Red Alert : The Novel That Inspired Dr. Strangelove, Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

The basis for Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece, Dr. Strangelove: A chilling Cold War thriller in which unchecked power unleashes total nuclear disaster. Air Force Brigadier General Quinten is a dying man suffering from the paranoid delusion that he can make the world a better place by ordering a full-scale nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. Receiving word of the attack already underway, the president of the United States and his advisors now must work frantically to stop it. The US bombers are to be shot down—but a lone bomber called the “Alabama Angel” escapes and flies on to complete its lunatic mission, ignoring the president's orders. A ghastly and chilling vision of what might happen when profound and deadly power is put into the wrong hands, this classic thriller continues to serve as a warning in today's tumultuous political climate. Peter Bryant's 1958 novel Red Alert tells the terrifying tale of just how close to nuclear destruction the world can be. Here, we are faced with the worst possible of all worst-case scenarios in the Cold War; an American general loses his reason and orders a full-scale nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. Air Force Brigadier General Quinten is a dying man suffering from the paranoid delusion that he can make the world a better place by setting in motion this catastrophic attack with Strategic Air Command bombers armed with nuclear weapons. Once they get wind of it, the President of the United States and his advisors work frantically in all efforts to stop the attack. They order the American bombers shot down, and they succeed - all but with one frightening exception - a lone bomber called the "Alabama Angel" escapes destruction. The crew of the Angel ignore the President's orders and continue on with their deadly mission. This book was originally published in the U.K. under the title Two Hours to Doom (written by Peter Bryant, the penname of writer Peter George). This intricately plotted and well-thought out novel conjures the vision of apocalyptic threat of nuclear war and illustrates just how absurdly easy such an attack can be triggered. A virtual genre of such fiction sprang up in the late 1950s, led by Nevil Shute's On the Beach, of which Red Alert was among the earliest and finest examples. Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler's later bestseller, Fail Safe, so closely resembled Red Alert in premise and tone that George sued on plagiarism charges and actually won an out-of-court settlement. Both novels would inspire very different films that were both released in 1964 It was the worst of all possible worst-case scenarios in the Cold War - an American general loses his reason and orders a full-scale nuclear attack on the U.S.S.R.From that premise, Peter George's 1958 novel Red Alert spins a grim tale of just how close to nuclear destruction the world can be. A dying man suffering from the paranoid delusion that he will make the world a better place, Air Force Brigadier General Quinten has set in motion a catastrophic air attack on the Soviet Union with Strategic Air Command bombers armed with nuclear weapons. The President of the United States and his advisors frantically try to stop the attack, once it is underway. They order the American bombers shot down, and they succeed -- with one frightening exception. A lone bomber called the "Alabama Angel" eludes destruction. Its crew ignores the President's new orders and proceeds with its deadly mission.Originally published in the U.K. as "Two Hours to Doom" -- with George using the nom de plume "Peter Bryant" -- this deliberate, precisely plotted novel conjures with the apocalyptic threat of nuclear war and the almost absurd ease with which it can be triggered. A virtual genre of such topical fiction sprang up in the late 1950s -- led by Nevil Shute's "On the Beach" -- of which "Red Alert" was among the earliest and finest examples. Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler's later bestseller "Fail Safe" so closely resembled "Red Alert" in its premise that George sued on the charge of plagiarism and won an out-of-court settlement. Both novels would inspire very different films that would both be released in 1964. It was the worst of all possible worst-case scenarios in the Cold War - an American general loses his reason and orders a full-scale nuclear attack on the U.S.S.R. From that premise, Peter George's 1958 novel Red Alert spins a grim tale of just how close to nuclear destruction the world can be. A dying man suffering from the paranoid delusion that he will make the world a better place, Air Force Brigadier General Quinten has set in motion a catastrophic air attack on the Soviet Union with Strategic Air Command bombers armed with nuclear weapons. The President of the United States and his advisors frantically try to stop the attack, once it is underway. They order the American bombers shot down, and they succeed -- with one frightening exception. A lone bomber called the "Alabama Angel" eludes destruction. Its crew ignores the President's new orders and proceeds with its deadly mission. Originally published in the U.K. as "Two Hours to Doom" -- with George using the nom de plume "Peter Bryant" -- this deliberate, precisely plotted novel conjures with the apocalyptic threat of nuclear war and the almost absurd ease with which it can be triggered. A virtual genre of such topical fiction sprang up in the late 1950s -- led by Nevil Shute's "On the Beach" -- of which "Red Alert" was among the earliest and finest examples. Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler's later bestseller "Fail Safe" so closely resembled "Red Alert" in its premise that George sued on the charge of plagiarism and won an out-of-court settlement. Both novels would inspire very different films that would both be released in 1964. Peter George. Title From T.p. (netlibrary Web Site, Viewed Jan. 29, 2008). Originally Published In 1958. This Novel Is The Inspiration For Dr. Strangelove. Mode Of Access: World Wide Web.