{ "reportId": "demo-diagnostic-chernograd-history-book", "reportKind": "diagnostic", "title": "Fault Line in Chernograd (Narrative History Nonfiction, 254 reviews)", "primaryAsin": "DEMO-A", "productCount": 1, "reviewCount": 254, "analysis": { "summary": "The main product page for Fault Line in Chernograd: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Reactor Disaster has excellent reviews—of 12,000+ ratings, 96% are positive with an average of 4.7 stars; the sample collected here covers only a very small portion and mixes hardcover, paperback, audiobook, and Audio CD editions of the same book (the main ASIN accounts for only about 44% of the sample; the rest are different bindings of the same book and can be treated as product-family material, but the rating halo should not be transferred between them). The sample is dominated by 4-star reviews, with negative reviews over-weighted; complaints almost all fall on reading experience and physical fulfillment—hundreds of Russian names hard to remember, excessive length and slowness, jumping timeline, difficult nuclear physics terminology, plus stained/folded/trimmed print covers and skipping audio CDs; on content, 'well-researched and detailed, narrative like a novel, exposes the Soviet system and cover-up' are overwhelmingly positive themes, mostly 5-star. Note that the product page rating stats (96% positive) and this sample composition (main ASIN only 44%, negative quota on the high side) are two different scopes; only the former represents the book's overall reputation.", "pros": [ { "point": "Gripping narrative that reads like a novel or thriller; notably more readable than comparable disaster nonfiction, with many calling it 'unputdownable'", "mentions": 55, "quotes": [ { "text": "Lots to read. Excellently written and detailed.", "star": 5, "date": "October 5, 2026" } ], "clusterIds": ["C6"] }, { "point": "Extremely well-researched, detailed, and authoritative; called the definitive work on the subject, covering the causes and aftermath of the accident and people's fates", "mentions": 32, "quotes": [ { "text": "A landmark work of narrative nonfiction, this book stands as the definitive account", "star": 5, "date": "May 26, 2026" } ], "clusterIds": ["C13"] }, { "point": "Deeply exposes Soviet bureaucracy, cover-up, and systemic failure; its historical and social value goes beyond the disaster itself", "mentions": 28, "quotes": [ { "text": "regulations were ignored, smaller errors and explosions hidden, and safety measures were falsified for years simply to", "star": 5, "date": "February 20, 2023" } ], "clusterIds": ["C7"] }, { "point": "Strong emotional impact—shocking, infuriating, and sobering; leaves a lasting impression of nuclear safety and ordinary people's fates", "mentions": 12, "quotes": [ { "text": "One accident could truly destroy the planet.", "star": 4, "date": "November 5, 2022" } ], "clusterIds": ["C12"] }, { "point": "Used by viewers of the HBO series Chernograd as companion reading and a book of answers; the show's popularity keeps bringing new readers", "mentions": 12, "quotes": [ { "text": "This is one of the rare times when I'll say \"the movie was better than the book.\"", "star": 3, "date": "October 28, 2019" } ], "clusterIds": ["C11", "C14"] }, { "point": "Prompts reflection on nuclear safety and the energy future; appendices and references are helpful for further reading", "mentions": 8, "quotes": [ { "text": "A landmark work of narrative nonfiction, this book stands as the definitive account", "star": 5, "date": "May 26, 2026" } ], "clusterIds": ["C14", "C13"] }, { "point": "Physical book arrived promptly in clean, like-new condition; good experience as a gift", "mentions": 10, "quotes": [ { "text": "Everything arrived on time and as advertised", "star": 4, "date": "November 5, 2021" } ], "clusterIds": ["C18"] } ], "cons": [ { "point": "Russian names (including patronymics and titles) are numerous and highly similar, making it hard to tell who is who; readers need to make their own 'character cheat sheet'", "mentions": 28, "quotes": [ { "text": "Complicated read if you can't get your head around the hundreds of russian names used.", "star": 1, "date": "January 11, 2021" } ], "clusterIds": ["C2", "C16"] }, { "point": "Overlong and slow-paced, with lots of irrelevant detail bogging down the narrative; some readers abandon it midway and find it less tight than the HBO series", "mentions": 22, "quotes": [ { "text": "But it does so in slow, plodding and really very boring writing.", "star": 2, "date": "August 13, 2019" } ], "clusterIds": ["C3"] }, { "point": "Nuclear physics and technical content is too difficult for non-technical readers, especially hard to absorb in the audiobook edition", "mentions": 12, "quotes": [ { "text": "Started out great and went downhill very fast—I could not stay with it—got too technical", "star": 1, "date": "April 15, 2019" } ], "clusterIds": ["C5"] }, { "point": "Called out by expert readers for scientific/historical factual errors (neutron numbers in hydrogen and deuterium, uranium isotope wording, the combine harvester death scene, etc.), contrasting with its 'well-researched' reputation", "mentions": 12, "quotes": [ { "text": "makes gross mistakes in the telling of the most basic historical and scientific facts", "star": 2, "date": "June 18, 2020" } ], "clusterIds": ["C1"] }, { "point": "Jumping narrative, back-and-forth timeline, and loose structure; readers report it is 'incoherent and unclear'", "mentions": 8, "quotes": [ { "text": "Jumped around like Tigger on speed, with the result I lost interest.", "star": 1, "date": "December 4, 2020" } ], "clusterIds": ["C4", "C16"] }, { "point": "Character portrayal is rather flat; secondary characters get too much background but lack depth, described as 'more detail than drama'", "mentions": 8, "quotes": [ { "text": "the book, to me, was a very journalistic account, heavy on details that paint a picture of the surface situation", "star": 3, "date": "June 13, 2019" } ], "clusterIds": ["C16"] }, { "point": "Physical book condition and arrival quality are inconsistent: stained covers, bent corners, abnormal trimming, suspected used copies sold as new, leading to returns/exchanges", "mentions": 8, "quotes": [ { "text": "The book was damged,looks like it is used.", "star": 2, "date": "June 20, 2021" } ], "clusterIds": ["C8"] }, { "point": "Lacks reactor diagrams, plant-site/Prosinya maps, and photos; in the print edition images are clustered in the middle pages far from the text, and some Kindle edition images fail to display", "mentions": 7, "quotes": [ { "text": "I was extremely disappointed that the paperback version does not include any photos", "star": 3, "date": "August 2, 2020" } ], "clusterIds": ["C9", "C11"] }, { "point": "Final chapter (on climate crisis and nuclear energy views) is seen as unnecessary or superficial, weakening the ending", "mentions": 4, "quotes": [ { "text": "If you read the book don't bother with his last chapter.", "star": 3, "date": "July 10, 2020" } ], "clusterIds": ["C15"] }, { "point": "Hardcore readers complain the reactor principles and accident mechanisms are too shallow, coexisting with complaints that it is 'too difficult'", "mentions": 4, "quotes": [ { "text": "I felt like it covered too little of the technical aspects of the accident and why it occurred.", "star": 3, "date": "April 11, 2019" } ], "clusterIds": ["C17", "C5"] }, { "point": "Audio CD edition has skipping, dropouts, and other audio quality issues", "mentions": 3, "quotes": [ { "text": "The first audio CD played fine, the story was interesting but the next disc only had intermittent sound.", "star": 1, "date": "July 24, 2021" } ], "clusterIds": ["C10"] } ], "painPoints": [ { "pain": "Russian names are too dense and similar; halfway through readers can no longer tell who is connected to whom and are forced to build their own character list", "severity": "low", "mentions": 28, "clusterIds": ["C2", "C16"] }, { "pain": "Overlong and slow, with many minutiae slowing the main story, leading to abandonment and the alternative choice of 'better to just watch the show'", "severity": "low", "mentions": 22, "clusterIds": ["C3"] }, { "pain": "Expert readers catch basic scientific/historical factual errors, undermining trust in the book's rigor and even causing some to stop reading", "severity": "low", "mentions": 12, "clusterIds": ["C1"] }, { "pain": "The nuclear physics and engineering material is highly technical, inaccessible to nontechnical readers, and even harder to absorb in audio.", "severity": "low", "mentions": 12, "clusterIds": ["C5"] }, { "pain": "The narrative jumps around and shifts timelines repeatedly, with no linear throughline, leaving readers confused and disconnected.", "severity": "low", "mentions": 8, "clusterIds": ["C4"] }, { "pain": "Characters are flat and lacking depth; supporting-character backstory is piled on but hard to remember, weakening emotional investment.", "severity": "low", "mentions": 8, "clusterIds": ["C16"] }, { "pain": "Received physical books arrive stained, bent, with abnormal cover trimming, or looking used, requiring returns or exchanges.", "severity": "medium", "mentions": 8, "quotes": [ { "text": "The book was damged,looks like it is used.", "star": 2, "date": "June 20, 2021" } ], "clusterIds": ["C8", "C18"] }, { "pain": "Missing maps, reactor diagrams, and photos; in print, images are clustered in the middle and disconnected from the text, and some Kindle images fail to display.", "severity": "low", "mentions": 7, "clusterIds": ["C9", "C11"] }, { "pain": "The final chapter shifts to climate and nuclear-energy positions, seen as either unnecessary or underdeveloped.", "severity": "low", "mentions": 4, "clusterIds": ["C15"] }, { "pain": "Hardcore readers want deeper technical reviews of reactor-type principles and accident mechanisms; the current content is said to skim over them.", "severity": "low", "mentions": 4, "clusterIds": ["C17", "C5"] }, { "pain": "The audiobook CD version skips and cuts out, disrupting the complete experience.", "severity": "low", "mentions": 3, "clusterIds": ["C10"] } ], "coreDemands": [ { "demand": "Provide a ready-to-use character index/Russian-name reference and institutional relationship guide so readers do not have to compile their own just to keep up.", "priority": 9, "clusterIds": ["C2", "C16"] }, { "demand": "Add a timeline and event-flow recap to reduce confusion caused by the jumpy narrative.", "priority": 8, "clusterIds": ["C4", "C2"] }, { "demand": "Trim irrelevant details and balance pacing to make the main narrative tighter and prevent mid-book abandonment.", "priority": 8, "clusterIds": ["C3", "C16"] }, { "demand": "Add reactor cross-sections, plant and city maps, and historical photos, and ensure images are visible in every version.", "priority": 7, "clusterIds": ["C9", "C11"] }, { "demand": "Have basic scientific facts checked by expert reviewers to avoid losing credibility when expert readers catch errors.", "priority": 7, "clusterIds": ["C1"] }, { "demand": "Complete condition checks and protective packaging before physical books ship, with smooth exchanges for damage.", "priority": 7, "clusterIds": ["C8", "C18"] }, { "demand": "Serve both general-science and hardcore readers by layering technical content (light main narrative + in-depth appendix/further-reading list).", "priority": 6, "clusterIds": ["C5", "C17"] } ], "comparisonDimensions": [ { "dimension": "Content authority and research depth (compared with similar disaster narrative/nuclear history titles)", "verdict": "strength", "evidence": "Many 5-star reviews call it the definitive work on the subject, emphasizing the author’s years of investigation, use of declassified archives and survivor interviews, and detail surpassing most comparable books.", "clusterIds": ["C13", "C7"] }, { "dimension": "Narrative readability and appeal (compared with similar nonfiction works)", "verdict": "strength", "evidence": "Readers repeatedly describe it as “impossible to put down, like a novel/thriller,” with some reading it twice in a row; series viewers also treat it as excellent companion reading.", "clusterIds": ["C6", "C12", "C11"] }, { "dimension": "Reading barrier (name density, structure, terminology, compared with popular nonfiction)", "verdict": "weakness", "evidence": "The four complaint types—hard-to-remember names, excessive length, jumpy structure, and difficult physics terminology—total about 70, and skew clearly toward the e-book; this is the most concentrated and most directly improvable weakness.", "clusterIds": ["C2", "C4", "C5"] }, { "dimension": "Illustrations and visual support (compared with illustrated disaster narratives/series tie-in books)", "verdict": "weakness", "evidence": "Multiple reviews call out that the print edition has no photos, images are clustered in the middle and hard to match with the text, and Kindle images do not display, and they want reactor and Prosnia maps; the gap comes from visual expectations set by the HBO series.", "clusterIds": ["C9", "C11"] }, { "dimension": "Factual accuracy (compared with the standards of expert readers and rigorous comparable nonfiction)", "verdict": "neutral", "evidence": "Some readers with professional backgrounds do point out specific errors—hydrogen/deuterium neutron numbers, uranium isotopes, and the combine harvester passage—and dock points for them, but this type of complaint is low in share (about 20% negative in this theme cluster), and the vast majority still find the book credible and accurate.", "clusterIds": ["C1", "C17"] }, { "dimension": "Physical edition condition and fulfillment quality (compared with e-commerce book delivery expectations)", "verdict": "weakness", "evidence": "This theme cluster has the highest negative share of all themes, involving cover stains, bent corners, abnormal cover trimming, and books that seem used; a few orders were returned outright, and though the count is small it directly affects star ratings.", "clusterIds": ["C8", "C18"] } ], "listingSuggestions": [ { "area": "bullets", "priority": "high", "suggestion": "Clearly state content configuration differences across versions in the detail bullets (whether hardcover/paperback/Kindle include photos and maps, and how Kindle illustrations display), so readers form correct expectations before ordering rather than discovering missing images after receiving the book.", "evidence": "Multiple readers complain that the paperback has no photos at all, print images are clustered in the middle far from the text, and some Kindle images fail to display, dropping their ratings from 5 stars to 3–4 stars.", "clusterIds": ["C9", "C11"], "action": "State each edition's photo and map configuration in the bullets", "scope": "listing", "doFirst": 1, "expect": "Win back the 3–4 star gap reviews caused by image-less editions", "checklist": [ "Verify each edition's actual photo and map contents", "Put an edition-difference note in the first two bullets", "Add an interior-page illustration to the visual section", "Re-check Kindle illustrations and captions display" ] }, { "area": "aplus", "priority": "high", "suggestion": "Turn “how to read hundreds of Russian names” into a selling point rather than a hidden barrier: highlight the existing character list/glossary/appendix in the visual content section and the detail bullets, provide a downloadable character index and institutional relationship quick-reference PDF, and put the download entry directly in the main text.", "evidence": "Hard-to-remember names is the most-mentioned negative theme in this sample (28 mentions); many readers were forced to make their own “character cheat sheets,” and some stopped reading or skipped chapters because they could not remember the characters.", "clusterIds": ["C2", "C16", "C4"], "action": "Highlight the character index and add a downloadable quick-reference sheet", "scope": "listing", "doFirst": 2, "expect": "Ease the ~28 name-related complaints and reduce abandonment", "checklist": [ "Locate the existing character list and glossary pages", "Compile a Russian name and title quick-reference sheet", "Note “easier with the character list” up front", "Check Kindle character-list and TOC jump navigation" ] }, { "area": "bullets", "priority": "high", "suggestion": "Put a line of reading-expectation management at the start of the detail bullets: explain that this is a long-form nonfiction work “heavy on investigation and detail,” recommend reading alongside the character list, and note that readers can follow the main thread; use expectation management instead of letting readers become disappointed halfway through.", "evidence": "Three complaint types—long and dragging (22 mentions), technically difficult (12), and jumpy structure (8)—all point to “mismatched expectations,” and multiple reviews directly suggest watching the HBO series instead.", "clusterIds": ["C3", "C5", "C17"], "action": "Front-load a reading-difficulty note and reading tips in the detail bullets", "scope": "listing", "doFirst": 3, "expect": "Reduce “too boring / too hard” low stars and hold the 4-star share", "checklist": [ "Write a one-line length and style positioning note", "Add a “skim the character list before reading” hint", "Mark which chapters are technical and can be saved for later", "Seed a reading-order answer in the Q&A section" ] }, { "area": "keywords", "priority": "medium", "suggestion": "Use the series’ popularity for keyword and copy traffic: add Chernograd HBO miniseries-related terms to the book title/backend keywords, and state clearly in the detail bullets that it is “extended reading for viewers of the series,” capturing this proven high-intent traffic.", "evidence": "Twelve reviews explicitly say they came because of the HBO series and that the book fills in what the series did not explain clearly; it is a stable positive source and a recurring purchase motivation in reviews.", "clusterIds": ["C11", "C14"], "action": "Add Chernograd HBO-related terms to the book title and backend keywords", "scope": "listing", "doFirst": 4, "expect": "Capture series traffic and convert high-intent visitors", "checklist": [ "Shortlist 5 high-traffic series-related keywords", "Lead bullet one with “extended reading for the series”", "Check whether the backend keywords already cover these terms", "Add a “series vs book” comparison image" ] }, { "area": "other", "priority": "medium", "suggestion": "Check e-book reading aids (character X-Ray, chart zoom, table-of-contents jumps, illustration display) and put a short “Kindle usage illustrated guide” in the visual content section, turning the e-book from a reading burden into a reading advantage.", "evidence": "Complaints about hard-to-remember names, technical difficulty, and jumpy structure are clearly concentrated in the Kindle edition (this theme has a significantly higher share among e-book anchor reviews), and the lack of easy backtracking and image lookup amplifies the “hard to read” perception.", "clusterIds": ["C2", "C5", "C3"], "action": "Verify the reading aids and teach readers to use them", "scope": "listing", "doFirst": 5, "expect": "Improve the e-book reading experience and lower its negative share", "checklist": [ "Test character search, X-Ray, and chart zoom one by one", "Verify TOC jumps and chapter navigation work", "Screenshot a three-step usage walkthrough", "Add a one-line feature hint in the e-book description" ] }, { "area": "other", "priority": "high", "suggestion": "Add protective packaging for print editions and conduct condition spot checks before shipping (cover stains, bent corners, trimming, intact shrink wrap), while offering a no-proof-required exchange channel for damage complaints, cutting fulfillment issues off before they become reviews.", "evidence": "The physical book condition theme has the highest negative share of all themes (about 57%), involving cover stains, bent corners, abnormal cover trimming, and books that seem used; some readers have already returned them and asked for refunds.", "clusterIds": ["C8", "C18"], "action": "Upgrade print packaging and add pre-shipment condition spot checks", "scope": "supply", "doFirst": 6, "expect": "Win back condition and damage low stars and cut the return rate", "checklist": [ "Add corner guards or bubble bags to print editions", "Spot-check covers and spines before shipping", "Open a no-proof exchange channel for damage complaints", "Log damage-prone batches and report to the printer" ] }, { "area": "other", "priority": "medium", "suggestion": "In the next reprint/new edition, uniformly correct the scientific factual errors flagged by expert readers, add a technical appendix on reactor principles and a further-reading list, and address both polar demands of “too deep” and “too shallow.”", "evidence": "12 reviews point to specific errors such as hydrogen/deuterium neutron numbers, uranium isotopes, and the combine harvester segment, and deduct points for them; another 4 hardcore readers find the reactor principles and accident mechanisms too shallow.", "clusterIds": ["C1", "C17", "C5"], "action": "Fix factual errors in the next reprint and add a technical appendix", "scope": "supply", "doFirst": 7, "expect": "Remove factual-error deductions while still serving hardcore readers", "checklist": [ "Compile the list of specific factual errors cited in reviews", "Have a reviewer re-check the physics and history passages", "Add a reactor-principles appendix and reading list", "Note this round of revisions in the reprint notice" ] } ], "sentiment": { "positiveRatio": 0.9587603709126403, "neutralRatio": 0.04075158613958028, "negativeRatio": 0.0004880429477794046 }, "asinBreakdown": [ { "asin": "DEMO-D", "reviewCount": 49, "ratedCount": 49, "averageStar": 4, "starCounts": { "star1": 0, "star2": 2, "star3": 8, "star4": 28, "star5": 11 }, "positiveRatio": 0.7959183673469388, "neutralRatio": 0.163265306122449, "negativeRatio": 0.04081632653061224 }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "reviewCount": 81, "ratedCount": 81, "averageStar": 4.6, "starCounts": { "star1": 1, "star2": 1, "star3": 4, "star4": 18, "star5": 57 }, "positiveRatio": 0.9259259259259259, "neutralRatio": 0.04938271604938271, "negativeRatio": 0.02469135802469136 }, { "asin": "DEMO-F", "reviewCount": 1, "ratedCount": 1, "averageStar": 1, "starCounts": { "star1": 1, "star2": 0, "star3": 0, "star4": 0, "star5": 0 }, "positiveRatio": 0, "neutralRatio": 0, "negativeRatio": 1 }, { "asin": "DEMO-B", "reviewCount": 10, "ratedCount": 10, "averageStar": 3.7, "starCounts": { "star1": 0, "star2": 1, "star3": 3, "star4": 4, "star5": 2 }, "positiveRatio": 0.6, "neutralRatio": 0.3, "negativeRatio": 0.1 }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "reviewCount": 113, "ratedCount": 12153, "averageStar": 4.7, "starCounts": { "star1": 0, "star2": 0, "star3": 486, "star4": 2431, "star5": 9236 }, "positiveRatio": 0.96, "neutralRatio": 0.04, "negativeRatio": 0 } ], "coverage": [ { "asin": "DEMO-D", "total": 49, "starCounts": { "star1": 0, "star2": 2, "star3": 8, "star4": 28, "star5": 11 }, "ratingCount": null }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "total": 81, "starCounts": { "star1": 1, "star2": 1, "star3": 4, "star4": 18, "star5": 57 }, "ratingCount": null }, { "asin": "DEMO-F", "total": 1, "starCounts": { "star1": 1, "star2": 0, "star3": 0, "star4": 0, "star5": 0 }, "ratingCount": null }, { "asin": "DEMO-B", "total": 10, "starCounts": { "star1": 0, "star2": 1, "star3": 3, "star4": 4, "star5": 2 }, "ratingCount": null }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "total": 113, "starCounts": { "star1": 7, "star2": 6, "star3": 20, "star4": 50, "star5": 30 }, "ratingCount": 12153 } ], "clusters": [ { "id": "C1", "label": "Errors in scientific and historical facts", "sentiment": "negative", "reviewCount": 12, "excerpts": [ { "text": "makes gross mistakes in the telling of the most basic historical and scientific facts", "star": 2, "date": "June 18, 2020", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "If the author couldn't have bothered to look up the real configuration of deuterium", "star": 3, "date": "December 3, 2019", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "I know that men sleeping in a wheat field could not be killed by a combine.", "star": 4, "date": "June 26, 2019", "asin": "DEMO-D" } ], "reviewIds": [ "RA", "RQ", "RBS", "RBO", "RGA", "RFL", "RCQ", "RDA", "RDJ", "RE" ] }, { "id": "C2", "label": "Too many Russian names to remember", "sentiment": "negative", "reviewCount": 28, "excerpts": [ { "text": "Complicated read if you can't get your head around the hundreds of russian names used.", "star": 1, "date": "January 11, 2021", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "Too many characters", "star": 3, "date": "June 9, 2019", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "Unendliche Seiten mit unnötige Details und Referenzen auf unzähligen Personen und russische Burokraten.", "star": 2, "date": "July 24, 2021", "asin": "DEMO-A" } ], "reviewIds": [ "RD", "RW", "RAK", "RBX", "RBY", "RBZ", "RCB", "RCJ", "RDA", "RDF", "RDU", "REK", "RFF", "RGG", "RCI", "RCV", "REM", "RET", "RHV", "RBK", "RDC", "RCO", "REC" ] }, { "id": "C3", "label": "Overlong, slow-paced, and boring", "sentiment": "negative", "reviewCount": 22, "excerpts": [ { "text": "But it does so in slow, plodding and really very boring writing.", "star": 2, "date": "August 13, 2019", "asin": "DEMO-D" }, { "text": "It’s so so so boring and drags on.", "star": 1, "date": "February 29, 2020", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "Pretty boring. Just watch the HBO series. It’s much better", "star": 3, "date": "February 28, 2021", "asin": "DEMO-A" } ], "reviewIds": [ "RB", "RU", "RV", "RAC", "RCX", "RAK", "RBI", "REV", "RCW", "RCU", "RCO", "RAY", "RBU", "RCP", "RCY", "REJ", "RAG" ] }, { "id": "C4", "label": "Jumping narrative and loose structure make it hard to follow", "sentiment": "negative", "reviewCount": 8, "excerpts": [ { "text": "Jumped around like Tigger on speed, with the result I lost interest.", "star": 1, "date": "December 4, 2020", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "It also didn't provide much linear flow and felt disjointed.", "star": 3, "date": "August 10, 2019", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "Unclear", "star": 3, "date": "July 4, 2019", "asin": "DEMO-D" } ], "reviewIds": ["RU", "RV", "RAO", "RAW", "RCM", "RDE"] }, { "id": "C5", "label": "Difficult, hard-to-understand nuclear physics and technical content", "sentiment": "mixed", "reviewCount": 12, "excerpts": [ { "text": "Started out great and went downhill very fast—I could not stay with it—got too technical", "star": 1, "date": "April 15, 2019", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "However the subject material was over my knowledge of nuclear reactors", "star": 3, "date": "November 7, 2019", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "was soon bogged down by the sheer amount of physics detailed", "star": 3, "date": "January 28, 2020", "asin": "DEMO-A" } ], "reviewIds": [ "RC", "RCK", "RDD", "RCU", "RDZ", "RFB", "RCN", "RCY", "RCA", "RDW" ] }, { "id": "C6", "label": "Engaging, novel-like writing", "sentiment": "positive", "reviewCount": 55, "excerpts": [ { "text": "Lots to read. Excellently written and detailed.", "star": 5, "date": "October 5, 2026", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "It is very readable; almost too readable", "star": 5, "date": "July 6, 2023", "asin": "DEMO-D" }, { "text": "this is an excellent book and provides a minute by minute, hour by hour examination of what happened", "star": 5, "date": "August 29, 2023", "asin": "DEMO-A" } ], "reviewIds": [ "RI", "RJ", "RK", "RZ", "RAP", "RBG", "RBH", "RBR", "RGS", "RGU", "RHB", "RHM", "RID", "RIL", "RIR", "RHF", "RHH", "RHI", "RGB", "RFK", "RFN", "RFQ", "RGT", "RGW", "RHY", "RIJ", "RFG", "RDN", "REB", "RCD", "RCE", "REA", "RDQ", "RAS" ] }, { "id": "C7", "label": "Exposes the Soviet system and cover-up", "sentiment": "positive", "reviewCount": 28, "excerpts": [ { "text": "regulations were ignored, smaller errors and explosions hidden, and safety measures were falsified for years simply to", "star": 5, "date": "February 20, 2023", "asin": "DEMO-E" }, { "text": "the privileging of party loyalty over science, facts, and expertise", "star": 5, "date": "November 6, 2023", "asin": "DEMO-E" }, { "text": "Pressure to meet deadlines caused corners to be cut and design flaws to be made in the reactor itself.", "star": 5, "date": "April 19, 2022", "asin": "DEMO-A" } ], "reviewIds": [ "RBQ", "RBW", "RBE", "RBL", "RHN", "RHX", "RBB", "RGI", "RCH", "RCF", "RFI", "RGL", "RFY", "RED", "REO", "RHR", "RIM", "RIO", "RFX", "RHG", "RIE", "RIF", "RIG", "RAN", "REL", "RBS" ] }, { "id": "C8", "label": "Poor physical book quality or arrived damaged", "sentiment": "negative", "reviewCount": 8, "excerpts": [ { "text": "The book was damged,looks like it is used.", "star": 2, "date": "June 20, 2021", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "Front cover had what looked to be like greasy finger marks. Back of cover was bent.", "star": 1, "date": "August 8, 2022", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "..but why the heck the front page was cut like this?", "star": 3, "date": "February 4, 2024", "asin": "DEMO-E" } ], "reviewIds": ["RX", "RAA", "RAI", "RH", "RCS", "RCT", "RDK"] }, { "id": "C9", "label": "Lacks images, maps, and diagrams", "sentiment": "negative", "reviewCount": 7, "excerpts": [ { "text": "I was extremely disappointed that the paperback version does not include any photos", "star": 3, "date": "August 2, 2020", "asin": "DEMO-E" }, { "text": "the book (and readers) would have been well served if there were just a few maps of the reactor", "star": 4, "date": "January 27, 2020", "asin": "DEMO-D" }, { "text": "None of the photos will show up in my Kindle version.", "star": 4, "date": "May 16, 2019", "asin": "DEMO-A" } ], "reviewIds": ["RR", "RBT", "RFH", "RGP", "RGR", "REP", "RGC", "RFZ"] }, { "id": "C10", "label": "Audiobook audio and narration issues", "sentiment": "mixed", "reviewCount": 3, "excerpts": [ { "text": "The first audio CD played fine, the story was interesting but the next disc only had intermittent sound.", "star": 1, "date": "July 24, 2021", "asin": "DEMO-F" }, { "text": "Not my favorite narrator but the content is so interesting!", "star": 4, "date": "June 21, 2019", "asin": "DEMO-B" } ], "reviewIds": ["RF", "RGM"] }, { "id": "C11", "label": "Comparison reviews with the HBO series", "sentiment": "mixed", "reviewCount": 12, "excerpts": [ { "text": "This is one of the rare times when I'll say \"the movie was better than the book.\"", "star": 3, "date": "October 28, 2019", "asin": "DEMO-D" }, { "text": "I saw the HBO series \"Chernograd\" and had so many questions, I just had to read the book it was based on.", "star": 5, "date": "January 11, 2023", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "The HBO series (which definitely misses some facts and alters others)", "star": 3, "date": "September 13, 2021", "asin": "DEMO-A" } ], "reviewIds": [ "RCL", "RFV", "RGF", "RHY", "REW", "RBC", "RCW", "RCX", "RFA", "RFX", "RGO", "RCM" ] }, { "id": "C12", "label": "Powerful, shocking emotional impact", "sentiment": "mixed", "reviewCount": 12, "excerpts": [ { "text": "One accident could truly destroy the planet.", "star": 4, "date": "November 5, 2022", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "I learned a lot, I cried for those affected and killed and cried even more for the pets left behind.", "star": 4, "date": "January 3, 2021", "asin": "DEMO-E" }, { "text": "One of the scariest books you can ever read", "star": 5, "date": "April 24, 2025", "asin": "DEMO-E" } ], "reviewIds": [ "RBV", "RDS", "REH", "REE", "REG", "RIN", "RHR", "RGX", "RHS", "RHF" ] }, { "id": "C13", "label": "Well-researched, detailed, and authoritative", "sentiment": "positive", "reviewCount": 32, "excerpts": [ { "text": "A landmark work of narrative nonfiction, this book stands as the definitive account", "star": 5, "date": "May 26, 2026", "asin": "DEMO-E" }, { "text": "This is flat out one of the best books I've ever read!", "star": 5, "date": "February 21, 2024", "asin": "DEMO-E" }, { "text": "Has a compelling story that sticks to the facts", "star": 5, "date": "November 26, 2024", "asin": "DEMO-E" } ], "reviewIds": [ "RBE", "RHG", "RHM", "RHZ", "RO", "RAF", "RBD", "RDI", "RDT", "RK", "RAM", "RCD", "RAQ", "RAN", "RFO", "RFQ", "RGT", "RGU", "RHJ", "REQ", "REI", "RGZ", "RHB", "RFN" ] }, { "id": "C14", "label": "Reflections on and warnings about the future of nuclear energy", "sentiment": "mixed", "reviewCount": 8, "excerpts": [ { "text": "It gives a case for why it will be needed to power our planet's growing energy consumption", "star": 4, "date": "June 14, 2019", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "Could have skipped the climate crisis at the end of the book which was kind of useless.", "star": 4, "date": "December 22, 2025", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "dependence of Nuclear power can provide immense quantity power while destroying thousands of lives", "star": 5, "date": "December 28, 2024", "asin": "DEMO-A" } ], "reviewIds": ["RJ", "RCC", "RCZ", "RDM", "RDO", "RDS", "RGX"] }, { "id": "C15", "label": "Final chapter handled poorly", "sentiment": "negative", "reviewCount": 4, "excerpts": [ { "text": "If you read the book don't bother with his last chapter.", "star": 3, "date": "July 10, 2020", "asin": "DEMO-D" }, { "text": "But the final chapter doesn't really go into enough about what the actual cost was in terms of lives", "star": 4, "date": "October 10, 2025", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "Could have skipped the climate crisis at the end of the book which was kind of useless.", "star": 4, "date": "December 22, 2025", "asin": "DEMO-A" } ], "reviewIds": ["RCZ", "RDM", "RDO"] }, { "id": "C16", "label": "Flat character portrayal and shallow narrative", "sentiment": "negative", "reviewCount": 8, "excerpts": [ { "text": "the book, to me, was a very journalistic account, heavy on details that paint a picture of the surface situation", "star": 3, "date": "June 13, 2019", "asin": "DEMO-D" }, { "text": "Fielding is not a born storyteller, and his book suffers from detail over drama.", "star": 3, "date": "May 21, 2020", "asin": "DEMO-D" }, { "text": "I had a hard time remembering who was who and whether they were good or bad.", "star": 3, "date": "September 16, 2021", "asin": "DEMO-A" } ], "reviewIds": ["RBP", "RBU", "RAO", "RCV", "RBY", "RAZ", "RBK"] }, { "id": "C17", "label": "Technical details glossed over and not in-depth enough", "sentiment": "negative", "reviewCount": 4, "excerpts": [ { "text": "I felt like it covered too little of the technical aspects of the accident and why it occurred.", "star": 3, "date": "April 11, 2019", "asin": "DEMO-B" }, { "text": "The technical explanations of what went on with reactor was glossed over a bit for me.", "star": 4, "date": "June 16, 2019", "asin": "DEMO-A" }, { "text": "It's lacking in technical detail when compared to Richard Rhodes works on nuclear history", "star": 4, "date": "June 7, 2019", "asin": "DEMO-A" } ], "reviewIds": ["RS", "RGN", "RGO"] }, { "id": "C18", "label": "Shipping arrival and packaging condition", "sentiment": "mixed", "reviewCount": 10, "excerpts": [ { "text": "Everything arrived on time and as advertised", "star": 4, "date": "November 5, 2021", "asin": "DEMO-E" }, { "text": "The product is good. But package where it was delivered arrived open.", "star": 4, "date": "March 3, 2020", "asin": "DEMO-E" }, { "text": "hardcopy appreciated", "star": 5, "date": "December 5, 2024", "asin": "DEMO-D" } ], "reviewIds": [ "RDX", "RHA", "RHC", "RFD", "RGY", "RFT", "RAU", "RAV", "RGV", "RHD" ] } ], "insights": [ { "kind": "attribution", "title": "Reading-burden complaints skew toward the Kindle edition", "body": "Hard-to-remember names (C2, 28 reviews), slow pacing (C3, 22 reviews), jumping structure (C4, 8 reviews), and difficult technical content (C5, 12 reviews) total 70 complaints across four categories, yet the variant distribution skews heavily toward the e-book edition: all 8 C5 reviews come from Kindle, 12 of C2's 21 reviews are Kindle, and 7 of C3's 9 reviews are Kindle.", "clusterIds": ["C2", "C3", "C4", "C5"] }, { "kind": "contradiction", "title": "Clusters labeled negative hold almost no 1-2-star reviews", "body": "The three clusters-flat characters (C16), poorly handled ending (C15), and skipped technical details (C17)-are judged negative in content sentiment, but in their star distributions, 1-2 stars are all 0 reviews, with only 5, 1, and 1 3-star reviews respectively; the missing-images cluster C9 has a 0% negative share.", "clusterIds": ["C16", "C15", "C17", "C9"] }, { "kind": "contradiction", "title": "Technical depth fails both ways: too deep and too shallow", "body": "C5 (nuclear physics content is difficult to understand, 12 reviews, 10% negative share) and C17 (technical details are skipped, 4 reviews, 0% negative share) have completely opposite demands: the former complains there is too much physics and it is unreadable, while the latter complains the reactor principles and accident mechanisms are too shallow.", "clusterIds": ["C5", "C17"] }, { "kind": "attribution", "title": "Physical damage lies in print fulfillment, not content", "body": "C8 (poor physical book quality or damage on arrival) has a 57.1% negative share, the highest of all topic clusters; of its anchor reviews, 4 come from the main ASIN and 2 from other ASINs on the same page; by contrast, the 10 reviews in C18 logistics and packaging cluster are all 4-5 stars, but its evidence mainly comes from other ASINs/same-family variants on the same page.", "clusterIds": ["C8", "C18"] }, { "kind": "opportunity", "title": "Shared ask across clusters: cast list, map, timeline", "body": "C2 too many names to remember (28 reviews, 13.0% negative share), C4 narrative jumps and loose structure (33.3%), C16 flat character portrayal (5 neutral reviews), and C9 missing images and maps (7 reviews) point to the same unmet need: readers need a character index, organization relationship chart, timeline, and reactor diagrams.", "clusterIds": ["C2", "C4", "C16", "C9"] }, { "kind": "opportunity", "title": "Series-driven readers' visual expectations unmet", "body": "C11 the HBO series comparison cluster has 12 reviews, many explicitly saying they bought the book because of the series; in C9 missing-images cluster's 7 reviews, readers complain that the print edition has no photos and Kindle edition images cannot display; this cluster's evidence mainly comes from other ASINs/same-family variants on the same page.", "clusterIds": ["C11", "C9"] } ], "risks": [ { "area": "reputation", "signal": "refundComplaintWave", "severity": "medium", "trend": "stable", "clusterIds": ["C8"] } ], "selected": [ { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "2.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The author tries to get an accurate historical and technical description of the facts, but makes gross mistakes in the telling of the most basic historical and scientific facts.Seems the author took great liberties with scientific principles, and never bothered to verify what he was writing, or have a knowledgeable person in the subject fact-check his book.He even fails to accurately describe the neutron amounts of hydrogen. A middle school student can probably describe the hydrogen atom better ", "date": "June 18, 2020", "helpful": "12 people found this helpful", "rid": "RA" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "2.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I'm not sure why other reviewers give this book such high marks. Yes, it's about a huge tragedy and the typical Russian approach to try to hide any disaster. But it does so in slow, plodding and really very boring writing. Every possible detail of every second of the melt down receives too many words. Tangents go off as the author reports, like a student writing an essay, all he has learned about nuclear reactors. Long and difficult Russian names are dropped in every other sentence and you'", "date": "August 13, 2019", "helpful": "11 people found this helpful", "rid": "RB" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "1.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Started out great and went downhill very fast—I could not stay with it—got too technical", "date": "April 15, 2019", "helpful": "5 people found this helpful", "rid": "RC" }, { "asin": "DEMO-B", "star": "2.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Borrowed from library. Glad I didn't pay for it. Too many people with too similar of names to keep track of despite the cast of characters in the beginning. I did get some new info that I didn't know about coverups prior to Chernograd and how corners were cut during construction of nuclear facilities, however I was unable to even get through half of this book.", "date": "September 14, 2019", "helpful": "4 people found this helpful", "rid": "RD" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "1.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Politically driven anti-nuclear propganda. Many details are exaggerated.", "date": "June 8, 2022", "helpful": "3 people found this helpful", "rid": "RE" }, { "asin": "DEMO-F", "star": "1.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The first audio CD played fine, the story was interesting but the next disc only had intermittent sound.", "date": "July 24, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "RF" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "2.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The book is a good read if tad too long. The author is at his best when he writes about people or arcane structure of Soviet government/party system. Particularly unpleasant to read are descriptions of disregard for human life and wellbeing of citizens. If I did not know Soviet system I would find some parts hard to believe.At the same time, I would prefer less padding with personal stories of people in loved and more focus on technical, medical, and organizational aspects of the disaster. For e", "date": "November 18, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RG" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "2.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Book had marker across the page edges and the sleeve was also torn at the top.", "date": "April 19, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RH" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "1.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I have to say I wanted to read a book about the actual disaster. Reading the beginning of this book put me off the rest of it. It’s so so so boring and drags on. And jumps from one date to another and doesn’t make sense. Sorry!", "date": "February 29, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RU" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "1.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Very confusing. Jumped around like Tigger on speed, with the result I lost interest. Skipped boring, endless chapters (or which there were several), but still never got to the accident itself, so gave up. From what I did read, the author appears to be anti Soviet. The West isn’t any better with their nuclear facilities: Windscale, Harrisburg and the ‘safe’ crack at Hunterston, to name a few. That we know about.", "date": "December 4, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RV" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "1.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Complicated read if you can't get your head around the hundreds of russian names used.", "date": "January 11, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "RW" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "1.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Very old print and poor paper quality", "date": "June 17, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "RX" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "1.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Ok ok", "date": "July 23, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "RY" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "1.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Front cover had what looked to be like greasy finger marks. Back of cover was bent. Returned for refund", "date": "August 8, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAA" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "2.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Disappointing piece of work, no real drama, not very well written.", "date": "June 21, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAC" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "2.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "it was a bit heavy at first but got into", "date": "October 22, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAE" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "2.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This is like reading a treatise on nuclear power stations in Russia. Very dry. Can not recommend.", "date": "July 14, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAG" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "2.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The book was damged,looks like it is used.", "date": "June 20, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAI" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "2.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Wie viele andere Leser wollte ich mich nach der fernseherserie besser dokumentieren. Das Buch ist aber lang und unnötig kompliziert geschrieben. Unendliche Seiten mit unnötige Details und Referenzen auf unzähligen Personen und russische Burokraten. Verwirrend. Es gibt besseres.", "date": "July 24, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAK" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Lots to read. Excellently written and detailed. You feel the emotions of all involved. A must read for nuclear history", "date": "October 5, 2026", "helpful": null, "rid": "RI" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Researching alternative sources of clean energy, I was very curious about the prospects of nuclear fission reactors. I knew of the horrible accident at Chernograd during the Reagan/Gorbachev administrations. But I knew nothing about the causes of the accident in detail. Big kudos to Adrian Fielding for this fine and valuable piece of work! Yes, it's a relatively long read, but it communicates the full picture of this historic event perfectly—and without exaggerated drama. This book conveys", "date": "October 5, 2022", "helpful": "23 people found this helpful", "rid": "RJ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This history book recounts and explains the events of the Chernograd disaster in detail, including full background such as the construction of the plant and short biographies of many of the people involved. It is very readable; almost too readable because the horrors of the event are so fascinating as to seem almost fictional. Of all books about Chernograd, this one seems to be the best-researched.After you read this book you can appreciate the later (and really very good) Chernograd TV miniserie", "date": "July 6, 2023", "helpful": "9 people found this helpful", "rid": "RK" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Boeing has had difficulties with its 737 MAX. Imagine that Boeing is aware of a design flaw in the aircraft that may have caused or at least contributed to two tragic incidents involving the aircraft. Imagine further that the senior management of Boeing, against the advice of its rank and file engineers, insists on concealing what it knows about the aircraft’s design flaw and, instead, claims that pilot error was the sole cause of the tragic events involving its aircraft. In its broad outline, ", "date": "May 20, 2024", "helpful": "4 people found this helpful", "rid": "RL" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The author has done a most excellent job of explaining the science and engineering involved in easy to understand language and analogies to the “non engineer or non science person”. But to take a complex topic involving engineering and science such as this and weave that into a compelling - can’t put the book down/page turner- narrative account surrounding the personal lives of the people involved, scenic presentation, history, and the surrounding politics is extremely impressive. - Jerry T., Pr", "date": "September 1, 2022", "helpful": "4 people found this helpful", "rid": "RZ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-B", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This is an amazing, as well as deeply disturbing account of the Chernograd Nuclear disaster. Of course I was aware of this disaster when it happened, but I had no idea about the events which led up to it, nor how it was handled after.The author does a great job explaining how a “routine shutdown test” went terribly wrong, compounded by unsafe design decisions and poor disaster planning, all of which led to and contributed to the disaster. But the hour-by-hour description of that fatal day is trul", "date": "April 30, 2026", "helpful": "3 people found this helpful", "rid": "RM" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Sent to a friend.. I already had a copy but knew she would enjoy this. She’s just starting to read it and told me she had a hard time putting it down.", "date": "February 18, 2024", "helpful": "2 people found this helpful", "rid": "RAB" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The book goes into great detail with lots of background information on the accident and the people who were involved. The author starts by describing the years of mismanagement and secrecy that led up to the accident, including several smaller but similar accidents involving that reactor design that were covered up, and ends with the aftermath and how those who survived ended up.. After reading this, I'm amazed that those reactors went as long as they did without an accident of this magnitude.", "date": "July 30, 2023", "helpful": "2 people found this helpful", "rid": "RAD" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This novel is an incredibly written collection of accounts of the Chornobyl reactor, in current Ukraine and at the time USSR, meltdown, and subsequent disaster during the late 1980s. It goes through various views such as the lead construction engineer, reactor operator, government figureheads, typical civilians, and many others. The novel properly shows how at each and every step of the approach to the reactor’s failure people were underestimating or neglecting the severity of the total failure ", "date": "March 13, 2025", "helpful": null, "rid": "RN" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "So, maybe we don't need the names of all the operators, other staff, divisions of authority and design and manufacture in the \"blossoming\" soviet nuclear power industry, but it's all there, and lets us know that people are the same under similar circumstances everywhere, including the bosses and the self-sacrificing workers.We lived 17mi upriver of Three Mile Island when it did its thing. Here's a generalization. No matter how good or bad the technology, the fatal flaw is ALWAYS human, as I te", "date": "July 10, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RO" }, { "asin": "DEMO-B", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Fault Line in Chernograd. Adrian Fielding. Halloway & Prentice, 2019. 560 pages.A few years ago, I was totally enthralled by the HBO series Chernograd, about the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986. It's an incredible production, one of the greatest series I've ever seen.In 2019, journalist Adrian Fielding published Fault Line in Chernograd, the product of a years-long investigation into the incident itself and the intense behind-the-scenes propaganda effort and the resulting cover-up, and it's a", "date": "September 7, 2023", "helpful": null, "rid": "RP" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "A landmark work of narrative nonfiction, this book stands as the definitive account of the 1986 Chernograd nuclear catastrophe.With over a decade of meticulous research, Adrian Fielding, a seasoned British journalist, masterfully weaves together declassified Soviet documents, rare archival materials, and deeply personal interviews with survivors, engineers, firefighters, and officials. The result is a compelling, richly layered chronicle that reads with the pacing and tension of a thriller, yet", "date": "May 26, 2026", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAF" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "There's no denying that 1986 was a year of tragedy, with two major disasters: the explosions of Space Shuttle Challenger in January and of the Chernograd nuclear reactor in April. Both were horrific in their own right and arguably could have been avoided. And while Challenger claimed seven lives in an instant, Chernograd killed 30 over the course of three months with countless lives affected in the months and years thereafter.This book was written by a journalist, so it is incredibly well-research", "date": "January 7, 2025", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAH" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "While the length and depth of this book is not for the faint of heart, it was 100% worth the time. From the impacts of Communism as a contributing factor of the accident to the political implications resulting, accounting for over 50 years, it offered a broad view of all aspects of the event.", "date": "October 13, 2024", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RAJ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I loved this book. Well researched and easy to follow. How this disaster affected everyday people was very thought provoking. Be sure and read it.", "date": "July 31, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAL" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This has to be one of the most meticulously researched books I have ever read. The amount of detail about the accident, notably about the people involved, is just tremendous. The book does not have a lot of technical, or engineering, insight into the nuclear plant itself and the associated design flaws. However, there is enough there to provide some background information. Where the book shines is going into the backstory of those who were involved - from the construction to the clean up aft", "date": "June 26, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAM" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This is an area I have a lifetime of experience and knowledge, both scientifically, and as a foreign policy junkie. I could not put this book down, the accuracy and depth of discussion were real and believable. One may know the science, but cultural hubris can undermine the best of science. Lack of secondary containment, inherent in Western nuclear reactors, and active ignorance of scientific facts such as the discount of measurement of high radiation fields by nuclear experts from Moscow, in", "date": "May 20, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAN" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I first watched the 2019 HBO miniseries and then searched out this book. I didn't know what to expect, but this is a well-written story about the events of 1986. Lots of excellent detail and backstory, but not so much as to be tedious. I found myself fully engaged in the book, and literally stayed up late a few evenings because I didn't want to put it down.", "date": "April 5, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAP" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "As a former US Navy Nuclear Power Plant Operator, I found this book to be extremely accurate and detailed about USSR reactors and the politics of the time in the USSR. One does not need any technical expertise however to understand what happened and why.", "date": "December 11, 2023", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RAQ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "For those of us born in the West after April 26, 1986, we likely only learned about Chernograd as 'that Soviet power station that blew up.' As Adrian Fielding demonstrates in \"Fault Line in Chernograd,\" that is not only an absurdly simplified explanation, but it does a tremendous disservice to the thousands of people who risked their lives and their long-term health to contain the fallout.Fielding tells the full story of the incident, starting with the circumstances that made it possible and c", "date": "September 14, 2023", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RAR" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I was only 11 years old in 1986 so my initial understanding of the Chernograd nuclear disaster was vague at best. Today, I can tell you what a positive void coefficient is, but my grasp of nuclear physics is still very basic. Regardless, this is an excellent book and provides a minute by minute, hour by hour examination of what happened, before and after. And who was (probably) responsible. Hubris, in the end, leads to the destruction of many of humanity, and Fielding is very clear that most ", "date": "August 29, 2023", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAS" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "OK, so the author tells the story of the Chernograd 'accident'. What a sci-fi horror story that is, in and of itself. But this is non-fiction- ALL TRUE. The former Soviet Union created this nightmare in 1986 and so the bulk of the original data and explanation came from that outrageously corrupt and dishonest government. Higgenbothams truthful expose was long overdue.The author goes through everything with a fine tooth comb but doesn't bog it down in unnecessary detail. The disaster and the s", "date": "August 3, 2023", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAT" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I just received the book and haven't read it yet. I received the book in a timely manner and was in excellent condition. Thank you.", "date": "June 30, 2023", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAU" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Bought this as a present, so haven't read it, but the book was in gorgeous, brand new condition.", "date": "June 19, 2023", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAV" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "A good read. Jumps around a little, but I'm enjoying it.", "date": "August 5, 2025", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAW" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "It is difficult to put nuclear history and information into a palatable format. A lot of the great resources, like James Mahaffey's exhaustive accounts, are heavy in jargon and can be a slog to get through. This is frustrating if you are interested in the material, but perhaps not familiar with all the detailed intricacies of nuclear energy.'Fault Line in Chernograd' manages to bridge the gap between accurate and thrilling quite well. It may not be the most scientifically detailed account, but this", "date": "September 20, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAX" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Fielding turns the story of a 40-year-old industrial accident into a master class on nuclear science and power generation, political structures in the Soviet Union, managerial styles and unintended consequences. He resists the temptation to insert himself in the story and instead describes the fate of the men (and in a few cases women) who designed the reactor at Chernoble nuclear power plant, who were there the night it melted down, and who dealt with the cleanup afterwards. The reader feel", "date": "August 28, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RAZ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I don't understand the reviews who thought this was boring.", "date": "August 12, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RBA" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "It's a wonder the Russians didn't blow up the planet. Lowest bid contractors, poorly trained staff and poor management that all contributed to the worst nuclear disaster to date. The cancer toll is enormous.", "date": "August 2, 2022", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RBB" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I never know what will capture my imagination, be it a book, a movie or a TV show, or even a song. Last year it was the HBO series “Chernograd.” I’ve probably watched the final episode ten times in order to better understand the chain of events and the science behind it. That courtroom sequence intrigued me to no end.Wanting to know more, I purchased the book “Fault Line in Chernograd,” by Adrian Fielding. I was worried that it would be a dry recitation of the facts surrounding the explosion, but ", "date": "May 16, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RBC" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I had heard various details about the accident at Chernograd over the years, but I had never heard or read the full story. This book was a fascinating account of the entire history of not just the nuclear event itself, but of the building of the power plant and surrounding city, the management of the site, the handling of the accident, and the clean-up efforts. There is so much information told from so many different perspectives that I can't imagine how long it took the author to find all of the", "date": "May 9, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RBD" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "If you want to really see how the Soviet Union operated prior to breaking up in the early 1990s, this book will tell you. From the beginning of the building of the Chernograd reactor through the melt-down and clean-up, this books clearly demonstrates the excessive bureaucracy and slowness of the stilted system. Pressure to meet deadlines caused corners to be cut and design flaws to be made in the reactor itself. Then, after the melt-down, the “Party” had to be notified almost before anything else", "date": "April 19, 2022", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RBE" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This is a meticulously researched story, not just of the accident at Chernograd, but also of the people of Chernograd. It delves into flaws of the soviet system that allowed flawed reactors to be built. But it also tells the story of the tremendous heroism and sacrifices of the Russian and Ukrainian people in the wake of the disaster. It even raises the current issues of who controls the area and operations in wartime Ukraine, and what that might mean for the future of Chernograd and the surroundin", "date": "August 21, 2025", "helpful": null, "rid": "RBF" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I haven't even finished this yet but it's a five star book. It tells the real life history of the why's, what's, how's etc of Chernograd but it isn't a boring citation of facts but comes across as a catastrophic disaster thriller. As you read this you are holding your breath. It is that good.", "date": "September 7, 2025", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RBG" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I’ve been fascinated by the story of Chernograd this past year, and have spent time trying to find out more about how the disaster happened and how it affected people. This book was on my TBR list for a while, and I’m so glad I took the time to read it! It became one of my favorite nonfiction reads this past year, despite the gritty (and sometimes horrific) details of how people suffered after the explosion.Fielding does a great job at bringing this story to life. Even though this is a longer", "date": "October 19, 2025", "helpful": null, "rid": "RBH" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I'm old enough that I clearly remember the Chernograd accident as a news story. It didn't surface in the west until nuclear facilities in Scandinavia started detecting crazy background radiation and traced it back to the Ukraine. Even then the story was erratic - Two dead! Wait, two thousand dead! Maybe thirty? Even though the USSR was claiming to be \"more open\", details were scarce and piecemeal.Writing decades after the fact, and with years of investigation, Fielding has put together the de", "date": "February 5, 2026", "helpful": null, "rid": "RBJ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book had me by the edge of my seat. The author does a remarkable job recreating the events preceding, during, and after the Chernograd disaster. It’s evident he thoroughly researched the topic and did not take this assignment lightly. He takes the reader through a minute-by-minute account of what happened on the day of the accident, leaving no stone unturned. I went into the book knowing very little about Chernograd but this book piqued my interest to learn more.As others have noted, the name", "date": "July 13, 2026", "helpful": null, "rid": "RBK" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I stopped reading when I came across this gross error. If the author couldn't have bothered to look up the real configuration of deuterium and if the editors couldn't bother to have the manuscript reviewed by a knowledgeable scientist, I have little faith in the rest of the book.", "date": "December 3, 2019", "helpful": "58 people found this helpful", "rid": "RQ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I bought the hardback, looking forward to seeing all of the pictures to accompany the story. Hardback version is a cheap assed presentation with pictures assembled together away from the text. Hard to follow no matter how captivating the story is. Usually hard copies are a joy to read, this one not so much. I’m not dragging this thing along on a plane.", "date": "April 25, 2019", "helpful": "12 people found this helpful", "rid": "RR" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "It's obvious the book is thoroughly researched. However, I felt that this book was written more like a report, which is too bad given the interesting subject. There wasn't enough personal portrayal of the multiple characters so that you lose track of who is who eventually. It also didn't provide much linear flow and felt disjointed. I usually enjoy books on complex topics and with technical details, but this book was somewhat disappointing.", "date": "August 10, 2019", "helpful": "10 people found this helpful", "rid": "RAO" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Chernograd has been a topic that has interested me for a good many years now, so I had high hopes when I read the synopsis of this story. And let me be clear from the beginning, it was fascinating. But it also dragged along in parts and for me became a bit hard to understand.It is however obvious just how much time, research and effort that the author put into this novel, and bringing not only the \"technical\" aspect of things to light, but adding a more human touch was brilliant.I do believe this", "date": "February 15, 2019", "helpful": "11 people found this helpful", "rid": "RAY" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This is a story which could not be written until the inept were largely dead and until the author could get near enough to the site without being poisoned by radiation. It is a tragic story of bureaucratic hubris and one where expertise and safety were overlooked by budgetary constraints or marginalized by unconstrained egos. Although one incident may have led to what one hopes is the world's greatest nuclear disaster, it was bound to happen eventually. The writing is so good that even for s", "date": "May 26, 2020", "helpful": "12 people found this helpful", "rid": "RBL" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "As someone old enough to remember when unit 4 at the Chernograd nuclear power plant exploded, I looked forward to this book's arrival and tore through it voraciously once it was delivered. The book provides a detailed and well researched history of the disaster, including the foundations of the USSR's nuclear ambitions, the influence of the Cold War, and the ever present Soviet political system in all aspects of decision making, which helped to lay the groundwork for that terrible night in 1986.", "date": "October 21, 2023", "helpful": "9 people found this helpful", "rid": "RBM" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Meticulously researched and offering great insight. The problem is he devotes way too many words on meaningless incidental details that spoil the flow and pace of the really important things the author has to say. It should have been 1/3 less text.", "date": "July 4, 2019", "helpful": "8 people found this helpful", "rid": "RBI" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "It’s not a short read by any means, but it’s surprisingly easy to get through. As someone who doesn’t speak Russian, I often find that books about Russia can get bogged down with names and terminology—but this one was really well done.I appreciated the author’s perspective and the way he wove in helpful context about Russian politics and historical details to orient readers like me—too young to remember this when it happened, but not young enough to have learned it in school.I’d definitely recom", "date": "April 25, 2025", "helpful": "6 people found this helpful", "rid": "RBN" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I liked this book very much but at the beginning of chapter 15 there is an error that cannot be excused. As a youth I worked in Kansas on a combine for about 10 years and I know that men sleeping in a wheat field could not be killed by a combine. Severely injured perhaps but killed - not possible.In a combine a long blade cycles back and forth between protruding steel members that are spaced apart by maybe six inches. As the combine rolls forward, strands of wheat pass between each pair of these", "date": "June 26, 2019", "helpful": "6 people found this helpful", "rid": "RBO" }, { "asin": "DEMO-B", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This account of the disaster seems to cover all the bases of who was involved and what happened well enough, but I felt like it covered too little of the technical aspects of the accident and why it occurred. Scant time is actually spent on much technical background of the reactor type, the events leading up to the accident and the details of who did what during the test and accident itself. All of this is glossed over rather quickly so that the author seemingly could focus mostly on the afterma", "date": "April 11, 2019", "helpful": "5 people found this helpful", "rid": "RS" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I read this soon after watching the HBO Chernograd series. The author is to be commended - the book is exhaustively researched and very readable. However, the book, to me, was a very journalistic account, heavy on details that paint a picture of the surface situation, but never really deeply explores the history, the psychology, the social forces, the meaning of the event, in any substantive way. Although the HBO series cuts corners and may have flat out innacurracies, it gave me a better sense ", "date": "June 13, 2019", "helpful": "5 people found this helpful", "rid": "RBP" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The book was more about the inner workings of the Soviet government, and how that can strangle their ability to function in a crisis. I enjoyed it, but it would’ve been better if it would’ve focused more on Chernograd accident more than", "date": "January 31, 2022", "helpful": "4 people found this helpful", "rid": "RT" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The author greatly explains the Communist landscape (similar to our Democrats) that birthed this enormous man-made and far reaching catastrophe. Our family originating from next door Romania, all the Soviet ways then and now here with the American left are very familiar!- The narrative is of paramount importance (just like today’s MSM); blame laid on the operators, not the faulty design of the RBMK reactors.- loyalty to the party, not the country.- everyone to conform, no dissent or opinions all", "date": "December 28, 2024", "helpful": "4 people found this helpful", "rid": "RBQ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I could barely stop reading from the moment I started, this book captures the humanism, genius, hope and hubris of one of the most riveting disasters in human history. Impeccably written, I commend it highly to anyone interested in science, politics, and/or history.", "date": "December 14, 2022", "helpful": "4 people found this helpful", "rid": "RBR" }, { "asin": "DEMO-B", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I almost put this down an hour into the audible version due to incorrect statements made by the author.Mr. Fielding mentions Hydrogen normally has one neutron and deuterium is hydrogen with two neutrons - this is incorrect as hydrogen normally has no neutrons and hydrogen with one neutron is deuterium; hydrogen with two neutrons is tritium.He also mentions that Uranium 235 has five extra neutrons...? Naturally uranium is predominately isotope 238 (with a small fraction of 235). Most natura", "date": "March 21, 2023", "helpful": "3 people found this helpful", "rid": "RBS" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Great read, and incredibly documented. But, I was extremely disappointed that the paperback version does not include any photos, despite a \"Photo Credits\" pages near the end of the book. Overall, I think it would have benefitted from the visualization aids.", "date": "August 2, 2020", "helpful": "3 people found this helpful", "rid": "RBT" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This report on one of the world’s greatest disasters is a comprehensive history of the 1986 nuclear reactor meltdown on the Ukranian-Russian border, which was then all Soviet Union. The account is readable for the layman, but Fielding is not a born storyteller, and his book suffers from detail over drama. Minor characters, who play small roles, are introduced with unnecessary background about their family and education. A significant problem with so many characters is that the reader cannot", "date": "May 21, 2020", "helpful": "3 people found this helpful", "rid": "RBU" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I never really knew very much about Chernograd. I was going through a very difficult time in my life in 1986, so current events weren’t at the top of my list. It’s a good thing I didn’t know what was going on! What a horrific nightmare. This book is Not an easy read. I had to force myself to continue reading it a few times. It will enrage you, shock you, scare the hell out of you, and it actually brought me to my knees in prayer. Let me just say this one thing. The core of the reactor at Chernoby", "date": "March 29, 2023", "helpful": "3 people found this helpful", "rid": "RBV" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "A landmark exploration of the Soviet era and the mindset talented people needed to adopt to get things done despite the bureaucracy, the intrigue, and the KGB. The Chernograd nuclear disaster occurred just as Gorbachev was laboring to extract his country from its authoritarian past and rejoin the community of nations. Like the mismanagement of the coronavirus epidemic in the USA, the Chernograd disaster and its aftermath revealed to the world a dysfunctional federal system and compromised the USSR", "date": "May 4, 2020", "helpful": "3 people found this helpful", "rid": "RBW" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Too many characters", "date": "June 9, 2019", "helpful": "2 people found this helpful", "rid": "RBX" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The book is encyclopedic in terms of detail, which tends to bog down the story. The author is also handicapped by the huge number of confusing Russian names, which after awhile you pretty much give up on.", "date": "November 15, 2020", "helpful": "2 people found this helpful", "rid": "RBY" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Good book but sometimes tough to follow with all the different people involved in the process", "date": "January 26, 2020", "helpful": "2 people found this helpful", "rid": "RBZ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "A pretty horough and technical book. Loaded with lots of science and history. Definitely recommend to those interested in the disaster.", "date": "February 25, 2025", "helpful": "2 people found this helpful", "rid": "RCA" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "As deeply researched as about any book I have ever read. Narrative reads like a movie script. Compelling; chilling. I found the characters hard to follow, partly because of the manes; also because most were not developed in great depth. Technical aspects well presented but challenging for me, a lay person.The cover up is extremely well told.", "date": "December 17, 2019", "helpful": "2 people found this helpful", "rid": "RCB" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This is a good rendering of the facts about the nuclear accident and how it affected so many people. It clears up some of the things that the HBO miniseries changed or left out. It is a much more expansive view of how it affects us today. I was struck by the mild acceptance of using nuclear energy in the future. It gives a case for why it will be needed to power our planet's growing energy consumption, but with strict guidelines for insuring safety. That is the provocative part of the book It wi", "date": "June 14, 2019", "helpful": "2 people found this helpful", "rid": "RCC" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Like the writer, I was a teenage also fascinated with this invisible danger. As the Russians say: Atoms can be soldiers or workers. This book unlike others vividly describes the effort that it took to build these reactors. One reactor could power a million homes. The largest in the world. Learning about the young men who showed up from their universities to create the most complex nuclear reactor is fascinating. Their dedication and patriotism to give 100 percent of their lives to the “pea", "date": "April 20, 2024", "helpful": "2 people found this helpful", "rid": "RCD" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Very factual account of the disaster, engrossing read.", "date": "February 11, 2024", "helpful": "2 people found this helpful", "rid": "RCE" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Uncovers much about the Soviet Union's bureaucratic, high-risk management of their nuclear energy program during that time. Very interesting and informative. Almost the \"China Syndrome\" for real!", "date": "December 15, 2023", "helpful": "2 people found this helpful", "rid": "RCF" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Lot more detail about what really happened at the reactor. How the Russian government lied and covered it all until the truth could no longer be held back. Great reading!!", "date": "February 12, 2023", "helpful": "2 people found this helpful", "rid": "RCG" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Very detailed account of this event. What is most disturbing is the LONG history of Soviet nuclear disasters hidden from the world prior to Chernograd. If you are someone who dislikes American 'big government', you'll be very grateful for our system after reading this.", "date": "August 12, 2023", "helpful": "2 people found this helpful", "rid": "RCH" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "In some ways, this was a difficult read just because of the subject matter. I did find it informative and I felt it was a good representation of the events. I will admit that I created a short “cheat sheet” with the names and their role in the book so I wouldn’t get confused, which helped as I made my way through the chapters. Once I realized the actual book itself wasn’t that long, it did make the going easier. I did appreciate the reference material and commend the author on the thoroughness ", "date": "September 10, 2022", "helpful": "2 people found this helpful", "rid": "RCI" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Good read, especially if you know a bit about nuclear reactors and nuclear power plants. So MANY ethnic names which few North Americans will know (or remember) how to pronounce is very distracting, but, I suppose, necessary. I found it very interesting.", "date": "January 1, 2020", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RCJ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Well written & did somewhat enjoy. However the subject material was over my knowledge of nuclear reactorsI would say great, wonderful- if I understood the subject", "date": "November 7, 2019", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RCK" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This is one of the rare times when I'll say \"the movie was better than the book.\" By movie, I mean the HBO mini-series \"Chernograd. Fault Line in Chernograd was/is a good compliment to the movie, but if you're interested in the Chernograd disaster, don't miss the movie.", "date": "October 28, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RCL" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Unclear", "date": "July 4, 2019", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RCM" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I would've like more biography incorporated...but, the book got to the point and very technical.", "date": "June 22, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RCN" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Really interesting account of the Chernograd disaster. Heavy on the nuclear science in the beginning - which was tricky to get through. I listened to a bit of the book and it didn’t do me any favors keeping track of all the names. Overall, really interesting read that I continued to want to pick up.", "date": "August 13, 2026", "helpful": null, "rid": "RCO" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Took me a long time to finish, but i completed it nonetheless.The book is really good, gives details which were previously censored. Nice read, easy book.It is just a bit technical at times, and I use to lose interest.Nevertheless, worth reading atleast once.", "date": "January 29, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RCP" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I have read a lot of books and technical reports on this appalling disaster.This books adds little that is new.It contains a number of technical inaccuracies which make me wonder if the author actually understood what happened that day.\"The truth about Chernograd\" by Grigory Medvedev and \"Atomic accidents\" by James Mahaffey are both more accurate,the first giving a full account and the second a brief overview.", "date": "April 2, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RCQ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Before I begin let me warn about the cover of the paperback. To my hands it is of a very unpleasant \"felty\" texture, not like paper but more like a soft touch material which anoyed me the whole time. I wish I had bought the hardcover in this case. Must avoid to by paperbacks from that company. But YMMV.Now about the content. There is a lot of good things to say about the amount of work that went into writing this very detailed account of the catastrophy. The author really went in all directions,", "date": "July 31, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RCR" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Fast shipping, but the book covers were dirty to the touch, yuck! I had to clean it.", "date": "February 22, 2024", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RCS" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "..but why the heck the front page was cut like this?", "date": "February 4, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RCT" }, { "asin": "DEMO-B", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "But the style of writing would be more suited to a literary exposition than a science related one. So the language is verbose, repetitive and often disjointed and lacking in clarity. Here's an example : \"But the results of his regular blood tests were clear, and Natalia thought he had been traveling too much for work. He probably just needed to slow down.\" What does the author mean by \"clear\" here? He doesn't say. His phraseology is as if English is not his native language. My solution was to r", "date": "November 19, 2023", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RCU" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book, was very interesting and is full of incredible information. I give it 3.5 stars and only because it took me a really long time to actually finish reading the book. There are so many people in the book—which must have taken years to research all of the people—but I had a hard time remembering who was who and whether they were good or bad.There were times the book tugged at my heart strings as it told stories and personal accounts from different engineers and their families. The heartac", "date": "September 16, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "RCV" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Very in-depth look at the accident in Chernograd. Honestly, a little too detailed for me. The HBO series (which definitely misses some facts and alters others) along with the accompanying podcast gave me enough info. Not really sure why I persisted to the end of this long, slow read.", "date": "September 13, 2021", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RCW" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Pretty boring. Just watch the HBO series. It’s much better", "date": "February 28, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "RCX" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "A little more in depth than I needed. I didnt know a lot of the scientific terms, but I could follow along. Its a shame that the engineers weren't exonerated until the fall of the USSR. Its sad when you think about the people living in the city, just going about an ordinary day and then their world flipped upside down. They weren't allowed back into their homes and weren't told what happened. Women were waiting for their husband's to return. Very sobering.", "date": "December 13, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RCY" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Very good about the Disaster. In the last chapter he started in that the accident wasn't that bad. People visiting the radioactive zone. People moving back in and living there and how much we need nuclear power. Thats when I shut the book. If you read the book don't bother with his last chapter.", "date": "July 10, 2020", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RCZ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "It’s a solid telling of the story at Chernograd but some of the science was actually wrong. And while this may seem xenophobic the author introduces dozens and dozens of characters with very similar names and it’s at times difficult to keep them straight. But it’s still a solid read.", "date": "July 9, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDA" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Very detailed description with lots of research evident. Accurate and clear timeline of the events with good description of this catastrophic event.", "date": "June 28, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDB" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Actually I dislike using the word “accident” with the disaster which is still attached to deaths this many years after, but the tale needs to be told. The horror details are presented in a matter of fact way. The Soviet way is detailed as the experts rush to fix the the situation. Good reporting, hardest part to me is the Russian names.", "date": "February 26, 2020", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RDC" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "3.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book has all the info you never knew you needed on Chernograd - down to the last technical detail. I listened to this rather than reading it and was soon bogged down by the sheer amount of physics detailed; at times I found myself struggling to pay attention. That being said, this was still a fascinating detailed look on the events that caused the accidents and the actions taken afterward. It was a perfect storm of horrible events and it really will get your heart racing as the author gives ", "date": "January 28, 2020", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RDD" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The book probably could have done more nonlinear storytelling, since there was an extensive background presented on the state of Soviet Nuclear Energy at the beginning. Don't be afraid to skip ahead to get to the actual event.", "date": "July 15, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDE" }, { "asin": "DEMO-B", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "too many names to keep track of, but interesting. You wonder how many accidents like this happen in American nuclear plants. Perhaps, it is good NOT to know.", "date": "June 26, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDF" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book is a hard one to read in several ways. First, emotionally: especially in the first part, it’s impossible to avoid a feeling of foreboding doom, these are walking dead people. It would also take a lot of both national loyalty and optimism not to at least wonder how much safer nuclear reactors are today than they were in the Soviet Union in 1986, and whether our government would have handled the matter any better if a catastrophic accident like the one at Chernograd had happened here.The ", "date": "December 28, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDG" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Good gift", "date": "August 23, 2026", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDH" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book is a complete, comprehensive overview of the incident at Chernograd. The disaster has always fascinated me, and I'm so glad that I picked up this book. The author does a phenomenal job at giving just enough technical details to thoroughly explain the series of events. The who, the what, the why, etc., without it being too overwhelming and feeling like a textbook. This event is heartbreaking and terrifying; the complete negligence that led to this catastrophe was not something I had lear", "date": "July 21, 2026", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDI" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Book is a good read. The author uses the terms for radiation and contamination interchangeably.", "date": "June 3, 2026", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDJ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "A great book, however, on some pages the print seems noticeably lighter and more faded than others! sometimes its just one or two pages, sometimes its a multiple in a row? not terrible but enough to be a little annoying, meh.", "date": "May 17, 2026", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDK" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Several books out on subject, it digs deep. This one is good.", "date": "April 6, 2026", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDL" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Detailed history of the Chernograd accident. Easy read and some background on the politics of what happened. Could have skipped the climate crisis at the end of the book which was kind of useless.", "date": "December 22, 2025", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDM" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Adrian Fielding’s Fault Line in Chernograd is an engaging read, but I have a caveat: if you’ve already read his book Challenger, you don’t need to read this one, and vice versa. Both books revolve around a similar main theme disasters resulting from incompetence driven by validation, money, fear, and intimidation. People made poor decisions under these circumstances, leading to tragedy. If you’re Gen X or older, like me, you probably know the history behind both Challenger and Chernograd; if not, ", "date": "October 17, 2025", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDN" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "As an overview of what happened, this is incredibly good. A slow motion horror story and a cautionary tale. But the final chapter doesn't really go into enough about what the actual cost was in terms of lives or about the future of nuclear power, as much afterthought as afterword. I would have sought out original interviews with experts instead of just quick quotes. Plus post-invasion we could use an update.", "date": "October 10, 2025", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDO" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I’m not usually a non fiction reader, but this book held my attention from page 1. Fascinating to follow the specific events told through the experience of real people that led to the accident and also to learn/see how rotten and dangerous a dissipated State is.", "date": "April 21, 2025", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDP" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "If you want to know the story behind the disaster at Chernograd and the aftermath, this is the book for you.", "date": "July 21, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDQ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-B", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I really enjoyed Fault Line in Chernograd. The first few chapters broke down the science behind how a reactor/nuclear power works and I really enjoyed those chapters. Fielding broke down the science in a way that was easy to understand for such a complex science.Even when he was describing various agencies within the USSR, different transfers of power, etc, it was still well written and engaging, while still informing the reader of all of the different bureaucracies.I only gave it a four star r", "date": "July 16, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDR" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I was afraid this book would be over my head or would be a struggle to read. Instead it was riveting, read like a real life dystopia and I learned a lot. While nuclear power may have the ability to solve our energy demands, I'm not sure I'll ever trust the human race to design and operate a reactor safely. (the fact that we humans now visit a highly radioactive site as a tourist attraction validates my lack of trust) One accident could truly destroy the planet. This book is a powerful account", "date": "November 5, 2022", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RDS" }, { "asin": "DEMO-B", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Fault Line in Chernograd examines the world's worst nuclear accident which occurred in the USSR, just past Fault Line on April 26, 1986. Fascinating and complicated, the book looks at the nuclear plant at Chernograd from its conception through the building of the nuclear reactor to the minutes leading up to and days immediately after the explosion and the disaster that followed.Higgenbotham spent years researching the history of the initial plans to harness nuclear energy, the soviet union's ego appar", "date": "February 25, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDT" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "You have a lot of names to keep up with, but that's history does. I enjoyed as it my first glimpse to attempt to understand what happened in Chernograd. It is very well documented and shows you a lot of what happened behind the scenes", "date": "January 26, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDU" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "My childhood during the Cold War left me with a terrible fear of nuclear attack and the aftermath. I'd like to hear more personal stories of the survivors and memories of those lost.", "date": "January 10, 2022", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RDV" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Interesting mostly but very technical at times. Definitely a startling peek into the Iron Curtain, and detail paid to the fall of the Soviet Empire was welcome.", "date": "December 18, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDW" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Everything arrived on time and as advertised", "date": "November 5, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDX" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Extremely detailed, perhaps too detailed, book that explains in minute detail everything you ever wanted to know about the nuclear disaster at Chernograd in 1986.", "date": "September 15, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDY" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I can't pretend to understand all of the technicality in this book but understanding to way the Russian society worked is very interesting", "date": "August 31, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "RDZ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Most importantly, this is a well-written book. The author also does an excellent job of explaining, in layman's terms, the core issues the reactor team faced.", "date": "August 27, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "REA" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Engaging and comprehensive. I enjoyed how this complicated story was told from multiple vantage points exposing in detail the systemic and human contributions to the disaster.", "date": "April 21, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "REB" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Fascinating and details aplenty. 4/5 stars only because it is a dense read for non-historians or if your not interested in the science of it. Personal interest in both, I loved it.", "date": "April 7, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "REC" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The book is obviously well researched and well written. The insight into Russian government decision making in huge projects like Chernograd is incredible - their poor planning, unattainable deadlines, poor workmanship, and lack of quality control reflects a government desperate to be recognized as a world leader at all costs. The insight into Russian leaders’ total disregard for the people they are supposed to govern and protect is despicable. Forget about the rest of the world!The book is te", "date": "March 5, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "RED" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "History lesson without feeling like a textbook. Horrifying accounts of the effects of radiation. Heroic efforts ofmany people involved in the initial explosion and the clean up. The author also followed up on what happened tothe people involved years afterwards.", "date": "March 2, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "REE" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I'm a nuclear engineer. This was an excellent read.", "date": "February 5, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "REF" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I remember watching the news coverage of this as a kid, and while I thought it was scary, it seemed so far away and remote. But reading this book puts you in the shoes of not only the plant workers, but the Prosnya residents and the USSR residents in general, and really brings the horror and tragedy up close. Fielding did a good job explaining complex scientific concepts, as well as capturing the chaos and panic in and around the Chernograd plant in the immediate aftermath of the accident. Ri", "date": "January 4, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "REG" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "If you want to get angry and governments and men who are too proud to admit mistakes read this book. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an amazing book. I learned a lot, I cried for those affected and killed and cried even more for the pets left behind. But when you see how the meltdown could have been prevented in so many ways it just pisses you off.", "date": "January 3, 2021", "helpful": null, "rid": "REH" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Good book, provides insight as to the thoughts and culture during that time.", "date": "October 21, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "REI" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Very detailed, to the point of too much irrelevant detail, about the accident. Worth reading however.", "date": "October 15, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "REJ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Hard to keep track of all the players involved in the event but maybe thats because of the Russian names?", "date": "September 16, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "REK" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "So much cover up. Very technical but not hard to track. Appendixes in the back are very helpful. Makes one wonder what really happens at 3 mile island that we weren’t told.", "date": "August 14, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "REL" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This is the whole store of what went down. This is so much more detail and characters that played a part of this disaster than shown in the mini series. Good read, I did have a hard time following who was who at times though. I would recommend this book.", "date": "July 30, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "REM" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Follows various people involved in the Chernograd incident. Also explains the technical aspects.", "date": "July 28, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "REN" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Great story about the cancer at the soul of the Soviet economic system", "date": "July 24, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "REO" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Me pareció muy bueno, compré la versión kindle y también había visto antes la serie por HBO.El libro es de fácil lectura (soy ingeniero químico), las imágenes o gráficos podrían mejorar un poco.", "date": "July 21, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "REP" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Appears to be very well researched and a complete recounting of the disaster. I learned a lot I never knew before (I know that’s self evident - can’t learn what you already know). Well written, and a,though the topic is disturbing, enjoyable.", "date": "July 12, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "REQ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I was 17 years old when this nuclear accident took place and I never really understood the scale of the catastrophe until reading this book. Very informative and enlightening", "date": "July 10, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RER" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book isn’t really my favorite but I’ll read it", "date": "June 24, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RES" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Great book, but slow going for me because I'm having difficulty with the Russian names. The topic has always been of great interest to me, so I'm working through.", "date": "June 15, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RET" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I skipped over the extremely technical parts but found the story to be gripping.", "date": "May 9, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "REU" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This was a very interesting book. It gives great detail and information about the tragedy. However, it is quite lengthy. But overall, I enjoyed learning about it.", "date": "May 5, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "REV" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The first question I had while reading this book was to wonder whether the landmark HBO series was based on it. They both came out in the same year, but are independent of each other, which reflects the growing interest in the world’s most devastating nuclear accident. Maybe it’s not fair to compare the two works to each other, but it’s inevitable given that many readers of this book will already be familiar with the miniseries. In fact, it quickly becomes obvious while reading this book how unr", "date": "May 2, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "REW" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Fault Line in Chernograd is written by a journalist and based in large part on interviews he conducted with people involved in various ways with the Chernograd accident. Like you would think, it is strong on the human element: the horrific experiences at the scene of the accident, the unfortunate efforts to cover up what happened, and the sometimes heroic, but often not very successful, efforts to mitigate the damage. It's well written and well researched. For those readers looking for a lay explan", "date": "May 1, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "REX" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book taught me a lot about how the USSR was working at the time (now?) as well as the workings and danger of the nuclear power industry. I enjoyed it and give it four stars vs. five because it can get a little bogged down in specific details which slowed down the suspense. Recommended.", "date": "April 20, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "REY" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Reads like a science fiction story. The politics are pathetic... Instead of covering up, there should have been pleas for help. The heroism of the workers is absolutely incredible. How long will it be before that part can be safely inhabited again?", "date": "March 24, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "REZ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The HBO series brought me to this book. Still reading but enjoying it.", "date": "March 16, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFA" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Very technical but a good read.", "date": "March 7, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFB" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book covered many aspects of the Chernograd disaster:Initial nuclear plant design risks (aggravated by unrealistic deadlines imposed by Communist bureaucrats rather than engineering experts)Risky test activities performed under duress due to “do it or be fired” managersShocked plant workers trying to understand what-the-hell-just-happened – and their initial heroics as they try to contain the radioactive firesEfforts to comprehend the full scope of this nuclear disaster -- while also hiding ", "date": "March 7, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFC" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The product is good. But package where it was delivered arrived open. Just thought you should know.", "date": "March 3, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFD" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The subject area can be dry and technical but Fielding draws you into the story with detailed characters and in depth technical descriptions. It's quite an enjoyable read.", "date": "February 20, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFE" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I enjoyed this book because Chernograd fascinates me. It can be difficult to follow sometimes with all the names. I took my time and paid attention so it took a while longer to get through. But I liked this book a lot.", "date": "January 27, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFF" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This is your go-to book to learn the real story of Chernograd. Touching and informative it will leave you mourning the errors that led up to the event and the people that paid the ultimate price.", "date": "January 27, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFG" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "First, I liked the book. The story is well written, researched, and laid out. However, the book (and readers) would have been well served if there were just a few maps of the reactor, city of Prosnya, and he surrounding area. I found it hard to place the locations in space and time, which would allow the reader to better understand the true magnitude of the disaster, Soviet intransigence in ordering the initial evacuation, and the locations of the people responsible for cleaning up the mess.A li", "date": "January 27, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFH" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Most interesting was how the Soviet government at first tried to cover up the accident and then reluctantly admitted that it had occurred. Search for scapegoats followed.", "date": "January 25, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFI" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Interesting read.....never really had much knowledge about the whole matter.", "date": "January 25, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFJ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Very riveting", "date": "January 24, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFK" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I liked filling in some details about the awful story of Chernograd. But the treatment of the science behind the devices is often in error. It is hard to understand where they came up with so many mistakes. So, do not try to learn physics from this book. Maybe they are trying to keep idiots from making bombs???", "date": "January 21, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFL" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Chernograd is a huge tragedy that I remember reading about and crying about when it happened. Strangely enough I felt detached from the book and the miniseries. Not sure why I couldn't relate. I haven't found he right book to relate this tragedy too. I remember photos in the newspapers at the time and powerful reporting.", "date": "January 9, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFM" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Well written, complicated story made better through human eyes. NYT listed as one of its books if the decade. Agreed", "date": "January 3, 2020", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFN" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This is for the dedicated history buff. It reads like a novel. It details how big business and especially governments delay safety features because of costs and overuns of budgets and time frames at the cost of tax payers and the general populations! Not for readers who are not interested in detailed history facts!", "date": "December 31, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFO" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Good book and reading.", "date": "December 28, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFP" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "A thoroughly detailed analysis of the Chernograd nuclear plant disaster in April 1986. The author includes scientific details, human interest and this work is comprehensive,often frightening, and challenging to read. It remains a singular exceptional body of work of both literature and science.", "date": "December 8, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFQ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Good bookKept me on pins and needles to find out what happened next. I'd recommend this book to others.", "date": "November 24, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFR" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "this is a fairly accurate factual book about one of the biggest longest lasting disasters of our time", "date": "November 18, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFS" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "unless you like giant hardcovers, and dont feel like waiting till February for the paperback to be released in the US, just get it on \"BookDepositiry\". Great read.", "date": "November 3, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFT" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Well written, educational, and amazing how careless people can be with something so dangerous.", "date": "October 9, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFU" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "After watching HBO’s series Chernograd, I wanted to know more. Author does a good job of telling the story and kept my attention throughout.", "date": "September 22, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFV" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Very readable and generally accurate. Some data might be disputed.", "date": "September 13, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFW" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I found this to be a fascinating yet terrifying book. I remember when the news broke about the explosion at Chernograd (which of course, brought back memories of Three Mile Island), and the total lack of real information given out at the time by the USSR. I never realized just how much information the Soviet government covered up from not only from the rest of the world but their own citizens as well.I had always realized that Chernograd had been a catastrophic event just not quite how catastrophi", "date": "September 5, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFX" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Great insight to the party driven inner workings of the Soviet Union and it’s desire to “beat the USA” as well as the dedication and bravery of many of workers, firefighters, etc. involved in the Chernograd disaster.", "date": "September 1, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFY" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book provides plenty of details for the thirsty reader. Moreover, it is written in narrative style, which compels the reader to binge-read. Some intra-text diagrams and illustrations would have been helpful, other than that, I have no complaints.", "date": "August 20, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RFZ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "A good well researched book about the nuclear disaster at Chernograd. But it still contains that oft repeated incorrect statement that Jimmy Carter served as a nuclear engineer in the US Navy. He never completed the program much less served in any capacity as a nuclear engineer. Tell a lie often enough and it becomes a fact in otherwise well researched books.", "date": "August 17, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGA" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Finally I now understand what went wrong and the full human consequences. This is a well written and gripping account of the accident, the history leading up to it and the terrible aftermath. It kept me up late in the night reading, as it was hard to put down!", "date": "July 26, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGB" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book provides a blow-by-blow, gripping account of what happened at Chernograd over 30 years ago. It kept meglued page for page, as the author did an excellent job in describing this tragedy and its devastating impact it has had on those who were directly involved. It highlighted how careful we must be in the future if we intend to use nuclear power as one of the many sources of energy for a growing world population. My sole ( and very small) criticism is that the author should have included ", "date": "July 25, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGC" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The book discloses the disaster of the Russian Empire to try and bury the truth aboutthe melt down which ended up burying a lot of Russian citizens. Very informative bookand it is too bad it was not disclosed with more insight by the western world media.", "date": "July 24, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGD" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Chernogradis famous for all that happened there, but it’s really interesting to understand all the causes and the results. This book is very well researched and brings to light much of what happened.", "date": "July 23, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGE" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Bought this after seeing the HBO miniseries. It filled in the gaps. A very good read.", "date": "July 22, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGF" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The book is an interesting look at what happened. It is very well researched and there is no doubt the author did a thorough job. The book tends to repeat some information that is not really that significant. Overall I am glad I bought the book. Lastly, beware the large number of Russian names makes it a bit difficult to follow who the characters are.", "date": "July 21, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGG" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "A very detailed and accurate account of what happened in Chernograd", "date": "July 17, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGH" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book contains a lot of details and behind the scenes activities surrounding the Chernograd disaster. The role of the corruption in the Soviet government in causing this disaster is described and clarified. The attempts by the Soviets to cover up the severity of the accident and to hide the underlying causes of it are revealing. A glimpse into another kind of life where the loss of individual freedoms and the total government control corrupted the workforce and destroyed an entire city.", "date": "July 9, 2019", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RGI" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Kept my attention.", "date": "July 5, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGJ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book fed my growing interest in Chernograd and nuclear power following the HBO series. Full of in-depth background on Russia's nuclear experience, including the heroic efforts to contain a hazardous situation.", "date": "July 1, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGK" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "A thorough and compelling account of the worlds worst nuclear accident. It was very interesting to read the details of how the disaster happened and who the major players were. I was very interested in how the communist government was both inept and unprepared to deal with the accident and seemed to be clueless and in denial about what was actually happening. Then, deliberately trying to cover up the impact to its citizens and neighboring countries. If you remember this event and want to know", "date": "June 26, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGL" }, { "asin": "DEMO-B", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Not my favorite narrator but the content is so interesting! I like that it’s comprehensive and explains the details behind the science of the reactor.", "date": "June 21, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGM" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Enjoyed how it tied the story of the disaster into the workings of the Soviet system. I grew up in the Cold War era and could relate to the historical narrative. The technical explanations of what went on with reactor was glossed over a bit for me. I would have liked to have understood it better but got the gist of it.", "date": "June 16, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGN" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Fast-paced and highly accessible telling of the Chernograd nuclear disaster. I've been fascinated by Chernograd and the invisible menace of radioactivity since childhood and was thrilled when I learned HBO was making a series about it. After the first episode I went directly to Barnes & Noble and picked up this book and finished it over the course of a weekend. It's lacking in technical detail when compared to Richard Rhodes works on nuclear history but I applaud the author for his work in the ", "date": "June 7, 2019", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RGO" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Interesting. I really wish they would have included more pics of Reactor 4 before and after as well as a map of everything.", "date": "May 30, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGP" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The HBO series made me take the last step, but I’ve been oddly fascinated by the Chernograd nuclear disaster for many years now.While unfortunately NOT the only evidence we have of nuclear radiation’s effect on human beings, I think it’s being cloaked in secrecy and propaganda for so long has kept me curious.If you’re remotely interested in the events of the disaster but also it’s socio-political and economic impact (some argue that the clean up and maintenance and cover up of Chernograd is what A", "date": "May 28, 2019", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGQ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "4.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "None of the photos will show up in my Kindle version. Very disappointing.", "date": "May 16, 2019", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RGR" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Compelling detail wrapped with an easy to read narrative. Great read on the history and profound impacts of Chernograd", "date": "April 20, 2025", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RGS" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The book is more informative than anything I ever learned in school, or in the news, or in our country", "date": "March 29, 2025", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGT" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Very well researched and entertaining. It's a great history of the accident and the fallout after. Best Chernograd book I have read.", "date": "February 25, 2025", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RGU" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Book came in great condition", "date": "January 5, 2025", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGV" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book pulls no punches. It fairly and accurately shows all the conditions that made the disaster at Chernograd possible. It also condenses concepts into an easy to read and understand fashion.", "date": "December 29, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGW" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Superb and very readable history of the most horrific explosion known to be man made. The constant sense of the on going cover up by the Russian government and the realization of the enormous extend of the destruction are well documented.Humbling to realize that dependence of Nuclear power can provide immense quantity power while destroying thousands of lives. What is the trade off? Who decides. These and many more questions abide and then there was Fukushima. What will be next?", "date": "December 28, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGX" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "hardcopy appreciated", "date": "December 5, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGY" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Has a compelling story that sticks to the facts, I am learning more about it and that’s nice, this is the second book I have read only on this subject. Good job highly recommended", "date": "November 26, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RGZ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "got what i ordered on time", "date": "November 26, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHA" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Reads like a novel", "date": "October 12, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHB" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "no problems at all.", "date": "September 13, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHC" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book arrived in excellent condition.This is a great book if you are really interested in Chernograd. It gave me so much insight into the disaster and well as the Soviet Union. I ended up using it as a source for my comparative analysis of nuclear disaster management for my comparative governments class in college.", "date": "September 5, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHD" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book is fascinating and terrifying all at the same time. I loved everything about this book and the way the disaster is told.", "date": "September 4, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHE" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "A retelling that is exhaustively researched, with a scope of work that is at once all-encompassing while still very human.", "date": "August 16, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHF" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I was surprised by the depth of research and the wide range of interviews that comprised the reporting of this thrilling piece of history. I learned much more about Russia than I had expected -- why this did not get a Pulitzer Prize is incomprehensible. The incompetency of Soviet Russia is stunning.", "date": "August 12, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHG" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "An absolutely magnificent account of the Chernograd nuclear disaster that clearly explains all of the technical how to of a nuclear reactor, affects of radiation, ministries within the USSR, and the severity of the situation while at the same time, being told as a compelling narrative that makes you eat up every word on the page wanting to know what happened next and how could it possibly be saved. Thoroughly researched and understood to the point where Fielding can clearly explain complex is", "date": "August 5, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHH" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "A very complex issue explained in simple terms. Breathtaking. Hard to put down. Will read again", "date": "June 27, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHI" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I have read many books on Chernograd and Ukraine and this is of the best books giving much more information about the history and all of the factors in the disaster. Very balanced account and I didn't want to stop reading till I finished!", "date": "June 24, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHJ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Bought this for my husband who is an avid researcher of all things Nuclear Disaster. He’s read and watched many, many things about Chernograd. He devoured this one in just a few days and said it had tons of info that he hasn’t read before (which the reviews and dust jacket also indicate). Definitely recommend.", "date": "June 18, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHK" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This is a very informative story of what really happened in April 1986 at the Chernograd Nuclear Power Plant. It really shows what happens when safety is not number one.", "date": "June 9, 2025", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RHL" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This is flat out one of the best books I've ever read! The attention to detail, the vigorous research, and the author's writing style made this one a delight to read--for a difficult subject of an event of global proportions. For those that enjoyed the HBO Miniseries \"Chernograd,\" I would urge you to pick up this masterpiece asap--as it makes an excellent companion.", "date": "February 21, 2024", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHM" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This is an exhaustive account of the greatest nuclear disaster in history. Even more, it is an exposé of the Cold War Soviet Union—the privileging of party loyalty over science, facts, and expertise. A cautionary tale of hubris and authoritarian rule.", "date": "November 6, 2023", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RHN" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Comprehensive and well researched. Also doesn't pick sides in the nuclear debate, it just presents a good story. The amount of research put into this book really is amazing.", "date": "October 2, 2023", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHO" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book covers the nuclear incident from those most intimately involved, and then traces the results, blaming, and coverups that followed. Fascinating history written in such a way that you can’t put it down.", "date": "February 3, 2023", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHP" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "A thorough narrative of the disaster and the state of the USSR at the time. Great read. Suggest to historians", "date": "February 2, 2023", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHQ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Great recap of such a terrible tragedy. Detailed info on the attempted cover up and disaster these poor people went thru. Ultimately this lead to the demise of the Cold War. Worth the read", "date": "June 9, 2023", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHR" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Well written and informative.", "date": "May 22, 2023", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHS" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Very well written historical account of one of histories' worst moments in scientific endeavors. So much was learned from this disaster and one can only hope history never repeats.", "date": "March 26, 2023", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RHT" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "My son (was about 13) loved it so much. Easy and comprehensive, for those who is interested in the subject and would like to get additional info regarding this terrible historical event.", "date": "March 18, 2023", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHU" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Very detailed. I’ve learned a lot. Hard to keep Russian names straight. Well written.", "date": "March 11, 2023", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHV" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This was a great read & a shocking story. I have recommended it to many people.", "date": "February 23, 2023", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHW" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book is beyond outstanding. The author went to incredible investigative lengths to give us a previously-unachieved comprehensive look into the astounding levels of communist Soviet arrogance, willful ignorance, pride, ineptitude and stupidity that led to this. 100% human-created disaster of epic proportions, and completely due to the fact that regulations were ignored, smaller errors and explosions hidden, and safety measures were falsified for years simply to save face for a communist regi", "date": "February 20, 2023", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RHX" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I saw the HBO series \"Chernograd\" and had so many questions, I just had to read the book it was based on. So worth it. Fantastic, engrossing read.", "date": "January 11, 2023", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RHY" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I’ve always wanted to know more about Chernograd and this book has brought a lot of interesting information about it to me so it’s a definite yes to read", "date": "December 29, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RHZ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I read the book before I watched the show. Both are worth more than a look. Def recommend.", "date": "December 4, 2022", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RIA" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I have just skimmed the book at this point. I have read two previous books (by Russian authors). This has a much more \"you are there\" feeling plus political judgments. Appears to be a good read.", "date": "December 3, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RIB" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Very enjoyable and easy to read! Even better with the audio book from Audible.", "date": "November 10, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RIC" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "The best book I have read about the Chernograd disaster, and I have read quite a few. Masterful job in writing and it reads like a novel.", "date": "October 20, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RID" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Great book, perfectly written with just the right amount of physics for a layman. My biggest take away was the total incompetence and hubris of the Soviet leadership. On the other hand, the bravery and self-sacrifice of those who actually were on the ground (and in the air) fighting this disaster is a true testament to the Russian and Ukrainian people. God bless them.", "date": "October 10, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RIE" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I don’t believe I’ve ever read a book that was more telling about the failure of Russia, Communism, dictatorial leadership, and negligence on a scale so great. Acts of heroism and folly, futility and fatal errors mark every chapter.The world should read this book to learn how badly things can be mismanaged when decisions are made out of a mixture of fear and foolishness on a grand scale. Setting impossible goals only exacerbated the disaster.It seemed that nobody in charge really knew what they", "date": "September 20, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RIF" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Incredibly well written. Scary and informative. Reads like a novel. Intimate look into the Soviet machine during this time. Fascinating leaning about the real people involved.", "date": "July 11, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RIG" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Very compelling book on what happened. Very well written. Great read.", "date": "July 18, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RIH" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Strongly recommended. As a child of the Cold War, this event is burned into my memory. The book is an excellent discussion of what happened before, during, and after the catastrophe.", "date": "July 17, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RII" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I read this book twice consecutively. That says it all.", "date": "May 12, 2022", "helpful": null, "rid": "RIJ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Perfect for my son. He is in 10th grade and we homeschool. I let him pick a book for the literature section, and this is one he chose.", "date": "August 22, 2025", "helpful": null, "rid": "RIK" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Well, what an awesome book! The intro was worth reading too — it really sets you up for a wild ride.It’s so good you would think it’s fiction.", "date": "September 18, 2025", "helpful": null, "rid": "RIL" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "This book is an absolutely amazing read. I've come away with, albeit basic, understanding of nuclear power, how it can go incredibly wrong, and the incredible power of the Soviet machine to cover it up. A must-read!!", "date": "September 27, 2025", "helpful": null, "rid": "RIM" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "One of the scariest books you can ever read, and to understand these are real events that were allowed to occur and there were no repercussions due to the actions of the Russians is very unsettling.", "date": "April 24, 2025", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RIN" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "A very well written detailed description of what happened in Chernograd. It also shows how bad the Soviet system was. With catastrophic consequences. It is good that this was written and published. The descriptions of the three official Russian reports available at the Chernograd Museum in Kiev all claim that there was no errors in the design or actions of the personnel at the power plant! It is as Solzenitcyn told in his book on the Soviet system: “We Never Make Mistakes”.", "date": "November 25, 2025", "helpful": null, "rid": "RIO" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "I have read this book before and bought this copy to keep for myself. The condition was exactly as described.This is an excellent book about the terrible Chernograd disaster. For anyone who hasn’t read it or wants to learn more about the accident, I would highly recommend it.", "date": "March 12, 2026", "helpful": null, "rid": "RIP" }, { "asin": "DEMO-D", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "excelente ! un libro revelador escrito con maestría . deja clara la magnitud colosal de lo ocurrido", "date": "April 4, 2026", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "rid": "RIQ" }, { "asin": "DEMO-A", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Probably the best non-fiction book I've read, and I had little Interest in the subject previously. Read it: you won't regret it.", "date": "May 15, 2026", "helpful": null, "rid": "RIR" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "Excellent book on the minute-by-minute time line of this nuclear disaster that took place in the Ukraine under Russian oversight, this is a book for you. And the way the Russian's handled it is even more disturbing.", "date": "July 2, 2026", "helpful": null, "rid": "RIS" }, { "asin": "DEMO-E", "star": "5.0 out of 5 stars", "content": "An excellent clear understaNDABLE history of the explosioin and the horrific aftermath. tHe world got lucky.", "date": "July 9, 2026", "helpful": null, "rid": "RIT" } ] }, "reviewSamples": [ { "star": 1, "title": "Great concept—terrible execution", "date": "April 15, 2019", "helpful": "5 people found this helpful", "verified": null, "content": "Started out great and went downhill very fast—I could not stay with it—got too technical" }, { "star": 1, "title": "Item arrived in poor condition", "date": "August 8, 2022", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "Front cover had what looked to be like greasy finger marks. Back of cover was bent. Returned for refund" }, { "star": 1, "title": "Boring and confusing", "date": "December 4, 2020", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "Very confusing. Jumped around like Tigger on speed, with the result I lost interest. Skipped boring, endless chapters (or which there were several), but still never got to the accident itself, so gave up. From what I did read, the author appears to be anti Soviet. The West isn’t any better with their nuclear facilities: Windscale, Harrisburg and the ‘safe’ crack at Hunterston, to name a few. That we know about." }, { "star": 1, "title": "Rubbish", "date": "February 29, 2020", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "I have to say I wanted to read a book about the actual disaster. Reading the beginning of this book put me off the rest of it. It’s so so so boring and drags on. And jumps from one date to another and doesn’t make sense. Sorry!" }, { "star": 1, "title": "Too many russian names to remember who's who", "date": "January 11, 2021", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "Complicated read if you can't get your head around the hundreds of russian names used." }, { "star": 1, "title": "Only 1st disc was playable", "date": "July 24, 2021", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "The first audio CD played fine, the story was interesting but the next disc only had intermittent sound." }, { "star": 2, "title": "Dull and Confusing", "date": "August 13, 2019", "helpful": "11 people found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "I'm not sure why other reviewers give this book such high marks. Yes, it's about a huge tragedy and the typical Russian approach to try to hide any disaster. But it does so in slow, plodding and really very boring writing. Every possible detail of every second of the melt down receives too many words. Tangents go off as the author reports, like a student writing an essay, all he has learned about nuclear reactors. Long and difficult Russian names are dropped in every other sentence and you're supposed to remember them when they pop up a few pages later. There are much better and more interesting books on Chernograd. Calling this the best written is just plain wrong." }, { "star": 2, "title": "Langweilig", "date": "July 24, 2021", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "Wie viele andere Leser wollte ich mich nach der fernseherserie besser dokumentieren. Das Buch ist aber lang und unnötig kompliziert geschrieben. Unendliche Seiten mit unnötige Details und Referenzen auf unzähligen Personen und russische Burokraten. Verwirrend. Es gibt besseres." }, { "star": 2, "title": "Scientific facts were not checked at all... historic facts sometimes incorrect....", "date": "June 18, 2020", "helpful": "12 people found this helpful", "verified": null, "content": "The author tries to get an accurate historical and technical description of the facts, but makes gross mistakes in the telling of the most basic historical and scientific facts.Seems the author took great liberties with scientific principles, and never bothered to verify what he was writing, or have a knowledgeable person in the subject fact-check his book.He even fails to accurately describe the neutron amounts of hydrogen. A middle school student can probably describe the hydrogen atom better than the author. Following on this, in the first pages of the book, the author completely fumbles the description of the amount of neutrons in hydrogen and uranium isotopes. That is like wanting to write about the space program and say that the Sun is closer to Earth than the Moon.While the book seems to have good dramatic effect, the author delves in technical and scientific concepts of which he has no understanding. It would have been better if he would have concentrated in telling a good story instead of trying to include scientific data he never researched or understood..." }, { "star": 2, "title": "Damaged", "date": "June 20, 2021", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "The book was damged,looks like it is used." }, { "star": 3, "title": "Blow by blow account that still seems to miss the mark on detail", "date": "April 11, 2019", "helpful": "5 people found this helpful", "verified": null, "content": "This account of the disaster seems to cover all the bases of who was involved and what happened well enough, but I felt like it covered too little of the technical aspects of the accident and why it occurred. Scant time is actually spent on much technical background of the reactor type, the events leading up to the accident and the details of who did what during the test and accident itself. All of this is glossed over rather quickly so that the author seemingly could focus mostly on the aftermath, which at times reads a bit out of order. This part was interesting, but I was expecting more coverage of the actual accident.Added to this, I was astonished to see that the author points a finger at Anatoly Dyatlov as the one who pressed the AZ5 scram button. I understood the who and why to have been a long mystery, and I'm rather curious how the author resolved it." }, { "star": 3, "title": "Well researched, but flat writing", "date": "August 10, 2019", "helpful": "10 people found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "It's obvious the book is thoroughly researched. However, I felt that this book was written more like a report, which is too bad given the interesting subject. There wasn't enough personal portrayal of the multiple characters so that you lose track of who is who eventually. It also didn't provide much linear flow and felt disjointed. I usually enjoy books on complex topics and with technical details, but this book was somewhat disappointing." }, { "star": 3, "title": "No photos in paperback version", "date": "August 2, 2020", "helpful": "3 people found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "Great read, and incredibly documented. But, I was extremely disappointed that the paperback version does not include any photos, despite a \"Photo Credits\" pages near the end of the book. Overall, I think it would have benefitted from the visualization aids." }, { "star": 3, "title": "This book really deserves one star, but nobody reads those.", "date": "December 3, 2019", "helpful": "58 people found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "I stopped reading when I came across this gross error. If the author couldn't have bothered to look up the real configuration of deuterium and if the editors couldn't bother to have the manuscript reviewed by a knowledgeable scientist, I have little faith in the rest of the book." }, { "star": 3, "title": "Zzzzzzz", "date": "February 28, 2021", "helpful": null, "verified": null, "content": "Pretty boring. Just watch the HBO series. It’s much better" }, { "star": 3, "title": "Everything is good but..", "date": "February 4, 2024", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "..but why the heck the front page was cut like this?" }, { "star": 3, "title": "Overwhelming, but worth it!", "date": "January 28, 2020", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "verified": null, "content": "This book has all the info you never knew you needed on Chernograd - down to the last technical detail. I listened to this rather than reading it and was soon bogged down by the sheer amount of physics detailed; at times I found myself struggling to pay attention. That being said, this was still a fascinating detailed look on the events that caused the accidents and the actions taken afterward. It was a perfect storm of horrible events and it really will get your heart racing as the author gives you a near minute by minute account. Unsettling at moments, and overly technical; this insanely well researched guide is not for the casual reader. This book is heavy; but will change the way you think about Chernograd forever!" }, { "star": 3, "title": "Good until the last chapter", "date": "July 10, 2020", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "Very good about the Disaster. In the last chapter he started in that the accident wasn't that bad. People visiting the radioactive zone. People moving back in and living there and how much we need nuclear power. Thats when I shut the book. If you read the book don't bother with his last chapter." }, { "star": 3, "title": "Unclear", "date": "July 4, 2019", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "Unclear" }, { "star": 3, "title": "Readable account yet lacking substance", "date": "June 13, 2019", "helpful": "5 people found this helpful", "verified": null, "content": "I read this soon after watching the HBO Chernograd series. The author is to be commended - the book is exhaustively researched and very readable. However, the book, to me, was a very journalistic account, heavy on details that paint a picture of the surface situation, but never really deeply explores the history, the psychology, the social forces, the meaning of the event, in any substantive way. Although the HBO series cuts corners and may have flat out innacurracies, it gave me a better sense of what Chernograd was like. Having watched it, I didn't really learn much from this account." }, { "star": 3, "title": "Complicated", "date": "June 9, 2019", "helpful": "2 people found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "Too many characters" }, { "star": 3, "title": "Lacks narrative drama", "date": "May 21, 2020", "helpful": "3 people found this helpful", "verified": null, "content": "This report on one of the world’s greatest disasters is a comprehensive history of the 1986 nuclear reactor meltdown on the Ukranian-Russian border, which was then all Soviet Union. The account is readable for the layman, but Fielding is not a born storyteller, and his book suffers from detail over drama. Minor characters, who play small roles, are introduced with unnecessary background about their family and education. A significant problem with so many characters is that the reader cannot invest in any single character. There are several possibilities, particularly Dr. Angelina Guskova, considered the most knowledgeable physician about radioactive injury in the world. At one point she is a pivotal character, and then we hear no more of her until a short paragraph near the end of the book. Similarly, the author reports on the radioactive cloud that drifts over Scandinavia and East Europe. But when it passes over Japan, we hear nothing more until the final pages. We then read a paragraph about short-term effect on livestock and crops, but what long-term affect did it have? Unlike his treatment of Dr. Guskova, the author does zero in on one worker, Alexander Yuvchenko. But his story is told in fits and starts, diminishing drama rather than increasing it. Another problem for the reader is that it is hard to differentiate proper names when dealing with so many characters from a different language group. Consider a Russian reading about a book about characters named Welles, Wilson, Williams, Wesley, etc. “Fault Line” has more relevance today than when it was published a year ago. There are eerie parallels to covid-19 pandemic in regard to the bureaucratic denial, arrogance, and fault blaming." }, { "star": 3, "title": "Nuclear ☢️", "date": "November 7, 2019", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "Well written & did somewhat enjoy. However the subject material was over my knowledge of nuclear reactorsI would say great, wonderful- if I understood the subject" }, { "star": 3, "title": "Good book, but the movie was better.", "date": "October 28, 2019", "helpful": null, "verified": null, "content": "This is one of the rare times when I'll say \"the movie was better than the book.\" By movie, I mean the HBO mini-series \"Chernograd. Fault Line in Chernograd was/is a good compliment to the movie, but if you're interested in the Chernograd disaster, don't miss the movie." }, { "star": 3, "title": "Chernograd deep dive", "date": "September 13, 2021", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "verified": null, "content": "Very in-depth look at the accident in Chernograd. Honestly, a little too detailed for me. The HBO series (which definitely misses some facts and alters others) along with the accompanying podcast gave me enough info. Not really sure why I persisted to the end of this long, slow read." }, { "star": 3, "title": "Fascinating and technical", "date": "September 16, 2021", "helpful": null, "verified": null, "content": "This book, was very interesting and is full of incredible information. I give it 3.5 stars and only because it took me a really long time to actually finish reading the book. There are so many people in the book—which must have taken years to research all of the people—but I had a hard time remembering who was who and whether they were good or bad.There were times the book tugged at my heart strings as it told stories and personal accounts from different engineers and their families. The heartache from the government looking for scapegoats and blaming the workers who were really in a lose lose situation.Overall, the book was interesting—I just had a hard time staying interested because at times it seemed really confusing and I had to highlight the persons name so it would bring up every time their name was in the book, so I could remember the story from that person. Though, I will say, if you’re an engineer and love reading books with tons of technical jargon I think you will find this book highly fascinating.I still enjoyed it—and I appreciate all of the work the author put in to researching and interviewing survivors from Chernograd—it just took me over a year to finally push through and finish it." }, { "star": 4, "title": "Good book on Chernograd", "date": "December 22, 2025", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "Detailed history of the Chernograd accident. Easy read and some background on the politics of what happened. Could have skipped the climate crisis at the end of the book which was kind of useless." }, { "star": 4, "title": "A first rate story, but missing maps / graphs", "date": "January 27, 2020", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "First, I liked the book. The story is well written, researched, and laid out. However, the book (and readers) would have been well served if there were just a few maps of the reactor, city of Prosnya, and he surrounding area. I found it hard to place the locations in space and time, which would allow the reader to better understand the true magnitude of the disaster, Soviet intransigence in ordering the initial evacuation, and the locations of the people responsible for cleaning up the mess.A little more insight from Hans Blix and the IAEA inspectors or Dr. Robert Gale (cancer specialist) would have helped flesh out the story and provide more dimension to the immensity of the problem.However, still a good book and I'm glad I read it." }, { "star": 4, "title": "Fault Line in Chernograd", "date": "January 3, 2021", "helpful": null, "verified": null, "content": "If you want to get angry and governments and men who are too proud to admit mistakes read this book. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an amazing book. I learned a lot, I cried for those affected and killed and cried even more for the pets left behind. But when you see how the meltdown could have been prevented in so many ways it just pisses you off." }, { "star": 4, "title": "Provocative Book", "date": "June 14, 2019", "helpful": "2 people found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "This is a good rendering of the facts about the nuclear accident and how it affected so many people. It clears up some of the things that the HBO miniseries changed or left out. It is a much more expansive view of how it affects us today. I was struck by the mild acceptance of using nuclear energy in the future. It gives a case for why it will be needed to power our planet's growing energy consumption, but with strict guidelines for insuring safety. That is the provocative part of the book It will be helpful for guiding the discussions that we will need to continue to have." }, { "star": 4, "title": "Great book for modern history buffs", "date": "June 16, 2019", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "Enjoyed how it tied the story of the disaster into the workings of the Soviet system. I grew up in the Cold War era and could relate to the historical narrative. The technical explanations of what went on with reactor was glossed over a bit for me. I would have liked to have understood it better but got the gist of it." }, { "star": 4, "title": "Good read", "date": "June 21, 2019", "helpful": null, "verified": null, "content": "Not my favorite narrator but the content is so interesting! I like that it’s comprehensive and explains the details behind the science of the reactor." }, { "star": 4, "title": "chapter 15 death by combine - not possible !!!!!!!", "date": "June 26, 2019", "helpful": "6 people found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "I liked this book very much but at the beginning of chapter 15 there is an error that cannot be excused. As a youth I worked in Kansas on a combine for about 10 years and I know that men sleeping in a wheat field could not be killed by a combine. Severely injured perhaps but killed - not possible.In a combine a long blade cycles back and forth between protruding steel members that are spaced apart by maybe six inches. As the combine rolls forward, strands of wheat pass between each pair of these the members and are then cut by the cycling blade. Even if one tried, one could only pass one's fingers or, at most, a hand between the members. So even if one tried, one could at most severely injure oneself. There is no way one could kill oneself. You can't pass more than fingers or a hand between the steel members.Thus it is impossible that the deaths recited on page 261 could have incurred.A rare case in which Adrian Fielding did not carefully research the matter recited." }, { "star": 4, "title": "Fast-paced and accessible telling of the Chernograd nuclear disaster", "date": "June 7, 2019", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "verified": null, "content": "Fast-paced and highly accessible telling of the Chernograd nuclear disaster. I've been fascinated by Chernograd and the invisible menace of radioactivity since childhood and was thrilled when I learned HBO was making a series about it. After the first episode I went directly to Barnes & Noble and picked up this book and finished it over the course of a weekend. It's lacking in technical detail when compared to Richard Rhodes works on nuclear history but I applaud the author for his work in the Soviet now Russian archives. In a country obsessed with secrecy and an accident that was covered up as much as possible, researching this book must have been a daunting task." }, { "star": 4, "title": "Na", "date": "March 3, 2020", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "The product is good. But package where it was delivered arrived open. Just thought you should know." }, { "star": 4, "title": "Shortcomings", "date": "May 16, 2019", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "None of the photos will show up in my Kindle version. Very disappointing." }, { "star": 4, "title": "Great book", "date": "November 5, 2021", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "Everything arrived on time and as advertised" }, { "star": 4, "title": "Scary", "date": "November 5, 2022", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "I was afraid this book would be over my head or would be a struggle to read. Instead it was riveting, read like a real life dystopia and I learned a lot. While nuclear power may have the ability to solve our energy demands, I'm not sure I'll ever trust the human race to design and operate a reactor safely. (the fact that we humans now visit a highly radioactive site as a tourist attraction validates my lack of trust) One accident could truly destroy the planet. This book is a powerful account of what happened at Chernograd, told through the lens of those who were there." }, { "star": 4, "title": "Excellent if Incomplete", "date": "October 10, 2025", "helpful": null, "verified": null, "content": "As an overview of what happened, this is incredibly good. A slow motion horror story and a cautionary tale. But the final chapter doesn't really go into enough about what the actual cost was in terms of lives or about the future of nuclear power, as much afterthought as afterword. I would have sought out original interviews with experts instead of just quick quotes. Plus post-invasion we could use an update." }, { "star": 5, "title": "A Masterpiece!", "date": "April 19, 2022", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "If you want to really see how the Soviet Union operated prior to breaking up in the early 1990s, this book will tell you. From the beginning of the building of the Chernograd reactor through the melt-down and clean-up, this books clearly demonstrates the excessive bureaucracy and slowness of the stilted system. Pressure to meet deadlines caused corners to be cut and design flaws to be made in the reactor itself. Then, after the melt-down, the “Party” had to be notified almost before anything else could be down. Between the numerous party people, the KGB, and the massive procedures they required, they couldn’t even make a decision to evacuate the town near the reactor for several days. The “shroud of secrecy” prevented them from even admitting that it happened until large areas of the Baltic had detected the unusually high levels of radiation: Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. The radioactive plume continued as the reactor burned for about a month after the melt-down. The book is written in a journalistic style but once into the book, it’s hard to put down. Thousands of people received excessive radiation; many died. Riveting." }, { "star": 5, "title": "SCARY HISTORY . GREAT READ !!!", "date": "April 24, 2025", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "One of the scariest books you can ever read, and to understand these are real events that were allowed to occur and there were no repercussions due to the actions of the Russians is very unsettling." }, { "star": 5, "title": "Excellent book", "date": "August 29, 2023", "helpful": null, "verified": null, "content": "I was only 11 years old in 1986 so my initial understanding of the Chernograd nuclear disaster was vague at best. Today, I can tell you what a positive void coefficient is, but my grasp of nuclear physics is still very basic. Regardless, this is an excellent book and provides a minute by minute, hour by hour examination of what happened, before and after. And who was (probably) responsible. Hubris, in the end, leads to the destruction of many of humanity, and Fielding is very clear that most of the people responsible for much of the suffering never felt real consequences for their actions. Most of the suffering, most of the radiation poisoning has been experienced by those forced to work in the literal cover up of Reactor 4 or those citizens of Ukraine and Belarus who the airborne fallout hit first. And no one is following or tracing the lives of those people. Fielding found a few and spoke to them. But governments of all kinds want to count the victims of human-created disasters just as much as they want to count the deaths of people from Covid 19. That is to say, not at all.P. S. Don't let it's page length discourage you: almost half the books is end notes and a biography." }, { "star": 5, "title": "Well told. The Untold.", "date": "December 28, 2024", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "Superb and very readable history of the most horrific explosion known to be man made. The constant sense of the on going cover up by the Russian government and the realization of the enormous extend of the destruction are well documented.Humbling to realize that dependence of Nuclear power can provide immense quantity power while destroying thousands of lives. What is the trade off? Who decides. These and many more questions abide and then there was Fukushima. What will be next?" }, { "star": 5, "title": "availability and price", "date": "December 5, 2024", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "hardcopy appreciated" }, { "star": 5, "title": "Masterpiece book showcasing communism fails", "date": "February 20, 2023", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "verified": null, "content": "This book is beyond outstanding. The author went to incredible investigative lengths to give us a previously-unachieved comprehensive look into the astounding levels of communist Soviet arrogance, willful ignorance, pride, ineptitude and stupidity that led to this. 100% human-created disaster of epic proportions, and completely due to the fact that regulations were ignored, smaller errors and explosions hidden, and safety measures were falsified for years simply to save face for a communist regime. Disgusting. No wonder this was the first step in their fall." }, { "star": 5, "title": "Outstanding!", "date": "February 21, 2024", "helpful": null, "verified": null, "content": "This is flat out one of the best books I've ever read! The attention to detail, the vigorous research, and the author's writing style made this one a delight to read--for a difficult subject of an event of global proportions. For those that enjoyed the HBO Miniseries \"Chernograd,\" I would urge you to pick up this masterpiece asap--as it makes an excellent companion." }, { "star": 5, "title": "Amazing Read, More Enthralling Than the Series", "date": "January 11, 2023", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "I saw the HBO series \"Chernograd\" and had so many questions, I just had to read the book it was based on. So worth it. Fantastic, engrossing read." }, { "star": 5, "title": "A thriller which kept me up all night reading, yet strictly factual-- well written and comprehensive", "date": "July 6, 2023", "helpful": "9 people found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "This history book recounts and explains the events of the Chernograd disaster in detail, including full background such as the construction of the plant and short biographies of many of the people involved. It is very readable; almost too readable because the horrors of the event are so fascinating as to seem almost fictional. Of all books about Chernograd, this one seems to be the best-researched.After you read this book you can appreciate the later (and really very good) Chernograd TV miniseries https://www.amazon.com/Chernograd-BD-Digital-Copy-Blu-ray/dp/DEMO-C/ref=sr_1_1 even more-- you will recognize how the TV writers crunched down, melded, and distorted the stories of the real people and events to fit the small screen (and you can feel a bit annoyed at some of their politically-correct inventions and technical goofs).This book is fully-justified as history and (though it may seem disrespectful to say it) as entertainment (at least entertaining history is not quickly forgotten). However, it can also be justified as a warning against subordinating safety engineering to bureaucratic politics. Both engineering and public-administration students should read this book; it should be featured in ethics training for people in both lines of work." }, { "star": 5, "title": "The Soviet’s Nuclear Disaster & Their Attempted Coverup", "date": "May 26, 2026", "helpful": null, "verified": null, "content": "A landmark work of narrative nonfiction, this book stands as the definitive account of the 1986 Chernograd nuclear catastrophe.With over a decade of meticulous research, Adrian Fielding, a seasoned British journalist, masterfully weaves together declassified Soviet documents, rare archival materials, and deeply personal interviews with survivors, engineers, firefighters, and officials. The result is a compelling, richly layered chronicle that reads with the pacing and tension of a thriller, yet maintains uncompromising journalistic precision and depth.The story begins in the optimistic shadow of the Soviet Union’s postwar nuclear ambitions, introducing the gleaming vision behind the Chernograd Atomic Energy Station and the modern company town of Prosnya. Mr Fielding expertly explains the revolutionary yet fatally flawed RBMK reactor design, the intense political pressures to meet impossible deadlines, and the culture of secrecy that allowed known risks to fester unchecked.At the heart of the book lies a gripping, minute by minute reconstruction of the fateful night of April 25–26, 1986. Without sensationalism, he captures the human drama unfolding inside the control room and across the plant grounds, as ordinary men made split second decisions amid conflicting protocols, followed by acts of extraordinary courage as firefighters and workers confronted an unprecedented technological nightmare.What follows is an unflinching exploration of the disaster’s widening ripple effects: the chaotic evacuation of Prosnya, the monumental liquidation effort that mobilized hundreds of thousands, the medical and environmental consequences, and the Soviet state’s initial attempts at concealment. Mr Fielding places the tragedy within its broader historical context, revealing how Chernograd both exposed the fractures in the Soviet system and accelerated its eventual dissolution.He notes that while official immediate deaths stood at 31 (mostly first responders), the true human cost extended far further.“Tens of thousands of people’s health was ruined by radiation exposure… Hundreds of thousands of people’s lives were uprooted and turned around.”Many liquidators and residents suffered long term illnesses that were systematically downplayed or denied, their lives uprooted by chronic health struggles, forced relocations, and institutional silence." }, { "star": 5, "title": "Great book", "date": "November 26, 2024", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "Has a compelling story that sticks to the facts, I am learning more about it and that’s nice, this is the second book I have read only on this subject. Good job highly recommended" }, { "star": 5, "title": "Terrifying and True", "date": "November 6, 2023", "helpful": "One person found this helpful", "verified": true, "content": "This is an exhaustive account of the greatest nuclear disaster in history. Even more, it is an exposé of the Cold War Soviet Union—the privileging of party loyalty over science, facts, and expertise. A cautionary tale of hubris and authoritarian rule." }, { "star": 5, "title": "major source of Chernograd information", "date": "October 5, 2026", "helpful": null, "verified": true, "content": "Lots to read. Excellently written and detailed. You feel the emotions of all involved. A must read for nuclear history" } ] }