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Title: Good Read and Still Pertinent, but "Red Alert" is Better IMO
Review: "Fail-Safe" -- originally published in 1962 in serialized installments in The Saturday Evening Post -- and the earlier novel "Red Alert" by Peter George (1958) share many similarities. In fact, Mr. George sued the two Fail-Safe authors (Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler) for plagiarism and ultimately received an out-of-court settlement. Red Alert was the inspiration for Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film "Dr. Strangelove", and Fail-Safe has seen more than one screen adaptation.I like Fail-Safe very much; it's smart, well-written, and engaging. It's definitely worth your time if you're a fan of Cold War stories. However, between the two books, I prefer George's Red Alert. It's more of a thriller and moves at a faster pace. I found the characters to be richer and there's certainly more action in Red Alert. I own both books but I recommend reading Red Alert first.
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