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The Oppenheimer Alternative
- Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg
- Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
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The Oppenheimer Alternative
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Publisher's Summary
Writing with “a sense of wonder that hasn’t prevailed since the days of Heinlein” (Books in Canada), best novel Hugo and Nebula Award winner Robert J. Sawyer brings you “a truly science-fictional work of alternate history” (S.M. Stirling).
While J. Robert Oppenheimer and his Manhattan Project team struggle to develop the A-bomb, Edward Teller wants something even more devastating: a weapon based on nuclear fusion - the mechanism that powers the sun. But Teller’s research leads to a terrifying discovery: by the year 2030, the sun will eject its outermost layer, destroying the entire inner solar system - including Earth.
After the war ends, Oppenheimer’s physicists combine forces with Albert Einstein, computing pioneer John von Neumann, and rocket designer Wernher von Braun - the greatest scientific geniuses from the last century racing against time to save our future.
Meticulously researched and replete with real-life characters and events, The Oppenheimer Alternative is a breathtaking adventure through both real and alternate history.
What listeners say about The Oppenheimer Alternative
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- GeraldC
- 2020-09-06
"Fascinating"
Excellent book. Lots of drama between the various characters, governments, scientists and the military keep the pace of the novel moving along nicely. Well researched by the author and penned with great imagination make this one of my favorite SF novels. Robert makes me proud to be a fellow Canadian.
I also liked Sawyer's idea of a new calendar based on Anti Atoman-(AA), and Post Atoman-(PA)--I'm guessing at the spelling as I had listened to an audio edition---which would replace our current religious based BC/AC calendar. Think of it, a new calendar based on science not religion---love it!!!
(Interesting to note that I had to reread the last chapter about 3 times to fully understand what was going on and let my mind absorb the complexity of it---In short, everything a great SF novel should do, and Sawyer did it in spades).
Note: I had listened to the audio edition as voiced by Josh Bloomberg. Excellently narrated and complete with the various accents and tones
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vera
- 2021-01-19
Robert J Sawyer is a master storyteller
So he combines history with a plausible twist that feels like you are easedropping for the most important moments and then he carries the story in a new direction. Love it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Matthew
- 2023-09-17
Fantastic!
Excellent "what if" alternative history! Picks up fictionally where the movie finishes factually. Very entertaining.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- WTL
- 2020-08-25
Fantastically researched
One of Sawyer’s trademarks beyond the excellent storytelling is his meticulous research. This book is a wonderful example of what must have been years of research, compiling all the notes, and then weaving this page turner into this book. Highly recommend
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- kermit
- 2020-08-19
A MUST READ
one of the most well thought out I've ever read and certainly one of RJS' best.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Langer MD
- 2023-09-01
Quality Speculative "Hard" Science Fiction
Robert J. Sawyer delivers an impeccably-researched plausible scenario where the scientists working on the Manhattan project discover that a "solar photospheric purge" is brewing that will destroy the earth sometime before 2030. A dream-team of genius physicists (including Albert Einstein and post-war pariah German scientists like Werner Heisenberg & Werner von Braun) races to develop the capacity for at least *some* of humanity to flee the planet. Sawyer's inclusion of a pantheon of legendary figures, exploration of an interesting thought-experiment plot, and demonstration of quality writing (vocabulary/prose, dialogue, description) is praiseworthy. Unfortunately, he also invests an inordinate amount of effort on political views and personal concerns among his characters (digging REALLY deep into Oppenheimer's Security Clearance trial, for examoke). The story lost my interest at times.
As to presentation: reader Josh Bloomberg does a nice job delivering the many accented characters from the text (his German-flavored English sounds particularly authentic).. but his reading timbre & cadence are subpar, and he reads faaaar too slowly (I recommend listening at 1.20X for more natural timing). In toto, his narration is professional but nothing special (another reader could have done a comparable - or better - job).
I am grateful to Audible for offering this book as part of the 'Plus' initiative - it was an enjoyable way to spend a couple of thoughtful afternoons - but when they ask for your Credit:
While it's not a crazy decision to add 'The Oppenheimer Alternative' to your library, you can likely find better options than this 7/10-star SciFi offering.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jason McIntyre
- 2024-01-13
Narrator
Amazing. Would make an incredible mini series on prime. Full of historical figures and the accents of the narrator were well done.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2020-10-06
Couldn't finish this one
OK I really like Robert Sawyer. But this one read like a soap opera biography of Openheimer, an homage by an ardent fanboy. I kept waiting for the science fiction to start. In the end, I cared so little about the characters that I gave up. I kept finding reasons to listen to something else rather than force my way through this.
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