to this particular Follett book, it's that the stories don't really merge. The battle against terrorism in North Africa connects only tangentially with rogue North Korean nukes. It's not a flaw so much as a missed opportunity; in Follett's other works, the unconnected characters and their goals always end up merging. Still such a pleasure to read, even thought of as two thrillers: North Korea must be stopped, and Sudan terrorists must be stopped. Call them 'Never' and 'Not Again.'
November 20, 2021
Partiendo de la sabe que no soy objetiva con este autor y q escribe verdaderos ladrillos, procedo a la reseña.
Para mi no es un thriller como lo venden, me parece más una novela bélica. Muy similar a lo que podria ser la trilogia Century.
Los mandatarios tratan al mundo como si fuese una partida del Risk; este sería mi resumen.
USA apoya a Corea del Sur y al Chad, éste pese a tener un regimen autoritario, por intereses económicos y por luchar contra el yihadismo. Por otro lado China tiene a aliados a Corea del norte y vende armas a Sudan y al yihadismo. En esta situación tensa discurren las vidas de varios protagonistas entre traiciones, amor, amistad…
Todos se mueven en el filo de la navaja por intereses. Desde espias de la CIA que se codea con gente del regimen de Chad hasta presidentes de gobierno manejado por asesores o con aires de grandeza.
De todos los personajes la historia que más me ha gustado, aunque a veces parecia un capitulo de McGiver, es Adbul.
Es una novela dura donde te lleva a pensar que pasaría si saltase una IIIGM, ciber ataques, bombas nuclerares…¿en mano de quien estamos?
Para mi no es un thriller como lo venden, me parece más una novela bélica. Muy similar a lo que podria ser la trilogia Century.
Los mandatarios tratan al mundo como si fuese una partida del Risk; este sería mi resumen.
USA apoya a Corea del Sur y al Chad, éste pese a tener un regimen autoritario, por intereses económicos y por luchar contra el yihadismo. Por otro lado China tiene a aliados a Corea del norte y vende armas a Sudan y al yihadismo. En esta situación tensa discurren las vidas de varios protagonistas entre traiciones, amor, amistad…
Todos se mueven en el filo de la navaja por intereses. Desde espias de la CIA que se codea con gente del regimen de Chad hasta presidentes de gobierno manejado por asesores o con aires de grandeza.
De todos los personajes la historia que más me ha gustado, aunque a veces parecia un capitulo de McGiver, es Adbul.
Es una novela dura donde te lleva a pensar que pasaría si saltase una IIIGM, ciber ataques, bombas nuclerares…¿en mano de quien estamos?
December 16, 2021
American schoolchildren in the nineteen fifties will always remember the nationally mandated Civil Defense drills. Memories of ducking under desks and filing down to the school basement still linger in their consciousness. These drills were a response to Russia’s gaining nuclear armaments which triggered a national angst over the specter of world wide destruction stemming from hostile superpowers resolving their political differences through a nuclear conflict.The yellow and black civil defense signs that were so pervasive in American streets have long been removed. Geopolitical shifts and redrawn lines of hegemony have altered the world’s political landscape. But the threat of nuclear disaster still remains.Ken Follett’s novel “Never”, set in the near future, is a political thriller that explores the tensions of the modern world and sets forth a very real scenario that could result in the unthinkable.
The novel contains all of the signature components of a Follett offering. It is meticulously researched, containing a sprawling cast of characters and diverse storylines that eventually connect. Three locations are central to the development of the plot. Initially, the reader is transported to the Sahara Desert where a CIA agent is tracking a cocaine shipment that will become a funding source for Islamic terrorist activities in the region. In this same region, an American soldier is shot with a weapon provided from a cache of North Korean armaments. This incident provokes responses from the United States and China, North Korea’s principal ally.
The focus then shifts to the United States and China. Pauline Green, a moderate Republican, is the first female President. She has to balance the challenges of domestic politics while navigating the perils of escalating tensions in Asia and the Middle East. The decision trees that develop in both America and China illustrate how quickly and unintentionally events can spiral out of control, leading from the lowest state of nuclear readiness(DEFCON 5) to the imminent start of nuclear conflict( DEFCON1).
In a foreword, the author notes that World War 1 resulted despite a series of moderate decisions intended to prevent the conflict.The strength of “ Never” is Follett’s extrapolation of modern circumstances in which well thought out decisions can precipitate a cataclysm in an increasingly complex world. As the plot unfolds, we see how seemingly disparate and isolated incidents in different parts of the world might converge to result in an unintended nuclear holocaust.
The unfolding of these circumstances drives the story forward and gives the novel a great degree of appeal.However, there are elements that detract from the novel’s effectiveness.The author devotes large sections of the story to portraying the personal lives of the central protagonists in an attempt to show the internal demands associated with a crisis. These sections are filled with romance and personal intrigue in the midst of a rapidly developing cataclysm. These plot points are a bit overwritten and detract from the focus and flow of the narrative. At times these personal vignettes seem superfluous to the narrative thrust. One must bear in mind, though, that the novel is a work of popular fiction. It still manages to succeed in presenting an exciting and plausible exposition of the perils that loom in a world that is infinitely more complex than the world looming ahead for the schoolchildren in the nineteen fifties.3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
The novel contains all of the signature components of a Follett offering. It is meticulously researched, containing a sprawling cast of characters and diverse storylines that eventually connect. Three locations are central to the development of the plot. Initially, the reader is transported to the Sahara Desert where a CIA agent is tracking a cocaine shipment that will become a funding source for Islamic terrorist activities in the region. In this same region, an American soldier is shot with a weapon provided from a cache of North Korean armaments. This incident provokes responses from the United States and China, North Korea’s principal ally.
The focus then shifts to the United States and China. Pauline Green, a moderate Republican, is the first female President. She has to balance the challenges of domestic politics while navigating the perils of escalating tensions in Asia and the Middle East. The decision trees that develop in both America and China illustrate how quickly and unintentionally events can spiral out of control, leading from the lowest state of nuclear readiness(DEFCON 5) to the imminent start of nuclear conflict( DEFCON1).
In a foreword, the author notes that World War 1 resulted despite a series of moderate decisions intended to prevent the conflict.The strength of “ Never” is Follett’s extrapolation of modern circumstances in which well thought out decisions can precipitate a cataclysm in an increasingly complex world. As the plot unfolds, we see how seemingly disparate and isolated incidents in different parts of the world might converge to result in an unintended nuclear holocaust.
The unfolding of these circumstances drives the story forward and gives the novel a great degree of appeal.However, there are elements that detract from the novel’s effectiveness.The author devotes large sections of the story to portraying the personal lives of the central protagonists in an attempt to show the internal demands associated with a crisis. These sections are filled with romance and personal intrigue in the midst of a rapidly developing cataclysm. These plot points are a bit overwritten and detract from the focus and flow of the narrative. At times these personal vignettes seem superfluous to the narrative thrust. One must bear in mind, though, that the novel is a work of popular fiction. It still manages to succeed in presenting an exciting and plausible exposition of the perils that loom in a world that is infinitely more complex than the world looming ahead for the schoolchildren in the nineteen fifties.3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
November 30, 2021
KF is one of my favorite authors so I am sorry to say that I found this book hard to get through. Follett is capable of writing tense, suspenseful thrillers and long, melodramatic historical epics - and with NEVER, he tries to combine these two genres so you have a very long thriller told from a variety of perspectives.
I was with this book for the first half. But it took 400 pages to get from Defcon 5 to Defcon 4. And this is all politics, espionage, and machinations. And it got tedious and boring. There's no clear bad guy and I didn't really like any of the characters. At 800 pages, it was way too long. I wish this was a concise, taut political thriller.
Like COLUMN OF FIRE, I was just left bored and disappointed and left feeling like Follett just churned this out, dialing it in. But everyone else seems to like it...
I was with this book for the first half. But it took 400 pages to get from Defcon 5 to Defcon 4. And this is all politics, espionage, and machinations. And it got tedious and boring. There's no clear bad guy and I didn't really like any of the characters. At 800 pages, it was way too long. I wish this was a concise, taut political thriller.
Like COLUMN OF FIRE, I was just left bored and disappointed and left feeling like Follett just churned this out, dialing it in. But everyone else seems to like it...
March 23, 2022
Ken Follett’s novel (perhaps more appropriately described as a tome at over 800 pages) "Never", is really a number of stories in one. One strand follows the exploits of Abdul, a CIA agent working undercover with jihadists in North Africa, another tracks the life -- professional and private -- of a Chinese spymaster, Kai. In the United States, President Pauline Green has her own trials and tribulations, both in the White House and at home. Meanwhile in North Korea, rogue elements led by General Pak Jae-jin are moving to overthrow the existing Pyongyang authoritarian regime. When a series of incidents occur in the Far East, the world heads towards the unthinkable – a nuclear war. Can the tenacious President Green, the Chinese moderate, Kai battling with the hawks in the CCP and the South Korean regime avert another holocaust? Or will the unthinkable finally become a reality?
While "Never" is a work of fiction, the subject matter of the book could have been ripped from today’s headlines. Ken Follett has skilfully woven a number of strands of the story together to demonstrate just how, through a series of calamitous events, the world could easily slip into a nuclear war. The author’s attention to detail is incredible, though the writing is lucid and easy to read, with crisp, believable dialogue. The research the author must have undertaken to write this novel, with settings in Chad, Libya and other parts of North Africa, the United States, Japan, North and South Korea, France and China would have taken years. There is a downside -- it is difficult to see the relevance of what is going on in North Africa with where the story ends up, as interesting and as colourful as the North African storyline and characters are. That said, "Never" is an amazing work, a true thriller and not all that unbelievable.
While "Never" is a work of fiction, the subject matter of the book could have been ripped from today’s headlines. Ken Follett has skilfully woven a number of strands of the story together to demonstrate just how, through a series of calamitous events, the world could easily slip into a nuclear war. The author’s attention to detail is incredible, though the writing is lucid and easy to read, with crisp, believable dialogue. The research the author must have undertaken to write this novel, with settings in Chad, Libya and other parts of North Africa, the United States, Japan, North and South Korea, France and China would have taken years. There is a downside -- it is difficult to see the relevance of what is going on in North Africa with where the story ends up, as interesting and as colourful as the North African storyline and characters are. That said, "Never" is an amazing work, a true thriller and not all that unbelievable.
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