Fiction

Never

Never

  • Downloads：8469
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-11-15 00:15:58
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ken Follett
  • ISBN：1529076943
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

More than a thriller， a gripping high stakes human drama with a chilling 'What If' premise from master storyteller Ken Follett。

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Reviews

Lee Cohen ，

What？Just…What？I’d give the book 4 stars right up until the ending。 Not going to spoil anything。 Plot was well constructed， characters well written， and then the whole thing drove right into a wall。 Or， in its own terms， nuked itself。Impossible to believe。Could not happen， based on any understanding of the characters， world politics， motivations， anything。 So disappointed。 I love Ken Follett。 Expected so much better。

Bill Elston ，

A startling end。 Read it for yourself。Folletts latest story starts out very slowly， reads like a romance novel。 But then the covert and overt action begins and builds and builds until there is nothing。

Montse #SeguiréLeyendo ，

4。5 ⭐️

Brandon ，

3。75

NILTON TEIXEIRA ，

Well， it seems that I should stop giving top priority or “running” to the stores to buy the latest releases by Stephen King， Jeffrey Archer， John Grisham， Dean Koontz and now （sadly） Ken Follett。 But I will get free copies from the library as this way I won’t feel the obligation to finish a disappointing book。With this one， during the first 15% I thought that I was watching an episode of “Homeland” and I was very excited about it。 Unfortunately I did not find this book as remarkable as the TV se Well， it seems that I should stop giving top priority or “running” to the stores to buy the latest releases by Stephen King， Jeffrey Archer， John Grisham， Dean Koontz and now （sadly） Ken Follett。 But I will get free copies from the library as this way I won’t feel the obligation to finish a disappointing book。With this one， during the first 15% I thought that I was watching an episode of “Homeland” and I was very excited about it。 Unfortunately I did not find this book as remarkable as the TV series。“Never”， a contemporary book， imagines a series of global events that brings the world closer to a Third World War， a nuclear war that few would survive。I will be honest saying that I can hardly believe that it was written by Follett。His attempt to “humanize” some characters with some cheesy romantic encounters and cheesy dialogues was a let down。 At least he did not try to write sex scenes。 Also， the top leaders had some childish behaviour （example: “what’s the point of having nuclear weapons if not to use it？” “If you attack America you are toast！”）。The part that I found more exciting was the ring of smugglers。I really don’t feel like writing about my experience reading this book。I can’t hide my disappointment。It seems that， as at today， I’m the first one in my group of friends to have finished this book， so I’m quite sure that I will be the outlier。I do hope that you all will enjoy this book。I think that it’s going to be hard to top the excellent Kingsbridge Tetralogy and The Century Trilogy。PS。 I did listen to the audiobook narrated by January LaVoi， while I simultaneously read the book。 I found her voice sleepy and speeding makes her voice too young and not very convincing。The book: 816 pages （cover to cover）， 213k words， 42 chapters。 An average reader would need between 17 and 19 hours。 Audiobook: 24 hours if played at regular speed。 。。。more

Nicola Mackenzie-Smaller ，

Oh。 This book has given me The Fear。 Follett’s first contemporary thriller for years。 This is a big book， both in terms of pages and themes。 Follett weaves together multiple international storylines， showing how easily the world could be brought to the brink of nuclear war。 I do have some issues with his writing of female characters， and was tempted to knock a star off。 Let’s call it a 4。5。 It’s well paced， plausible and flipping terrifying。

Repix ，

El tema es interesante， escenarios emocionantes， algún personaje muy potente， pero el libro se va deslizando， estirando， perdiendo y acaba aburriendo。

Sarai ，

I listened to 10 of 25 hours of this audio book。 I dnf because it just was not interesting。Some of my favorite books are by Ken Follet， but this can not compare to his previous novels that absorbed you into the books world。Dissappointed。

Nancy ，

3。7 TOO LONG。 If that detail doesn’t bother you， enjoy this modern spy book…that’s leading to WW111。 The premise was good and Follett does a good job expressing himself。 … but I thought there were too many sub stories。 Most of the characters were unlikable except for Pauline。 Interesting but not pleasurable to read。

jamesd ，

Whew！ What a book！Ken Follett has a masterpiece on his hands。 Dare I say best yet？ Be ready for the ride of your book reading life。 Nope I’m not spilling the beans you’ve got to read it。 800 or so pages will fly by， you may even cry…but it will make you think…I’m being greedy now Ken， I hope there is another book。。thank you！

Laura Peden ，

4。5/5

Horace Derwent ，

after korean war， china and north korea are no longer allies， and you know what， now china is the west north korea， cuz it's on the west of it， pooh。。。。you know what i mean？and you know that commie china's biggest threat now is just north korea， ever， cuz it's just a retarted midget lunatic violent little inbred commie motherfucker after korean war， china and north korea are no longer allies， and you know what， now china is the west north korea， cuz it's on the west of it， pooh。。。。you know what i mean？and you know that commie china's biggest threat now is just north korea， ever， cuz it's just a retarted midget lunatic violent little inbred commie motherfucker 。。。more

danielle ，

Rating 4。5

Mehul desai ，

AvoidToo many separate stories。。 No cohesive tieups。。each is not interwoven into the other。 Waste of time。 Can't believe it is the same master storyteller。 AvoidToo many separate stories。。 No cohesive tieups。。each is not interwoven into the other。 Waste of time。 Can't believe it is the same master storyteller。 。。。more

Helen ，

This was a scary look at how World War 3 could come about through a series of seemingly small incidents across the worlds that escalate into a series of tit for tat military actions。 Gripping and tense， it's terrifying how easily you could actually visualise these actions as a reader， and I found the book profoundly unsettling。 My rating would have been 5 stars， had it not been for the depiction of a couple of the few female characters， in particular the US President Pauline， who is unnecessaril This was a scary look at how World War 3 could come about through a series of seemingly small incidents across the worlds that escalate into a series of tit for tat military actions。 Gripping and tense， it's terrifying how easily you could actually visualise these actions as a reader， and I found the book profoundly unsettling。 My rating would have been 5 stars， had it not been for the depiction of a couple of the few female characters， in particular the US President Pauline， who is unnecessarily shown as torn between her job， family and romantic life in a way that a male US President in the same situation wouldn't have been portrayed。 It's a shame as I found the depiction of other women， such as Kiah， a refugee mother， to be very strong。Thanks to the author and Pigeonhole for access to this book。 。。。more

Patrizia ，

Sullo sfondo di un'Africa tormentata da corruzione， jjhadisti， fame e miseria， i delicati equilibri mondiali sono in pericolo。 Una storia verosimile， in cui si intrecciano le vite di spie， politici e semplici esseri umani in fuga dalla miseria e dalla paura， ci conduce con ritmo crescente verso una temuta escalation di tensioni internazionali。 Sullo sfondo di un'Africa tormentata da corruzione， jjhadisti， fame e miseria， i delicati equilibri mondiali sono in pericolo。 Una storia verosimile， in cui si intrecciano le vite di spie， politici e semplici esseri umani in fuga dalla miseria e dalla paura， ci conduce con ritmo crescente verso una temuta escalation di tensioni internazionali。 。。。more

Shelagh Wadman ，

Ken Follett is one of my favourite authors and his new thriller Never did not disappoint。I found the book to be uncomfortable reading and appears to be more fact than fiction。 There are three main storylines which create a spiders web of international politics and perceived political power which ultimately brings the world closer to a nuclear war。 We see a marriage crumble and the seeds of love grow giving light relief to an otherwise frightening scenario that develops between the worlds major p Ken Follett is one of my favourite authors and his new thriller Never did not disappoint。I found the book to be uncomfortable reading and appears to be more fact than fiction。 There are three main storylines which create a spiders web of international politics and perceived political power which ultimately brings the world closer to a nuclear war。 We see a marriage crumble and the seeds of love grow giving light relief to an otherwise frightening scenario that develops between the worlds major political regimes。 A fantastic read thank you Pigeonhole and Ken Follett for the opportunity to read this thrilling book。 。。。more

J L NICOL ，

Nuclear ArmageddonWhat a book， starting off ever so slowly the tension is rapidly escalated to a very sharp point but you are also reading about events in North Africa and a spy trying to find out happened to cocaine！！ Abdul finally gets to be in a family and couldn't be happier。Easily recommended， very easy to read。 Nuclear ArmageddonWhat a book， starting off ever so slowly the tension is rapidly escalated to a very sharp point but you are also reading about events in North Africa and a spy trying to find out happened to cocaine！！ Abdul finally gets to be in a family and couldn't be happier。Easily recommended， very easy to read。 。。。more

Laura Hamilton ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I haven't read any Ken Follett before so took the opportunity to try his latest （modern-day） offering when it was available on The Pigeonhole。I was intrigued by the synopsis， given as part of my gcse/A-Level history courses I had studied the outbreak of World War one and remembered how the alliance system in operation had made war inevitable。 "Never" was wrote to explore how/if the same was true now， though frighteningly it would this time result in nuclear war。This book was disturbingly accurat I haven't read any Ken Follett before so took the opportunity to try his latest （modern-day） offering when it was available on The Pigeonhole。I was intrigued by the synopsis， given as part of my gcse/A-Level history courses I had studied the outbreak of World War one and remembered how the alliance system in operation had made war inevitable。 "Never" was wrote to explore how/if the same was true now， though frighteningly it would this time result in nuclear war。This book was disturbingly accurate with it's descriptions of some of the central characters and how they reacted to events。 As things escalated and we became closer to nuclear war it became apparent that not only today's alliance system had a part to play， but also the ego's of the （male） leaders and those whose advice they listened to。I was gripped my this book， as events unfolded I wanted to see it come to a happy conclusion but deep down I knew that history would no doubt repeat itself but to more horrific levels this time。I deducted one star for two reasons: Firstly， the romance between Pauline （US President） and Gus （National Security Advisor） was a distraction from the General plot and also a disappointment， that the author felt Pauline couldn’t be a strong independent minded woman at a time of major world crisis， that she had to go gooey-eyed over a man that was showing her attention when her husband was not。Secondly， I would have thought that given the world was heading for Nuclear war， the UN Security Council， did not have more than a passing mention of "being in constant session"。 Though this， upon reflection might， show that though the UN is there to prevent conflict， they do not have the necessary "teeth" to do this so are only able to pathetically wring their hands together。 Also thought that there would be more input from Russia than "the Kremlin is not very happy with events" （sic）， especially as they are a "superpower" and not actually part of the conflict， knowing how the resulting Nuclear war would still effect them， I thought they would be communicating with China and the USA more to prevent it。Still highly recommend reading it though， given how close to reality it is， how a little local conflict has wider implications and how things can escalate if allowed to do so。With thanks to the author and The Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read ahead of release。 。。。more

Kriss ，

Phew， you will need nerves of steel to read this book to the end， a contemporary fictional story that just strikes too close to the bone。 Tense， nail biting， full of heroes and baddies: three story lines that criss cross across four continents， showing the best and the worst of humanity。 Old guard male egos clash with younger progressives in a great tale of abuse of power on so many levels， from jihadis to people traffickers to heads of State and those who want something better than world annihi Phew， you will need nerves of steel to read this book to the end， a contemporary fictional story that just strikes too close to the bone。 Tense， nail biting， full of heroes and baddies: three story lines that criss cross across four continents， showing the best and the worst of humanity。 Old guard male egos clash with younger progressives in a great tale of abuse of power on so many levels， from jihadis to people traffickers to heads of State and those who want something better than world annihilation for themselves and their people。 Had to take many walks in the middle of staves to be able to breathe and refocus and remember how good it is to be alive in the midst of all that is happening。 Also brought memories of why we stayed at Greenham Common for so long， why everyone has to understand the threat to humanity of nuclear armaments， what they cost in mental health terrorism ALL the time。 Thanks to Ken Follett and Pigeonhole for such a challenging read， wonder why Ken hasn’t written something about Welsh history， being a Welshman。 。。。more

Irene ，

As I was reading this book I could not equate it with Ken Follett。 I felt the characters were underdeveloped， the romantic relationships pathetic and contrived， the political storyline was reasonable although the behaviour of those in power was childish and hopefully not true to life。 I would hate to think that people like that might be in charge on nuclear warfare。 This was definitely not a book I would recommend！

Alison ，

As always Ken Follett never disappoints。 His new book Never is an incredibly awakening read。 The political powerhouses in this world are scary， but make brilliant reading。 I read this book on the Pigeonhole app book club with other readers in the UK。 A page turner with a very fast pace， very interesting characters， a fascinating and frightening story is told in many pages where the atmosphere is foreboding and chilling。 Ken Follett is such a master storyteller。 Reading this book is a must。

Amanda Holyoak ，

This is a terrifyingly plausible political story of what if。 Like all Ken Follett novels it's cleverly written and well plotted， with a host of interesting characters。 I don't normally read and enjoy political novels but this was a definite exception。 The political story is interwoven with personal stories， lightening what might otherwise be a too bleak story。 It is still it always an easy read but it is an incredible book which really makes you think。 This is a terrifyingly plausible political story of what if。 Like all Ken Follett novels it's cleverly written and well plotted， with a host of interesting characters。 I don't normally read and enjoy political novels but this was a definite exception。 The political story is interwoven with personal stories， lightening what might otherwise be a too bleak story。 It is still it always an easy read but it is an incredible book which really makes you think。 。。。more

BookTrib。com ，

Follett is one of our great thriller authors。 He’s authored more than 30 books with 170 million sales ranging from the classic spy thriller Eye of the Needle to the cathedral-building medieval epic Pillars of the Earth。 Now， at age 72， he has given us a book that could be his most important。 Read our full review here:https://booktrib。com/2021/11/09/folle。。。 Follett is one of our great thriller authors。 He’s authored more than 30 books with 170 million sales ranging from the classic spy thriller Eye of the Needle to the cathedral-building medieval epic Pillars of the Earth。 Now， at age 72， he has given us a book that could be his most important。 Read our full review here:https://booktrib。com/2021/11/09/folle。。。 。。。more

Amanda Taft ，

I read this book on the Pigeonhole app， one stave per day over 13 days， commenting along with other readers。 Ken Follett is my all time favourite author so I was delighted to be given this opportunity ahead of publication day！ I love how he writes in such detail， in a way that makes all his books interesting regardless of the subject。 It doesn’t matter if it’s not my ‘normal’ genre， if it’s written by Ken Follett I’m guaranteed an enjoyable read！ In his typical writing style， the book has differ I read this book on the Pigeonhole app， one stave per day over 13 days， commenting along with other readers。 Ken Follett is my all time favourite author so I was delighted to be given this opportunity ahead of publication day！ I love how he writes in such detail， in a way that makes all his books interesting regardless of the subject。 It doesn’t matter if it’s not my ‘normal’ genre， if it’s written by Ken Follett I’m guaranteed an enjoyable read！ In his typical writing style， the book has different storylines which are intertwined。 I also like how he uses strong female characters。 The subject of this book is both terrifying and the stuff of nightmares; how a relatively minor incident can escalate internationally and have the potential for catastrophic consequences。 This is a tense， action packed thriller right up until the very last page。 。。。more

Ellena Downes ，

This has tension written in every page， if you don't have anti-nuclear an opinion already this will tip you over that edge。 Although long it doesn't feel like it， a definite page turner。 Loved it This has tension written in every page， if you don't have anti-nuclear an opinion already this will tip you over that edge。 Although long it doesn't feel like it， a definite page turner。 Loved it 。。。more

Alison Alice-May ，

Wow！ That was indeed an epic read。 A long book， spanning a short time but based across the world。 I started the book， not expecting to enjoy it， but knowing that I loved Ken Follett’s writing and storytelling。I also expected a thriller， having read early release notices， but had not expected to be thrilled。 I am used to Ken’s historical fiction works， but wasn’t so sure how his writing could adapt to current， modern events on a global level。 I shouldn’t have worried。 Never is brilliantly written Wow！ That was indeed an epic read。 A long book， spanning a short time but based across the world。 I started the book， not expecting to enjoy it， but knowing that I loved Ken Follett’s writing and storytelling。I also expected a thriller， having read early release notices， but had not expected to be thrilled。 I am used to Ken’s historical fiction works， but wasn’t so sure how his writing could adapt to current， modern events on a global level。 I shouldn’t have worried。 Never is brilliantly written， with well written world players on an international stage。 We are introduced to spies in the Sahara desert （my favourite storyline）， the female President of the United States， and young wannabes in today’s China。 The plot is driven by chaos in world politics and an extremely worrying situation that gets completely out of hand。The storylines are superb。 The reading is interspersed with some easy reading that gives you a break from the scary reading。 I loved a lot of the characters and would enjoy reading more about them。 There are also nasty characters that are obsessed with themselves and what they can get out of the world situation。 There are also stories of love that I felt were handled really well and stories of hate and secrets。 This is a fantastic book， completely up to date and worryingly plausible。 I hope there is a sequel as I will be the first in the queue。 。。。more

Liviu ，

If for the name of the author， wouldn't have bothered as these so-called 'warning" books are a dime a dozen and usually outdated by the time they are published or five years later at best， and this one is similar; nothing special in anything about it， so if you like the genre 9as noted I emphatically dislike it0， you may like as it is a competently executed book with not much ideological axe to grind （as many such books are）， but nothing else If for the name of the author， wouldn't have bothered as these so-called 'warning" books are a dime a dozen and usually outdated by the time they are published or five years later at best， and this one is similar; nothing special in anything about it， so if you like the genre 9as noted I emphatically dislike it0， you may like as it is a competently executed book with not much ideological axe to grind （as many such books are）， but nothing else 。。。more

Jackie ，

Never is the latest terrifying international modern day thriller by Ken Follett。 In short， we follow the story which exposes the fragility of a modern world and the terrifying power games in the international diplomatic arena which could potentially lead to catastrophic consequences with a real threat of a WW3。 It’s a whopping read， plenty of tense， fast paced action that is so close to reality that it will scare the living daylights out of you。 Another solid read by the master storyteller。

Vicki ，

“Never，” by Ken Follett， Viking， 816 pages， Nov。 9， 2021。“Every catastrophe begins with a little problem that doesn’t get fixed，” says U。S。 President Pauline Green。In the African nation of Chad， two intelligence agents are on the trail of a group of drug-smuggling terrorists。 Nearby， a young widow fights against human traffickers while traveling illegally to Europe with the help of a man who may not be who he says he is。 In China， a senior government official with ambitions for himself and his c “Never，” by Ken Follett， Viking， 816 pages， Nov。 9， 2021。“Every catastrophe begins with a little problem that doesn’t get fixed，” says U。S。 President Pauline Green。In the African nation of Chad， two intelligence agents are on the trail of a group of drug-smuggling terrorists。 Nearby， a young widow fights against human traffickers while traveling illegally to Europe with the help of a man who may not be who he says he is。 In China， a senior government official with ambitions for himself and his country battles against the older Communist hawks in the government as North Korea threatens South Korea。 President Green is beleaguered by presidential candidate Sen。 James Moore， who thinks there’s no point in having nuclear weapons if you won’t use them。 Green will do everything in her power to avoid an unnecessary war。 But when one act of aggression leads to another， the most powerful countries in the world are caught in a complex web of alliances。 Will it end with a nuclear war？ The levels of DEFCON are counted down at the beginnig of the chapters。“Never” is an extraordinary thriller， with strong characters， both men and women。 You’ll be so absorbed in the story threads that you’ll follow them anywhere—and you’ll suddenly realize you’ve read hundreds of pages。 Then the tension ratchets up。 All of Ken Follett’s books are tremendous and “Never” is one of his best。 If you haven’t read his Kingsbridge series， you’re really missing excellent works。 The first is “The Pillars of the Earth。”In accordance with FTC guidelines， the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Never

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Never&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Never&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0