Nuclear War: A Scenario

The Sunday Times bestselling edge-of-your-seat exploration of what would happen in the event of nuclear war, perfect for readers of American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.

*Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction 2024*

‘Essential’ New York Times
‘A stomach-clenching, multi-perspective, ticking-clock, geopolitical thriller’ Forbes
‘Tells a terrifying story in a devastatingly straightforward way’ Guardian

Nuclear war begins with a blip on a radar screen.
This is a minute-by-minute account of what comes next.
It has to be read to be believed.

There is only one scenario other than an asteroid strike that could end the world as we know it in a matter of hours: nuclear war.

Until now, no one outside official circles has known exactly what would happen if a rogue state launched a nuclear missile at the Pentagon. Second by second and minute by minute, these are the real-life protocols that choreograph the end of civilization as we know it.

Decisions that affect hundreds of millions of lives need to be made within six minutes, based on partial information, in the knowledge that once launched, nothing is capable of halting the destruction.
Based on dozens of new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, been privy to the response plans, and taken responsibility for crucial decisions, this is the only account of what a nuclear exchange would look like.
Nuclear War is at once a compulsive non-fiction thriller and a powerful argument that we must rid ourselves of these world-ending weapons for ever.


‘This terrifying book is a must-read for every world leader’ Mother Jones
‘These are scenes straight out of Dr Strangelove’ Telegraph
‘At once methodical and vivid’ The Economist


* A New York Times bestseller (March 2024) and a Sunday Times bestseller (April 2024)