The hydrogen bomb is the natural sequel to the atomic bomb, but Dark Sun is a shadow of its predecessor, and Rhodes can't find a single narrative thread in this trudge of a history.

The individual pieces are there, the transformation of the American atomic complex from a handful of scattered parts in the late 1940s to an instrument capable of killing a nation in 1955 is a fascinating story of bureaucratic transformation. The Teller-Ulam device is a masterpiece of precision engineering, directed towards evil ends. And there are personalities aplenty, from Teller to Oppenheimer to Curtis LeMay. The Russian atomic bomb effort was guided by plans stolen from Los Alamos by Klaus Fuchs, and the Rosenbergs paid with their lives for their minor part as couriers. Yet, I had no real sense of the people, or the uncertain time of the age. I love this stuff, and this book was a struggle to get through.