Hornet Flight

By: Ken Follett

Narrated by: John Lee

Ken Follett follows his bestsellers Jackdaws and Code to Zero with an extraordinary novel of early days of World War II.

It is June 1941 and the war is not going well for England. Across the North Sea, 18-year-old Harald Olufsen takes a shortcut on the German-occupied Danish island of Sande and discovers an astonishing sight that will change the momentum of the war. He must get word to England—except that he has no way to get there. He has only an old derelict Hornet Moth biplane rusting away in a ruined church: a plane so decrepit that it is unlikely ever to get off the ground . . . even if Harald knew how to fly it.

Critic reviews

Praise for Hornet Flight

"An intricately woven espionage yarn . . . a gritty picture of the spy game and wartime Europe." —People

"Follett at his compelling best." —The Hartford Courant

"Zips along to an exhilarating climax." —Entertainment Weekly

"Buzzing with intrigue. . . . Follett is in the habit of writing bestselling World War II thrillers, and Hornet Flight continues the trend." —New York Daily News

"Gripping suspense. . . . Follett fans will find Hornet Flight up to the writer's usual standard." —Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Follett . . . hits the mark again. . . . [He] starts out fast and keeps up the pace." —Publishers Weekly

"Follett's pacing, dialogue, and eye for local color meet his usual standards . . . fun." —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Follett lays on the tension and excitement in a story of espionage and adventure." —Sunday Mercury (Birmingham, England)

"Old-fashioned derring-do done right." —Kirkus Reviews

"His ideas are good, he offers lots of action, and he builds tension." —St. Paul Pioneer Press

"Tense . . . consistently compelling." —Booklist

Thoroughly enjoyable

This was a long book, and honestly, all the action could probably have been written in half the length. And yet, I was never bored - the period details, the characterizations, and the highly detailed settings made for a compelling listen in addition to the excitement of the plot. As mentioned by others, this is rarely a edge-of-your-seat thriller, although at least one scene left my heart pounding. But it's a fascinating, entertaining, and unique tale. John Lee is not a narrator I believe I have heard before, but I may seek out more by him now - his deep baritone and subtle speaking accent were quite compelling (picture a mix of James Earl Jones and Sean Connery), and his choices of voicings for the characters were well-done and consistent.

Brave People Make a Good Book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

John Lee is superb, as always. Loved the characters and the bad guy was perfectly portrayed, with chilling analysis of his personality.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hornet Flight?

The scene in which the fuel for the flight is obtained had me holding my breath.

Which character – as performed by John Lee – was your favorite?

Can't choose.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Could you have the courage?

Accurate Historical Perspective

Excellent story about the early WWII and Danish resistance. The story gives an accurate description of life the Denmark in the early 40s and how the Danes tried to cope with the German occupation. I grew up in Denmark, and when I was a teenager spoke to my grandfather, who was in his 30s during the occupation, at length. Follett story pretty much matches what I recall hearing.

I do wish that John Lee had spoken to a Dane before trying to pronounce names and locales. I had to actually look in the book several times in order to figure out what or who he was talking about. And I grew up on the west coast of Denmark within 50 miles of much of the action! Otherwise, John Lee?s narration is world-class, as always.

I enjoyed this book

I enjoyed this book. My first endeavor into WWII and I found it to be very believable. People thrust into situations when they really had no experience in what to do. They were not expert spies just ordinary people trying to help out Britain in its war against Germany. I reccommend it to people with a sense of adventure

Highly recommended adventure yarn for WWII buffs

This was a great listen - good characters, fast-paced plotting, and an interesting setting in WWII era Denmark. While the ending was definitely predictable, I didn't care. I enjoyed every minute.