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    Code to Zero
    Unavailable
    Code to Zero
    Unavailable
    Code to Zero
    Audiobook (abridged)5 hours

    Code to Zero

    Written by Ken Follett

    Narrated by Lorelei King

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    In this classic Cold War thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Ken Follett puts his own electrifying twist on the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. "Code to Zero's split-second suspense proves that...[Follett is] a hell of storyteller."-Entertainment Weekly
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJan 10, 2005
    ISBN9780786554386
    Unavailable
    Code to Zero
    Author

    Ken Follett

    Ken Follett was born in Cardiff, Wales. Barred from watching films and television by his parents, he developed an early interest in reading thanks to a local library. After studying philosophy at University College London, he became involved in centre-left politics, entering into journalism soon after. His first thriller, the wartime spy drama Eye of the Needle, became an international bestseller and has sold over 10 million copies. He then astonished everyone with his first historical novel, The Pillars of the Earth, the story of the building of a medieval cathedral, which went on to become one of the most beloved books of the twentieth century. One of the most popular authors in the world, his many books including the Kingsbridge series and the Century trilogy - a body of work which together chronicles over a thousand years of history - and his latest novel Never - which envisages how World War III could happen - have sold more than 188 million copies. A father and husband, Ken lives with his wife in England and enjoys travelling the world when he can.

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    Reviews for Code to Zero

    3.5/5

    493 ratings17 reviews

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    • 5/5
      A man wakes up to find himself lying on the ground in a railway station, his mind stripped bare of all recollection. He has no idea how he got there. He does not even know his own name. The year is 1958, and America is about to launch its first satellite, in a desperate attempt to match the Soviet Sputnik and regain the lead in the space race. As he relearns the story of his life, he uncovers long-kept secrets about his wife, his best friend and the woman he once loved more than life itself. Follett's writing allows you to immediately delve into the story. His characters seem believable and the plot is fast-paced until the very end. Recommended to those who love riveting suspense.
    • 4/5
      A decent spy novel.
    • 3/5
      This was a quick interesting tale. Not as good as his earliest works or Pillars of the Earth.
    • 3/5
      "Code to Zero" was OK at best. I've never read Ken Follett and if this is representative of his other books, I'll probably not revisit him.The premise of the story's not bad. It mostly takes place in early 1958 when the US is trying to answer the USSR's successful launch of Sputnik. Luke Lucas wakes up in a Union Station men's room with no idea who he is or how he got there. The first part of the book is him trying to figure all that out. Meanwhile, we see an old friend of his, who works in the CIA, clearly trying to keep Luke from discovering what's going on. Part of the problem is that an author's note at the beginning of the book goes ahead and tells us the CIA worked to find ways of erasing people's memories. So we go into the story strongly assuming that's what happened to Luke. It would have been nice to discover that along with him.Basically Luke is a rocket scientist who discovers information that he needs to get to Pentagon brass. But someone is doing their best to keep that from happening. There's a few OK twists here and there, but there was a little too much relationship melodrama along the way for me to truly enjoy what is supposed to be a spy thriller.I do have to mention a HUGE error in the book, which happens to come at the very end. Each chapter begins with either a time or a date. In the epilogue, the date given is 1968. The content of said epilogue? The US landing on the moon. I mean, really?
    • 3/5
      America 1958 when we are in the race of our lives to control outer space. A man wakes up in Union Station, Washington, D.C. with amnesia. Searching for answers to his past, he uncovers a shocking truth which could derail America’s space program.
    • 4/5
      A well paced book that was enjoyable to read. There was a real goof early on in the book when the story being set in the late 1950's identifies a car as a Ford Fiesta. Follett has stated he meant the Olds Fiesta, but it had me questioning the proper dating everything else mentioned in the book which seriously distracted my attention. The other real bone head error was dating the last chapter as 1968 with the moon landing occurring then. Really stupid mistake that should be blamed as much on the proof readers as the author.
    • 3/5
      A taut thriller albeit the Cold War reads as dated these days.
    • 3/5
      This was a difficult book for me to stay with; back and forth twisting plot with unbelievable characters. Can't find much positive to say about.
    • 2/5
      Kein gut durchdachtes Buch, zu wenig Überraschungen und man kann sich mit den Hauptfiguren nicht identifizieren. Ein schwächeres Buch, von einem ansonsten grandiosen Autor.
    • 4/5
      Shortly before the launch of America’s first attempt at a response to Sputnik in 1958, a man awakens in the men’s room of Union Station in Washington, D.C. and he has absolutely no idea who he is. He’s covered in vomit and dressed like a bum, but at a local shelter he puzzles the priest in charge by displaying rather extraordinary crossword puzzle skills. He soon discovers that someone is following him, and that he seems to have all sorts of skills that unfathomably seem innate. By dint of some very clever self-analysis of these skills, he manages to go to a lecture where he is sure someone will recognize him and help him to restore his identity. Okay, but a few date errors crept in.
    • 4/5
      At first, this seemed like a pretty typical espionage thriller and nothing too special or exciting. But as the story progressed, the more I got involved in it and enjoyed it. The space race element was intriguing, but it was the characters that really got me hooked. Through their history and relationships, which unfold to the reader as the amnesiac main character rediscovers them, Follett dramatizes how communism ultimately means the sacrifice of all one's own personal values, everything and everyone he holds most dear. This makes for high drama, conflict that is meaningful both intellectually and emotionally as these elements are united in the story. Quite well done.
    • 5/5
      This was terrific! I chose this one after visiting Kennedy Space Center, and I was not disappointed! Would highly recommend and I give it 5 stars. It had it all - good characterization, well-paced plot that gradually builds to a last-50-pages crescendo, suspense, romance (not sappy), history, and was thought-provoking. I found it so well-written that I can't wait to read more by Follett.
    • 3/5
      I liked it. Man, do I miss the Cold War; and I definately need a silencer. Maybe next Xmas...of course it's a Xmas gift, what do you think 'Silent Night' is all about?
    • 4/5
      Code to Zero is a book that is packed with mystery, suspense, espionage, and love that leaves you perched on the edge of your seat until it is completed. I wasn't sure what to expect from Follett, as this is the first book that I have read (listened to) by him. When Luke wakes up in a Washington D.C. train station dressed like a bum and with a case of amnesia, he finds himself having to rely on little clues to help piece is life together. Throughout the story, pieces of his memory come back to him through flashbacks. He learns that he is married to his college sweetheart, Elspeth, but just cannot understand how they became married. He had a later memory that put him in a very heated and romantic relationship with Billie, also a college friend, but just doesn't understand how that relationship dissolved.As the book progressses Luke learns that he is actually a rocket scientist and the launch of Explorer I may be in jeopardy. I think that everyone is aware of the animosity that developed from space programs between the Russians and Americans and this book really highlighted the intensity of that period of time very well.Between the CIA, the KGB, and the double agents Luke really wasn't sure who to trust towards the end of this novel. He had to rely on his instincts and make quick decisions that would affect his future and American history.I don't want to go into too much detail as this book is categorized as a suspense/thriller, but I really did enjoy it, especially as an audiobook, and will more than likely read more of Follett's work in the future.
    • 4/5
      This is a good story. I felt that is was pretty exciting and the subject was unique. I'm not sure that a normal person would do some of the things that the characters did in the story but I guess that's all right because it is only fiction after all. All in all I believe that this book was money well spent.
    • 5/5
      Really enjoyed- good thriller.
    • 5/5
      One of my favourite Follett novels. The plot development and charaterizations are excellent. Aside from the novel's overt theme, the depths of conviction that motivate a researcher are examined. [Spoilers!] A Soviet plot incapacitates an esteemed scientist with a secret amnesiac drug. In recovering his past history, he discovers facts about his wife and colleagues that lead him to abort a plot to prevent a space ship launch.