Nuclear War: The bestselling non-fiction thriller, shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize 2024
Mar 2024 · Random House
4.5star
23 reviewsreport
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400
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About this ebook
The Sunday Times bestselling edge-of-your-seat exploration of what would happen in the event of nuclear war, perfect for readers of American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Nuclear war begins with a blip on a radar screen.
This is a minute-by-minute account of what comes next.
It has to be read to be believed.
'A stomach-clenching, multi-perspective, ticking-clock, geopolitical thriller' Forbes
'Tells a terrifying story in a devastatingly straightforward way' Guardian
'These are scenes straight out of Dr Strangelove' Telegraph
There is only one scenario other than an asteroid strike that could end the world as we know it in a matter of hours: nuclear war.
Until now, no one outside official circles has known exactly what would happen if a rogue state launched a nuclear missile at the Pentagon. Second by second and minute by minute, these are the real-life protocols that choreograph the end of civilization.
Decisions that affect hundreds of millions of lives need to be made within six minutes, based on partial information, in the knowledge that once launched, nothing is capable of halting the destruction.
Based on dozens of new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, been privy to the response plans, and taken responsibility for crucial decisions, this is the only account of what a nuclear exchange would look like.
Nuclear War is at once a compulsive non-fiction thriller and a powerful argument that we must rid ourselves of these world-ending weapons for ever.
'This terrifying book is a must-read for every world leader' Mother Jones
'At once methodical and vivid' The Economist
'Dangerously plausible – and it reads like a thriller' Sunday Times
* A New York Times bestseller (March 2024) and a Sunday Times bestseller (April 2024). Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2024, the UK's premier annual prize for non-fiction books.
Nuclear war begins with a blip on a radar screen.
This is a minute-by-minute account of what comes next.
It has to be read to be believed.
'A stomach-clenching, multi-perspective, ticking-clock, geopolitical thriller' Forbes
'Tells a terrifying story in a devastatingly straightforward way' Guardian
'These are scenes straight out of Dr Strangelove' Telegraph
There is only one scenario other than an asteroid strike that could end the world as we know it in a matter of hours: nuclear war.
Until now, no one outside official circles has known exactly what would happen if a rogue state launched a nuclear missile at the Pentagon. Second by second and minute by minute, these are the real-life protocols that choreograph the end of civilization.
Decisions that affect hundreds of millions of lives need to be made within six minutes, based on partial information, in the knowledge that once launched, nothing is capable of halting the destruction.
Based on dozens of new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, been privy to the response plans, and taken responsibility for crucial decisions, this is the only account of what a nuclear exchange would look like.
Nuclear War is at once a compulsive non-fiction thriller and a powerful argument that we must rid ourselves of these world-ending weapons for ever.
'This terrifying book is a must-read for every world leader' Mother Jones
'At once methodical and vivid' The Economist
'Dangerously plausible – and it reads like a thriller' Sunday Times
* A New York Times bestseller (March 2024) and a Sunday Times bestseller (April 2024). Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2024, the UK's premier annual prize for non-fiction books.
Ratings and reviews
4.5
23 reviews
Essex Anders
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July 1, 2025
Waste of money. The writer appears to have a issue with the US and this over shadow's the books actual premise. Suggest reading the third world War by General Hackett for a better balanced view.
John Gillespie
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June 30, 2025
Makes you ask yourself why? Madness. Surely there must be clear thinking by our leaders? We cannot countenance nuclear war. It is not containable. Deterrence is our best answer?
Simon Morris
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July 9, 2025
Brilliantly eye opening, but harrowing reading. Quite ironic that the same hands that participated in human development over many years could also destroy it all within hours. Hopefully, man will learn that in the event of nuclear war......there are no winners.
About the author
Annie Jacobsen is the bestselling author of Nuclear War: A Scenario, which was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize. A 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist, her other books include Area 51, Operation Paperclip and Surprise, Kill, Vanish, and have been translated into 26 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.
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