Equal parts history lesson on the impact of Nazi policies on the scientific community in Europe, nuclear physics class, and horror story. Not light reading by any means, but well researched and well written. Should be required reading for anyone in a position to influence the use of this frightening power.

This book hit the spot for me with the intersections of science and WW2 history with lots of detail about both. If you like that this is well worth the 700 pages.

“... but I fear that machines are ahead of morals by some centuries and when morals catch up perhaps there’ll be no reason for any of it. I hope not. But we are only termites on a planet and maybe when we bore too deeply into the planet there’ll be a reckoning—who knows?” — Harry S. Truman

To hell with bombs, to hell with guns, to hell with mines, to hell with chemical and biological weapons, to hell with imperialist psychopaths, to hell with people who can’t sit down and work out their differences without killing.

To hell with so-called civilization that creates choices between long wars of attrition and weapons of mass destruction.

To hell with nature red in tooth and claw.

Wow. What. A. Tome. This truly is a comprehensive history of the US, British, German, and Japanese nuclear weapon development, starting not with the Manhattan Project but with late 19th-century breakthroughs in nuclear and atomic physics. Reading this, you'll learn more than you ever wanted to about the history of not only the bomb but all of the understanding of the nature of the atomic nucleus that was necessary to split it. Politics, chemistry, physics, warfare, and industry: all aspects of the development are captured.

Very interesting and thought provoking. At times it seemed a little rambling, but with such a thorough investigation of the topic, that's not really surprising. Well worth reading.

An incredible mix of storytelling and the scientific history of nuclear physics. Every chapter is so compelling, intertwining biographies and touching on so many topics, science, culture, even philosophy at times. I only wish it had a better title.

"I had set as the governing factor that the targets chosen should be places the bombing of which would most adversely affect the will of the Japanese people to continue the war"

"I thought the blast might be rather bigger than expected. So I put on some suntan lotion" (on watching the first atomic bomb test)

"The whole of society," concludes the Japanese study, "was laid waste to its very foundations."

One of the longest and most fascinating books I've read in a long time. Such incredible scientific progress explained from the very beginnings illustrating the building blocks used to move forward. If you have the time, patience, and curiosity, this is strongly recommended!

As a research, reference material 5 stars. Not very fun and difficult to get through.