Code to Zero

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: Lorelei King

In this classic Cold War thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Ken Follett puts his own electrifying twist on the space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. "Code to Zero's split-second suspense proves that...[Follett is] a hell of storyteller."—Entertainment Weekly

Critic reviews

Praise for Code to Zero

"Focused, fast-moving . . . this spy thriller is Follett at his best." —People

"Follett weaves the threads of his narrative together, tying them into an unexpected and story-resolving knot at the end . . . gripping." —The New York Times

"Fresh and fast-paced. . . . Follett is no slouch at keeping the pages flying by. He maintains a brisk clip throughout and creates compelling and likable characters." —San Francisco Chronicle

"Follett has total control of his fast-paced story line." —The Orlando Sentinel

"Absorbing, tightly plotted. . . . Suspense junkies won't be disappointed." —Publishers Weekly

"A knockout, a big fat wallop of a book that won't let [fans] get back to their lives until they've finished. . . . Follett writes beautifully." —South Florida-Sun Sentinel

"Flawlessly plotted, tautly told, and suspenseful . . . with the kind of page-turning quality that made Follett a big name in the thriller field." —Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Starts off fast and never slows down . . . sharply told. . . . Follett creates a rousing story that never flags." —Chicago Tribune

"A finely crafted mystery that builds suspense all the way to the hair-raising finale . . . blends fact with an elaborate fiction." —The Memphis Commercial Appeal

"The Cold War is cool again. . . . [Follett] pulls out all the stops." —Ottawa Citizen

"A fascinating scenario that takes the listener between World War II and the launching of Explorer I . . . a winner . . . a jolting joyride." —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"[Moves] briskly toward a down-to-the-wire climax while stretching but never breaching the barriers of disbelief . . . entertaining." —The Seattle Times

"Grabs you from page one and doesn't let up until the very end . . . extremely entertaining. . . . The plot is tight, racing along at a breakneck pace with absolutely no holes. The suspense is palpable, and the characters are larger than life in a pleasing way. . . . Follett is excellent at his craft, and Code to Zero is one of his strongest efforts." —The Daily Cardinal

"Ken Follett has written another blockbuster . . . a superb espionage tale. . . . Code to Zero is just too good to tell you more. Its plot is skillfully developed, and for a thriller, it is refreshingly plausible." —Roanoke Times & World-News

Kept my attention

Loved it. The characters were interesting and compelling. It kept me guessing about who was who and twisting plot element.

Exciting

Thrilling and suspenseful. Historical; informative; it kept my interest throughout. A race against time, and good vs evil! Great story!

Great characters and suspense

Thrilling story with crossing time periods. The characters are fully developed and believable. Narrator is outstanding.

Fair

Follett allows the plot to sink into predictability. Since it becomes pretty obvious how the plot will unfold, the ending lacks suspense. Although a work of fiction, the impact of the story was weakened by Luke's quick recovery from amnesia, and the subsequent march of characters into the story without much background development. Not one of Follet's best, I read it through out of curiosity, to determine whether my ending was different from his.

Dated but Captivating

Would you consider the audio edition of Code to Zero to be better than the print version?

Audio books are always better.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot was predictable at times, but overall it kept us listening to the end.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

It kept us listening. Understand from IMDB there is a movie or a mini-series with present day time frame in the works. Looking forward to it. Just a bit corny but that is to be expected given the era it took place. Some of the moves of the characters were a bit too simple, again giving mercy for the time of the events.