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DEFCON One
- Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
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Summary
DEFCON: DefenseReadiness Condition
DEFCON Five: normal peacetime activities
DEFCON Four: increase intelligence watch and increase security
DEFCON Three: forces on standby, awaiting further orders
DEFCON Two: forces ready for combat
DEFCON One: forces deployed for combat
In this explosive best seller, the United States and the Soviet Union are poised on the brink of Armageddon. Glasnost has failed, Russia is economically desperate, and Gorbachev's successor has launched the first strike in what may become World War III. Only one man knows the full extent of the impending horror - a CIA operative trapped in the Kremlin.
Written by a former Marine Corps pilot, DEFCON One is a blistering scenario of men and war - exciting, tense, and frighteningly real.
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What listeners say about DEFCON One
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- RDC
- 21-10-21
Worst narration
I’ve no idea if the book is any good or not because I couldn’t listen beyond the first 20 minutes due to utterly painful narration.
2 people found this helpful
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- Mezza
- 18-11-21
Not for me
A weak story that lacked imagination in my opinion. I also didn't like the narration. . Just not for me.
1 person found this helpful
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- Gary Lewis
- 07-11-21
Irritating narrator
Good book but spoilt by the narrator heavy inhalation after every sentence was very irritating
1 person found this helpful
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- Chris Potter
- 26-10-21
Nail biting tension and potentially very real
I have not heard Joe Weber before this story. I found it to be very scarily plausible. Lots of tension that left me desperate to hear what happened next.
Excellently written. Loved it.
1 person found this helpful
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- Sean
- 23-09-21
Nail Biting
Action packed all the way throughout. Good characters and believable situations all brought together with one of the best narrators I’ve heard. Really enjoyed this book.
1 person found this helpful
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- Will Ramshaw
- 14-07-22
Good listen
I loved this from start to finish, brilliantly read and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book.
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- CT
- 28-06-22
Fast paeced
Took a chance on this and enjoyed it. fast paced action set in late 80's early 90's but worryingly topical for today.
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- Per
- 26-06-22
simply brilliant entertainment
akin to Red October but from a holistic standpoint at the brink of ww3 with a nice human touch and we'll developed characters. well worth a listen
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- Phil C
- 13-06-22
A poor man's Tom Clancy
The book is set in 1989, when the reforms of Gorbachev (although he's never named) are swept aside by a new General Secretary of the Communist Party and the threat of nuclear war between the USSR and the USA becomes ever more likely. This is the story of how the tension increases to DEFCON ONE. Although I'm no military expert, the military aspects of the book seem well researched and the battle scenes realistic. However the plot is pretty one dimensional and you always have a good idea of what's going to happen next. It is very, very American in its dialogue, so if Americanisms jar, this isn't for you.
Unfortunately the narration is very much an acquired taste. The narrator seems to take a deep breath before every sentence and until you learn to filter it out, it's quite off-putting. I found myself focusing as much on his breathing as I was on the narrative! His accents are okay but he's not the sort of reader who animates the story and draws you into the action. If you want a book about USSR/US military conflict, then Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy knocks spots off this effort. In summary, DEFCON ONE is not unpleasant but it is only average and there are better ways to spend your money or credit.
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- lordfofballymote
- 11-06-22
brilliant and terrifying
great narrator tightly written technically correct. well worth a listen im moving on to the rest of this suthors and narrators work.
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- Kim
- 16-01-21
The breathing!!
The narrator is breathing like he is running a marathon. I can't listen to it anymore!
13 people found this helpful
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- Davida
- 14-11-20
You have to look deeper at this one...
It takes a while to get used to the narrator and the story. But in the end, this is a must read if you want insight into human behavior and the tenuous nature of our existence. It takes one person to change humanity. Even though this book was written in 1989 the message is relevant, and the action will keep you listening. It can make you think if you let it.
10 people found this helpful
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- Luke
- 05-08-15
The reader is so bad!
The reader's breathing is so loud it wreaked the book for me. Gave up on chapter 3.
17 people found this helpful
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- Kathy Miller
- 18-01-21
To much detail
I love Tom Clancy books even though they can get a little too detailed but this book was just too much. Or it could be the fact the narrator was literally just reading. Not good character voices or acting.
5 people found this helpful
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- Thorsten
- 20-01-19
Narrator
It's really amazing what a great narrator can do with a book. Keith is that narrator. I think if Keith had narrated the other Joe Weber books they would have had better reviews
5 people found this helpful
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- Mark
- 26-07-14
Defcon One
I wanted to enjoy this book, I even finished it though I couldn't explain why.
The basic premise, that the Soviet Union elected to embark on a nuclear strike rather than concede the cold war I thought had some potential. Unfortunately a good idea isn't enough.
This is really not good writing, actually the more you think about it, the worse you have to admit the writing is.
The characters, well character is probably too strong a word, the dialog, best not mentioned, even the plot execution was pretty disjointed.
Sometimes a gifted narrator can rescue some pretty average story telling, this is not one of those times. This narrator may work for some pretty specific books but here, he was as bad as the book and at least in this case, two negatives most definitely didn't make a positive.
If you do find yourself part way through the book and are hoping it gets better, um, it doesn't.
I had always thought I could happily read some pretty trashy ridiculous light books, it seems I have limits.
10 people found this helpful
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- I am. I AM.
- 13-02-21
Horrible Narrator
The gruff voice led to poor narration. It was impossible to follow the characters as there was Very Little difference in all of the characters voices.Simply Not a Good Voice for multiple characters,to many Marlboros
3 people found this helpful
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- Steve
- 03-02-21
Narrator killed this for me
I could not listed to this book past chapter three. The narrator sounds like he is on a respirator and is very distracting.
2 people found this helpful
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- Newfish
- 27-01-21
Doesn’t Make Sense
Let’s bring the US to the brink of war so awe can attempt a surprise nuclear attack.
How about just surprising the US with a nuclear attack.
2 people found this helpful
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- Richard Schwartz
- 13-01-21
Slightly dated, but very good
There is no more Soviet Union, and most of the weapon systems mentioned in the story are obsolete and retired. China as a military power is not mentioned. But 40 years ago the plot would be plausible. The world has changed.
Warning! Once you start listening, the rest of your day will be gone, and most of the night.
2 people found this helpful