Rating: 
Summary: The Definitive Cold War Thriller
Review: The arms race takes a turn for the worst as a nuclear strike is accidentally started. The fate of millions depends on the diplomacy of the highest echelons of government and the act of one man. It all seems like a bad movie plot now but thirty years ago, this was the fear in the hearts of all. I read this book in 1982 when the nuclear threat was still quite real but nowhere near as intense as it was during the early 60's. You'll finish reading this book wondering, "Were we ever this close to the end of the world?". The greatest horror stories are the ones that could actually happen. As dated as it is, Eugene Burdick still manages to take you on a wild ride to the Apocalypse.
Rating: 
Summary: The ultimate "What if..." novel.
Review: The ultimate "What if..." novel of the post-War era, FAIL-SAFE still holds up remarkably [and tragically] well in the post-9/11 era. Several critics have pointed up the political aspects of this book, but in a way this is more of a sci-fi novel in the sense that the technology of war would safeguard us against danger when the opposite is the truth: reliance upon technology is equally dangerous. Read this novel as a precursor to the film "War Games" or the t.v. movie of early 70s, "Colossus: The Forbin Project".But even as political thriller, this book is still powerful. All the characters stand up well and are truly believeable. The plot and pacing are gripping. Considering Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler had had no real writing experience previous to FAIL-SAFE, it is just as compelling and well-crafted as anything written by Tom Clancy. That's how good this book is. Rocco Dormarunno, author of THE FIVE POINTS
Rating:
Summary: The ultimate "What if..." novel.
Review: The ultimate "What if..." novel of the post-War era, FAIL-SAFE still holds up remarkably [and tragically] well in the post-9/11 era. Several critics have pointed up the political aspects of this book, but in a way this is more of a sci-fi novel in the sense that the technology of war would safeguard us against danger when the opposite is the truth: reliance upon technology is equally dangerous. Read this novel as a precursor to the film "War Games" or the t.v. movie of early 70s, "Colossus: The Forbin Project". But even as political thriller, this book is still powerful. All the characters stand up well and are truly believeable. The plot and pacing are gripping. Considering Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler had had no real writing experience previous to FAIL-SAFE, it is just as compelling and well-crafted as anything written by Tom Clancy. That's how good this book is. Rocco Dormarunno, author of THE FIVE POINTS
Rating:
Summary: Makes you think...
Review: This book is one of the best that I have ever read. It makes you think about how much could happen within our government that we never hear about. The authors do a wonderful job of explaining the technology associated with the plot while still keeping the story moving. It is a great book that I think everyone should read.
Rating: 
Summary: A harsh taste of an "accedental reality"
Review: This novle goes far beond the thrillers in today's movies. It makes you aware of how close the world is to an accedental distruction. Acording to Murphy's law this will happen, weather it's mechanical or human error we will suffer for our own creations.
Rating:
Summary: An edge of your seat, war thriller!
Review: Though by today's standard this book is quite old I found it very enjoyable. I have been extensively researching the topic of nuclear warfare for school and I found this book quite entertaining. As a teenager I am was privilidged enough to only live in the tail end of the Cold War and this book provides an insight to what might have happened if the you know what hit the fan.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping!
Review: Well... 5 stars for the suspense and excitement and three stars for the unrealistic mechanism which precipitates the crisis as well as the 'preachy' feel at times. Overall, I strongly recommend this book. Due to some mechanical/electrical malfunctions, a group of bombers heads towards Moscow with nuclear bombs believing they have valid orders to drop them. Any more story details will give away too much, so I'll limit the rest of this review to general points. It has an alarmist feel with regard to technology rapidly outpacing man's ability to control it, and I think in some ways it is quite dated both in terms of the attitude towards technology as well as the specific technologies involved. Of course, it was written over 40 years ago, so to some extent that is to be expected. The author's point that no system is foolproof is certainly valid, but I think this point is brought up too often and in artificial ways. It gives a feel of 'taking a break' in the action of the story and delivering a brief sermon, then resuming. The suspense and the tension in the story are gripping, forcing me to devour this book in two sittings. All-in-all, an exciting cold war thriller with a little alarmist philosophy thrown in, slightly dated but still a great read!
Rating:
Summary: Gripping!
Review: Well... 5 stars for the suspense and excitement and three stars for the unrealistic mechanism which precipitates the crisis as well as the 'preachy' feel at times. Overall, I strongly recommend this book. Due to some mechanical/electrical malfunctions, a group of bombers heads towards Moscow with nuclear bombs believing they have valid orders to drop them. Any more story details will give away too much, so I'll limit the rest of this review to general points. It has an alarmist feel with regard to technology rapidly outpacing man's ability to control it, and I think in some ways it is quite dated both in terms of the attitude towards technology as well as the specific technologies involved. Of course, it was written over 40 years ago, so to some extent that is to be expected. The author's point that no system is foolproof is certainly valid, but I think this point is brought up too often and in artificial ways. It gives a feel of 'taking a break' in the action of the story and delivering a brief sermon, then resuming. The suspense and the tension in the story are gripping, forcing me to devour this book in two sittings. All-in-all, an exciting cold war thriller with a little alarmist philosophy thrown in, slightly dated but still a great read!
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