Michael Burleigh
Loose Nukes
The Atomic Bazaar: The Rise of the Nuclear Poor
By William Langewiesche
Allen Lane / The Penguin Press 179pp £20 order from our bookshop
Channel-hoppers may recall the 1994 Hollywood action comedy True Lies, in which Islamist jihadists purloined nuclear warheads stolen in Kazakhstan (a state which has actually decommissioned its nuclear arsenal) and used them to menace America. Capably assisted by wife Jamie Lee Curtis, agent Arnold Schwarzenegger saved the day, using a missile fired from a Harrier jump jet to despatch the lead malefactor to fiery oblivion.
After soberly reminding readers of how a nuclear bomb works and what it can do, William Langewiesche concludes that this is not something that can be knocked up in a suburban garage. Theoretically, all one needs is a stepladder and two 75-pound bricks of 90 per cent heavily enriched uranium.
Sign Up to our newsletter
Receive free articles, highlights from the archive, news, details of prizes, and much more.@Lit_Review
Follow Literary Review on Twitter
'Lamb has always attracted admirers ... Yet, as Eric G Wilson observes, "Dream-Child" is the first full-scale biography in over a century.'
Edward Weech on the life and work of Charles Lamb.
https://literaryreview.co.uk/the-man-with-the-golden-pun
My latest children's round up for @Lit_Review feat. @LissaKEvans WISHED, @MissDePlume SMALL!, @skyemc_kenna's HEDGWITCH, @emmac2603 ESCAPE... @PhilipPullman's IMAGINATION...
https://literaryreview.co.uk/there-be-giants
Very happy to make my @Lit_Review debut with a review of @WillWiles "The Last Blade Priest" a fast-paced story set in an immersive world with nuanced inter-group dynamics and humane characters
https://literaryreview.co.uk/mountain-duel