Title: Countdown To Atomgeddon: The Pacific War
Author: James Howell
Publisher: Xlibris
ISBN: 978-1514421437
Pages: 342
Genre: Military Science Fiction/Historical Fiction
Reviewed by: Anthony Avina
Pacific Book Review
George Wald once said, “The only use for an atomic bomb is to keep somebody else from using one.” In author James Howell’s Countdown To Atomgeddon: The Pacific War, the race for atomic superiority during WWII looms heavily over the historical fiction narrative of a team of ragtag reporters and two suspicious men hunting them down before a secret conspiracy is exposed.
In this book, a reporter’s article on heavy water brings more attention than he could have ever realized. The small town New Mexico writer teams up with another reporter to investigate several mysterious accidents and two strangers with a mysterious past who seem determined to take the reporters down. The novel unravels a large conspiracy as the race to build the world’s first atomic bomb during WWII leads this small New Mexico town to become the central hub of the turning point of the war itself.
The book perfectly captured the tone and mystery surrounding projects like The Manhattan Project and the nature of atomic warfare during WWII. The author brilliantly brought memorable characters into this fictionalized story that blended personal relationships between the characters with real life events leading to the first successful atomic bomb test. While of note there were instances of formatting errors that merged paragraphs together and sentences where past and present tense were meshed together, the overall narrative brought to life by the author allowed this reader to connect with the characters on a personal level.
The novel is for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, stories involving WWII or anyone who enjoys the history behind the development of the world’s most powerful and dangerous weapon ever created – the atomic bomb. As a history fan myself, this book spoke to me as it delved into the mindset and life of everyday people in the midst of such a harsh and overwhelming war. Despite being a quick read, the novel really packs a punch and leaned into its historical fiction genre just the right amount to allow readers to connect to the protagonists of this story.
This is a fantastic read that fans of the historical fiction genre will not want to miss. The blend of fictional characters and conspiracies with the real life events of the atomic bomb era and the theories historians and readers have had about those projects for years made this quite an enjoyable read. Action packed and engaging, this is a book readers will not want to miss. Be sure to grab your copy of author James Howell’s novel Countdown To Atomgeddon: The Pacific War today!
