Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Fail Safe

4.04 of 5 stars 4.04 · rating details · 1,578 ratings · 60 reviews

Something has gone wrong. A group of American bombers armed with nuclear weapons is streaking past the fail-safe point, beyond recall, and no one knows why. Their destination -- Moscow.

In a bomb shelter beneath the White House, the calm young president turns to his Russian translator and says, "I think we are ready to talk to Premier Kruschchev." Not far away, in the War R...more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published July 10th 1999 by Harper Perennial (first published October 1962)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

Best Books of the Decade: 1960's

150th out of 437 books — 509 voters

The Most Disturbing Book Ever Written

247th out of 936 books — 3,337 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 2,097)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Nov 06, 2007 J. Shimotake rated it 4 of 5 stars

While reading this book, it's hard not to smell Burdick's cigarette burning and the clack-clack-clack of his typewriter. Anyway, it's an awesome read and beats the shit out of the teleplay CBS did in 1999...

Also, this is the first in a series we have dubbed "The Kedzie Classic." To become a "Kedzie Classic," Brandon, Marty and I must all have a turn of it within 72 hours. It's a pretty exlcusive club. So far it's this book, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Linda Davenport.

Then again, I d...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 05, 2012 Mike Hankins rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: cold-war

Before there was Tom Clancy, there was books like this: guesses at doomsday scenarios and nuclear Armageddon brought about by the increasing escalation in the Cold War. Written in 1962, this novel, emblematic of what became an entire genre, attempt to warn us of our own impending destruction because of the out-of-control nuclear arms race that existed at the time. While it’s very preachy, it raises some good points and, if nothing else, provides a valuable look at the mindset of the time period....more Before there was Tom Clancy, there was books like this: guesses at doomsday scenarios and nuclear Armageddon brought about by the increasing escalation in the Cold War. Written in 1962, this novel, emblematic of what became an entire genre, attempt to warn us of our own impending destruction because of the out-of-control nuclear arms race that existed at the time. While it’s very preachy, it raises some good points and, if nothing else, provides a valuable look at the mindset of the time period.

The basic plot is that a group of bombers on a fairly routine mission, standing by to attack Russia in case anything goes awry, fails to receive a cancel order, and proceeds to begin an attack course to launch nukes on Moscow. The majority of the action plays out in the now-familiar setting of secret government war rooms with big map boards, electronics, and giant conference table full of generals arguing about options, while the President’s hand hovers over a button. But the novel also includes characters like nuclear scientists and military theorists on both sides of the nuclear argument. Some of the most memorable scenes are of debates between those that argue for a “strike-first” policy versus those favoring disarmament. Burdick and Wheeler show a strong fmailiarity with the various arguments from the period, and take time to really think through their outcomes, putting various doctrinal stances into the mouths of the characters.

This becomes the main flaw of the book, mainly that the characters are simply non-persons designed to either fulfill a certain plot role, or to spew a certain ideology. Since the main point of the book is to discuss and critique the various arguments of nuclear deterrent as a theory and strategy, this makes sense. The only problem with this approach is that the book barely qualifies as a novel at this point.

The other fatal flaw of the book is how incredibly preachy it is. I will refrain from spoilers, since the ending of the book is incredibly eyebrow-raising. But thematically, the main thrust ends up being a very anti-technology stance wherein humanity is chastised for our horrible choices and self-destructive tendencies. The dialog becomes so over-the-top, cliched and preachy that all semblance of fiction is lost as the characters just become mouthpieces for the author’s polemic against the engineers of the Cold War.

The book will appeal to fans of military history or of military fiction in general. The authors demonstrate an accurate knowledge of the technology of the time, although some admitted liberties are taken. The book provides a revealing insight into the mindset of the 60s, where fear of nuclear war ran rampant. The idea that humanity was on the brink of annihilation at any point, which could be set off from any misstep, is a powerful notion. There’s a sense of frustration and confusion that pervaded the period, which this book accurately captures. In that sense, while it may not stand the test of time as a work of fiction, it does still provide a valuable window into the past.(less)

like · see review

Jun 30, 2012 Alex rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Fail-Safe" has long been one of my favorite Cold War movies, but I never thought about reading the book until recently. But I was in the mood for some 60's-era spy stories, so I picked this up as a quick read.

Written almost on top of the Cuban missile crisis, "Fail-Safe" begins as an accidental glitch in the U.S. nuclear protocol sends several bombers, armed with atomic weapons, off to bomb Russia. For some mysterious reason, the U.S. is unable to contact the bombers and stop them. Eventually,...more "Fail-Safe" has long been one of my favorite Cold War movies, but I never thought about reading the book until recently. But I was in the mood for some 60's-era spy stories, so I picked this up as a quick read.

Written almost on top of the Cuban missile crisis, "Fail-Safe" begins as an accidental glitch in the U.S. nuclear protocol sends several bombers, armed with atomic weapons, off to bomb Russia. For some mysterious reason, the U.S. is unable to contact the bombers and stop them. Eventually, the U.S. president is forced to use the "hotline" to call the Russian premier and try to avert a nuclear apocalypse through a careful game of diplomacy and chess.

If this seems similar to "Dr. Strangelove," you have no idea. The movie "Fail-Safe" and "Dr. Strangelove" became embroiled in lawsuits--as did "Dr. Strangelove's" source novel, "Red Alert," and this book. Who knows who came up with which idea first.

As many of you may know, the president ultimately finds a solution which averts a nuclear war, but is itself horrifying. The type of solution King Solomon might have approved of, if he had gone ahead and split the baby. This may be the least happy "happy" ending in history.

The novel is quick, and has a skill with characterization--especially in the early scenes. I loved how it used the White House's Russian translator as a narrator, to keep the president's internal decision-making process opaque, and his final solution surprising. The novel may sag a bit in its descriptions of America's nuclear machinery, but perhaps it's necessary to keep the rather fantastic story believable.

Ultimately, I probably didn't enjoy the book as much as I should have, just because I know the story so well. There are few deviations from the novel and film--the biggest change I can remember is that in the novel, the Russian premier is Nikita Kruschev, and the president, while unnamed, is obviously supposed to be John Kennedy. (In the movie it's not that clear, although Henry Fonda is certainly Kennedy-esque.)

I have the feeling that reading the book unaware of the outcome would be thrilling and terrifying--but for me it worked more on an intellectual level.(less)

like · see review

Jul 28, 2010 Robert rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read the book, as with a few others, shortly after seeing the movie the first time it was shown on TV in the 60's. As usual there was a bit more in the book than would fit on the screen and parts that are nearly unfilmable. It is certainly a striking premise that a president would do what the fictional president does in this book to avert an all-out exchange, a prospect that only continued to grow in horror for the next twenty years or so after the book came out as the stockpile of warheads rapi...more Read the book, as with a few others, shortly after seeing the movie the first time it was shown on TV in the 60's. As usual there was a bit more in the book than would fit on the screen and parts that are nearly unfilmable. It is certainly a striking premise that a president would do what the fictional president does in this book to avert an all-out exchange, a prospect that only continued to grow in horror for the next twenty years or so after the book came out as the stockpile of warheads rapidly grew and increasingly sophisticated methods of delivery were developed with more and better submarines in addition to ICBM's and all combined with MIRV technology. The story line here is a proper use of literary license but I do not believe even under circumstances exactly equivalent to the setting here (allowing that now it is nearly all about missiles, the B-58's being long retired) that the chief executive on either side would solve the problem as is done in Fail Safe. But it gives a strong story line while actual aspects of the cold war threat of large scale nuclear war are examined and the dramatic plot highlights the sort of bind we could easily find ourselves suddenly facing if something important goes wrong or even our opponent just a bit jumpy that day (there was an episode that was too close for comfort in 1983).

The movie was remarkably faithful to the book even attempting to represent the most unfilmable of all the books threads, the matador dream of General Black, with great visual skill but without narrative success. If I had not read the book I would never have figured out what the dream meant from the movie. Still the sacrifice made by Black is still very clear in both book and movie. The main thing missing was some extra detail about the cold war and about the supporting characters, in particular, the civilian expert (played by Walter Matthau in the movie), a Jew in the U.S. army who took pride in intimidating the captured Nazi soldiers he interrogated and held the passivity of European Jewry (the Frank family in particular) in contempt (for him Warsaw was too little too late), who is the main hard liner recommending that the accident be exploited to launch a long overdue all-out first strike, in his view, making the best of the situation in the face of inevitable war in the future.

There are some who have posted online who think the portrayal of right wing characters in this book to exaggerated or preachy. I disagree. They decent composites of a few well placed real life figures of that time who genuinely believed, and sometimes said so publicly, that a first strike while a large numerical and delivery advantage was still in hand was overdue and that if in the smoking ruins of civilization there were two of them for every one of the enemy it was a victory, and one well worth winning. Unfortunately, the book was not indulging a joke, a satire, or much of an exaggeration or caricature.(less)

1 like · like · see review

May 31, 2011 Nina Laube rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: independent-reading

This story goes beyond fascinating, and leads to darkness. Fail-Safe was written in the time of Cold War fear and distress, when the apocalypse seemed all too real a threat. This engrossing tale shares a window into the events leading up to a terrifying situation: American bombers have launched an attack on Soviet Russia. A fleet of B-52's equipped with nuclear weapons are headed toward their target and soon slip past the fail-safe point, the point of no return. As the situation becomes bleaker,...more

like · see review

Aug 10, 2010 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this way, way, way back...high school I believe, late 60s. This was and, if you let yourself get into it and the times it was written, still is, the proverbial white knuckle, nail biter. There are times the frustration level at humans and our almost pathological self destructiveness will cause you to want to beat your head (or possibly a character's head) against a wall. You'll wish that the characters would just for an instant use some common sense. And the whole acting sort of like the...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 31, 2013 Jeane rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this at the time the book was published. That was during the height of the cold war. Although I have since heard that there are technical errors in the book, at the time, it was very believeable.
We had had school drills of what to do if there was an atomic bomb dropped on us. We actually were more or less expecting that to happen so this book fit right into the thinking of that era. A mistake sends a crew to Russia with orders to bomb them. What is done to try to convince them that it's a...more

like · see review

Oct 04, 2012 Richard rated it 5 of 5 stars

During the Cold War, U.S. bomber jets are equipped with fail-safe boxes that instruct pilots when and if to attack. When an attack order is inadvertently administered due to a system malfunction, the President of the United States must scramble to fix the mistake before the bombs are dropped on Moscow. He manages to stop almost all the bombers headed for Moscow, except for one determined pilot who manages to complete his mission, with deadly consequences.

Great book!

This is a fictitious story but...more

like · see review

Jan 04, 2011 Bob Mayer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Most people think we are relatively safe from nuclear weapons. That couldn't be further from the truth. There are way too many nukes floating around out there. And the United States has the most. Having been in Special Operations I applaud those whose duty it is to defend our country, but it is inevitable that a nuke will go off, most likely inside a container in a port city. Since they exist, they will be used.
There is also the possibility of a mistake as outlined in this book. Yes, mistakes ha...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 02, 2012 Branch Isole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Arms Race, Space Race, Cuban Missle Crisis. A book written describing the 'Red Scare' period of the 1950's 'Nuke' days, this is one story which shows the heigthened tensions both American and Russian citizens lived with and feared.

While the story's focus aims at the political leaders of the two super power countries, the fate of the world truly lies in the intepretations and intoned language of one lower level administation employee.

Well written and classic in presentaion, before 'Information A...more

like · see review

Jun 24, 2011 Philip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Philip by: Tracy

Thank you demotivationalposters. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Fail Safe was originally written in 1962 - a time of terrible uncertainty when it comes to nukes and the cold war. That's the same year as the Cuban Missile Crisis... This was also the height of the MAD doctrine and while maybe classroom teachers were betting on the desks, I think I'd be betting on the bomb.

It's difficult to recreate feelings in history. We resort to relying on our own experiences and perspective and casting...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 26, 2008 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: assigned-reading, fiction

I thought I'd review a book that was reflective of how my life seems to be going (i.e., total meltdown). Ok, I'm mostly kidding. Anyway, personal apocalypses aside, Fail Safe is naturally not an easy book to read, but it is a good, suspenseful, important one. Read a description of this book and, if it appeals to you at all in any way, I'd say go for it.

I remember one character in particular, the American who acts as interpreter to the Russians. He is this Russian language whiz kid--the best inte...more

like · see review

Jun 13, 2008 Bret Pehrson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Well, this book has been on my to-read list for some time. I found out about this book while reading about failure conditions in circuit design (book was referenced as a hypothetical worst-case scenario for a failed circuit).

The basic premise of the book: "Something has gone wrong. A group of American bombers armed with nuclear weapons is streaking past the fail-safe point, beyond recall, and no one knows why. Their destination -- Moscow." -- not unlike the premise of the movie Dr. Strangelove o...more

like · see review

Jun 20, 2010 Khairul H. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller

A squadron of American bombers are headed to Soviet Union with orders to bomb Moscow. Problem is, it's all a mistake but due to miscommunication, technical error, paranoia and just pure dumb bad luck, Moscow is obliterated (that's not a spoiler!)

How to make amends? Well, the President of the United States proposes that...ah, now that would be a spoiler.

Adapted into a film version starring a young Larry Hagman (JR Ewing from Dallas. What do you mean, "Who?")

like · see review

Jan 04, 2011 Lilly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, suspense-thriller

A terrifying tale of a thermonuclear accident.

A terrifying tale of our world tottering on the brink of a thermonuclear war. Within the SAC command located at Omaha, Nebraska, a mechanical failure occurs that send six Vindicator Bombers; each loaded with 40megaton nuclear bombs, pass their fail-safe point. Their target: Moscow. It's an accident and the generals and even the President tries to recall the bombers, but nothing works. It's a gripping tale and its almost unbearable as time ticks away...more

like · see review

Feb 11, 2010 Steeljaw Scribe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: american-literature, fiction, nuclear

A cautionary tale about application of esoteric theory and academic discussion to the real world, esecially in matters of nuclear strategy. This was the subject of one of my posts: 'If there are enough shovels...' which relates to my own experience in grad school with one of the acolytes of the wizards of Armageddon in early 80's.

like · see review

Aug 19, 2012 Alison Foster rated it 5 of 5 stars

In a classic book nerd move, I read this book alongside the movie we were supposed to be analyzing in a film class. And I was so glad I did! For those of you wondering, the movie follows the book extremely closely, but I found the book to be more suspenseful, extremely realistic, and an overall great read! Especially for readers interested in historical fiction like myself, I would certainly recommend this ominous story.

like · see review

May 24, 2011 Nick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: disaster, fiction, political

Such a classic book--having only lived during the end of the Cold War, and watching the collapse of the Soviet Union, Burdick's tale truly weaves the sort of tension which gripped the population, as well as being a fine mark on humanity's ever-growing dependence on machinery to maintain every-day tasks and the ramifications of that decision.

I am also a huge fan of the 1964 film, and have yet to see the Clooney remake.

like · see review

Jul 25, 2011 Steve Mitchell rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is a Cold War thriller set in the late sixties when total annihilation with nuclear weapons look like something that could occur at any time; it was written just after the Cuban Missile Crisis. The story demonstrates that nobody should place their faith in technology as it is not infallible.

A flight of US bombers fly past their fail safe point when a fuse blows in the recall system. What ensues is an effort to prevent the aeroplanes from reaching their target - Moscow - and to convince...more

like · see review

Jan 04, 2012 Rae rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mobius

This book was a big surprise for me. I didn't find the first few chapter's interesting, though I found the writing style good ans even funny at parts. I this my biggest struggle was feeling that this book wasn't applicable to me, not having lived durnling the Cold War. Boy, I was wrong! This book was great and had a great, impactful ending.

like · see review

Mar 14, 2009 James rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, adventure

I read this book as a teenager in the sixties with the threat of nuclear war omnipresent. The Cuban Missile crisis was a recent event and with further confrontations expected this novel was very timely. The title refers to what could be called an "engineer's commandment": "fail safe", meaning to take account of the ways things can go wrong—fail—and ensure as far as possible that the machine, process, etc. will not make things worse in that event. The title's irony is that, in this case, it is as...more

like · see review

May 11, 2009 John Fritz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Classic Cold War paranoia tale. Though much of the machinations that brought about the book's tragic consequences would be archaic in today's world I still think the basic lessons about humanity that the author tried to convey would be applicable. Great book!

like · see review

Aug 04, 2011 Paul Moore rated it 4 of 5 stars

Intereting book. A lot of people would benefit frm reading this. it's scary how big time politicians can have to face these big a decisions all on their own and a bad choice is the only option they have. Read it and find out what i mean.

like · see review

Dec 08, 2012 David Jaspers rated it 5 of 5 stars

Basis for the 1963 movie, and a later live TV adaptation starring George Clooney. Set during the Cold War, it examines a scenario in which the United States accidently starts a nuclear holocaust.

like · see review

Jan 05, 2013 Brady Dale rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read this book at the recommendation of my mother about 20 years ago and I still remember bits of it. It must have been an arresting book for the memories of it to hold on that long.

like · see review

Feb 20, 2012 E.W. Greenlee rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this as a child in grade school. A lot to absorb as a young mind in the ways of the world, and the lengths people in power will do to prevent complete nuclear annihilation.

like · see review

Sep 01, 2008 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

In the early 60's the US planned to replace our B52 fleet with a supersonic high altitude strategic bomber. The defense contractors also planned to make a civilian version, the Super Sonic Transport, or SST. This is the context of Fail Safe.

(Guided missiles made all high altitude bombers obsolete and we stuck with the BUFFs. The SST died due to extremely poor fuel economy during supersonic cruise. The French reacted to the SST by developing the Concord.)

Having a supersonic bomber changed the str...more

like · see review

Apr 07, 2010 Shellie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: friend-recommended, random-sampling

The entire story takes place within a 24 hour period and set in about 1962. A what if story about USA and Russia and war.

like · see review

Apr 05, 2012 Camille rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: loved

I read this in the mid nineties and I loved it. I was a young teen and it was not during the cold war, it was before 9-11 but it still felt very real and scary to me.

like · see review

Dec 26, 2008 Charles rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, thriller

This isn't the best written story about the cold war turning hot, but it is definitely a compelling tale.

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 69 70 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (5)

More editions...

Genres

Thriller

21 users

War

9 users

Classics

9 users

Apocalyptic > Post Apocalyptic

6 users

Politics

5 users

Science Fiction

5 users

Suspense

5 users

War > Military

4 users

Media Tie In > Movies

3 users

Science Fiction > Dystopia

3 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Seven Days In May
by Fletcher Knebel
Arc Light
by Eric L. Harry
Down to a Sunless Sea
by David Graham
The Manchurian Candidate
by Richard Condon
Six Days of the Condor
by James Grady

About Eugene Burdick

Eugene Burdick was an American Political Scientist and co-author of The Ugly American (1958), Fail-Safe (1962) and The 480 (1965).

He was born in Sheldon, Iowa. His family moved to Los Angeles, California when he was aged 4. Burdick attended Stanford University and Oxford University where he earned a Ph.D. degree in psychology, and he worked at the department of Political Science at the University...more

More about Eugene Burdick...

Books by Eugene Burdick

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Fail Safe

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Fail Safe

“The world is no longer man's theatre. Man has been made into a helpless spectator. The two evil forces he has created- science and the state- have combined into one monstrous body. We're at the mercy of our monster...” — 1 person liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Fail Safe
avg rating	preview: Fail Safe Goodreads rating: 4.04 (1578 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/354259.Fail_Safe?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348550917l/354259.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/354259.Fail_Safe?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Fail Safe by Eugene Burdick[/url]

Fail Safe

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website