Black Sun by Owen Matthews

Black Sun Reviews

• 
  Maureen

  Based on real events, ‘Black Sun’ and its subject matter of the construction of the biggest ever thermonuclear bomb, is both complex and frightening, but Owen Matthews’ debut novel is so beautifully written, that it’s as if his words come sugar frosted, and were lovingly devoured.
  
  The year is 1961, - Arzamas-16 is a secret city in the Middle Volga, within the Soviet Union, where the residents appear to have all the freedoms of the West - well stocked shops, modern comfortable apartments - they’re able to read whatever literature they like, a privilege that would have been forbidden in other parts of Russia, and they can listen to music from all around the world. However, this is still the Cold War period, and beneath that outward display of normality, is the fact that the scientists and engineers in Arzamas are working on a thermonuclear bomb, RDS-220 - the likes of which has never been seen before - the bomb dropped on Hiroshima is nothing compared to this one, and it’s just 9 days to countdown!
  
  Former Criminal Detective, Major Alexander Vasin of the KGB Special Cases Dept, arrives in Arzamas to investigate the death of a young scientist, Fyador Petrov, who’s father is an academician and a man of influence in Moscow. The official line is that Fyador committed suicide by means of Thallium poisoning, but Vasin thinks differently, he suspects that the top brass are trying to hide something, and their resulting interference leaves Vasin thwarted at every turn. He’s not going to give up that easily though, he may be KGB, but he’s an honest and decent man who likes to see justice served. The tension mounts as his investigations lead him ever nearer to the truth about Petrov. In addition, the nerve shredding countdown to the nuclear test begins.
  
  Though fairly slow paced, it was definitely worth sticking with - its portrayal of the arms race in the Soviet Union, and the geopolitical tension between them and the United States, gives the reader a real flavour of just what a drab, dreary and scary place this was, with its secrets, its accusations, the constant surveillance, and a history of wrongful imprisonments, which guaranteed power in controlling and instilling fear in the general population.
  
  Beautifully written, very authentic, with a perfect blend of fact and fiction.
  
  *Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for my ARC. I have given an honest
• 
  Paromjit

  Owen Matthews's debut novel is a historical thriller, a superb blend of fact and fiction, set in 1961 in a secret scientific research town in the Middle Volga, Arzamas-16, where there are no shortages, and where the residents are allowed to think, act, live, love as they want, free to read anything, listen to any music, in a Soviet Union at the height of its power. This is a book I read with increasing horror, it terrified the living daylights out of me, where leading scientists and engineers under the direction of Professor Yury Adamov, are 9 days from the insanity of testing the most powerful thermonuclear bomb in the world in the Arctic, the RDS-220, a vital national project instigated by Khrushchev himself. One of the architects of the bomb, Fyodor Petrov, has died from radioactive thallium poisoning, a death the town authorities have deemed suicide. However, Petrov has an influential father in Moscow, so KGB Major Alexander Vasin from the Special Cases department arrives to investigate.
  
  Vasin is a honest and intelligent man who believes in justice, an anomaly in the most corrupt of systems that thrives on fear, shame, treachery, surveillance, false denunciations, lies, abuse of power, and the everyday acceptance of killings. A system and state that unashamedly preys on an individual's weaknesses and transgressions. Vasin is plagued by his own flaws, he has been sleeping with his boss's wife, which he knows if discovered, will be the end of him, a violation of property, propriety, hierarchy and respect. Vasin is brushed off by everyone, the imperious Adamov is more interested in ensuring the success of the experimental bomb, and General Zaitsev, an old school Soviet butcher, will countenance no investigation of a suicide caused by poisoning and French existentialism. Vasin is forced to pull in the big guns from Moscow, his much feared boss, General Orlov, in an investigation where he is surrounded by a pattern of dangerous conceits, the testing of a bomb with the capacity to annihilate mankind, secrets, intrigue, forbidden love and where dead men tell whatever tales the living place in their lifeless mouths.
  
  Matthews superbly evokes the atmosphere of this specific Russian historical period with skill and expertise, the culture, the machinations, a General Orlov consigning the sins of the ruling classes into his steel lined safe, and the scientists who spent many of their best years in the gulags, building an experimental bomb intended to bring world peace. The author has his own personal links to the story he tells, based on the reality of a bomb designed by the well known Andrei Sakharov. Sakharov, who turned his back on the obscene concept of creating a black sun on earth, campaigning against atmospheric nuclear testing, implacable in his fierce battles against the Soviet authorities, losing almost everything, and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975. A superior, brilliant and thrilling magnetic novel that horrifies, educates, informs and entertains whilst taking the reader into the heart of 1960s Russia. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Random House Transworld for an ARC.
• 
  Carolyn

  Based on the real story of the building of the powerful nuclear bomb ever in the USSR in 1961, this is a brilliantly immersive and suspenseful thriller.
  
  In a secret town, called Arzamas-16 soviet scientists are building a hydrogen bomb, RDS-220, projected to be at least five thousand times as powerful as the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. The best scientists have been assembled under the leadership of Professor Yury Adamov (based on the famous Andrei Sakharov who lead the real project) and nothing is spared in their quest to complete the project. Unlike the rest of the USSR, there are no food shortages and Western literature, appliances and furniture all make life a little more comfortable for them.
  
  When one of the scientists is found dead of (radioactive) poisoning by the thallium he was working with, the local KGB wants to write it off as a suicide. However, his powerful father insists on a thorough investigation and Major Alexander Vasin from Moscow's KGB Special cases is sent in to investigate.
  
  Matthews has powerfully brought to life this period of post-Stalinist Russia with it's culture of paranoia and distrust. With a Russian mother and having been a journalist as well as bureau chief for Newsweek in Russia for ten years (2006-16), he has a good feel for Russian culture and history and the novel has a feeling of authenticity, particularly in the way that Vasin is treated by the local town KGB and those in charge of the project as they keep information from him and try to feed him misinformation. Many of the older scientists are scarred and hardened by time spent in the gulags or, if they were lucky, in the secret research labs (sharashka) within the gulags, and nothing is going to get in the way of completing and testing the bomb.
  
  Vasin is an interesting character and the most likeable of the cast. An ex-policeman, he is relatively new to the KGB and unusually is more interested in finding out the truth than accepting a convenient explanation for the death. He is smart and intuitive at reading people and clever enough to evade those watching him when required. However, he is flawed and has his own weaknesses that may be the undoing of his career. Matthews has promised us a trilogy so I'm certainly looking forward to meeting Vasin again.
  
  ***********************************************
  Some facts about RDS-220 provided by the author in his endnote (it's worth reading this to note how well the facts about the final design of the bomb fit with the fictional plot):
  
  On 30 October 1961, 11.30am the bomb was dropped from a specially adapted plane at an altitude of 10,500m over Mityushka Bay in the Novaya Zemlya archipeligo in the Arctic ocean.
  The evacuated village of Sverny, 55 km from ground zero was totally destroyed. The heat was strong enough to cause third degree burns 100 km away, the shock wave broke windows in Norway and Finland, 900 km away and registered in America and Japan as 5.5 on the Richter scale.
  Estimated at 4000 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb, Andrei Sakharov refused to work on another device and was instrumental in the eventual total ban on atmospheric nuclear testing, with the US and USSR signing the first nuclear test ban in 1963.
  
  Here's a link to a BBC article for more information:
  https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20...
  
  With many thanks to Random House and Netgalley for a copy of the novel to read
• 
  Susan

  This debut novel is set in the Soviet Union in 1961, during the Cold War. Major Alexander Vasin of the KGB is sent to Arzamas-16, a secret city, to investigate a murder. At the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics, they are building a bomb. Their scientists, their greatest minds, are kept in isolation. They have a comfortable life, by the standards that Vasin experiences in Moscow; from well stocked shops to Motown records, the residents are kept in secluded comfort. However, when a young scientist, Fyodor Petrov, apparently commits suicide by Thallium poisoning, Vasin is sent to discover what happened and placate Petrov’s influential father.
  
  This is an interesting thriller, set in a fascinating era and with an unusual setting. Vasin is a man who believes in justice, but who is not in control of either the situation in Arzamas, or, indeed, in his home life. Vasin fears losing his beloved son, as his marriage falls apart, and struggles to carry out his investigation with the local bigwig, Major General Zaitsev, and his sidekick, Efremov, being less than helpful. Still, Vasin is unconvinced that Petrov killed himself and is sure that a murderer lurks among the scientific community.
  
  With this novel, Matthews realises very well the Soviet era of 1961, and the ghosts of the past that refuse to go away. Denunciations, accusations, secrets, observers, eavesdroppers, whispers and the shadow of the gulag, lie heavily over Arzamas and the characters of this book. I hope this will become a series and look forward to reading the next novel, featuring Vasin.
  
  
  
• 
  Cheryl

  Cold War historical mystery set in a secret USSR nuclear weapons research center. Very slow-paced, with mediocre character development. Disappointing.
• 
  Rob Durant

  If you love books like "Gorky Park" by Martin Cruz Smith, then this book is for you. I have read the Arkady Renko novels and this is so reminiscent of one. There is the tension of constantly being watched by your comrades and the Cold War pressure of the Arms Race. Our investigator is Major Alexander Vasin of State Security, Special Cases Branch. Vasin was a former Moscow Police Detective and unlike most of his colleagues, he likes to get to the truth. Some officers in the KGB and Police are only interested in quickly closing cases with the convenient answers. Vasin digs into them for the detailed explanation.
  
  Vasin is sent to Arzamas to investigate the suicide of a prominent Party member's son. Dr. Petrov was working on a new hydrogen bomb that will have a 100 megaton yield. He is suddenly found dead in his apartment from exposure to a radioactive isotope. While this the evidence points to suicide, Vasin is not convinced and has to tread lightly in this highly secretive city. There is delicate balance of things that are tolerated in Arzamas and asking questions during a highly sensitive weapon's test taking place in ten days is not one of them. I won't reveal any more of the plot so as not to spoil the fun. Check it out! It's worth it.
• 
  Toby

  Distinctly average, in my view; the story itself, which is entirely horrifying, could have done without the derivative, one-dimensional cast of characters and the contrived "action" scenes, in particular the utterly unbelievable tussle on the top of the cinema and the final, Bond-esque shootout within the bowels of the laboratory.
• 
  Ric

  This book was slow at times, but I still greatly enjoyed it. The fact that it was based on true events made it that much more interesting. It was a crazy mystery on the surface, but had some great commentary on the Cold War and nuclear weaponry. The characters all seemed pretty one dimensional, but I did like the writing style. 3.5 stars rounded up.
• 
  Anima Miejska

  I loved it, gripping, well-structured plot, and, what I like about books most, peppered with informative details!
• 
  Kate

  I've always been fascinated by the Soviet Union (I visited it a couple of times and both were extraordinary and fantastic experiences) and I was drawn to this. It's based on a true story, which makes the setting and premise all the more horrifying. I found the prose a little clinical and cold (perhaps not surprising considering it's set in Russia's frozen north) and my attention did stray a little in the second half, but overall this is a clever, thought-provoking and very disturbing Cold War thriller. 3.5 stars rounded up. Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights.
• 
  είναι η θεία Κούλα

  Πολύ καλό ήταν αυτό ρε! Δεν το περίμενα. Θέλω κι άλλο τέτοιο, ξέρεις κανένα άλλο τέτοιο;
  Πολεμικός ανταποκριτής με Ρωσίδα μαμά (ορφανό του β πολέμου) και Άγγλο μπαμπά, ο συγγραφέας πήρε μια αληθινή ιστορία κι έκανε φουλ σασπενσφουλ μυθιστόρημα.
  Μπομπα.
  Για μπομπα λέει.
• 
  Pavlina Read more sleep less blog

  Ο Βασιν αποστέλλεται σε μια μυστική πόλη στην Ρωσία που κατασκευάζουν μια ισχυρή βόμβα , να διερευνήσει τον θάνατο ενός νεαρού επιστήμονα από δηλητηρίαση από ακτινοβολία.Τι έγινε πραγματικά? Ποιοι ευθύνονται?
  Δεν θα σας κρύψω τον ενθουσιασμό μου , μόλις παρέλαβα το βιβλίο αυτό , μια ιστορία βασισμένη σε αληθινά γεγονότα και κάτω από το πέπλο της παλιάς αυστηρής Σοβιετικής Ένωσης . Εάν αναζητείται έναν εξαιρετικό συνδυασμό ιστορίας και μυθοπλασίας είστε στο σωστό μέρος . Πράγματι «Ο Μαύρος Ήλιος» είναι ένα ενδιαφέρον πολιτικό θρίλερ με έξυπνη και ανατρεπτική πλοκή . Από τις πρώτες σελίδες είναι καθηλωτικό .
  
  Μέσα από την θαυμάσια μετάφραση ο συγγραφέας μας κάνει ένα με την ιστορία . Οι παραστατικές περιγραφές μας τοποθετούν αβίαστα στον χρόνο και τόπο του ήρωα , ενώ οι συμπεριφορές και δράσεις των ηρώων μας ολοκληρώνουν την εικόνα της εποχής . Σε όλη την ανάγνωση δεν εφησιχαζομαστε καθόλου καθώς η πολυπλοκότητα της ιστορίας είναι γεμάτη μυστικισμό και σασπένς .
• 
  Denise

  In the secret city of Arzamas-16, the Soviet Union's best and brightest nuclear scientists, technicians and engineers are putting the finishing touches on the most deadly weapon ever devised by humankind. Less than two weeks before the most powerful thermonuclear bomb in history is slated to be tested in October 1961, one of those bright young scientists is found dead, having ingested enough thallium to kill thousands. The local authorities hurry to declare the death a suicide and move on with their work, but KGB Major Alexander Vasin is ordered by his superiors in Moscow to take a closer look. Determined to find the truth despite his the locals attempting to obstruct his investigations and the high stakes project he is warned he might be putting at risk, he continues to dig.
  
  Gripping, brutal and very well plotted - an excellent blend of fact and fiction with truly scary implications.
• 
  Rita Costa (Lusitania Geek)

  This books has all the ingredients of a good historical thriller: based on true story, Soviet Russia, KGB, nuclear weapons and it’s very intriguing suspenseful!
  
  Well worth the reading and it was in a good price on Amazon when I bought it, only for 5.00€ ! I truly recommend if you are historical thriller novel, based on true events.
  
  5 ⭐️
• 
  Carrie-Anne O'Driscoll

  This book did an excellent job of narrating the cold war and the fear it instilled within those in Russia. The clandestine decisions that were common in the era are brought to light in a realistic fashion.
  
  
  Very well written and easy to follow. Highly recommended.
  
• 
  Dustin Lovell

  Owen Matthews's Black Sun follows Major Alexander Vasin as he investigates the apparent suicide of a scientist at a secret Soviet nuclear research facility. Throughout his investigation, Vasin questions whether it's possible for men and women to be consistently good in an amoral or immoral society. With well-placed backstory, unexpected friendships and attractions, and the myriad pressures of being a member of a post-Stalinist KGB which nonetheless carries the previous generation's scars, Matthews layers Vasin's conflicts to create an entertaining and compelling historical thriller that does not hide from the contradictions—nor the virtues—inherent in its central characters.
  
  Vasin's internal struggles parallel the concrete need to uncover the circumstances surrounding young Fyodor Petrov's gruesome death-by-radiation-poisoning while evading the official forces trying to place roadblocks in his way. Whether the brute authority of General Zaitsev and his secret police or the contemptuous erudition of Professor Adamov, the forces of the secret facility Arzamas-16 seek to halt Vasin's investigation through the strangling officialdom of Soviet Russia—in which, to their chagrin, Vasin is himself a professional.
  
  Matthews' family relations and his background as a Moscow bureau chief for Newsweek provides an intimate and well-researched setting for Vasin's experience, not only in the meticulous bureaucracy that encourages the maintenance of palatable lies but in the chronic need to keep at least one eye over one's shoulder. Counting day-by-day up to the test of an untried and unprecedented nuclear device, the story's structure leads up to a climax that is worth the steadily building conflicts of the preceding chapters. Whether for the thrill of Vasin's investigation, the historically immersive setting, or the ironic dark humor that provides the only medium for such a subject matter, Matthews' work is an excellent read.
• 
  Regan

  The blurb for Matthews Black Sun totally drew me in. It sounded like it would be an action packed thriller.
  
  I was definitely enticed by the blurb I read for Owen Matthews’ Black Sun. It sounded like it was going to be a white knuckle page turner of a thriller. While there were some intense moment, especially at the end, for the most part the story rolled along without much drama. There was a considerable amount of technical information and to Matthews’ credit he had the characters explain a lot of what it meant. I found the information on uranium and its various make up fascinating. The tone of the story, Matthews’ story telling voice, lends itself strongly to the overall idea of what I thought Russia, the USSR, was like growing up—cold, dark, dreary—and that was the people.
• 
  Keith Currie

  World’s End
  
  It is the USSR in the early 1960s and the terror of Stalin is apparently over. Alexander Vasin, a KGB officer, is sent to the closed city of Arzamas-16 to investigate the sudden death by radiation poisoning of a young scientist who also happens to be the son of a very important man. The city appears on no map, is inhabited entirely by scientists and is the site for the development of the Soviet Union’s most powerful bomb against the capitalist west. Vasin quickly discovers evidence of coverup and determines to get to the truth of the death, along the way making enemies of the local KGB, and many of the scientists, living a life of privilege in their closed city. To make matters worse, Vasin has his own personal problems and his wife has it in her gif to make them much worse.
  
  This is a first-class political thriller, with strong characterisation and a deft and twisting plot which convinces throughout. I found myself comparing Joseph Kanon’s excellent novel, Los Alamos, which has a similar setting and theme, only on the American side. It is a measure of how much I enjoyed the book that I considered it almost as good as Kanon’s. I would certainly read the next in the series involving the idealistic and persistent Sacha Vasin.
  
• 
  Hans Brienesse

  This was a book that was well written, well researched and a generally great read.The author makes good use of both conventional history and personal experiences as told to him by living relatives. There is an excellent explanation in the end piece of the facts used to construct this book based, as it was, on real events. But the thing I found really grating was the inclusion of American style cursing juxtaposed into the Russian narrative. The author goes to great lengths giving us diminutives of Russian names, some Russian descriptions here and there, then all of a sudden Yankee style cursing which didn't really suit. This is what prevented me from giving the full complement of five stars that the story probably deserved. But the side stories provided a reasonable context to the story providing us with both historical information and an explanation of events. The first of a trilogy I look forward to the next.
• 
  Geoff. Lamb

  Whether you enjoy learning about the USSR race to space and building an bomb to spies, intrigue, mystery and/or exceptional writing, this book is all of that. A superb read.
• 
  Alessandro Speciale

  A very well done thriller, mixing science, crime and an excellent evocation of the Soviet world. A good read
• 
  Goran

  4.5 stars. It was a bit slow at moments, but the ending really makes it worthwhile.
• 
  Jeffo

  Extremely good, very well written and utterly terrifying.
• 
  Lammo

  Coincidentally the real life events that provide the backdrop to this novel - the Soviet testing of the largest ever hydrogen bomb in 1961 (the Tsar Bomba) - are just approaching their 60th anniversary in October 21 so it was probably a good time to read this. I’m not usually a fan of Cold War type novels but this story was both entertaining and educational in equal measures and rendered more fascinating because it was based on real events. The only down side for me was the continued soul searching of Vasin, the KGB agent dispatched to the closed city to “dig deeper” but that said, he was a convincing and believable character
• 
  Brigitta

  Black Sun is a wonderful novel full of fact and fiction. A perfect balance I might add.
  This book has definitely open up my horizons as to what I'll consider to read in the future. I absolutely loved learning and doing research along the way.
  These are one of the books that actually made me feel smarter after reading it.
  And no, it is not boring. The fiction grips you tightly with suspense.
  This is way underrated !