The Fail Safe

The Fero Files #2

by Jack Heath

Fero knelt down. As he put his hands up he turned his head to look at the man pointing the gun. It was Wilt. Fero tried to look shocked. 'Dad? What are you doing here?'

Everyone seems to know who Fero is - except Fero. Is he a ruthless boy soldier from Besmar, or an innocent teen recruit from Kamau?

He's running out of time to decide. If he doesn't help a renegade spy steal a politician's briefcase, his two countries could end up in a full blown nuclear war - the kind that no one wins.

Genres: Young Adult

186 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 24, 2016

About the author

Jack Heath wrote his debut novel, The Lab, in secondary school and sent it to a publisher at age seventeen. He's now the award-winning author of forty novels for adults and children, including the international bestsellers Hangman, The Wife Swap and 300 Minutes of Danger. His books have been translated into ten languages, optioned for TV and adapted for film. He lives on Ngunnawal/Ngambri country in Canberra, Australia, with his wife, their children, several chickens, a few fish and a possum named Oreo.

Reviews

[Chantelle Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: the author is an acquaintance on Facebook. This fast pace action lived up to all my expectations with so many twists. The ending was worth the wait, it was absolutely fantastic!

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely Amazing action packed book full of cliffhangers and exciting adventures. I love this book and I wanna read moreeeeee

[Rebecca Fung · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great sequel to The Cut Out.

I found The Cut Out quite by accident and it was a compelling read. The whole "child spy" thing was done really well, lots of great action and I think well-pitched for the age group with a good plot and action but not too much explicit violence. It really reminded me it's a good idea just to take a chance on something that sounds a bit interesting, it could be fantastic.

This was a good follow up. Of course it didn't have the ability to surprise me as much as the first book did, but it keeps up the action well and Fero is a still a good character with conflicting loyalties.

There were also some lines that just made me laugh like when Fero commented whether Noelein's reference to a white list was a haiku. I liked these little tidbits that made the writing special.

It's good escapism and I'll look forward to the next one. These are easy to read all in one or two sittings and I was so involved I didn't want to stop, so being able to read them all at once really worked for me.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to 'The Cut Out'.
A little more challenging to read, with a complex plot and lots of cliff-hangers.
Fourteen year old Fero's life is turned upside down, as he realizes he has been living a 'Truman Show' kind of existence. Besmar, the country that has all his allegiance, may very well be his number one enemy. It might be the country he's always hated, Kamau, that is his home. Both countries are on a collision-course to war, and Fero may be the catalyst for that war, or the saviour of both countries.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was desperate to read this following the fabulous cliff-hanger ending of The Cut Out, and the non-stop action of The Fail Safe doesn't disappoint. Fero/Troy is having a severe identity crisis as he struggles to remember who he is, where his loyalties lie and then come to terms with the fact that his present reality and fake-memories have now changed the way he views himself and his life, forever. There were enough twists and turns here that, as i didn't read the book in one sitting, i sometimes struggled myself to keep up with where Fero was, who he was working for and what he was actually trying to do. But Fero himself seemed to be having the same problem. I loved the ending.... and there has to be more to come! (I hope!)

[Abigail O'Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, an amazing book

[Pegaunimoose · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Hudson Pedder · Rating 5 out of 5]

happy ending

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting and loved every second of it. Like all of Jack Heath's teen fiction novels, The Fail Safe is as much an action-packed spy adventure book as it is a political commentary on a range of issues that contemporary readers face on a daily basis. The Fail Safe delves into the world of spies and espionage and shows the readers the flaws of violence fuelled by hatred. The Librarians and the Tellers may be fighting to protect themselves, their family and their countries, but at the same time the reader is put into a position to question whether or not this violence is really necessary as they follow in the footsteps of Fero, a boy that seems to constantly be thrust into the thick of it. He's an easily loveable protagonist, with a number of flaws that make him extremely relatable. In The Fail Safe, we see a lot more character development in Fero, as he repeatedly experiences flashbacks of his life as Troy Maschenov, and he meets and interacts with his mothers; one who rejects him because she thinks he's weak, and one who accepts him despite knowing who he truly is. It's a struggle at the beginning of the novel for Fero to hide his Troy side, but by the end we see that he's accepted these two parts of himself. Fero is a peace-seeking pacifist and Troy is strong and courageous, but ultimately both sides shape his actions by the conclusion of the novel.
The parallels between the two countries extends beyond the needless violence to the lifestyles of everyday citizens, including the food, clothing, advertisements, and living spaces, work spaces, transport - the list goes on. This adds another layer of political positing for the reader, as they come to question why violence is necessary when there are so many similarities between the people of Kamau and Besmar. Why is the violence necessary when the only difference between the countries seems to be language? What role does the government or propaganda play to make the violence seem so necessary? There are a lot of lessons to take from this novel, and one can't help but apply this questioning to real life situations. In our context where there is still prevalent war, we stand to learn a lot about ourselves as human beings if we put ourselves in other peoples' shoes and look at events from both angles, which is essentially what Fero is forced to do. These topics are not overly heavy in how they are presented, and one can also see the benefits this type of questioning has for younger teen audiences. It forces them to think, but at the same time it is presented with spot-on pacing and enough spy action to keep them turning the pages.
In summary: I love Jack Heath.

[Martha Prebble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book that certainly keeps you on your toes. There were so many plot twist.

[Sonita · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!