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On Wings of Eagles  By  cover art

On Wings of Eagles

By: Ken Follett
Narrated by: Marcia Hyde, Larry Robinson, Ralph Williams, Joan Tuit, R. Ted Andriese
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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
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

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)

What listeners say about On Wings of Eagles

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    464
  • 4 Stars
    256
  • 3 Stars
    114
  • 2 Stars
    29
  • 1 Stars
    30
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    334
  • 4 Stars
    182
  • 3 Stars
    82
  • 2 Stars
    41
  • 1 Stars
    46
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    434
  • 4 Stars
    161
  • 3 Stars
    48
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    20

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Was the narrator in a hurry?

Did they give this guy a deadline? He spoke so fast if you were distracted for just a few seconds you missed a lot. I slowed the speed down for my iPod, and some chapters were tolerable. Then he used a normal speaking speed, I had to change back. Next chapter he was rushing again. I got tired of dealing with it so I never finished listening for more than a couple of hours. I think this would have been a great book if not for the narration.

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41 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

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.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

What the hell is that?

This was a very interesting story that was RUINED by multiple narrators. If they had used multiple people for individual characters that would have been fine, but there were 5 or 6 different narrators used throughout and they would change at odd times.

Read the book.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

on wings of fast paced eagles

I just found the narrators a bit too fast paced, not that I couldn't understand (as I believe my english is sort of ok with speed reading or listening) but it was simply a bit unconfortable to listen to. Pace gives audio books all its
meaning and a pleasant or unpleaseant experience.

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Couldn't finish it...

Listen to a sample first. I think the narrator was a friggin cyborg. Absolutely painful to listen to. I listened to an hour of it and had to stop because I think my brain started to bleed out. I wanted to die. Dont bother.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Speedreading Record

The book may be great, but I like to be read to and entertained. Here someone tries to achieve a new speedreading record. I believe this has been technically speeded up, I cannot believe one can read aloud that fast. Not a pleasure to listen to and I have given up.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

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.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Thrilling! But oh, the production!!!

"On Wings of Eagles" literally had me on the edge of my seat, knees bouncing in fear and anticipation. Since this was a story I'd never been aware of, I wasn't quite sure how, exactly, it was going to turn out. So frankly, I was thrilled.
There are so many plans that could go awry, mobs that can't be controlled, whose actions can't be predicted, so many players that human failings can come into play. And it was just a desperate, desperate time, filled with violence, mistrust, outright hatred.
I was just a pup when the whole US Embassy Hostage crisis occurred, so I'm only vaguely aware of the desperation of our country, the hostility of Iran at the time. Edge-of-your-seat storytelling then.
But the production leaves quite a bit to be desired. There are so many narrators, each using different accents, even different pronunciations, just stopping and changing here and there that it's hard to get a rhythm of listening. Not the worst on Audible (I've actually had a book where there were power tools being used, a baby crying next to the narrator, and such), but really: Someone should've done something before it was released like this. And it particularly becomes confusing during the epilogue where everything is chopped up, no matter what person is being spoken of.
Still, if you can get past that, you'll eventually find the rhythm, and heaven knows, you'll eventually find a really, really good story!
(Oh yeah. And be prepared for Ross Perot to do everything but walk on water...)

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Super Boss

It's too bad more business leaders don't display the employee loyalty told about in this book. A truely great man and one I would love to work for.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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4 people found this helpful