Dr. Strangelove and the Hideous Epoch

You know what many of my favourite films have in common? A fervent desire to see the world avoid a nuclear war. WarGames (which I've commented on repeatedly this year), the original Planet of the Apes ("You maniacs! You blew it up! God damn you -- God damn you all to hell!"), and Dr. Strangelove, or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

Well, the book I'm reading right now deals in great depth with the last of those three films. The book is called Dr. Strangelove and the Hideous Epoch: Deterrence in the Nuclear Age by John Renake, published by a little outfit called Regina Books in California. You can order it here (although a better page about the book is here).

This book -- a large trade paperback, 440 pages, copiously footnoted, extensively indexed -- is a fascinating discussion of the film, the source book (Peter George's Red Alert), and, as the title says, the notion of deterence. Not only am I enjoying every page, it's making me think.

The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site