Trinity's Child
| Author | William Prochnau |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Putnam Pub Group |
|
Publication date
|
October 1983 |
| Pages | 400 pages (Hardcover) |
| ISBN |
Trinity's Child is a 1983 novel by William Prochnau. The book depicts a nuclear war waged between the United States of America and the Soviet Union. During the waning years of the Cold War, the United States has engaged in a massive military buildup, hoping to press the economy of the Soviet Union to breaking point and so force them into political compromise.
In the book's scenario, hardline elements pressure the Soviet Premier into launching an attack on the US before it has the chance to squeeze the Soviets any more.
The attack goes forward, and all the consequences of the doomsday scenario are laid bare, with conflicting claimants to the US Presidency as the line of succession breaks apart, devastation on the ground, and military staff having to choose between a treason which might save what's left of their country, and a duty which might lead to the extinction of the human race itself.
The novel covers fifteen hours in which critical decisions are made.
The Soviet Union launches a limited nuclear counter-force strike against the United States, hoping to destroy their military capability while leaving the civilian population relatively intact.
The US President, who has fallen asleep in front of the TV one night in the living quarters of the White House, gets an emergency call from the head of SAC in the bunker at Omaha Air Force Base. General Renning (codename Icarus) informs the President that a Soviet first strike is underway. Knowing there had been false alarms, the President, at first, thinks that it a computer error.
Frustrated, Renning eventually convinces him that it is real.
The President receives a HOTLINE message by teleprinter by the Premier, as the missiles are but minutes away, in which he offers the United States three choices:
Icarus believes the HOTLINE message to be a ruse and that the Soviet leadership will retaliate massively anyway, thereby crushing the United States. As the order is passed on, the first wave of Soviet ICBMs and SLBMs arrive, crippling most of America's missile silos and bomber bases.
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