Thom reviewed Fail-safe by Eugene Burdick
Review of 'Fail-safe' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This new era of duck-and-cover suggested a reading of this classic book, first produced as a magazine serial during the Cuban Missile crisis. The book doesn't start well but ends strong, with a powerful message to beware complete automation. The human element saves the world.
"What if the president went mad?" Black asked abruptly... "Then we would have trouble," Groteschele said with a laugh.
As new characters are introduced in the early chapters, a flashback brings them to the current day. These slow the tension down, and would have been better as a standalone first chapter. The early chapters are also jargon heavy, giving name to the technology of the time. The middle chapters ramp up the tension and work well, and the finish is perfectly revealed at the last moment.
From what I remember of the classic film, the tension is higher and Groteschele (played by a very serious …
This new era of duck-and-cover suggested a reading of this classic book, first produced as a magazine serial during the Cuban Missile crisis. The book doesn't start well but ends strong, with a powerful message to beware complete automation. The human element saves the world.
"What if the president went mad?" Black asked abruptly... "Then we would have trouble," Groteschele said with a laugh.
As new characters are introduced in the early chapters, a flashback brings them to the current day. These slow the tension down, and would have been better as a standalone first chapter. The early chapters are also jargon heavy, giving name to the technology of the time. The middle chapters ramp up the tension and work well, and the finish is perfectly revealed at the last moment.
From what I remember of the classic film, the tension is higher and Groteschele (played by a very serious Walter Matthau) was perfect. I did not see the remade film, but have put both on hold to watch and compare. Seattle is one of the closest large mainland cities to North Korea.