Review

A stomach-clenching, multi-perspective, ticking-clock, geopolitical thriller rooted in the seeds of our own destruction, planted nearly 80 years ago at the Trinity test site by the scientists of the Manhattan Project who brazenly dared to rip the building blocks of our universe apart... I couldn’t put the thing down, feverishly turning page after page until I finished it on the plane ride home... Nuclear War: A Scenario should be required reading for everyone alive today. ― Forbes

Books like Annie Jacobsen’s gripping “Nuclear War: A Scenario” are essential if you want to understand the complex and disturbing details that go into a civilization-destroying decision to drop the Bomb on an enemy. -- Barry Gewen ― The New York Times

This terrifying book is a must-read for every world leader. ― Mother Jones

Extraordinary... Her book delivers more detail than has been available to the public before... Terrifying. ― New Scientist

Based on hundreds of interviews with many retired security officials and more-or-less declassified information in the public domain, what it captures brilliantly is the emotional chaos into which leaders would be plunged in such a situation.... These are scenes straight out of Dr Strangelove. ― Telegraph

Jacobsen seeks to break through jargon and details in order to tell a terrifying story in a devastatingly straightforward way. ― Guardian

At once methodical and vivid. In documenting the minutiae of the apocalypse, the writing is redolent of 'Hiroshima', a seminal article by John Hersey published in the New Yorker in 1946. ― The Economist

In Nuclear War: A Scenario, Annie Jacobsen, gives us a vivid picture of what could happen if our nuclear guardians fail…Terrifying. ― Wall Street Journal

What readers are saying about Nuclear War:

'At times I felt as if I was reading fiction and had to keep reminding myself that it's fact'

'It reads like a thriller... a brilliant read and impressive feat of research and storytelling'

'This book is a must-read for anyone who thinks nuclear weapons are the problem of a bygone era'

'Exceptionally well researched, the author’s sources are impeccable, ably supported by technical information... a hugely powerful, sobering and compelling read'

'Clearly very well researched and well sourced. 10/10'

'A hugely informative piece of work that gives an enlightening insight into the world we live in today'

-- NetGalley reader reviews

About the Author

Annie Jacobsen is a 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist and the New York Times bestselling author of Area 51, Operation Paperclip, Surprise, Kill, Vanish and others. Her books have been translated into nine languages. She also writes and produces TV, including Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan. A graduate of Princeton University, she lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their two sons.