I enjoyed this book and felt that it was a good explanation of the early nuclear age and its outcomes.

Fascinating look at the politics and secrecy in the development of the atomic bomb

I loved this book. Author Peter Watson is a wonderful writer. The pages just flew by and the book was hard to put down. It is as exciting as any thriller. Watson presents a side of atom bomb development about which I was only peripherally aware. The case of the Rosenbergs is very well known, but this book isn’t about that. In fact the Rosenbergs never really come up. It is instead about all the secrecy and the political will to have the bomb. It was about what the Allies knew or didn’t know about atom bomb development in Germany and Russia, and how Russia obtained secret information. This book complements The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes which is an excellent look at the Manhattan project. I strongly recommend Fallout for anyone interested in history.

Dense, but fascinating exploration of the not so glamorous truths revolving around the production of the atomic bomb. Deceit, hubris, and political aggression is weaved throughout, portraying the leaders in charge in a less than flattering light. This book gives more detail than what the majority of us are taught in school about the impact of the atomic bomb, and gives a much greater, and grimmer, outlook on this impact.

Espionage and intrigue of all types occurring just before and during WWII isn't a surprise, but Watson assembles a tense timeline filled with a myriad of notable names, each playing their respective role in driving progress toward their side's ability to produce atomic weaponry (or delaying it, for that matter). That many of these names belong to reputable, even household-name level, scientists makes the story all the more intriguing.

*NOTE*: Don't open this book and expect to see tons of all-but-masterbatory material on the destructive elements of the atomic bomb with a batch of colorized pages of mushroom clouds in the middle---a bunch of 'Merica high-fiving pressed neatly between a nice book cover---nope, this is something else entirely. This covers the minutiae of the host of moves made by global powers and individuals that brought us across the line of demarcation we know as the age of atomic warfare. Much of this appears to have been shoved to the sidelines of history, likely because it's not as overtly sensational as your commonly-encountered WWII fare. I speak for myself and the everyman/woman, of course. History buffs might find some of this as old hat.

You're treated to a multi-layered narrative (as one would expect given the dynamic movements in a world headed back to war): There are scientists locking horns with the great leaders of the era and attempting to reason and coerce; some are fleeing to other countries with their very lives; some are stealing secrets and piping them over to the Soviets---that, and much, much more.

Watson has a few thesis statements to present and re-present over the course of the book, and, while you might mutter "I know, I know..." in the middle of your read, it truly does help to re-calibrate your head, as the book is quite dense, and can be hard to continually organize for the casual reader (more on that below). You'll know them when you see them, because you'll see them a lot. Having said that, you'll be pretty surprised at the simple human errors committed by the world leaders we've done so much to portray as near-perfect, errors that cost both sides (Allied/Axis) dearly. In hindsight, Watson is asking us to take a second and wonder what our world would look like had those choices turned out differently.

Yeah, I struggled with this, but I was rewarded for it. The information contained therein can be hard to digest, especially when we're asked to revisit a time period. Many readers might lose track and glaze over a bit. Just keep trucking. Within these pages are harrowing stories of courageous souls, so-called "leaders" that only served as stumbling blocks to common sense, and those doing their part for their country. You may very well find yourself realizing that you're sympathizing with Soviet spies, or booing uber-patriotic US officials. It's a sinewy story that's worthy of your consideration, as it is a most unique angle on one of the most important scientific moments in history.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Perseus Books, and PublicAffairs for the advance copy.