Fail-Safe by Eugene Burdick (Epub)

Description

Originally published during the Cuban Missile Crisis, this suspenseful novel takes off as a group of American bombers—armed with a deadly payload of nuclear weapons—heads towards Moscow, their motives unknown. Suddenly, a nuclear apocalypse looms closer than it ever has, and the lives of millions depend on the high-stakes diplomacy of leaders on both sides of the divide.

The basis for the classic 1964 movie starring Henry Fonda, this two-million-copy bestseller is not only a terrifying thriller, but a fascinating social commentary on Cold War politics and a look at how, in a world poised on the brink, accidents and mistakes can have catastrophic consequences. Exploring the thin line between peace and global destruction that characterized this turbulent era, it is as timely as ever—“gripping, exciting and almost unbearably fascinating” (Los Angeles Times).

User’s Reviews

Eugene Burdick (1918-1965) taught at the University of California at Berkely and was chairman of the World Affairs Council in San Francisco. Among his many books is The Ugly American, the internationally famous novel written with Bill Lederer.Harvey Wheeler has been a professor of political philosophy at several institutions, including Harvard and Johns Hopkins. He is the author of several books, including Educare and The Rise of the Elders, a novel. He currently lives in Southern California. –This text refers to the paperback edition.

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ The seller did a good job describing the condition of this book. In fact it was better than described & was packaged very well. It arrived a little early which was a plus for me. I have been looking for this book for quite a while. I read the book when it first came out & lent it to a friend & that’s the last I saw of it. The movie was excellent too. Such a powerful story. If only justice worked that way in real life – you know – like it’s supposed to. Without a shadow of a doubt. Some of those men had no business being on a jury when a life was on the line. They just wanted to get back to their own life & didn’t care if that young man was innocent or not. Such a shame. Thank goodness for the one juror who stepped up. Of course, it was all about race, in my opinion. It could be the same way in a courtroom today. I would rather see one guilty man/woman go free than have one innocent man/woman put to death. You notice that in those times women weren’t allowed to serve on juries. I may be wrong but if they were, they weren’t picked. Because you know they should be home cooking, cleaning, doing the dishes & taking care of the children. lol Things have changed a little bit. Thank you

⭐ Love the movie version of the book. The Black and White film shows the tension and drama on both sides as a false signal goes out to a squad of bombers that an attack on the United States is REAL. Evey character is great in their roll. The tension is real and we see how our nation, its President, the Military, and speed of light negotiations try to stop the bombers and avert the beginning of world war three. The solution to the stalemate is a shock to all. You the reader has to decide what would you do? Always wished for a sequel but I think it best there never was one. Great book and a must read. Now having talked about the Movie I finished the book. Just great and up there as one of the best in its subject. Although a bit dated and hints that maybe Kennedy was the President and Nikita Khrushchev was the Russian Premier, it nevertheless has a gripping tale of a machine gone wrong. In that the world is placed on the edge of Nuclear destruction due to a malfunction in a machine that controlled our so called mistake proof computers. Which gives a false signal that is caused by BOTH sides depending on machines to prevent or take MAN out of the Equation of making decisions. The book is great and so was the film, read and see both. Classics in both their form.

⭐ I have watched the movie on TCM every time I become aware it is to be shown. And as I have mentioned in other reviews, I read the book to see if it was as good as the movie.The movie was faithful to the book and maybe a little better. Henry Fonda as the president was perfectly cast as the president as was most of the cast.Walter Mathau was also a standout as the pontificating hawk in the story. I recommend the book and/or the movie as solid entertainment and worth the time spent. Beware the ending… nostalgia for when this story was written was a far different mindset than the divisive climate in our political environment today.

⭐ While the 1964 film Fail-Safe by Sidney Lumet is a very good film, it does not quite capture all the nuances of the book. With one or two points, the book does demonstrate its superiority. For a work of popular fiction, it does a good job of portraying the Cold War and its threat to the peace of the world. In fact, you could argue that the language used in this fiction was more sophisticated than was was seen in most popular fictions of that time. Even now, 56 years after its publication, this novel holds up well as a thoughtful entertainment.

⭐ This novel, a period piece of the Cold War, presents an opportunity for those of us who lived through it, as well as younger generations that didn’t, a sobering glimpse of the razor’s edge on which the world balanced for decades.It also provides an opportunity to review the strategies and philosophies that made this situation possible. The reader should think long and hard about the relationships within the elaborate man-machine system of national defense.The world is a vastly different place than it was before the end of the Cold War. Instead of what was a terrifying, yet thoroughly understood, and essentially monolithic enemy., we now find ourselves embroiled in myriad conflicts with many enemies who seem to be intent on exsanguinating us by gnawing at our ankles rather than vaporizing us in thermonuclear Armageddon. Yet the thermonuclear threat appears once again rearing its head.The reader may equally see this novel as a call for nuclear disarmament or a warning that threats to our existence still exist today. But it seems to me that the authors’ desire was for us to think. I second that request.

⭐ A classic accidental nuclear warfare story, just as relevant today (given the technology dependence) as it was 50 years or so ago. It’s very well written and more or less completely credible. Thought-provoking as well. What is the right response from the US President? Puzzled as to why Kruschev is identified by name, but not the US President – clearly Kennedy from the decriptions. My only credibility issue is that I don’t think the Soviet Union would have agreed to the remedial action being taken by the US. They would have demanded the right to do that themselves.

⭐ Although Fail-Safe was written nearly 60 years ago it is great speculative fiction. It describes a time, of cold war, when the world was concerned with it’s own mutual destruction. Reading the novel, one is reminded of the school shelter drills, the bomb shelters, and the constant cold war crisis some of us lived with and lived through. A great read about a very dangerous time in human history!

⭐ This is the best book I have ever read. Bar None. Written 50 years ago, it could have been written yesterday. The tension, the truth, the drama, the loneliness, the darkness and the light…if you’ve never read a book in your life…if you have no intention of doing so, I IMPLORE You. Read this book. Jacqueline Rodzinski

⭐ I much preferred the movie. Book ok but too much time spent away from the main event which was the Flight 6 attacking Russia due to equipment error. Way too much time talking about human control or lack of control over safe guards , etc.

⭐ Well… 5 stars for the suspense and excitement and three stars for the unrealistic mechanism which precipitates the crisis as well as the preachy’ feel at times. Overall, I strongly recommend this book.Due to some mechanical/electrical malfunctions, a group of bombers heads towards Moscow with nuclear bombs believing they have valid orders to drop them. Any more story details will give away too much, so I’ll limit the rest of this review to general points.It has an alarmist feel with regard to technology rapidly outpacing man’s ability to control it, and I think in some ways it is quite dated both in terms of the attitude towards technology as well as the specific technologies involved. Of course, it was written over 40 years ago, so to some extent that is to be expected. The author’s point that no system is foolproof is certainly valid, but I think this point is brought up too often and in artificial ways. It gives a feel of ‘taking a break’ in the action of the story and delivering a brief sermon, then resuming. The suspense and the tension in the story are gripping, forcing me to devour this book in two sittings.All-in-all, an exciting cold war thriller with a little alarmist philosophy thrown in, slightly dated but still a great read!

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