Never

Scary end - nuclear holocaust is never a pleasant thought.Well written but with a rather nasty ending which leaves a bad taste.

NEVER by KEN FOLLETT.Since Ken Follett is amongst my all time favorite authors,i have to be slightly partial and give it an extra star on the ratings. And for the very same reason, I'm slightly(or maybe not so slightly) disappointed by this novel. While it is still a good read and I didn't struggle while bludgeoning through the 800 pages, it is nowhere near 'Fall of Giants' or 'Pillars of The Earth'. And I couldn't help thinking that Fredrick Forsyth or even Terry Hayes would have done more justice to this promising theme(events leading to world War 3/nuclear war).That being said, it does have the traditional Follett elements - unforgettable characters with background stories, multiple story lines, romantic moments (a bit unrealistic though) and enough intrigue to keep the pages turning. The scenes involving the Chinese officials were the most vivid.However, there are far too many negatives and irritants. One of the major background stories involving an undercover CIA agent and an African immigrant family forms a major chunk of the first half of the novel but in the end, that story fizzles out. The other major irritant is absolutely needless and downright stupid romantic moments at the worst possible times( for example, The US President with one of her Principal Staff Officers when there is a nuclear war going on 🤦‍♂️; and ofcourse she has a cheating husband 🙄and a pot smoking daughter- this is not realism but clichés) which absolutely break the momentum and tension.The research for the book also leaves a lot to be desired. 'North Korea' alone is shown as a flash point whereas major players like Russia, India, Israel, Middle East, UK, EU fail to find a single mention. It is impossible to imagine that all these countries/regions will be mute spectators in case of a major global war. Absence of an epilogue also left a lot of questions answered.If you are a die hard Follett fan like me, you'll read it regardless. And probably end up disappointed to some degree.If you've never read Follett, I'll suggest you give this one a pass and pick up his earlier monumental works.3.5/5

One of the best books by Follett. It’s unputdownable and has amazing details about how the 3rd WW will take place and how things will escalate despite taking painstaking efforts by the world leaders the only thing that disappoints you is that INDIA is not in the picture) woven and crafted in such a way that readers will be engaged throughout the story. A must read for anyone interested in current Geo Politics.

Never is an epic story covering political events in the US, China, the Koreas, Chad, and Syria, that inexorably spiral into a possible nuclear conflict. It details how a relatively small event in a remote part of the world could force the superpowers to get involved and how the compulsions of international relationships could end up escalating the conflict rather than ameliorating it. A scary possibility, and more so with the enhanced threats of cyber warfare now (interestingly documented in Nicole Perlroth’s “This is how they tell me the world ends”)!However, what could have been a compelling political thriller becomes a mishmash of government manoeuvres and personal stories of some of the protagonists. The 800-page length consequently seems unnecessary — the entire track covering an undercover CIA agent in Chad and a mother-son duo from one of the Chadian settlements seems irrelevant and has very little bearing on the main plot, for example. Some of the personal side-stories are somewhat jarring and long, like the ones covering the lives of US President Pauline Green and her husband and daughter or even the relationship between a CIA operative and a French attache in Chad. The romantic tracks are awkward at best — when a key protagonist voices that “a woman’s heart can be an unexploded bomb … handle me delicately so that I don’t detonate”, you know that this isn’t Follett at his best. Foes of some of the main characters are reduced to caricatures. In a way, Never reminded me of the old Sidney Sheldon books — I would gobble them greedily when I was younger but would probably get nauseous reading parts of them now.Given its length, the book is mercifully an easy read. However, only parts of it are real page-turners such as an escape from a terrorist camp or the spiralling of events towards the end. While I wasn’t tempted to leave the book unfinished at any point, Never was a bit of a lost opportunity to be a great book, in my view.Pros: Epic story, easy readCons: Unnecessary length, awkward personal tracks

Super story

Very different from the KF of Eye of the Needle. Political story of the super powers and what happens at the very top, intertwined with a few seemingly unconnected sub plots. Good long read over the holiday week.

I like the history and geo political book.This is the perfect book in that genre.This is a thick book, but time flies once you know the characters.

Except in some parts, it never even kept me turning pages. And the end was so loose and did not close many of the build ups.If it was by any other writer, I might have stopped reading about half way thru.Coming from Ken Follett, I had to finish it, and that's why it's very very disappointing.

This book is AMAZING! Never is a political thriller that really dives into how a bunch of seemingly random events can escalate into something huge and dangerous on a global scale. The story follows different characters like a U.S. president, a CIA operative, and an intelligence officer, all trying to make the right choices in a super tense situation. Follett does a great job with the details, making the whole scenario feel pretty realistic, which amps up the suspense. Even though some parts drag a bit and the political stuff might feel heavy, the story is still gripping and makes you think about how easily things can go wrong in our interconnected world. If you're into thrillers that mix action with real-world issues, Never is definitely worth checking out.

Mr. Follett weaves a complex and compelling tale with incredible mastery. One of the best books I've read in years.

Personagens reais agindo de acordo com as suas características. Nenhum super-herói ou milagre. As histórias (quatro núcleos) prendem a atenção e o leitor não consegue parar. E, quando interrompe a leitura, quer voltar à história. Tomara que haja uma continuação.

Best novel written by Follet. No more comments needed.

I really have mixed feelings about this book. Spy-action thrillers are always a blast even on movies especially when it’s Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy, and Ken Follett . So I was excited, hyped-up, and engaged from page 1 of Never. My interest, however, did a nosedive, halfway through the 816 pages.What I 🩷:🦋That all the characters are given a chance to tell their stories by highlighting their storylines in every chapter. I love the stories of Abdul, Kiah, and Chang Kai🎭The complex storylines interweaving threads of espionage, political intrigue, and high-stakes missions💣The intense action and the suspenseful moments, unexpected twists, and constant danger⏳No boring and confusing flashbacks, instead, each chapter relay a continuous flow of events🎢Each page felt like a roller coaster ride of espionage and action. Getting a glimpse of what happens in the Situation Room when war breaks out is a real knocker!🌎The global settings exploring different countries, cultures transported me to the desert, to a war zone, to the famous kpop crib🔪The highlights on geographical and historical stories of the Superpowers, Asia, and African countries plus the inside knowledge shared on political strategies and maneuverings. It’s unbelievably true how people can sell their dignity and soul for their own political agenda and personal gain.Why NOT 5⭐️:- As the story progresses, it becomes slow-paced and repetitive, and there are moments where the story seems to be a drag 😑- The love story of Green is cringy and shouldn’t have given pages of emphasis. Not interesting at all! Tamara and Tab are cute though 👩‍❤️‍👨- The story in Africa took half of the book then abruptly ended to be replaced by issues in Asia, then suddenly there’s a chapter to close Abdul’s story. There was no continuity along this area. 😵- Im not sure if it’s just me or there is really NO major plot twist. If there is, I didn’t feel it. The conspiracy angle between the Chinese isn’t enough for a twist. 🧬- The ending is MEH! Not the hanging ending, that’s fine. But I didn’t get closure on the global war and Kai’s future.