King of Bombs: A Novel About Nuclear Terrorism [Paperback]

Sheldon Filger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 16, 2005

King of Bombs is the story of a plot by a fanatical Islamist terrorist cell linked to Al-Qaeda, in alliance with North Korea and Iran, to bring about the downfall of America through a single, apocalyptic terrorist event.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Living and working in New York City on September 11, 2001, I experienced the seismic trauma that Al-Qaeda inflicted on America's largest city. The oceans on either coast no longer insulate America from those who wish her harm. Of all the dangers we confront, none is more apocalyptic in its potential consequences than nuclear terrorism. I wrote KING OF BOMBS as thoughtful if tension-filled exploration of the single most important issue facing the survival of human civilization. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Inside Flap

KING OF BOMBS is the story of the plot by a fanatical Islamist terrorist cell, linked to Al-Qaeda, to bring about the downfall of America through a single, apocalyptic terrorist event. While the U.S. government is sidetracked by a war in Iraq and domestic politics, the terrorists conceive of an elaborate and bold scheme, in alliance with North Korea and Iran and the black market in nuclear arms. They obtain the blueprints for the most powerful nuclear weapon ever built and tested; a relic of the Cold War code-named by the Russians, "King of Bombs." Their objective is to smuggle the device into the United States and detonate it in New York City. If they succeed, the bomb will explode with a force equal to 150 million tons of high explosives, resulting in the deaths of tens of millions of human beings, and the radioactive contamination of much of the continental United States. Standing in the way of the terrorists are courageous intelligence agents from two countries who must not only confront Al-Qaeda, but also the complacency and wishful thinking of their own governments. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (July 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420860550
• ISBN-13: 978-1420860559
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,373,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars International Thriller, November 22, 2005

By 

David Krupa "David" (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: King of Bombs: A Novel About Nuclear Terrorism (Paperback)

King of Bombs is an enjoyable thriller. In the Tom Clancy tradition, author Filger provides `inside stuff' detail concerning nuclear weaponry, technology, border security, interrogation and chain-of-command protocol. The plot's momentum builds and builds until literally the last page. I couldn't put this one down and I highly recommend it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Let's Hope This Remains Fiction, November 22, 2005

By 

John R. Linnell (New Gloucester, ME United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: King of Bombs: A Novel About Nuclear Terrorism (Paperback)

Sheldon Filger has written a very knowledgeable and scary novel about nuclear terrorisim.

Starting with the crash of a B-52 in a lake in Canada during the Cuban missle crisis we learn that the plane sank without a trace. The USAF advised that it carried no nuclear weapons and even though this was not the truth, they honestly believed that the difficulty of detonating the bombs made them quite safe at the bottom of the lake. The bombs it carried were hydrogen bombs.

A series of events in Canada alert some of their authorities to the possibility that terrorists are in the area and aware of the location of the B-52 crash. A search of the lake confirms that the bombs are no longer with the aircraft.

David Cole is the Director of Counter Terrorisim for the US. News of the Canadian's find along with ominous matters involving surveilance of Islamic websites and intelligence alert him to the possibility that something is afoot. His problem is convincing others in the US Government that this is a problem worth taking seriously.

[The only weakness the book has, in my opinion, is the use of many fictional characters who are at David Cole's level of authority and then thinly veiled charicatures of Condaleza Rice who is back at her old job of NSA, Dick Cheney and George W. Bush who have the jobs they were elected to. The author has a far different opinion of Cheney and Bush than I do and how they would have reacted in many of the situations that confront them and I would have enjoyed the book much more had he simply dealt with completely fictional characters. It is because the story line and the research of the book are so good that I resisted the temptation to give it fewer stars because of my irritation with this one aspect of it.]

The mastermind behind the attack on America is known as The Lion and his plans for an attack on the US are elaborate and masterful. The story draws you along as those who are unraveling his plans meet with resistance at various levels of various governments. The final twist in the story comes out of left field and is a doozy. With the qualification I have previously noted, this is quite a book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Conspirarcy and Apocalypse in Stunning Techno-Thriller "King of Bombs", May 21, 2006

By 

Terri Parsons (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: King of Bombs: A Novel About Nuclear Terrorism (Paperback)

A bizarre murder in Northern Ontario leads intelligence agents on a path that unveils a conspiracy that may lead to the worst terrorism nightmare since 9/11. "King of Bombs" compares with Dan Brown and "The Da Vinci Code" in its meticulous research, dark and chilling plot and suspenseful turns and twists. It is almost prophetic in its description of a presidential administration based on George W. Bush and Dick Cheney that is dysfunctional and massively incompetent in responding to growing evidence that Al-Qaeda is planning a nuclear version of 9/11 in its next attack on America. "King of Bombs" is not only an entertaining techno-thriller and espionage novel, it is also a disturbingly realistic insight into what could actually happen-unless we all take the threat of nuclear terrorism far more seriously.