''The Burning Mountain'' is a 1983 alternate history novel by American writer

Alfred Coppel Alfred Coppel, Alfredo Jose de Arana-Marini Coppel (November 9, 1921 – May 30, 2004) was an American author. Born in Oakland, he served as a fighter pilot in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. After his discharge, he started ...

. The key change in history in the novel is that the

Trinity nuclear test Trinity was the code name of the first detonation of a nuclear weapon. It was conducted by the United States Army at 5:29 a.m. on July 16, 1945, as part of the Manhattan Project. The test was conducted in the Jornada del Muerto desert abo ...

of July 16, 1945, fails. The novel goes on to depict the outcome of Operation ''Downfall'', the 1946 invasion of Japan by American forces. The novel takes place from numerous points of view by American and Japanese soldiers and civilians. In an afterword the author states he based the military strategies used by the U.S. and Japan on declassified archival materials found in both countries. The author does not mention that the Hiroshima

Little Boy "Little Boy" was the type of atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 during World War II, making it the first nuclear weapon used in warfare. The bomb was dropped by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress ''Enola Gay'' p ...

gun type

enriched uranium Enriched uranium is a type of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 (written 235U) has been increased through the process of isotope separation. Naturally occurring uranium is composed of three major isotopes: uranium-238 (238U ...

bomb did not need testing.''The World At War'', episode 24, "The Bomb". Thames Productions. However, there was only one Little Boy, and it did not cause Japan to surrender unconditionally, so three days later the

Fat Man "Fat Man" (also known as Mark III) is the codename for the type of nuclear bomb the United States detonated over the Japanese city of Nagasaki on 9 August 1945. It was the second of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in warfare, the fir ...

plutonium Plutonium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibi ...

implosion bomb, tested at Trinity, was used on

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...

References

Novels about World War II alternate histories 1983 books {{1980s-WWII-novel-stub