This book wasn’t what I was expecting but I did enjoy it although I found it hard going in places. It was interesting and thought provoking. I’m very interested in the events of WW2, this book told the true events and a kind of what if so this book gave a different perspective.

Like most alternate histories, the author picks a pivotal time to divert the story from the real world to a world that has been changed. My first problem with this book is that Mangi spends the first third of the book on actual events. Because the 'Young Tigers' prevented the surrender until August 28 (two weeks after the actual date), the continued attacked were to change the shape of the World after the end of WW2.

His pivotal point is that the Russians who attack after the end of the war with Germany, didn't stop and aggressively attack Manchuria, eastern Mongolia, Korea (which they captured almost 90% of) and the Japanese Island of Hokkaido, by the time the articles of capitulation were signed on September 15th (two weeks after the actual signing on September 2nd). The Soviets would occupy Korea, Hokkaido, Sakhalin Island, the Kurile Islands.

By 1947 Hokkaido had become a Communist Republic as had all of Korea. Japan would never become the economic dynamo it became and suffered greatly after reuniting with the North in the 21st Century. Korea was consolidated as a communist state and Russia built large bases all over the country. Mao took over in China in 1947 as the Russians had reached past Beijing by September 25 and the Chinese Army under Chiang Kai Shek was totally outclassed by the Communists and retreated to Taiwan.

Truman ran against MacArthur in 1948, and the general known for his arrogance, was now unprotected from the media. It didn't take long for him upset everyone and Truman buried him. Indo China turned into the Korean War with the French Chinese and Americans all getting in a shooting was for control. In a 1950 supported UN election, but the Viet Minh refused to accept the outcome and civil war broke out. The Civil goes on for three years with an eventual settlement dividing VietNam at the 20th Parallel.

It's not that good of a replacement history and reads like an insert into the Encyclopedia. Poor vision as to what could have happened with more development of the why and wherefore.

I love reading alternative history. And I love reading history. This was neither. I found myself confused, bored, and uninterested. I tried multiple times to plow through the book, but just could not do it.
Not to penalize the author for my mistake in thinking this book was something else entirely when I requested it, I will not be leaving my review on any of my regular sites.

For readers that do not know what alternate history it is a work of fiction, but the nonfiction/historical account is based on an actual event with a "what if this happened instead" approach. With that being said, I felt that the key/pivotal points of WWII were accurate and I enjoyed the twists on these moments.

Sometimes it is fun to revisit the past and re-imagine events like this. I would like to see/read more alternate history like this (suggestions: Selena Quintinalla being shot, Titanic sinking, events of 9/11). This was an interesting and readable book.

Well written and accurate on the timeline of events this book was based on. Recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, Jim Mangi and Pen & Sword Frontline Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 5/30/22

"The First Atomic Bomb: An Alternate History of the Ending of World War II," written by Jim Mangi and to be published by Pen and Sword, was recently provided to me in the form of an ARC. I confess that I was excited to check this out since I have long been a fan of Alternate History, and I have presented a number of academic papers on it. If you are unfamiliar with the genre, there are many examples out there, both textual and in terms of film. In a nutshell, the genre takes historical events and changes some salient event (turns out almost all events are "salient") and then takes a speculative turn as the author explores possible alternative history as a consequence of this change (known technically as the "point of divergence"). In this book, the "point of divergence" is the failure of the first full blown test of the atomic bomb. This has a predictable ripple effect, largely manifested in this instance through timing. For example, partly as a consequence of this, Soviet intervention occurs much more quickly and with enormous consequences for the post-war world. It is worth noting that modern Alternate History tends to fall somewhere on a spectrum with fantasy and science fiction on one end and counterfactual reimagining actual events on the other. This book hews close to actual events and presents no signs of fantasy; one can read it and easily imagine the events in it altering our own world. The reader inexperienced in this genre should note that while fantasy reads much like any other fiction if a bit more "out there," the other side of this coin is that Alternate History that holds closely to the reality we know as "history" can be intimidating in that its narrative structure is that of a history book with all that might imply. This book is one of those. If you are unaware of the actual events that occurred in our timeline at the conclusion of the Pacific War, this book will be difficult for you. On the other hand, those of you grounded in the events that marked the conclusion of World War II in the Pacific will find the book quite rewarding. Those caveats laid out, I have no problem recommending the text, it is both entertaining and offers some new insights into "might have beens."