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Shop nowAtomic Adventures
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Learn moreWhether you are a scientist or a poet, pro–nuclear energy or staunch opponent, conspiracy theorist or pragmatist, James Mahaffey’s books have served to open up the world of nuclear science like never before. With clear explanations of some of the most complex scientific endeavors in history, Mahaffey’s new book looks back at the atom’s wild, secretive past and then toward its potentially bright future.
Mahaffey unearths lost reactors on far flung Pacific islands and trees that were exposed to active fission that changed gender or bloomed in the dead of winter. He explains why we have nuclear submarines but not nuclear aircraft and why cold fusion doesn’t exist. And who knew that radiation counting was once a fashionable trend? Though parts of the nuclear history might seem like a fiction mash-up where cowboys somehow got a hold of a reactor, Mahaffey’s vivid prose holds the reader in thrall of the infectious energy of scientific curiosity and ingenuity that may one day hold the key to solving our energy crisis or sending us to Mars.
James Mahaffey, the author of Atomic adventures and Atomic Accidents, is a former senior research scientist at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, where he worked under contract for the Defense Nuclear Agency, the National Ground Intelligence Center, the Air Force Air Logistics Center, and Georgia Power Company, focusing on reactor safety systems, nonlinear analysis, and digital systems design.
Keith Sellon-Wright is a seasoned professional with a career in Hollywood spanning over thirty years. He has had the good fortune to work with some of Hollywood's seminal directors, including Christopher Guest and Spike Lee. His TV career includes some of the most important shows in TV history, going back to shows such as Wings, Frasier, Seinfeld, and The West Wing. More recently he's appeared on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, NCIS, Mad Men, and Parks and Recreation. The majority of Keith's audiobook work so far is nonfiction, ("I love what I get to learn!") but as a lifelong storyteller, he of course loves fiction too. Keith also serves as a "voice of the New York Times," narrating selected articles for the daily audio edition on Audible. He records from a "killer" booth he built at his residence in Southern California. The quickest way to Keith's heart-introduce him to a great new wine!
Reviews
“H. G. Wells would have been fascinated by Atomic Adventures, especially by the ways its cast of scientists―who range from authentic experts to the shadiest of con artists―have tried to make use of atomic energy in war and in peace. Mahaffey…knows how to tell a good story and, no less important, has an eye for unfamiliar and revealing details.”
“A gloriously nerdy tour of atomic research.”
“Reads like a collection of spooky tales perfect for sharing around the campfire this summer…Most of Mahaffey’s tales are pure fun, but his more personal anecdotes offer a lesson…[and] a glimpse into the real moments of frustration and jubilations of a researcher’s life…Celebrate(s) the full arc of science: the good, the bad, and the quirky.”
“What Mahaffey details is often hilarious and occasionally horrifying…Mahaffey’s book is irresistible.”
“Filled with batty geniuses who want to power the world with a scary mixture of nuclear energy and hubris. Stellar nonfiction.”
“An expert, equally amusing chronicle of the wide world of nuclear science…Mahaffey’s account is not the first but definitely the funniest.”
“Although the atomic craze peaked in the mid-twentieth century, the topic continues to fascinate, and Mahaffey has tapped into the excitement.”
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