Undoubtedly the most striking in the works of Ken Follett it is the author's ability to infiltrate historical moments and create a totally convincing plot behind it. In Countdown, he invests in espionage and brings the space race as his main theme.
In the plot, Luke wake up in a public bathroom without remembering anything, including who you are. At first thinking that he is an alcoholic, he ends up looking for his true identity when a newspaper headline about the launch of a rocket in Florida catches his eye. Now he needs to find out about his involvement with the case before launch, in less than 24 hours.
“I was terrified. Her heart was pounding, her breathing was labored, and her body was rigid. It was like a nightmare, except that waking up had brought no relief. I felt that something terrible had happened, but I had no idea what it could be. ”
Countdown it's the simplest book by the author, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Known for dealing with several complex characters at the same time, and for their plots rich in historical details, in this work he does not go so far. Using the narrative that wanders between the past and the present, Follett explains Luke's involvement with each character, but does not create a complicated story for them. Likewise, the author raises some curiosities about the launch of the rocket, but does not include many historical explanations.
The simplicity of the work works, with some caveats. As it is more objective, it avoids some more tiring moments in the course of the narrative, however, the lack of complexity hinders the involvement with the characters and the suspense takes time to get in gear. Spending a reasonable amount of time in the protagonist's personal search, the book ends up causing moments of tension just closer to the end, where everything took on a frantic rhythm, like a real countdown coming to an end.
Even so, Countdown maintains the author's striking features and manages to entertain, even though it is not his best work. It is a thriller that explores a very little used time in the theme, which has enormous potential and manages to please even with all simplicity.
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