Book Log 2012 #8: Code to Zero by Ken Follett


A man wakes up in a public restroom, and can't remember who he is or how he got there. While he looks like a common bum, he quickly realizes that he's not, and as he builds up a base of knowledge about himself he also becomes aware that his condition is related to the coming launch of the Explorer I, the rocket that put the US into space in 1958. This leads to his wife and old friends from Harvard, and the realization that someone is out to stop him, and perhaps the rocket launch itself.

It was the basic premise of the book that led me to pick it up, but I have to say I was somewhat disappointed in the actual story. Certain things happened to quickly for my taste, or enjoyed a coincidence that stretched credulity a bit too far. I'm also not sure I understand why the characters who worked for the KGB joined the other side in the first place. There's a half-hearted attempt to explain at least one character's change, but I'm not really buying it.

The other issue I ran into is that there are things that the characters have done that I would have preferred to read about. Several characters worked for the OSS during World War II, some behind enemy lines. Another fought in the Spanish Civil War. There's the potential for some interesting flashbacks, but we don't get any. Most of the flashbacks we do get are to when most of the characters were students at Harvard or Radcliffe.

So, no, I don't think I'd recommend this book, which is a shame, as I still think the premise is a good one.