Code to Zero

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

A man wakes to find himself lying on the ground in a railway station. He does not remember how he got there. He has forgotten where he lives. He cannot even remember his own name.

So begins Code to Zero, Ken Follett's explosive tale of intrigue, espionage, and conspiracy. It's January 1958, a dark hour in the cold war and the early dawn of the space race. At Cape Canaveral, a countdown has begun. On launch pad 26B sits Explorer I, America's best hope to match the Soviet Sputnik and regain the lead in the contest for the skies above.

As Luke Lucas starts to unravel the mystery of his amnesia, his desperate search leads him back to his Harvard friends: to his wife, to his best friend, to the woman he once loved more than life itself...and to the rocket that stands ready at the Cape. For Luke knew something that someone deliberately wanted him to forget, and unless he is able to discover his own deadly secret, he may be left powerless to save the launch of Explorer, and with it, America's future.

Don't miss Ken Follet discussing the history of the thriller and its role in literature at the 92nd Street Y.

©2000 Ken Follett (P)2000 Penguin Audiobooks and Recorded Books, Inc., LLC

Critic reviews

"Great spy thriller material." (AudioFile)

"Suspense junkies won't be disappointed by Follett's man-on-the-run framework; tension courses through the book from start to finish." (Publishers Weekly)

"With dependable skill, Follett weaves the threads of his narrative together, tying them into an unexpected and story-resolving knot." (New York Times Book Review)

cupofcoffee

I enjoyed how Follett blend snippets of facts with flashbacks. The characters were brought to life especially Billy Josephson and Luke Lucas. The narrator did an excellent job of separating the characters with the changes in voice. Very Consistent. I was 8 years old when the satellite launch took place, so I recall parts of the news and studied the launch in school from our Weekly Reader.

US v Russia Spy Mystery; Set in Sputnick Days

Code to Zero, by Ken Follett, and narrated by George Guidall. One never goes wrong in reading a Ken Follett novel. Always well written, always plausible and, yes, an involving plot. Here we find ourselves back in the days of sputnik (the Russians, and the world’s first satellite into space), and the U.S.’s need to heal its pride and join the space race. The story centers on a man who wakes up in a bathroom, seemingly drunk from a binge and without memory as to who he is? He is in fact, one of the chief scientists in the U.S. project to perfect its space efforts.

The story is how our man Lucas goes about finding who he is, what may have happened and making an effort to protect the American undertaking to join the space age. Who did this to the U.S. and Lucas is the story that Follett takes you on. Not a page turner, just a good old fashion mystery set in the world of U.S. Russian competition for control of the earth.

I always find Guidall, an awkward sounding reader at first, and then as the story develops I become accustomed to his voice and appreciative of his magnificent ability to read – and to enthrall me in the story.

Code to excellent storytelling

Ken Follett remains one of the best storytellers actively writing and the very best author of accurate historical fiction in the English language. George Guidall remains one of my 3 favorite narrators and once again brought this story to life.

Twisting turning plot kept wondering the whole boo

it was as great story that didn't turn out the way I expected. I would recommend this book. There are a lot of flashbacks so you have to pay attention to how it all connects up.

Great story as usual from Follett

Story was excellent. in trying to capture the tone and cadence of the 1950s the performer was , at times, difficult to understand. Aside from that it was a most enjoyable book.

Zero Gets An A!

Follet has written better books but none in which he ties up all the loose ends so satisfactorily. It's 1958 and he opens each chapter with an update on the status of an upcoming space venture. By the end of the story you are on pins and needles wondering if this massive undertaking will survive the cold war criminality kicking up dust. Some of the characters are a bit "cardboardish" and this results in an overall impact less than it could have been with Follet at his best. Still, for espionage and edge-of-your-seat thrillers, Code to Zero scores a big red "A"

Nice Blend of Genres

This audio book was very entertaining. It was a fine blend of Mystery, History, and Science Fiction. It was reminiscent of the old radio mysteries to which I listened as a child. I purchased it because I liked the description of the plot-line, knowing nothing about Ken Follet or his other work.

I listened intently and bewildered like the main character, I knew nothing of what was occurring. Since “Luke” lost his memory, the listener muddles through the disorientation with him. As he gains some clarity, we do as well. If “Luke” perceives a character suspiciously, Follett allows the listener to suspect their verisimilitude. We are allowed to come to our own conclusions, as does “Luke;” and not always correctly, either.

Perhaps one disjointed issue, if only in the beginning, was the scientific “blurbs” preceding some chapters. They felt like little “newsreel” documentaries that typically preceded movies in the “fifties.” But again, as “Luke” made progress in his understanding of his onerous situation, those “blurbs” made perfect sense.

I also need to say that George Guidall is a most excellent narrator. He makes the story three dimensional. His voice-characterizations are appropriate and concise. I discovered this book while perusing other titles narrated by Mr. Guidall.

Slow at first

Slow start, but loved the middle to end. Don't give up on it before it gets good.

Classic Follett

I was halfway expecting to be disappointed with this book based on some of the other reviews. However, I was not. The book is not as good as some of his classics, but it was entertaining and well narrated. If you like Follett you will like it...if not, maybe. He's one of my favorites and I believe this is the last Follett book I had not read.

I love this book

I'm in the army and have deployed three times overseas, I was 19 on my first deployment and my vehicles fire direction specialist was reading this book. I hated to read, out of shear Boredom I asked to borrow his book after he was done, I couldn't put it down, I was the driver of my track, I drove and read until I was done. I happened to find the same book in a pile of books at the USO on my second tour and took it with me on my third, now I have it on audible. This is great.