Mutually Assured Destruction (M.A.D) was Cold war term that was used to describe  equally capable destructive force between U.S.A and Soviet Union. The fear of M.A.D. was said to prevent launch of nuclear attack because each side knew that the attack would end in retaliation, leading to complete nuclear war between nations. But what if something had failed in course of history? Read Airship Nine book review to find out more!

The plot

Due to catastrophic failure, american nuclear space station launches all of it’s nuclear warfare towards it’s predefined enemy targets. Soviet union retaliates immediately, sending missiles towards it’s attacker. Like domino, all other nuclear powers join in death spiral, striking with all they have against their ideological opponents. In less than hour, most of the planet is destroyed in countless nuclear explosions. And all this happens in few first pages of the book. But not everything is lost. The main story follows the crew of Airship Nine,  a commercial airship carrying cargo and passengers near Antarctica when the world ends. Forced to seek shelter, Airship Nine changes it’s course to South Pole, probably only safe place in the world after nuclear war. But there are other players too. Antarctica holds several soviet and american research bases which accommodate probably the last living people on earth. And everyone wants their own to survive.

The theme

One recurring theme throughout the story is tension and conflict between rival groups and even within the allies of the same group. Prejudice, suspicion and old grudges prevail even when humanity is facing extinction. There are also forces ready to benefit the situation to rise in power. Story can be seen also as metaphor for world politics in smaller scale where many will suffer due to power lust of few.  One thing to be noted in Airship nine is the detail of technical level. The story is believable, be it when talking about airship’s controls, harsh living environment of Antarctica or ever fading radio messages from destroyed world full of disturbance in atmosphere.  When boasting in technical detail, the characters are less relatable. Story includes many characters who are introduced after nuclear disaster is happened so there is little character development. Actually one most notable characters is the Antarctica itself. The cold, ruthless and dangereous snowy desert gives a perfect stage for desperate fight for survival. Airship Nine is a solid read. If you want to read a technical thriller about survivors of nuclear war, Airship Nine is worth trying out. If you liked Airship Nine book review, remember to check our Bookvault for more reviews! You can also follow us in Facebook or Instagram.