On Wings of Eagles

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: Marcia Hyde, Larry Robinson, Ralph Williams, Joan Tuit, R. Ted Andriese

Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

When two of his American employees were held hostage in a heavily guarded prison fortress in Iran, one man took matters into his own hands: American businessman H. Ross Perot. His team consisted of a group of volunteers from the executive ranks of his corporation, hand-picked and trained by a retired Green Beret officer. To free the imprisoned Americans, they would face incalculable odds on a mission that only true heroes would have dared.

©1983 Ken Follett (P)1984 Brilliance Audio

Critic reviews

"A marvelous, rare, terrific read...as exciting as a novel." ( USA Today)
"Superb....Ken Follett's fans may be reluctant to see him return to fiction." ( The New York Times Book Review)

Fine book, dreadful reader

On Wings of Eagles, while not my favorite Follett, is a fine book that held my interest throughout. On the other hand, this reader is the worst I've come across in all of Audible. There are no pauses, he just pushes forward in the same incessant way. The changes of vocal timbe from chapter to chapter are so jarring that I wonder if there are actually two readers electronically spliced together. This book deserves another Audible version that isn't so difficult to listen to.

Fascinating real life story

The story itself was quite riveting. I was confused, however by the multiple readers as I could not see what their purpose was. One particular reader did not represent one particular character, and therefore there was no apparent connection between the readers. This was not a story I was aware of prior to listening to this book, and it's wonderful to know there are people in the world willing to go to such great links for their brothers and sisters.

On Wings of Eagles

One of the best books by Ken Follett thatI have listened to and the only one of his book’s that was nearly a non fiction account

Historical Story

Informative and interesting account of the rescue of two businessmen from Iran at the time of the revolution. A story of commitment, loyalty and integrity. A story if true heroes on every level.

Loved it

I can across this purely by chance whilst listening to a podcast on Presidential elections and this was mentioned in relation to Ross Perots bid in 1988. This is really a ‘boys own adventure’, The togetherness and resilience of the rescuers is admirable. Don’t be put off by the comments on the narration. Why it sounds like it was recorded straight from an audiobook if you find it a bit too fast slow it down .9 or .8 and the narration is beautifully paced. I particularly enjoyed the dual narration. Would happily have these gentlemen narrate another book for me !

Classic...

Once I slowed the playback speed, the story came alive. Ross Perot is a modern hero.

Good story terrible audio editing

The story was very good. One of those stories where you know the ending going in, but still enjoy the ride.
The audio editing on the other hand was awful. The narrator's voice would change significantly mid-sentence. It was obvious the recordings were done on different days and no attempt was made to seamlessly stitch the recordings together. Also the speed kept changing. The narrator would read fast, then slow, then fast again. The pitch of his voice changed accordingly, and can someone explain why, after 13 chapters Colonel Bullworth suddenly starts speaking with a heavy Boston accent??

There were several passages that Mr. Follett must have gotten straight from Perot - they were soooo self serving and mushsy, he was almost a God!

Would have given it a higher rating if the audio editing was done better. All-in-all, worth the listen.

Phenomenal story but a clearly old recording

If you could sum up On Wings of Eagles in three words, what would they be?

Fortitude
Persistence
Determination

What was one of the most memorable moments of On Wings of Eagles?

The moment when Carter listened to his adviser who suggested sticking with the Shah-friendly contingent in Iran and NOT pursue a diplomatic relationship with Khomenei (sp?) in early 1979 while Khomenei was still in Paris. That may not have prevented the hostage crisis, but it seems to me that such a meeting could have had lasting effects even into today's world.

How could the performance have been better?

Rerecord it! The performers were fine, but the recording itself is WELL below Brilliance Audio's and Audible's standards!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were too many to count and/or single out.

Any additional comments?

The story is a must read!! However, the recording is a LONG way from Brilliance Audio's and Audible's typical audio quality!! It sounds like the master was a cassette tape that had been lost in a closet for several years. The speed of the narrators was inconsistent and there were many times where the recording seemed to skip ahead, as well as many times that the recording sounded quite muffled.Even given the problems with the recording, I would highly recommend this book or even the audiobook.

Interesting

I enjoyed the story line, didn’t enjoy narration. It read like the were speed reading and I needed to slip narration down. It was also hard to tell who was who. I didn’t realize that Ross Perot was involved in rescuing his employees.

Great Adventure Story of the Iranian Revolution

Ken Follett is a superb story teller, and this one is all true! The tag team narration of the audio book is excellent, and is highly recommended.