Never Audiobook By Ken Follett cover art

Never

A Novel

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Never

By: Ken Follett
Narrated by: January LaVoy
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Buy for $31.50

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New York Times Bestseller

The new must-read epic from master storyteller Ken Follett: more than a thriller, it’s an action-packed, globe-spanning drama set in the present day.

“A compelling story, and only too realistic.” —Lawrence H. Summers, former U.S. Treasury Secretary

“Every catastrophe begins with a little problem that doesn’t get fixed.” So says Pauline Green, president of the United States, in Follett’s nerve-racking drama of international tension.

A shrinking oasis in the Sahara Desert; a stolen US Army drone; an uninhabited Japanese island; and one country’s secret stash of deadly chemical poisons: all these play roles in a relentlessly escalating crisis.

Struggling to prevent the outbreak of world war are a young woman intelligence officer; a spy working undercover with jihadists; a brilliant Chinese spymaster; and Pauline herself, beleaguered by a populist rival for the next president election.

Never is an extraordinary novel, full of heroines and villains, false prophets and elite warriors, jaded politicians and opportunistic revolutionaries. It brims with cautionary wisdom for our times, and delivers a visceral, heart-pounding read that transports readers to the brink of the unimaginable. Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense War & Military Political Fiction Espionage China War Military Middle East Genre Fiction Imperial Japan Iran Imperialism Heartfelt Political Fiction

Critic reviews

"Urgent and fiercely compelling . . . Never is first-rate entertainment that has something important to say. It deserves the popular success it will almost certainly achieve."
—The Washington Post

"Ken Follett can't write a bad book, and Never is his best. It's terrifying. I defy anyone to put it down once the last 150 pages are reached."
—Stephen King

"Superstar novelist Ken Follett’s what-if political thriller . . . is so exciting—and so plausible—you won’t want to look away."
—Apple Books (Best Book of the Month)

"Settle in for a thrilling ride."
—CNN.com

"Terrific . . . A powerful, commanding performance from one of the top writers in the genre."
—Publishers Weekly (starred)

"A complex, scary thriller that feels too plausible for comfort. 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. . . . On one level, it’s great entertainment; on another, a window into a sobering possibility."
—Kirkus (starred)

"Absolutely compelling . . . A smart, scary, and all-too-plausible thriller."
—Booklist
Compelling Geopolitical Thriller • Plausible Scenarios • Excellent Narration • Global Scope • Interconnected Storylines

Highly rated for:

All stars
Most relevant
On the one hand, it has no literary merit whatsoever and reads like a rather shallow romance novel, but, on the other hand, it’s a presumably well researched depiction of how we might flounder into the next nuclear war.

The book appears to be set in the near future but reflects nothing of the last five years or so of cultural change: the #metoo movement; the LGBT and transgender movements; George Floyd; January 6th; the burgeoning climate change issues; the post trump political divisions. From the story, you would never know that any of that has been happening. I suspect some of his research has been less than rigorous as it doesn’t always ring true with other things I have read andv listened to. . I have loved the number of Ken Follet’s historical novels. Had I not seen his name listed as the author I would never have guessed that he had written this one.

A difficult book to review

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Mister Follette has crafted a harrowing tale of ultimate disaster but the interspersed love scenarios make the big picture seem like a tv drama soap…. The author has done better looking backward at historical times rather than his attempts to look forward.

Hmmm

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When the story isn't beating over your head men bad women good, white bad not white good, Republican stupid democrat big brain there actually is a good story.

Great story that gets interrupted by taking points

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The story was interesting but left quite a bit to be desired at the end. Almost no character resolution and some of the story lines didn’t seem to connect. Also I’m afraid to said a bit chauvinistic. The female characters although sort of written to be strong all were more interested in romance. And some unnecessary details about skin color without any reason along story line other than to foster bias. Disappointing

Wanted it to be better

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Contemporary and anticipated story lines with forced but incredible woke applications. Bla bla bla bla.

Forced progressive attempt of expected story.

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