Code to Zero

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Storyline But It Ain't Hitchcock
Review: It starts out like a Hitchcock film with a man waking up devoid of any memory or knowledge of his past or present and he has to piece his memory together while saving the space program in pretty short order. But I agree with previous reviewers in that Follett needed to spend a little more time on the previous life discovery process (maybe 200-300 pages more) because by rushing it he relied on too many coincidences and snap realizations.

I will say that I did enjoy the read and it kept my interest because I wanted to see how it ended but he has done better. Check the book out from the library or borrow it from a friend, there are better books to purchase.

Rating:
Summary: Such Fast-Paced Action, You'll Need A Seatbelt!
Review: Journey to the land of "what ifs." The heated space race of 1958 is the backdrop for Ken Follett's new thriller. But he examines what could have caused the two day delay in the launch of the first U.S. satellite. The countdown is on and the action is riveting. You won't get bored. You won't get lost. This is an easy read with an explosive plot. Your bookcase is screaming for Code to Zero!

Rating:
Summary: Attention to Detail?
Review: After all of the obvious research that the author did on rocket science, he blows it on American culture. Protagonist Luke wakes up in 1958 and steals a Ford Fiesta, a model not introduced in the United States until 1977. Neat trick, Luke. Maybe it was "really" a Ford Fairlane. Oh well, Shakespeare put chimneys in ancient Rome.

As usual, Follet has crafted a pleasantly engaging read, but it does not hold a candle to Pillars of the Earth, Dangerous Fortune, et al.

Rating:
Summary: Plot to zero
Review: I have read several of Ken Follett's books and I can't believe the horrible names he gives to women Elspeth? what is that. This is not England so one is named Elspeth in the U.S. not even in the 40's or 50's. All his perfect people were very predictable.

Rating:
Summary: Cold War novel that fizzles.
Review: "Code to Zero" is a Cold War thriller about a group of college students whose lives overlap over a period of years. In a series of flashbacks from the 1940's, alternating with the present (1958, to be exact), Follett shows how a bunch of carefree college students go on to play crucial roles in the rivalry between the U. S. and the Soviet Union. The U. S. S. R. has launched Sputnik, and the United States is attempting to keep pace by launching Explorer I. The prestige of the United States hinges on the success of this launch. However, someone may be attempting to sabotage the launch, thereby damaging the U. S. space program. "Code Zero" starts out well. I was interested in the lives of Luke, Elspeth, Billie and Anthony, who are attractive and intelligent college students with big plans for the future. However, as the book progresses, it begins to sag. Follett allows the plot to sink into melodramatic and predictable plotting, and the dialogue becomes banal. The ending (which should be exciting) lacks suspense, since it is obvious how the plot will turn out. Too bad, because the book started out as good campy fun.

Rating:
Summary: Fifties Flashback
Review: Ken Follett has a knack for building a suspense thriller around historical events, even one which might have been routine. His latest novel, Code to Zero, is a perfect example. While the 1958 launch of Explorer I, putting America into space and starting the drive to catch up with and surpass the Soviet's space initiative was historically significant, it is not something a reader would expect to inspire an espionage thriller. Evidence of Follett's writing skill is that he keeps the suspense level high while we all know the launch was successful. Code to Zero begins with an apparent bum waking up in the men's toilet at Union Station in Washington, D.C. He has no memory of who he is or even where he is, much less how he got there. Someone else in the room guides him toward a shelter for food, and calls him "Luke." As he wanders around, however, he discovers that he has skills. He notices that he is being followed, that he knows how to elude his shadowers, that he knows how to "live off the land" in an urban setting. He also realizes that he has no cravings for drink or drugs. Something must be wrong. Luke's adventures do not have the anxiety dream character that Robert Ludlum provides in his novels. Luke proceeds logically and makes progress in his quest for identity and explanation. He finds help along the way, of course. In this case there is the amazing coincidence of having also in D.C. Luke's former girlfriend who is a specialist in memory loss, and two more of his college friends who served with him in the O.S.S. during World War II. It still works, aided immensely by Follet's use of flashbacks to develop the characters as we meet them and as their parts in the drama grow. Code to Zero is good, solid Follett, and a pleasure to read.

Rating:
Summary: Did George Lucas Adopt Skywalker¿
Review: "The Eye Of The Needle" by Ken Follett was the first book I ever read in this genre. It remains to the present one of the best of the entries in the category it occupies. It was damaged by a movie, but many books share the same fate. Unfortunately, for me at least, subsequent books never reached the level of the mentioned novel, and Mr. Follett chose to explore other subjects and I stopped reading his work. When I read of the release of, "Code To Zero", I thought he had returned to his earlier subject matter and style. "Pillars Of The Earth", and other works were very good, but not the type of work that introduced me to him as a writer.

Little issues when they multiply are annoying, when combined with a story that lacks originality, has characters that are a bit on the shallow side, and ridiculous coincidence is the order of the day, the book became a disappointment.

Luke Lucas is the star of the show. I understand that not everyone has read or even cares about Star Wars, but for those who are familiar, this name was one of the sillier contrivances for a name I have read. So when this name appears laughter ensues. When Luke is trying to regain his memory he reaches a point of discovery and declares, (I'm not kidding), "I'm a rocket scientist"! And the clichés keep on coming.

Imagine that you entire memory is gone, even to the point that you have forgotten this book. What would be a plausible period of time to regain any clue as to who you were? Virtually any length you would suggest is more believable than this storyline. Probably the weakest aspect was the Author's decision to just introduce his cast, and then pick them up, fast forward a few years, and place them all down in circumstances that are less likely than winning the lottery, twice. Members of this group who serve time in the military and describe their first lethal event recall events so similar, you will wonder if you read incorrectly, you are reading a clue, when all it is, is laziness.

I had very high hopes for this work as Mr. Follett has written some wonderful novels. This book is many things but wonderful it is not. No Author writes a brilliant book every time out, and this is such an example. If you choose to pass on this, you will have missed little.

Rating:
Summary: Ken Follett, please don't do this again!
Review: This Follett is a mere shadow of his previous novels. I am a huge Ken Follett fan. I have read every one of his books and look forward to them. This book is written by a Ken Follett imposter! It is a huge disappointment with a ridiculous plot, featuring an incestuous bunch of people who are best buddies at Harvard and then segue into each other's lives forever after. They marry each other, they divorce each other, they plot and they plan. This book is very readable, a Follett trademark. But as the pages turn, I found myself getting angrier and angrier for being a sucker who bought this book in good faith and who was rewarded by junk. Such a poor effort that Follett, in the epilogue, mistates the moon walk as July 1968 and not the actual date of 1969.

Rating:
Summary: Terrible Disappointment
Review: There is not anything anyone can say that would convince me that the author or this book is the same author of Key to Rebecca and Pillars of the Earth. This book was an insult at best - throughout the story the one thought that continually ran through my mind was 'Give me a break!'

Rating:
Summary: Ken Follett is great
Review: Ken Follett is a great storyteller. This book is great, I liked the flashbacks, and the way there is a couple of sentence intro about the rocket in each of the chapters