Atomic is the tale of the creation of the Atomic bomb during wartime, and the political fallout from the realisation of these powerful weapons.

Baggott bills this as a book for lay-people, not scientists. It is true that this book concentrates largely on the people behind the bomb – the scientists driven in the most part by fear who were under no illusions over what the weapon in the hands of their enemy would mean. However the start of the book in particular is heavy on the science. In essence we need a lesson on how to build a bomb and why we need a reactor in order to make a viable explosion. Here I think that Baggott could have been more gentle with our learning curve – for example introducing the word Plutonium earlier rather that the confusing U-238 (versus U-239) – would have helped the readability (although the word itself was not invented until half way through the book). Also at the start we are introduced to the multitude of physicists who form the cast of this story. Necessarily each is introduced with a mini biography which becomes a little monotonous.

Yet the book gets going quickly. The pace and intensity mirrors the story it tells, building to a crescendo at the frantic test (note not testing) of the first atomic bomb and the subsequent bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Baggott takes each year one at a time and divides each section into what each territory is up to. So scientists in Nazi Germany were working on reactors at the same time as the scientists in America were putting together their very first. This approach is what makes the book work – we see the race to the bomb from each team’s perspective. The American race for the bomb was fuelled by the intelligence hunches that told them the Nazis were well on their way to nuclear weapons. That this assumption was so clearly wide of the mark is what this books seeks to explain. It was this fact that led to the qualms and fears of the scientists being shelved – they willingly partook in the bomb design.

Another aspect of the story is the covert dialogue between the Soviets and Americans. Spies operated pretty much to the highest ranks of the scientists. With the information fed to them, the Russians were able to be up to speed quickly after the war, creating their own nuclear programme. The hopes dreams and politics of these spy scientists, plus world leaders are also part of this epic tale.

Most importantly Atomic is about the people and personalities behind the bomb. Its about what they did and what they believed. It is a disturbing book – simply because it is a very disturbing story. Once unleashed the primordial power of the atom, like Pandora’s Box can never be shut. This book is a reminder of this awesome power, plus the fact that not since the Cold War has the nuclear future of the planet been so at risk – new countries are becoming nuclear powers, while ‘terrorists’ have been able to get hold of radioactive materials with the demise of the Soviet Bloc.

If this book has a point to make it is about what people do when they believe that the enemy is in control of powerful weapons, and how normal dialogue and beliefs are subservient to fear.

May I also congratulate Icon on their truly fantastic book jacket, in 40’s film noir poster style. More of this please, especially for non-fiction works.

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