60 pages 2 hours read

Ken Follett

Never

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2021

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Part 5

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 5: “DEFCON 1: Nuclear War Is Imminent or Has Begun”

Part 5, Chapter 40 Summary

The US bombs the Fuijan, the ship that attacked the Japanese soldiers on the island. Instead of attacking Pyongyang, the rebels retreat back to nuclear-equipped bases as the South Koreans take command of the capital instead. Ham tells Kai the Chinese must insist that the South retreat from Pyongyang, but President No refuses, instead giving her talk of military victory from an underground bunker. North Korea fires a nuclear missile toward the capital of the South, Seoul. The missiles annihilate the city. Tab and Tamara watch the news, realizing a nuclear war is starting. He asks Tamara to marry him.

Part 5, Chapter 41 Summary

China, still trying to contain the situation, suggests the rebels are under control and cannot fire any more nukes. The South Korean military refuses to retreat, continuing to gain territory in the North. China revises Kennedy’s words from the Cuban Missile Crisis, claiming an attack by the US on North Korea would be an attack on China. The first family, minus Gerry, who prefers to stay with his mistress, heads toward the safety of Munchkin Country.

China is losing control of Taiwan, of Hong Kong, and of the Muslim area within mainland China; the rebels here hope their rebellion will spare them from the West’s nuclear retaliation.

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