Author:P. D. Smith
It was the weapon to end all weapons: the doomsday device. A huge nuclear bomb so powerful that it could envelop the entire planet in a cloud of radioactive dust, and bring about instant extinction.
This is the untold story of the Cold War’s most insane plan, the men behind it and how it nearly happened. It is also the history of humanity’s nightmare vision of a superweapon, showing how popular culture, from the stories of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne to films such as Planet of the Apes, Mad Max and Dr Strangelove itself have both shaped and reflected our darkest dreams.
Superb… it's his eye for revealing anecdotes and his ability to distil it all into lively prose that makes this a real pleasure to read
—— Sunday Business PostChillingly compelling
—— New ScientistThe gripping, untold story of the ultimate weapon of mass destruction
—— TLSPacked with striking anecdotes… this is a readable, informative work exploring why intelligent men worked on such insane projects
—— MetroHe puts the nuclear age into a new context, engagingly and excitingly
—— Financial TimesVaried and authoritative and frequently beautiful
—— New YorkerAn enduring, evocative read which carefully weaves fragmented, personal experiences into a layered, ambivalent narrative about slavery and the price of freedom
—— Irish TimesMorrison is at the very height of her powers
—— Daily MailFor all its restraint, and its sinister stealth, A Mercy is a furious novel, a volley of anger, contempt and sorrow... the rich and seemingly casual evocative accretion of background and narrative slowly tightens its grip until the reader is utterly in thrall
—— HeraldEmotions run deep and twisted in Morrison's fiction; and their outcome is superbly traced in this powerful, flawed and genuinely creative novel
—— Sunday TelegraphA truly brilliant story that should be much better known
—— Bernice McFadden, author of SUGAR , GuardianAn engaging portrait of a little-known and puzzling character
—— Ian Pinder , GuardianThe talented historian Timothy Snyder recounts an intriguing life-history against the turbulent backdrop of east-central Europe in the first half of the 20th century
—— History MagazineTimothy Snyder is not only one of the leading authorities on Central European history writing today, he is also an elegant stylist, with a talent for storytelling - a wonderful combination
—— Anne ApplebaumIt reads like Sovietology rendered by John le Carré
—— Timothy SnyderThe book is well written with flashes of mordant humour and sufficient records of personal foibles and institutional stupidity to keep the reader going through some dreadful moments of human history
—— Political Studies Review