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Destroyer of Worlds: The Deep History of the Nuclear Age
The thrilling and terrifying seventy-year story of the physics that deciphered the atom and created the hydrogen bomb
Although Henri Becquerel didn’t know it at the time, he changed history in 1895 when he left photographic plates and some uranium rocks in a drawer. The rocks emitted something that exposed the it was the first documented evidence of spontaneous radioactivity. So began one of the most exciting and consequential efforts humans have ever undertaken.
As Frank Close recounts in Destroyer of Worlds, scientists confronting Becquerel’s discovery had three What was this phenomenon? Could it be a source of unlimited power? And (alas), could it be a weapon? Answering them was an epic journey of discovery, with Ernest Rutherford, Enrico Fermi, Irene Joliot-Curie, and many others jockeying to decipher the dance of particles in a decaying atom. And it was a terrifying journey as well, as Edward Teller and others pressed on from creating atom bombs to hydrogen bombs so powerful that they could destroy all life on earth.
The deep history of the nuclear age has never before been recounted so vividly. Centered on an extraordinary cast of characters, Destroyer of Worlds charts the course of nuclear physics from simple curiosity to potential Armageddon.
Although Henri Becquerel didn’t know it at the time, he changed history in 1895 when he left photographic plates and some uranium rocks in a drawer. The rocks emitted something that exposed the it was the first documented evidence of spontaneous radioactivity. So began one of the most exciting and consequential efforts humans have ever undertaken.
As Frank Close recounts in Destroyer of Worlds, scientists confronting Becquerel’s discovery had three What was this phenomenon? Could it be a source of unlimited power? And (alas), could it be a weapon? Answering them was an epic journey of discovery, with Ernest Rutherford, Enrico Fermi, Irene Joliot-Curie, and many others jockeying to decipher the dance of particles in a decaying atom. And it was a terrifying journey as well, as Edward Teller and others pressed on from creating atom bombs to hydrogen bombs so powerful that they could destroy all life on earth.
The deep history of the nuclear age has never before been recounted so vividly. Centered on an extraordinary cast of characters, Destroyer of Worlds charts the course of nuclear physics from simple curiosity to potential Armageddon.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published June 10, 2025
50 people are currently reading
647 people want to read
About the author
Frank Close
50 books190 followersFrancis Edwin Close (Arabic: فرانك كلوس)
In addition to his scientific research, he is known for his lectures and writings making science intelligible to a wider audience.
From Oxford he went to Stanford University in California for two years as a Postdoctoral Fellow on the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. In 1973 he went to the Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire and then to CERN in Switzerland from 1973–5. He joined the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire in 1975 as a research physicist and was latterly Head of Theoretical Physics Division from 1991. He headed the communication and public education activities at CERN from 1997 to 2000. From 2001, he was Professor of Theoretical Physics at Oxford. He was a Visiting Professor at the University of Birmingham from 1996–2002.
Close lists his recreations as writing, singing, travel, squash and Real tennis, and he is a member of Harwell Squash Club.
In addition to his scientific research, he is known for his lectures and writings making science intelligible to a wider audience.
From Oxford he went to Stanford University in California for two years as a Postdoctoral Fellow on the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. In 1973 he went to the Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire and then to CERN in Switzerland from 1973–5. He joined the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire in 1975 as a research physicist and was latterly Head of Theoretical Physics Division from 1991. He headed the communication and public education activities at CERN from 1997 to 2000. From 2001, he was Professor of Theoretical Physics at Oxford. He was a Visiting Professor at the University of Birmingham from 1996–2002.
Close lists his recreations as writing, singing, travel, squash and Real tennis, and he is a member of Harwell Squash Club.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 13, 2025
I would be/have been extremely surprised if I didn't like this. I 'knew' I was going to like this even before reading it (having read Frank Close's other one, Elusive: How Peter Higgs Solved the Mystery of Mass (which I really like, and am thinking of re-reading at some point hopefully) . Terrible/misleading title though (if you want fun/dramatised Oppenheimer (instead), watch the film, otherwise you might find yourself disappointed). RTC later.
December 27, 2025
Having read about the consequences of the H-bomb (my last note below), anyone threatening to use nuclear weapons should be considered a most dangerous enemy of the whole life on Earth and put away for ever.
Frank Close’s book is essentially a history of how the atomic age came into being, starting from the earliest discoveries in physics and ending with the political and ideological battles of the early Cold War. Close explains the science clearly and historically — a major strength of the book.
Notes
The Solvay conferences in Brussels were founded by Belgian industrialist Ernest Sovay in 1911. This first conference focused on the nature and origina of radioactivity; the fifth in 1927 discussed the newly formulated quantum mechanics. the seventh conference in 1933 is today regarded as there where the nuclear physics was born. (p.127)
In 1933 Fermi proposed a new force of nature - known as the weak nuclear force - that only acts over distances smaller that an atomic nucleus. It happens when the force converts a neutron to a proton, or vice versa is determined by the configuration of neutrons and protons within a nucleus. Fermi explained that the instant the change happens, the energy released materialises into a neutrino and an electron (or positrons) (p.139).
In March 1940, Frisch and Peierls, two Jewish scientists fleeing from the Nazi scourge, wrote a memorandum for the British government about the possibility of what the called a 'radioactive super bomb'. (...) a government committee of scientists evaluated their report and immediately classified it top secret. (p.206). The minutes of the British committee were shared with the United States, as part of Churchill's desire to involved them in the war effort. The chairman of the Uranium Committee in the US, Lyman Briggs, locked the minutes in his safe without sharing the information with his colleagues (p.209). In August 1941 Mark Oliphant visited the US to find out what was happening. He visited Briggs in Washington DC, and was apoplectic when he discovered that 'this inarticulate and unimpressive man' had not shown the reports to members of his committee. (p.210).
Plutonium is highly unstable, and present in the Earth's infancy having long since decayed and vanished. Consequently, plutonium today is a synthetic element that must first be created in a uranium reactor. (p.219).
Andrei Sakharov, Russian physicist, built 50 megatons H-bomb, Tsar Bomba, which was exploded on 30 October 1961 over Novaya Zemlya. It weighted 27 tonnes and was slung beneath the fuselage of a specially adopted Tupolev Tu-95 long-range bomber. At a height 10,500 metres, the Tupolev released the bomb and it exploded at 4,000 metres. The mushroom cloud rose 65 kilometres and spread 100 kilometres. There was complete destruction for 25 kilometres, 55 kilometres way in Severny Island all birck buildings were destroyed. Hundreds of kilometres from ground zero, wooden houses were burned to cinders, stone ones loosing their roofs, widows and doors. A shock wave in the air was seen at Dikson Island 700 kilometres away; at 900 kilometres, window panes were broken. (p.262).
Frank Close’s book is essentially a history of how the atomic age came into being, starting from the earliest discoveries in physics and ending with the political and ideological battles of the early Cold War. Close explains the science clearly and historically — a major strength of the book.
Notes
The Solvay conferences in Brussels were founded by Belgian industrialist Ernest Sovay in 1911. This first conference focused on the nature and origina of radioactivity; the fifth in 1927 discussed the newly formulated quantum mechanics. the seventh conference in 1933 is today regarded as there where the nuclear physics was born. (p.127)
In 1933 Fermi proposed a new force of nature - known as the weak nuclear force - that only acts over distances smaller that an atomic nucleus. It happens when the force converts a neutron to a proton, or vice versa is determined by the configuration of neutrons and protons within a nucleus. Fermi explained that the instant the change happens, the energy released materialises into a neutrino and an electron (or positrons) (p.139).
In March 1940, Frisch and Peierls, two Jewish scientists fleeing from the Nazi scourge, wrote a memorandum for the British government about the possibility of what the called a 'radioactive super bomb'. (...) a government committee of scientists evaluated their report and immediately classified it top secret. (p.206). The minutes of the British committee were shared with the United States, as part of Churchill's desire to involved them in the war effort. The chairman of the Uranium Committee in the US, Lyman Briggs, locked the minutes in his safe without sharing the information with his colleagues (p.209). In August 1941 Mark Oliphant visited the US to find out what was happening. He visited Briggs in Washington DC, and was apoplectic when he discovered that 'this inarticulate and unimpressive man' had not shown the reports to members of his committee. (p.210).
Plutonium is highly unstable, and present in the Earth's infancy having long since decayed and vanished. Consequently, plutonium today is a synthetic element that must first be created in a uranium reactor. (p.219).
Andrei Sakharov, Russian physicist, built 50 megatons H-bomb, Tsar Bomba, which was exploded on 30 October 1961 over Novaya Zemlya. It weighted 27 tonnes and was slung beneath the fuselage of a specially adopted Tupolev Tu-95 long-range bomber. At a height 10,500 metres, the Tupolev released the bomb and it exploded at 4,000 metres. The mushroom cloud rose 65 kilometres and spread 100 kilometres. There was complete destruction for 25 kilometres, 55 kilometres way in Severny Island all birck buildings were destroyed. Hundreds of kilometres from ground zero, wooden houses were burned to cinders, stone ones loosing their roofs, widows and doors. A shock wave in the air was seen at Dikson Island 700 kilometres away; at 900 kilometres, window panes were broken. (p.262).
May 25, 2025
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings."
-- W. Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
1. I have nothing but praise for this book. I think that Frank Close does a masterful job here of doing his absolute best of trying to explain both the personalities and idiosyncrasies of the scientists involved (including Ettore Majorana, who you probably have never heard of, but it's a fun story from an alt-history perspective if nothing else).
2. What Close is doing, though, is trying to explain the science of nuclear weapons to people like me. I like to think of myself as a reasonably intelligent person. I think that I learned some things from reading this book. But I haven't taken any kind of science class in thirty-five years and reading about beryllium and its properties makes my eyes glaze over. Large bits of this book were just completely incomprehensible. Imagine trying to explain to Joe Biden what a skibidi toilet is, let's say, or the plot of FOURTH WING.
3. This, I would like to point out, is entirely my fault. I am not a stupid idiot (well, only intermittently). I like World War II history just as much as the next middle-aged dad. I can respect the time and craftsmanship that went into the book. I am sure that there are many people who will read this and say, well, of course Fermi was wrong about a neutron being comprised of a proton and an electron, how obvious is that? I read that, and thought, well, um, sure? I guess? Sounds reasonable enough? (I think I almost understood what a neutrino was at one point while reading this, but I was binge-watching SLOW HORSES soon afterwards and that knowledge leaked right out.)
4. I will also point out that Close points out that the reason why Fermi (one of a score of interesting and quirky characters) could do what he did was because he could visualize in his mind the pathways of protons and neutrons and positrons and all that other good stuff. I cannot visualize a single blessed thing and am suspicious of people who say they can. I close my eyes, and it's all black and that seems normal. This may be why I didn't grow up to be a nuclear physicist (that, and growing up in a trailer park).
5. For the lay reader, what I think the value of this book is that it describes, in loving detail, the iterative process of science, the false starts and instant revelations that make up the twisting path from the first discovery of radiation to Hiroshima. This is what Close does best, and it almost makes up for all the intensive technical detail.
-- W. Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
1. I have nothing but praise for this book. I think that Frank Close does a masterful job here of doing his absolute best of trying to explain both the personalities and idiosyncrasies of the scientists involved (including Ettore Majorana, who you probably have never heard of, but it's a fun story from an alt-history perspective if nothing else).
2. What Close is doing, though, is trying to explain the science of nuclear weapons to people like me. I like to think of myself as a reasonably intelligent person. I think that I learned some things from reading this book. But I haven't taken any kind of science class in thirty-five years and reading about beryllium and its properties makes my eyes glaze over. Large bits of this book were just completely incomprehensible. Imagine trying to explain to Joe Biden what a skibidi toilet is, let's say, or the plot of FOURTH WING.
3. This, I would like to point out, is entirely my fault. I am not a stupid idiot (well, only intermittently). I like World War II history just as much as the next middle-aged dad. I can respect the time and craftsmanship that went into the book. I am sure that there are many people who will read this and say, well, of course Fermi was wrong about a neutron being comprised of a proton and an electron, how obvious is that? I read that, and thought, well, um, sure? I guess? Sounds reasonable enough? (I think I almost understood what a neutrino was at one point while reading this, but I was binge-watching SLOW HORSES soon afterwards and that knowledge leaked right out.)
4. I will also point out that Close points out that the reason why Fermi (one of a score of interesting and quirky characters) could do what he did was because he could visualize in his mind the pathways of protons and neutrons and positrons and all that other good stuff. I cannot visualize a single blessed thing and am suspicious of people who say they can. I close my eyes, and it's all black and that seems normal. This may be why I didn't grow up to be a nuclear physicist (that, and growing up in a trailer park).
5. For the lay reader, what I think the value of this book is that it describes, in loving detail, the iterative process of science, the false starts and instant revelations that make up the twisting path from the first discovery of radiation to Hiroshima. This is what Close does best, and it almost makes up for all the intensive technical detail.
November 19, 2025
I’ve read Richard Rhodes’s “The Making of the Atomic Bomb” a couple of times. That book starts out with a few chapters on the history of nuclear physics but mainly concentrates on the intricacies of the Manhattan Project, ending with the dropping of the first bombs This book, however, covers the history of the science in great detail such that Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project are relegated to just a few pages, their story having been told in so much detail elsewhere.
There is a great deal of information here on the various personalities and the discoveries that were made in the first half of the 20th century. Some parts of the book were very technical but not too hard to follow along as one discovery led to the next. There were also some interesting stories about scientists who missed getting credit for certain breakthroughs simply because they had missed or not interpreted their results correctly at the time. As with a lot of disciplines like this, there were a lot of big egos involved, resulting in races to take the next steps and possibly procure a Nobel Prize.
The book does not stop with the first nuclear bombs but continues with the development of thermonuclear weapons, about which I knew only the basic outline. I enjoyed learning about all of this and came away with, for example, an understanding of the difference between alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, but not enough to go for a Nobel!
There is a great deal of information here on the various personalities and the discoveries that were made in the first half of the 20th century. Some parts of the book were very technical but not too hard to follow along as one discovery led to the next. There were also some interesting stories about scientists who missed getting credit for certain breakthroughs simply because they had missed or not interpreted their results correctly at the time. As with a lot of disciplines like this, there were a lot of big egos involved, resulting in races to take the next steps and possibly procure a Nobel Prize.
The book does not stop with the first nuclear bombs but continues with the development of thermonuclear weapons, about which I knew only the basic outline. I enjoyed learning about all of this and came away with, for example, an understanding of the difference between alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, but not enough to go for a Nobel!
September 29, 2025
A very engaging science history book; there were several things in here that I had not read about before that make you appreciate how much trial and error went into the early discoveries about atomic structure. The ingenious experiments devised by the scientists to test and confirm their theories were fascinating to read about. This book is not too heavy on the science theory (i.e., you don't have to have a degree in chemistry to appreciate it), but it's also not just stories about the scientists involved, either. Definitely worth a read.
July 6, 2025
Great book describing the history of nuclear physics, leading to the development of thermonuclear weapons. It is well written and engaging. I didn’t know much about the topic beforehand and thoroughly enjoyed learning how knowledge of radioactivity was advanced experiment by experiment and also about the scientists who made the key discoveries and the times they lived in. Excellent stuff!
June 1, 2025
Despite Title, This Is A Physics History - Not A WWII History. Despite using J. Robert Oppenheimer's famous quote upon seeing the detonation of the first atomic bomb - quoting from the Bhagavad Gita, he proclaimed "I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" (in case you've been living under a rock and had never heard that tale) - and indeed even showing that moment in this history of physics, this really is exactly that - a history of nuclear physics and the scientists involved.
Even when the book finally gets into WWII and the Manhattan Project - as well as at least touching on both Germany and Japan's efforts to also create the first atom bomb - it still primarily focuses on the science, scientists, and the technical, logistical, and political challenges they were having. Indeed, this is really as close as this text gets to discussing the larger picture of WWII - or the Cold War after it ended.
Instead what we get is a fascinating, and perhaps first of its kind in just how detailed and comprehensive it is, examination of the history of scientific discovery as it relates to nuclear and even quantum physics. Yes, it has a lot of complex - as in, truly seemingly PhD level in the field - images of some of the various mathematical equations involved, but Close does a pretty great job of actually explaining them in such a way that someone with at least a high school physics class under their belt should be able to follow along reasonably well, and even for those that don't have even that background in physics, it really is more "history of physics" than "physics" in the text's actual discussions of the relevant histories. (Though I could absolutely see this being used as a textbook, particularly at the collegiate level and particularly in certain history classes or even physics classes, as a way of showing all that has come before to get us to roughly where we are in our understanding of the topics at hand.)
At least I had an easy enough time following along with the text here- though as others frequently tell me, this could very well be a "*my* abilities" thing rather than a more general level of ease. So please, read this book and write a review yourself, no matter who you may be, and please briefly describe your own educational background when you do. (For me, I have a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, came within a handful of classes of getting two other degrees in Secondary Mathematics Education and Mathematics -long story there - and had physics classes in both high school and college. In addition to several history classes, including a few covering the time and issues in question.) I also had a great time reading this over US Memorial Weekend 2025, as we prepare for the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki later this summer - though I *did* expect this book would be more about those events than it was, which was one main reason I had originally picked it up and chose to read it at this exact time. So again, to be crystal clear yet another time: This is a history of nuclear physics, *NOT* a history of the atomic bomb directly or exclusively.
Truly a fascinating and compelling history, particularly for anyone at least remotely interested in the field for any reason.
Oh, and the star deduction? For all that is discussed here, the bibliography is actually rather short, clocking in at just 10% or so of the text. Astonishing, really, considering the sheer amount of history presented here.
Very much recommended.
Even when the book finally gets into WWII and the Manhattan Project - as well as at least touching on both Germany and Japan's efforts to also create the first atom bomb - it still primarily focuses on the science, scientists, and the technical, logistical, and political challenges they were having. Indeed, this is really as close as this text gets to discussing the larger picture of WWII - or the Cold War after it ended.
Instead what we get is a fascinating, and perhaps first of its kind in just how detailed and comprehensive it is, examination of the history of scientific discovery as it relates to nuclear and even quantum physics. Yes, it has a lot of complex - as in, truly seemingly PhD level in the field - images of some of the various mathematical equations involved, but Close does a pretty great job of actually explaining them in such a way that someone with at least a high school physics class under their belt should be able to follow along reasonably well, and even for those that don't have even that background in physics, it really is more "history of physics" than "physics" in the text's actual discussions of the relevant histories. (Though I could absolutely see this being used as a textbook, particularly at the collegiate level and particularly in certain history classes or even physics classes, as a way of showing all that has come before to get us to roughly where we are in our understanding of the topics at hand.)
At least I had an easy enough time following along with the text here- though as others frequently tell me, this could very well be a "*my* abilities" thing rather than a more general level of ease. So please, read this book and write a review yourself, no matter who you may be, and please briefly describe your own educational background when you do. (For me, I have a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, came within a handful of classes of getting two other degrees in Secondary Mathematics Education and Mathematics -long story there - and had physics classes in both high school and college. In addition to several history classes, including a few covering the time and issues in question.) I also had a great time reading this over US Memorial Weekend 2025, as we prepare for the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki later this summer - though I *did* expect this book would be more about those events than it was, which was one main reason I had originally picked it up and chose to read it at this exact time. So again, to be crystal clear yet another time: This is a history of nuclear physics, *NOT* a history of the atomic bomb directly or exclusively.
Truly a fascinating and compelling history, particularly for anyone at least remotely interested in the field for any reason.
Oh, and the star deduction? For all that is discussed here, the bibliography is actually rather short, clocking in at just 10% or so of the text. Astonishing, really, considering the sheer amount of history presented here.
Very much recommended.
June 10, 2025
At first glance at the title you might assume that this book is another Oppenheimer biography - and of course he features - but it's far more. Frank Close starts with a large pre-bomb section taking us through the development of nuclear physics. Some aspects of this are familiar, such as Rutherford and the nucleus, others less so - it's great, for example, to have story of discovery of the neutron as it has rarely been covered and was a real scientific race, laden with misunderstanding and last minute experiments.
There are a lot of names presented here and it would be easy to turn this into a tedious collection of who did what, but Close is skilful enough to make the telling of the story gripping, and brings in some less familiar characters, such as Majorana and Compton to season the familiar names. Close excels at digging out aspects of the history that were a little different from the way the stories are often told, for example casting doubt on the details of Szilard's alleged revelation of chain reactions while crossing the road into Russell Square in London.
The whole book could have been dedicated to the increasing knowledge of the nucleus and its potential for generating energy (Rutherford's famous quote 'Anyone who looks for a source of power in the transformation of atoms is talking moonshine' is also given a novel context), but Close brings in the details of both the initial fission bomb science and a considerable amount on the extension to fusion (H-bombs) both in the US and in Russia.
At one point I did raise an eyebrow - I don't know if it's because Close is an Oxford man to the core, but he does have a moment of architectural madness, first describing a Cambridge college’s courts as quadrangles (many, but not all. technically are, but it’s not what they are called), then apparently referring to the elegant stone entrance of the Cavendish Laboratory as 'a red brick building whose windows could have doubled for offices in a Northern mill town.' Admittedly there is a red brick building further down Free School Lane, but this wouldn't feature in the walk described and it is the engineering labs, not the Cavendish (also the brick building is handsome in its own right).
My only other slight moan is that the name of the book suggests an attempt to hitch onto the publicity arising from the Oppenheimer movie, given its status as an extract from Oppenheimer's famous quote from the Bhagavad Gita 'Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds' - but Oppenheimer himself only gets a few passing lines - and Close with typical verve adds in the comment of another watcher at the Los Alamos test '"Now we are all the sons of bitches," which more prosaically described what the scientists' achievement would make them.' Minimal reference to Oppenheimer is entirely legitimate for a book that concentrates on the science behind nuclear weapons (and power) rather than the organisational details of the Manhattan Project, which has been covered at length elsewhere - but it does feel a touch misleading.
An excellent combination of nuclear physics primer and history of the developing science of nuclear power and weapons through to the mid-sixties. One of his best yet.
There are a lot of names presented here and it would be easy to turn this into a tedious collection of who did what, but Close is skilful enough to make the telling of the story gripping, and brings in some less familiar characters, such as Majorana and Compton to season the familiar names. Close excels at digging out aspects of the history that were a little different from the way the stories are often told, for example casting doubt on the details of Szilard's alleged revelation of chain reactions while crossing the road into Russell Square in London.
The whole book could have been dedicated to the increasing knowledge of the nucleus and its potential for generating energy (Rutherford's famous quote 'Anyone who looks for a source of power in the transformation of atoms is talking moonshine' is also given a novel context), but Close brings in the details of both the initial fission bomb science and a considerable amount on the extension to fusion (H-bombs) both in the US and in Russia.
At one point I did raise an eyebrow - I don't know if it's because Close is an Oxford man to the core, but he does have a moment of architectural madness, first describing a Cambridge college’s courts as quadrangles (many, but not all. technically are, but it’s not what they are called), then apparently referring to the elegant stone entrance of the Cavendish Laboratory as 'a red brick building whose windows could have doubled for offices in a Northern mill town.' Admittedly there is a red brick building further down Free School Lane, but this wouldn't feature in the walk described and it is the engineering labs, not the Cavendish (also the brick building is handsome in its own right).
My only other slight moan is that the name of the book suggests an attempt to hitch onto the publicity arising from the Oppenheimer movie, given its status as an extract from Oppenheimer's famous quote from the Bhagavad Gita 'Now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds' - but Oppenheimer himself only gets a few passing lines - and Close with typical verve adds in the comment of another watcher at the Los Alamos test '"Now we are all the sons of bitches," which more prosaically described what the scientists' achievement would make them.' Minimal reference to Oppenheimer is entirely legitimate for a book that concentrates on the science behind nuclear weapons (and power) rather than the organisational details of the Manhattan Project, which has been covered at length elsewhere - but it does feel a touch misleading.
An excellent combination of nuclear physics primer and history of the developing science of nuclear power and weapons through to the mid-sixties. One of his best yet.
October 19, 2025
I knew on beforehand how the book would feel like, as I watched the presentation of Frank Close for the Royal Institute on YouTube earlier; this book is the foundation of that talk with a similar layout. An in-depth picture is given of the academic world that studied the atom and nuclear physics from 1895 till 1965, which encompasses the discovery of the constitutions of the atom to radioactivity, induced radioactivity and eventually the splitting of the atom, leading to the development of the atomic fission and fusion bombs. To manage expectations, the details around the US Manhattan project are hardly (well, actually not at all) described, for this people that want to have Öppenheimer" background, better read the biography of Arthur Compton.
What is really nice is that the novel highlights how research is progressing in a network of scientist that work upon each others discoveries and hypotheses. Often, one person is attributed a discovery, but in many cases these are key insights that are then explored by the scientific network. Several of these insights developed the field of nuclear physics:
- discovery of electron as an atomic part
- the presence of a nucleus in the atom which is positively charged
- the role of neutron as nuclear glue for protons
- the fact that some elements lose parts of themselves in the form of radiation
- that this can be induced by hitting atoms with radiation from elsewhere
- that atoms can be even split if the bullet's energy to hit them with is carefully designed.
- splitting the atom releases the energy for a weapon
This book describes how key people discovered all these things with each other. Becquerel, Compton, Rutherford, Chadwick, Fermi, Teller, Curie(s), Meitner, Frisch, Hahn, Von Neumann are just a few of the very famous actor in this play. But also their students, sounding boards and personal working groups play their role. Also the significant roles of the scientific groups in Germany and the UK are given the attention they deserve.
The scientific details in the book are beyond layman knowledge, so basic physics knowledge will definitely help the reader. The book is a bit awkward because it focuses on a non-Manhattan Project timeline. This means that the level of detail from 1890-1940 is very high, then accelerates trough the Trinity test and the bombing of Japan, towards the development of the H-bomb by Teller and Ulam when the pace slowed again. This leaves the impression that the story could have ended after WW2. However, the details around the development of the H-bomb by the Los Alamos laboratory were a nice add-on the whole. 4 stars.
What is really nice is that the novel highlights how research is progressing in a network of scientist that work upon each others discoveries and hypotheses. Often, one person is attributed a discovery, but in many cases these are key insights that are then explored by the scientific network. Several of these insights developed the field of nuclear physics:
- discovery of electron as an atomic part
- the presence of a nucleus in the atom which is positively charged
- the role of neutron as nuclear glue for protons
- the fact that some elements lose parts of themselves in the form of radiation
- that this can be induced by hitting atoms with radiation from elsewhere
- that atoms can be even split if the bullet's energy to hit them with is carefully designed.
- splitting the atom releases the energy for a weapon
This book describes how key people discovered all these things with each other. Becquerel, Compton, Rutherford, Chadwick, Fermi, Teller, Curie(s), Meitner, Frisch, Hahn, Von Neumann are just a few of the very famous actor in this play. But also their students, sounding boards and personal working groups play their role. Also the significant roles of the scientific groups in Germany and the UK are given the attention they deserve.
The scientific details in the book are beyond layman knowledge, so basic physics knowledge will definitely help the reader. The book is a bit awkward because it focuses on a non-Manhattan Project timeline. This means that the level of detail from 1890-1940 is very high, then accelerates trough the Trinity test and the bombing of Japan, towards the development of the H-bomb by Teller and Ulam when the pace slowed again. This leaves the impression that the story could have ended after WW2. However, the details around the development of the H-bomb by the Los Alamos laboratory were a nice add-on the whole. 4 stars.
February 19, 2025
Imagine you've gone to the bookstore to hear an author read from their new book that you believe is a history of the people who collectively figured out all the theories and breakthroughs that led humanity to the ability to create atom bombs. You're hoping for an entertaining evening with some eye-opening scientific tidbits, but mostly a story about interesting scientists, including your personal favorite, Marie Curie. You sit down with some anticipation, just to slowly realize that you've gotten it all wrong and have ended up in a graduate symposium on nuclear physics.
Your fellow audience members must be PhDs, they're jotting down equations as the author laboriously chalks them on the board. He explains how each formula implies certain characteristics about the fundamental building blocks of matter and how that then begets additional theories. Nobel prizes are mentioned, and scientists are cited as being on the right track or wrong track, even some WWII-era politics are referenced, but mostly it's way over your head and you find yourself nodding off and wondering how to politely slip out the back before the end of the lecture.
That's how I found this remarkably erudite history of the theories and ideas surrounding the composition of the atom, what radioactivity is, how fission and fusion work, and how the design of the periodic table implies the required existence of certain elements (or does it?).
While Destroyer of Worlds is billed as being " centered on an extraordinary cast of characters" in fact the book is much more the "story of the physics that deciphered the atom and created the hydrogen bomb" with formula, visualizations, graphs, tables, and other data shared and more or less explained for the layman.
I was overwhelmed. If you're not well versed in nuclear physics, this is probably not the book for you on this important subject.
Disclosure: I received this book through NetGalley in return for this candid review.
Your fellow audience members must be PhDs, they're jotting down equations as the author laboriously chalks them on the board. He explains how each formula implies certain characteristics about the fundamental building blocks of matter and how that then begets additional theories. Nobel prizes are mentioned, and scientists are cited as being on the right track or wrong track, even some WWII-era politics are referenced, but mostly it's way over your head and you find yourself nodding off and wondering how to politely slip out the back before the end of the lecture.
That's how I found this remarkably erudite history of the theories and ideas surrounding the composition of the atom, what radioactivity is, how fission and fusion work, and how the design of the periodic table implies the required existence of certain elements (or does it?).
While Destroyer of Worlds is billed as being " centered on an extraordinary cast of characters" in fact the book is much more the "story of the physics that deciphered the atom and created the hydrogen bomb" with formula, visualizations, graphs, tables, and other data shared and more or less explained for the layman.
I was overwhelmed. If you're not well versed in nuclear physics, this is probably not the book for you on this important subject.
Disclosure: I received this book through NetGalley in return for this candid review.
December 3, 2025
The book opens with a brief account of the Trinity test of 1945 - an event which those who have seen Nolan's Oppenheimer may feel they already know enough about. Indeed, the very title may induce déja-vu in such people. What follows, however, is a revelation, a tour-de-force, taking us from the accidental discovery of X-rays in the late nineteenth century to the very deliberate Soviet test of the "King of Bombs" in the 1960s. What sets Close apart from other chroniclers of the nuclear age - apart from the breadth of his research in the archives - is his awareness of the fragility and fallibility of the scientific method and its practitioners. Missed opportunities, rivalries, accidents, the effects of human character on the science - all are here. Yet somehow the apparently impossible is made to happen. There are many things here that were new to me (and I've read a number of both fictionalised and non-fiction books on this subject): Fermi getting a Nobel Prize for something he hadn't actually done; Lisa Meitner not getting one for something she HAD done; Klaus Fuchs - infamous as a Soviet spy - being also the "grandfather" of efforts not just in the USSR , but also in the US and UK, to construct a thermonuclear ("hydrogen") bomb; scientists around the world being able to reverse engineer a bomb based on examination of the fallout from secret nuclear tests by another nation; the bravery of Krushchev's scientists who - by managing to halve the megatonnage of the superbomb he demanded - probably saved the northern hemisphere from decades of irradiation. Like many of Close's books this one is not just about its ostensible subject, but about the whole culture that lies behind scientific discovery, making each book far more rewarding than you might imagine simply from the subject and the title.
February 23, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Basic Books for the ARC.
DNF
I was initially drawn to this book by the title, cover art and description. As I started reading it, I realized some concepts were over my head and it would require a lot of patience and work to get through it.
I was managing up until about 20% completion, and that is where the knowledge base needed for me to understand became insurmountable. I did not go into this thinking this would be a layman’s term book, but I also did not think it would be so over my head to be impossible for me to finish. This is my first DNF.
If I had been able to keep up with the terminology and concepts it would have been a 4-star book for me. My rating and inability to complete does not reflect on the author or content, simply my shortcoming in being able to take it all in and understand.
DNF
I was initially drawn to this book by the title, cover art and description. As I started reading it, I realized some concepts were over my head and it would require a lot of patience and work to get through it.
I was managing up until about 20% completion, and that is where the knowledge base needed for me to understand became insurmountable. I did not go into this thinking this would be a layman’s term book, but I also did not think it would be so over my head to be impossible for me to finish. This is my first DNF.
If I had been able to keep up with the terminology and concepts it would have been a 4-star book for me. My rating and inability to complete does not reflect on the author or content, simply my shortcoming in being able to take it all in and understand.
July 13, 2025
A tight, focused look at the politics and paranoia surrounding Oppenheimer and the bomb, rather than a sweeping biography. Close is a physicist, and it shows. This reads more like a forensic investigation than a dramatic narrative, but it’s sharp, clear, and deeply thoughtful. Less emotional than other accounts, but full of insight into the moral mess scientists found themselves in. While much of the info in this book has been touched on by other prominent writers, I think the perspective Close offers, as a physicist, adds a deeper layer of understanding, specifically of the science of it all. If you’re into Cold War history or want a more grounded take on the bomb’s legacy, this is worth your time.
November 8, 2025
A detailed, thorough, and scary look at the race to split (and then fuse) the atom, creating the most devastating weapons known to man. I found it a bit too technical for me. I am certainly an amateur at nuclear science and though Mr. Close tries his best to break it down to layman's terms, there was a large portion of this book I just didn't comprehend. I found myself skipping to the last few chapters, where he describes putting the weapon to use, along with the RIDICULOUS idea behind Tsar Bomba (imagine that actually being as powerful as Khrushchev wanted it to be).
I'm moving onto The Devil Reached Toward The Sky to get a better sense of how the bomb was developed and tested.
I'm moving onto The Devil Reached Toward The Sky to get a better sense of how the bomb was developed and tested.
July 3, 2025
This book digs deep into the history and science behind nuclear weapons, way beyond just the usual facts. Close does a great job explaining the crazy race to build the bomb and the impact it’s had on politics and the world ever since. Some parts get pretty technical, but the stories and details keep it interesting. If you want a solid, detailed look at how the nuclear age started and why it still matters, this one’s a good pick.
Read
July 17, 2025Frank Close delivers a precise, human-centric chronicle of how nuclear science went from spark to existential threat, blending clarity, ethics, and caution. A compelling read for anyone grappling with how humanity unleashes—and sometimes fails to master—its inventions.
December 16, 2025
Highly recommended. Lot of new stuff even for knowledgeable readers. Fast paced, almost novel style. Only flaw- the period after 1945 and the development of the H-bomb is a bit of a let down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2025
This book does what it says on the tin: It gets very deep (lots of scientific jargon!) on the history of nuclear physics and making of the atomic bomb, so it's probably not everyone's cup of tea. I'll admit, I didn't even try to understand some of the science, but as a history book it was very interesting and I enjoyed reading much of it.
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