This 1962 novel is one of the best suspense...

...thrillers ever. The premise is that the US accidentally launches a nuclear attack on Russia in 1962 and then tries to stop it. Written at the height of the Cold War Fail-Safe presents what the authors believed was a plausible scenario.

This is another case where the audio version of a book is clearly superior to the print version. I've never listened to a Kevin Kraft narrated book before. Kraft is incredibly outstanding in narrating Fail-Safe. His Boston accent when speaking the part of the US president made me believe I was listening to JFK.

Only 36 Audible listeners have rated Fail-Safe and only 7 have written reviews. Fail-Safe deserves much more attention!! (There have been 237 Amazon reviews.)

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Fail Safe Audio Book Good For The Drive!

Would you try another book from Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler and/or Kevin Kraft?

Kevin Kraft took what was an extremely dry topic and infused enthusiasm into the audio presentation.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I was surprised at what the president of the United States did after the unintentional act perpetrated upon Russia.

Which scene was your favorite?

The ending was my favorite part - really unexpected.

Could you see Fail-Safe being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No - I think the subject matter may be too dated to be appealing to a contemporary audience.

Any additional comments?

The narrator did a very good job presenting the different characters. I would definitely listen to another book narrated by Mr. Kraft.

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Still relevant. Still frightening

The movie version is a cold war classic. The book has the identical plot details but much more depth of characters. The book allows for discussions of war, accidental war, the abdication of responsibility to machines and other themes. Other than a few anachronistic references the story could be set in modern day. A true gut punch. The narrator does an excellent job bringing to life a wide range of personalities. Highly recommended.

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A Cold War Miss

I love Cold War fiction ever since I read Alas, Babylon. I feel it’s an era I missed out on because I was too young to remember. I’ve taken a chance on lesser known works, some leaving me surprisingly fulfilled, and others that made me actually ask wtf, did the author have to get up and leave the country in the middle of the story?

This book is not great. Not terrible, but not one I’d instantly recommend. It does get my attention at first and I can see the premonition, but further along we are given life history of most characters involved which seems like filler. I began to like the reader’s voice because it had a strange lilt to it.

Until he started speaking in a Russian accent. And when I say Russian, I mean full on French. Not exaggerating at all. I kept waiting for him to say Sacre Bleu! but he never did. Don’t do accents if you can’t. Just don’t.

Otherwise, after the bios are done, we get back to the story and ends in a way that frankly surprised me. Which is good because I hate endings I can see from 1/4 through the book.

All said, it was ok. It wasn’t 13 days or Red October by any stretch, but I held out to the end.

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mobile dog face banana patch

this is most excellent narration will be probably actually for the Disney characters and one of the most enjoyable audio books

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Rave Reviews for an Exceptional Narrator

What about Kevin Kraft’s performance did you like?

Kevin truly made the story come alive for me. As someone who has a long commute daily and was apprehensive about listening to a book rather than reading the pages of a book, Kevin's narration of the story made it easy for me to transition. His voice is clear, crisp and you can hear the passion, drama and story in how he becomes each character to relay the chapters of the story to you via his voice. I got sucked into the story purely because of Kevin and looked forward to him joining me on my drive every day. I looked forward to him sharing the next bits of the story and realized that even though this would not be a natural selection for me as a book lover, he piqued my interest. I would love to hear more books narrated by Kevin to see what other stories he can pull me into and let my imagination run. Well done Kevin!

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Fail-Safe knocked me for a loop!

If you could sum up Fail-Safe in three words, what would they be?

Could really happen

Who was your favorite character and why?

The president.
I felt a real connection to the character. The way he gathered opinions and used the people he has chosen to make decisions, the readers (or listeners) are privy to knowledge he doesn’t have and yet his actions are bold and startling. I felt at ease with his manners and voice, it exuded confidence and determination.

Have you listened to any of Kevin Kraft’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. In this instance his reading was more of a performance, not over the top mind you but a steady storytelling and his use of different character voices was great. I listen while driving and I need something interesting to help me stay sharp on the road. It was very enjoyable.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did laugh out loud when protesters "They burned the book, then apologized to a non-listening public"
But at the end I really wanted MORE, what happens next.

Any additional comments?

This was the first audio book I listened to that I had not read or seen the movie first, it took me a while to get into the characters with all the set-up required, it was worth it and it may be just the way I am :o)

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Cliffhanger ending!

Would you consider the audio edition of Fail-Safe to be better than the print version?

For me YES. The narrator was terrific and brought the story to 'real' life.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked all as they played an important part.

What about Kevin Kraft’s performance did you like?

Kevin Kraft has a rich barratone voice with a hint of an accent. One that I loved to listen to.

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Very thought provoking. A very good read.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Good Cold War/Nuclear audiobook.

I love a good Cold War story where the bomb goes off. I love the long, but not boring build-up. The narrator did a great Kennedyesque voice. I could see an incident with technology unchecked happening today. Better than the movie, which is a good film in its own right.

A Peek Into Our Future

During these troubling times in America & Internationally, perhaps it’s best we all revisit this timeless theme of computer error and mutual destruction.