As a historian, I'm just sitting here in awe of Serhii Plokhy's "Chernobyl." The book itself is a narrative history of the events of Chernobyl; while obviously focused on the experience of the explosion, Plokhy puts the tragedy within the framework of global energy and global power.

What's good: The writing is clear, simple, and elegant. The argument is powerful and persuasive. The research depth is to be applauded. And the book's pace moves quickly: I soared through 70% of the book in a matter of a day and a half, flipping pages at the same rate I'd read a novel. For this reason, I think the book would be a slam-dunk for use in undergrad classes.

What's bad: I'm having a problem suggesting any critique. Bravo.

I remember when the accident occurred, and it is nice to read "the rest of the story."

Sergei Plokhy's Chernobyl is fascinating, detailed, and engaging history of the explosion at Chernobyl in 1986 and the long-term consequences, individually and collectively, to Ukraine, Belorus, and Russia. Plokhy sketches the major players in the story, giving us a sense of their career trajectories and how the tests conducted that day in April mattered in different ways for each. He gives a very careful account of what happened at each, while also providing important context about the particular design--and design flaws--of the type of reactor built at Chernobyl. As Plokhy describes the early stages of the attempt to control the fire and damage to the reactor, he does an excellent job of showing the truly heroic sacrifice of firemen and others who exposed themselves to tremendous amounts of radiation. The story of the divers who went down in the water to manually open a release valve, and who knew the risks they were taking, is chilling. Without that kind of heroic act, Plokhy suggests, the Chernobyl catastrophe could have affected a much larger part of Europe and killed many thousands. It's gripping but painful reading. My only criticism of the book is that the section on the aftermath seems rushed and less fully developed.

I had hoped this book would have given greater in-depth coverage of the Soviet nuclear power program. What is striking though is the complicated relationships between the bureaucrats and the plant operators. The author does not shy away from castigating the Stalin era managerial methods that varied between cover your ass and get the promised job done at any cost. The technical jargon of a nuclear power plant is very complicated and was difficult to follow. I really do not see how the author could have simplified his coverage of the incident.

A fascinating book about an incredible event. I'll definitely recommend this to others.