Bombs Away

Written by Harry Turtledove

Narrated by Henry Strozier

From "the master of alternate history" comes a new trilogy that reimagines a mid-twentieth century in which General MacArthur, without bothering to consult President Truman, detonates nuclear warheads in several Manchurian cities after China enters the Korean War.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9781490693910

Harry Turtledove

Harry Turtledove is an American novelist of science fiction, historical fiction, and fantasy. Publishers Weekly has called him the “master of alternate history,” and he is best known for his work in that genre. Some of his most popular titles include The Guns of the South, the novels of the Worldwar series, and the books in the Great War trilogy. In addition to many other honors and nominations, Turtledove has received the Hugo Award, the Sidewise Award for Alternate History, and the Prometheus Award. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles, earning a PhD in Byzantine history. Turtledove is married to mystery writer Laura Frankos, and together they have three daughters. The family lives in Southern California.

Reviews for Bombs Away

[danjlaf · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting Take off on what If Nukes were used on Red China in North Korea

[cacky_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A great storyline for an alternative history book. President Truman decides to drop the atom bomb in the Korean War. The book follows the impact of that decision on various, everyday people.The book gets off to a slow start as a result of so many characters. It was difficult to keep them straight. But once I got them sorted out, the book moved quickly.One complaint was the amount of detail of weapons. I could have cared less about knowing the mechanics of why this machine gun was better than that machine, or tank or airplanes.Still I liked the book enough to read the sequel.

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Even before World War II ended, American strategists had concerns about potential Soviet incursions into other countries. In particular, the State Department thought it critical to keep the Soviets out of Korea - because not only would Korea provide ice-free ports to the USSR, but it would allow them a strategic advantage in relation both to China and Japan. As Max Hastings reported in his book, The Korean War, less than twenty-four hours after the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, the U.S. military was planning to occupy Korea. The Russians of course objected and the U.N. got involved, dividing the country along the 38th Parallel. North of the line, the Soviets installed the ruthless dictator Kim Il Sung, and south of the line the Americans sponsored its own ruthless dictator, Syngman Rhee. Relations were not good between the two parts of Korea, and by 1949 border skirmishes were frequent. The defeat of the American-sponsored Nationalist army of Chiang Kai Shek by the Communist army of Mao Tse Tung hardened American attitudes and exacerbated fears about the Communists. Thus when Kim Il Sung decided (with Stalin’s express permission) to invade South Korea in 1950, it was only a matter of time before the U.S. went to war.In the early months of the war, the Americans and South Koreans were nearly driven off the peninsula, but they rallied under the direction of General Douglas MacArthur, who planned and executed a dramatic amphibious landing at Inchon, behind the North Koran lines. The Americans then drove north, captured the North Korean capital, and approached the border of China, which had not yet entered the fighting. Against specific instructions from Truman, MacArthur continued to drive north, provoking a surprise Chinese intervention which turned the tide once again and threatened to push the Americans out of Korea. With his troops retreating, MacArthur tried to get Truman to approve the use of atomic weapons against the Chinese and North Koreans. President Truman himself did not rule out their use when questioned by the press.  Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy, the self-appointed implacable foe of anyone he deemed to be “soft” on Communism, was whipping up public opinion against the Administration, putting more pressure upon it.  On December 24, 1950, MacArthur even submitted to Truman a list of targets he wanted to bomb in North Korea and China, requiring twenty-six atomic bombs.Fortunately, Truman decided against the nuclear option, but the U.S. had come close. Hastings reports that the military was much more enthusiastic about taking this step than the Truman Administration, and he opines:"…had the Chinese proved able to convert the defeat of the UN forces into their destruction, had the Eighth Army been unable to check its retreat, and been driven headlong for the coastal ports with massive casualties, it is impossible to declare with certainty that Truman could have resisted the demand for an atomic demonstration against China. The pressure upon the politicians from the military leaders of America might well have become irresistible in the face of military disaster.”Harry Turtledove, “The Master of Alternate History,” uses this work (which is the first book of an eventual trilogy) to consider what would have happened if Truman had indeed capitulated to the pressures around him and authorized the use of atomic weapons.This book is of course very scary, not only because we were just a hair away from this actual scenario, but because the present conflict among Arabs, Iranians, and other parts of the Middle East raise similar specters. Turtledove focuses on a few people in different parts of the world to tell what happened in his alternate history and how it affected all of the participants. He certainly knows his history, his weaponry, and the coarse language that men in battle often employ. While this means that much of the writing isn’t as “elevated” as one might want, it seems very authentic.In a rather ironic plot development (given the March, 2015 involving Germanwings Flight 9525), one of the sets of people being followed consists of a pilot and co-pilot of one of the planes that will be delivering the atomic weapons, and the co-pilot seems stressed and depressed. The pilot says to him, “Seriously, though, man, are you good to fly? I don’t want you in that seat if you aren’t up to doing the things you need to do.” There is no way Turtledove could have known how close that particular subplot could come to the recent tragic accident involving the German pilot for the Germanwings airliner. And yet, he is so adept at conjecturing what *might* happen at any one time, it is no surprise he came so close on this one.Evaluation: One thing you could never say about Turtledove’s books is that they aren’t thought-provoking. I will be thinking and talking about this one for a long time to come!

[dmclane_4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This took me a long time to read, it was long or seemed so. Not surprising as it is typical of the author who's alternative history novels are interesting. This has to be the first of a series as it ends in the middle of the war, or at the start depending upon where it is taken. Now I'm looking for the sequel.

[1randal-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In his latest book, Turtledove imagines what may have happened if Truman decided to use atomic weapons in the Korean War. Unsurprisingly, this decision led to Russia backing China, and a nightmare of atom bombs crossing the Northern Hemisphere. Turtledove uses a variety of characters to develop his plot, letting the reader see the war through several different perspectives. I used to love Turtledove novels. Especially his World War series, and Guns Of The South. Lately, though, it seems like he has settled on a specific formula for each of his books, and it has grown somewhat tiring. For one thing, the books are depressing. Don't read this if you want to feel good, there is little to offer in that way. Second, the language is somewhat stilted. For example, "You did better talking politics with Jim than you did if you talked with your dog, but not a whole lot"; "He had as many ways as beer had bubbles"; and "His stomach wanted to turn over. He sternly told it it would do no such thing. To his relief, it decided to listen to him". And do not expect the book to wrap things up at the end. As usual, Turtledove stretches the plot out so he can turn it into a multi-volume series. It gets frustrating having to wait for the next one. And, after all the waiting, there is no guarantee that he will end the final volume by wrapping up loose ends. He is just as likely to leave you hanging. But people love the formula, I guess. That's why he keeps using it. I wish he would take a little more time, develop characters better, give them better lines, and wrap the story up in a timely manner. I would enjoy them a lot more. I think I may be done with Turtledove. At least until the next volume comes out.