Rating: 
Summary: Disapponting
Review: As much a fan as I am of Richard Rhodes--the "Making of the Atomic Bomb" was an instant classic--this effort falls far short of the promise of the title.About 350 pages in, there is not much--perhaps five or six pages--about the hydrogen bomb. Instead, Rhodes focuses upon a multitude of spies, agents and bit players in the Cold War game, to the extent that one turns the page with little anticipation. This book should be retitled "The Socio-mechanisms and Ancillary Causes Leading to the Beginning of the Cold War" or some other such scholarly title. It is difficult to believe that the making of the hydrogen bomb can be boring, but after page 245 of this tome, you will not want to replenish your Itty-Bitty- Book Light's batteries. I hate to say it, but this book is a down coat stuffed with pigeon feathers. Sorry, Mr. Rhodes.
Rating: 
Summary: Different than expected
Review: At first I thought this book was going to be similar to the first Richard Rhodes book I read "The Making of the Atomic Bomb". It did more than tell a history story, the book was a spy story of how the Soviets got the bomb. I never would have realized that Klaus Fuches basically gave them everything. Also that the Rosenburgs were entirely guilty they just wouldn't admit it. Everyone else who did got a jail sentence, they must of had a lousy attorney or something. I always wondered what happen to Oppenheimer and that he was closed out because of a jealous fellow scientist, Edwin Teller. Teller was a real character in this book. He was a clever guy who was too capricious to run a project, so he got Oppie. It was interesting to know that were we also ahead of the Soviets in the nuclear technology. I guess the cold war was just a big scare tactic. The final thing that was interesting about this book was the way that it traced the Soviet technology and their program. I thought it was funny that even though they had all the information from Fuchs the head of the Soviet program still made his scientists figure it out for themselves and then tell them if they were right or wrong. What a management style! I've dealt with people who waste my time like that.
Rating:
Summary: Hey Kids! Kaboom!
Review: I had some sleepless nights while reading this. Rhodes was quoting Edward Teller (nuke physicist who allegedly gave rise to Peter Sellers' Dr. Strangelove) who mused that if you strapped enough H-bombs together you might literally blow apart the whole world (as did Charlton Heston in Beneath the Planet of the Apes). Later on, Teller realized, that wouldn't happen: rather, an H-Bomb of that size would simply blast the first few miles of topsoil and the surrounding chunk of atmosphere into space. With that, I was able to sleep again. Great narrative, especially on the chapter "Super Lend Lease" on Soviet espionage.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing and terrifying tale of the ultimate weapon
Review: I have just finished Rhodes' "Dark Sun: The Making of the HydrogenBomb". Some years ago I reluctantly finished his book on the ManhattanProject, "The Making of the Atomic Bomb". I say reluctantly because the breadth of his scholarship was amazing and I did not want to leave when he had finished writing. Happily he has followed up with "Dark Sun". Rhodes weaves an engrossing account of the scientists who worked in the last days of WWII on the atomic bomb and their internal controversy on whether or not to pursue "the super", the hydrogen bomb. Against this he also describes the Soviet Union's attempts to rebuild their country while keeping pace with America. Russian scientists, though, were threatened with the paranoia of Stalin and his henchman Lavrentia Beria. Connecting the two continents is the espionage story of Klaus Fuchs, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and Harold Gold. Rhodes blends the three narratives together, furnishing his own original scholarship, in a taut fashion which keeps one turning the pages. Rhodes also deals with the destruction of Robert Oppenheimer by his rival Edward Teller, whose insecurity and jealousy arguably started the destructive arms race. The most frightening aspect of this story, however, is the borderline insubordination of Gen. Curtis LeMay, commander of SAC, who urged Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy to preepmtively strike the Soviet Union. Rhodes deftly mixes biography, history, science and social commentary in the intriguing tale and terrifying tale of the ultimate weapon. And it's all true. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Essential Reading !
Review: I just finished reading this monumental book. Although at first I was surprised that Rhodes devoted so many pages to covering Soviet espionage on the Manhattan Project and subsequent atomic bomb work, it quickly became clear that he was writing a history not just of the H-bomb, but of the Cold War, its impetus, and one of its key drivers and manifestations, the arms race. This book is essential to understanding a critical period of world history that is no less relevant now that the Cold War is over. The picture this provides of the scientists and administrators of the weapons teams on both sides is fascinating and reveals new evidence and clearer perspectives on issues that many of us grew up thinking about, such as the trial of the Rosenbergs and the effort to tar Oppenheimer's reputation. The only area in which I found myself seriously questioning Rhodes's conclusions (perhaps unfairly, since 7 years and some key events have transpired since he wrote them), was in the area of nuclear terrorism and its deterrence. An engrossing read.
Rating:
Summary: Essential History
Review: I just finished reading this monumental book. Although at first I was surprised that Rhodes devoted so many pages to covering Soviet espionage on the Manhattan Project and subsequent atomic bomb work, it quickly became clear that he was writing a history not just of the H-bomb, but of the Cold War, its impetus, and one of its key drivers and manifestations, the arms race. This book is essential to understanding a critical period of world history that is no less relevant now that the Cold War is over. The picture this provides of the scientists and administrators of the weapons teams on both sides is fascinating and reveals new evidence and clearer perspectives on issues that many of us grew up thinking about, such as the trial of the Rosenbergs and the effort to tar Oppenheimer's reputation. The only area in which I found myself seriously questioning Rhodes's conclusions (perhaps unfairly, since 7 years and some key events have transpired since he wrote them), was in the area of nuclear terrorism and its deterrence. An engrossing read.
Rating: 
Summary: A somewhat misleading book
Review: I was disappointed in this book. It was primarily a history of Soviet Espionage in the atomic era with very little in the way of history and details about the hydrogen bomb. It details recollections of Soviet Spies in mind-numbing detail throughout the development of the atomic bomb, with very little attention devoted to the time during the development of the hydrogen bomb. I think the title of the book is completely misleading. I give it 3 stars because if the history of atomic espionage is your thing, this book is for you. Also because I was startled by the extent and reach of Soviet intelligence. But this is not why I bought the book.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Finest Works of History I've Ever Read
Review: Now this is truly a superb history, one of the best historical narratives I've ever read.
I must also say--without hyperbole--that this is the SCARIEST book I've ever read.
Truly frightening in a way that nothing else could be.
Rating:
Summary: 10 STARS! Essential reading
Review: Richard Rhodes, once again, he delivers the goods. The Chuck Hansen of the written history of the US Nuclear Weapons program, he roughly picks up where he left off, and pulls us on a compelling journey through modern history. We watch as the scientists, now forever changed after Nagasaki, build stronger, lighter, more powerful devices. Uncharted territory ( one actual theory was that the 'Mike' device would ignite the hydrogen in the atmosphere. ) Even if you aren't a hard - core nuke guy, or historian, the ingenuity of America, and the technological hurdles they overcame is still a compelling read. This is one of the few MUST POSSESS treatises on the post-WWII nuclear program that should be on your shelf!
Rating:
Summary: Why is this book so good?
Review: This book gives you the strange feeling of being absolutely riveted to a dry and technical story line. It is woven with pure science but peppered with fascinating accounts of personal lives. One of my thoughts throughout the reading of this book was: "My god! Why isn't this material classified! How did this get published?" If you have any curiousity about how atomic and hydrogen bombs actually work, you won't have much to wonder about after reading this. I'm not sure whether Richard Rhodes is a genius in his writing or whether these geeky scientists just happened to be utterly fascinating people, but I was totally absorbed by the lives and details of the physists as they struggled to make the bombs. Throw in the intrige of the american spies, giving away the U.S.'s most precious secrets for a naive and unfulfilled ideology, and Curtis LeMay's chilling "performance" as the mad SAC bomber and you have a story no writer could ever have concocted. The truth is stranger than fiction. All this against the backdrop of WWII and the Cold War history will change your perception of all the events of the past 60 years that you thought you were so familiar with. I read this book before his earlier book "The Making of the Atomic Bomb", which I will read soon. Richard Rhodes has been on a recent History Channel show too, and was very interesting on camera, as well. Enjoy!
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