Code to Zero

Follett, Ken.  Code to Zero.

The Penguin Group, 2000, 356 pages.

 The book Code to Zero might best be reviewed by Gomer Pyle, the affable sidekick with the southern drawl on American TV’s Andy Griffith Show. One word stated three times: "surprise,  surprise,  surprise." The true surprise was the singing ability of the actor who played Gomer Pyle, Jim Nabors. Check out his version of our national anthem. Nabors sang the anthem at the Indianapolis 500, more than once. Okay, now for Ken Follett's rendition of Code to Zero. Follett’s thriller has a few surprises, and then some.

The novel has some unique elements that challenge the reader to adapt at various points. One of these adaptations features transitioning from the early 1940's to 1958. Follett’s novel also moves seamlessly from the point of view of one primary participant to another. The novel does all come together in a logical fashion given the story lines, which again require adaptation on our part. The story lines deal with college life, the outbreak of war and personal choices ranging from marital to philosophical.

One of the main themes of Code to Zero is the United States’ response to the success of the Soviet Union in launching two versions of Sputnik. One wonders if the dog on the second flight found the accommodations to his or her liking. The clash of these two cultures also raised the question of which way of life was better for a world emerging from global conflict, a world in  which countries were emerging as independent entities trying to ascertain which style of government might best suit them.

Domestically in the U.S. this was also the time of McCarthyism, an era when people of all political stripes wondered who could be trusted and who could not. The author places all of the unfolding events in a seamless fashion as he skillfully connects the dots between the lives of the characters involved and the ramifications of their actions on a national and even an international scale.

One can do a roll call of sorts without giving away too much. As the story opens  in 1958, the key characters are: Luke, an amnesiac, his companion Pete, C.I..A. operative Anthony Carroll, research psychologist Dr. Billie Josephson, and rocket scientist Elspeth, as well as a few people who are first identified by what they are wearing.  We have agents (some power hungry, some with little regard  for the law). We have researchers of different types from study of the human mind to the U.S. response to Sputnik. What we have is a mess to sort out.

One man wakes up, ostensibly inebriated, only to discover another man in a similar state. The first man is Luke and he has no recollection of anyone or anything. As it is stated later, his memory has been wiped. The second man (passed out on the bathroom floor of a train station), is Pete, who calls the other man Luke. Luke is, by all appearances, a vagrant fresh off the street and fresh off a bender. Pete offers help but little comfort and virtually no answers.

These people all know, or knew each other, whether at Harvard or Radcliffe. They knew each other before World War Two as well as during World War Two. The author (gradually) reveals inter - personal dynamics which feature a love triangle as well as several  rivalries.

Some of the feuding is between the Central Intelligence Agency and the citizenry they are tasked to serve. There are experiments conducted on suspected sympathizers, there are members of the C.I.A. who adhere to the law, there are members of the C.I. A. who have virtually no regard for the law. There is a project Bluebird funded in such a way that funds can not be traced. 

The main character, Luke, faces overcoming  (irreparable?) memory loss while trying to rediscover the essence of who he is. Luke must overcome obstacles along the way, not the least of which is being accused of being some sort of double agent and someone trying to kill him.

As a lead-in to each and every chapter we are given a quotation consisting of a summary of how to construct, or the workings of, one part or another of a spacecraft. Ostensibly, with sufficient funding and access to component parts and chemicals, clever readers could produce their own orbiters. The rocket assembly instructions tie in, but seem an odd juxtaposition at times.

You will enjoy the book. At various points I did not know whether I was playing checkers or three tiered chess. I would welcome, crave actually feedback as this is somewhat of a departure from the norm for me. I like the transitions and the layered aspects of the book.

I enjoyed the dynamics of the characters’ decision-making and the accompanying morality play. Afficianados of genre fiction will find this a good read. Those new to Ken Follet's works may well become admirers. Enjoy reading, the author’s efforts make it worthwhile.