The Oppenheimer Alternative

Alternate history usually turns on the decisions of politicians and generals. Robert J. Sawyer has done a truly science fictional work of alternate history which turns on the decisions -- and discoveries -- of the great physicists who wrote the history of the 20th century: Einstein, Fermi, Goedel, and ... Oppenheimer, the organizer of the Manhattan Project. They are the vividly realized, all-too-human characters who people this novel, and give its brilliant speculations human life and blood. I read this book at a gulp, and you should too -- now I'm going to go read it again. Bravo! --Analog Science Fiction and Fact --S.M. Stirling, New York Times bestselling author of Dies The Fire Incredibly realistic: the characters, locations, the era, and even the science. I felt like I was back in Los Alamos -- and I should know: I worked there! The plot was breathlessly riveting and kept me wondering how anyone could possibly survive, but Robert J. Sawyer masterfully pulled it off. --Dr. Doug Beason, former Associate Laboratory Director, Los Alamos National Laboratory An expert and engrossing knitting of the threads of history, with genuine characters of the mid 20th Century, to weave out a compulsive fictional narrative. --Jem Rolls, author of the play The Inventor of All Things about Leo Szilard In The Oppenheimer Alternative, Robert J. Sawyer portrays brilliantly and poignantly the struggles of the scientists who started it all and were consequently obliged to bear an unbearable burden. --Dr. James Christie, Chair, Project Ploughshares, member organization of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons I enjoyed it tremendously! Really great, a page turner. I was hooked from the beginning to the end. Another fine addition to the Sawyer canon! --Andre Bormanis, co-executive producer, The Orville and Cosmos Well-drawn alternate history, rigorous SF thriller, social commentary, redemption narrative--The Oppenheimer Alternative reimagines one of the most influential lives of the twentieth century. Well worth reading. I loved it! --Lee Smolin, bestselling author of The Trouble with Physics An imaginative restructuring of a phantasmagoric life into an alternative phantasmagorical story. Oppenheimer fans will be intrigued. --Martin J. Sherwin, co-author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer A truly science fictional work of alternate history which turns on the decisions--and discoveries--of the great physicists who wrote the history of the 20th century: Einstein, Fermi, Goedel, and Oppenheimer. They are the vividly realized, all-too-human characters who people this novel, and give its brilliant speculations human life and blood. Bravo! --S.M. Stirling, author of Dies The Fire Incredibly realistic: the characters, locations, the era, and even the science. I felt like I was back in Los Alamos--and I should know: I worked there! Breathlessly riveting; Sawyer pulls it off masterfully. --Doug Beason, former Associate Laboratory Director, Los Alamos National Laboratory The feel and detail of the Manhattan Project figures is deep and well done. I knew many of these physicists, and Sawyer nails them accurately. --Gregory Benford, author of The Berlin Project I enjoyed it tremendously! Really great, a page turner. I was hooked from the beginning to the end. Another fine addition to the Sawyer canon! --Andre Bormanis, co-executive producer, The Orville and Cosmos An expert and engrossing knitting of the threads of history, with genuine characters of the mid 20th Century, to weave out a compulsive fictional narrative. --Jem Rolls, author of the play The Inventor of All Things Sawyer portrays brilliantly and poignantly the struggles of the scientists who started it all and were consequently obliged to bear an unbearable burden. --James Christie, Chair, Project Ploughshares, member organization of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Sawyer has outdone himself! No one could have taken on this project with such gusto and with such a search for the truth as this outstanding author. I've never read such a complete and thrilling account of Oppenheimer's world.--Jonas Saul, author of the Sarah Roberts series PRAISE FOR ROBERT J. SAWYER A new Robert J. Sawyer book is always cause for celebration. -- Analog Science Fiction and Fact Sawyer not only has an irresistibly engaging narrative voice but also a gift for confronting thorny philosophical conundrums. At every opportunity, he forces his readers to think while holding their attention with ingenious premises and superlative craftsmanship. -- Booklist Can Sawyer write? Yes--with near-Asimovian clarity, with energy and drive, with such grace that his writing becomes invisible as the story comes to life in your mind. -- Orson Scott Card, author of Ender's Game Robert J. Sawyer is by any measure one of the world's leading (and most interesting) science-fiction writers. His fiction is a fascinating blend of intellectually compelling big ideas and humane, enduring characters. -- The Globe and Mail Sawyer, an articulate fountain of ideas, is the genre's northern star--in fact, one of the hottest SF writers anywhere. By any reckoning Sawyer is among the most successful Canadian authors ever. -- Maclean's: Canada's Weekly News Magazine Robert J. Sawyer is a writer of boundless confidence and bold scientific extrapolation. -- The New York Times Sawyer's books--always rich in science, action, and profound thinking--never fail to surprise, delight, and cause us to transcend our ordinary thinking. I've read Crichton, Asimov, Heinlein, Clarke, King, and Koontz--and Sawyer outdoes them all. --Clifford A. Pickover, author Time: A Traveler's Guide A polished, exciting writer. Sawyer writes with the scientific panache and grandeur of Arthur C. Clarke and the human touch of Isaac Asimov. -- Quill & Quire Cracking open a new Robert J. Sawyer book is like getting a gift from a friend who visits all the strange and undiscovered places in the world. You can't wait to see what he's going to amaze you with this time. --John Scalzi, author of Old Man's War Sawyer is Canada's answer to Michael Crichton. -- The Toronto Star No reader seeking well-written stories that respect, emphasize and depend on modern science should be disappointed by the works of Rob Sawyer. -- The Washington Post Sawyer is a terrific writer. He can write about the most sophisticated science while giving readers the room to understand what's happening and follow the plot. -- Winnipeg Free Press