An apocalyptic book which was published in 1957.
I heard this book being recommended by someone on Radio 4 so I went out and purchased it. I’m glad I did.
Set in Australia after World War III and radioactive bombs has decimated the northern hemisphere, the radioactive clouds are now drifting towards the Southern Hemisphere.
Commander Dwight Towers is the captain of the USS Scorpion which is one of the remaining American nuclear submarines. He places it under Australian command while they figure out what to do.
Peter Holmes who has a baby daughter and a wife is due to retire from the Australian Navy but is assigned to the USS Scorpion to go on one final mission with Dwight Towers to investigate an unknown Morse code signal coming from Alaska.
It is a gripping read that really shows how people act in what could potentially be their bleak final days of which there is no hope for survival.
I love reading books that are apocalyptic but also written decades ago as it gives you glimpses into peoples lives pre-internet and technology which we have become accustomed to. It was a much simpler time for sure but it’s also harrowing to read about humanities self destructive tendencies coming into effect through war, which of course happens to this very day in real life.
All I can say is I hope this book very much stays fiction and is not a sign of times to come. But I highly recommend.
Favourite quote from the book:
If a couple of hundred million people all decide that their national honour requires them to drop cobalt bombs upon their neighbour, well, there’s not much that you or I can do about it. – page 257
Overall: 81%