100 Suns

Seth J. Frantzman


Excellent Photo Archive   December 24, 2003
 21 out of 22 found this review helpful

I received this as a surprise gift for my birthday this year, as I have a fascination with the history and science of nuclear weapons. If I had known about it, I probably would have purchased it myself.

For those of you that like the feel of a solid book in your hands, "100 Suns" will not disappoint. The 208 pages contained within are high-quality, thick photo pages. Each photo is displayed over the entire page and are of excellent quality. There are no wordy descriptions written across the photos, or at the bottom of the pages. All information is noted in the rear of the book, where there are short descriptions of each bomb test that is documented in this book.

A previous review stated that if you have seen "Trinity & Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie" that there is nothing new here. This is true in the respect that most of these tests are covered in that documentary. However, "100 Suns" allows you to examine the photos and reflect upon them in a way that film does not allow. Additionally, the book shows pictures of the people involved in the tests (soldiers and such), which is an aspect that the "Atomic Bomb Movie" does not tap into in depth.

Overall, this is a great piece of photo history that will also fufill a role as an excellent coffee table book.


somewhat disappointing   December 21, 2003
 9 out of 15 found this review helpful

I bought this book the instant I saw it on amazon.com. I couldn't wait to see it, but I was let down. There are 100 images and the book itself is a fine piece of workmanship. But if you've seen "Trinity and Beyond" or any of Peter Kuran's other works, there is nothing new here (in terms of the "kind" of material shown; obviously Kuran's works won't cover all of the same tests depicted in "100 Suns"). Frankly, many of the images included in "100 Suns" are indiscernable. Shapeless clouds, a blob of light, nothing in the foreground or background to give a frame of reference -- you just have to take someone's word for it that it is a photograph of a nuclear detonation. With few exceptions (noted below), all of the photographs are of the detonations themselves. You never get to see anything of the aftermath (craters or other devestation). There are a few pictures of troups and other things in the area during a test, but they are very few. Although I had very high hopes for this book, I must honestly say that only a small minority of the images are truely exceptional. Also, in my opinion, this is not the kind of book that you'll look at more than once or twice. Once you've seen the lesser-quality images in the book, you really won't be drawn back to them again. I wouldn't recommend this book unless you're building a nuclear library of sorts -- to be sure, it would be a worthy addition. Otherwise, get anything by Peter Kuran (www.vce.com) or get Frank Shelton's "Reflections of a Nuclear Weaponeer". I'd even recommend "The Nevada Test Site: A Guide to America's Nuclear Proving Ground" over "100 Suns." You'd get so much more information out of it. If you don't have a lot of exposure to nuclear literature, you'll probably be impressed by "100 Suns". But if you aren't new to the subject, I think you'll be a little disappointed.


Darkly beautiful   November 14, 2003
 56 out of 58 found this review helpful

This is an amazing photograpic document about a strange time in American history.

It is somewhat personal to me as I was one of the 900 Marines 2 miles from the HOOD detonation on July 5th, 1957. I did not know until I read the caption in the book that I was present at both the largest, and first hydrogen, bomb exploded in the US.

I hope to hell we never see any comtemporary photos of atomic explosions. The photos in this book ought to be enough for all time.


AMAZING   November 14, 2003
 2 out of 5 found this review helpful

The subject is so dark and yet the images are so beautiful. Unfortunately I have no money to buy it, so I keep going into every bookstore I pass and must go in an drool over these 100 Suns.