Never

Ken Follett’s best-selling thriller Never (2021) is an epic tale of geopolitical tensions, terrorism, and espionage, with focus on a global scale. Its action shifts from the Saharan Desert in Africa to the United States, North Korea, and China and is set in a contemporary world sliding closer to the brink of nuclear war. The novel, which focuses extensively on contemporary geopolitical conflicts, weaves together multiple sub-plots and is in line with the author’s other historical series, such as the Century Trilogy or the Kingsbridge Series, which features his well-known Pillars of the Earth (1989). It also harkens back to his roots and his much sparser espionage thrillers such as Eye of the Needle (1978) and The Key to Rebecca (1980). The novel and its multiple subplots follow the efforts of spies, diplomats, and world leaders as they pursue illegal substance-smuggling terrorists and attempt to contain rogue actors and maintain the balance of power between the US and China in what becomes an inevitable progression toward nuclear war. Important themes explored in the novel include The Ethics and Counterproductivity of Diplomacy and International Relations, Globalization and the Threat of Nuclear War in the 21st Century, and