Lucky Strike (Outspoken Authors, 2)

Kim Stanley Robinson's fiction will be studied in literature classes for the next hundred years. This little book will be key to students of his writing. It is a contextual gem. "The Lucky Strike plus..." provides a relatively short story with the author's explanation of the science behind his fiction. The scientific explanation was a stretch for me, but it pleases me that the author was interested in keeping his alternative history within the realm of possibility. The third part of the book is an interview with the author. The interviewer is also a science fiction writer, so his questions are well informed. If the reader wants to understand where Robinson is coming from, then this book is essential. It's also a fun read.

The kind of story that demonstrates the value of science fiction as a tool for structuring debate around controversial issues. What if we hadn't dropped the bomb on Japan's cities, but instead had used it for demonstration value? What ethical issues faced the bombardier on that fateful first flight toward Hiroshima? How might history have changed? Would the military have found another opportunity later, a more devastating one? What would have happened then?These and many other questions are asked in Kim Stanley Robinson's novella The Lucky Strike. This small volume includes his complementary 1991 story, "A Sensitive Dependence on Initial Conditions," which takes an entirely different approach to the Hiroshima question. Lastly, a wide-ranging interview with Robinson is included to provide more personal thoughts. A great addition to any SF fan's library, and perfect background reading for a seminar on the ethics of war, a post-WWII history class, or a wide variety of other seminar-style courses.

It's a treat to find this story. I wish all of Robinson's works were on kindle. I love the struggle the pilot goes through and the alternate histories. Only criticism is that the historical analysis was a bit lengthy. But maybe "author's privilege".

This is a short story with barely 1000 locations of text. The "supporting matieral" is esoteric garbage taking up another third of the "book". The final third is some kinda written love-in with the author. The weakest alternate history piece I have ever seen!

A past we could have only wished for. The pilot charged with dropping the first atomic bomb sabotages his own mission, dropping the payload in an uninhabited nearby forest. Charged with treason, he watches the rest of the war, and the world's response to the power of the bomb, as he waits to hear how he shall be sentenced.It took me a while to realize what this story was about, but once I did, I was zoned in. I'm fairly fascinated with the atomic bomb drops, and getting to see a universe where this terrible loss of life never took place was so melancholy, but hopeful. Perhaps this can also be a universe where the bombs never drop again.Available as a free audio production from Strange Horizons.

Really enjoyed the story itself. It's an alternate history of the bombing of Hiroshima. It surprised me how much sense it made if things had happened that way. (I gave the book to my dad, who had a brother at Pearl Harbor, and he loved it, too.) I couldn't get into the bonus materials. For a title this short, $8 for the Kindle edition seems way overpriced.

Robinson speculates on what might have happened if someone with a little more conscience had been the bombadier over Hiroshima and gets into his mind. It's very hard to put down.

Do I need to say more. It ignores the real politics of the situation. This was probably Stalins wet dream, once he had the bomb in 48