Thunderstruck

This book took me some time to generate interest in at first due to the historical nature of its text, but once I set myself on the task, I grew compelled more than ever and finished the majority of the book in a fraction of the time that it took to read the first few chapters. I had never thought seriously about where radio, television, and wireless communications originated and am surprised that the history is so colorful. Marconi unleashed the power of Hertzian waves by applying them in a fashion practical for communication via morse code. He had no knowledge of the waves with regards to their characteristics of travel and wavelengths, but he was able to continue making advances in the distances that he could send his signals. He experimented with each component of his system, from the ether to the mechanics of the transmitter and most prominently to his antannae. He believed that the larger and more powerful his stations, the further the waves could travel. It was a logical conclusion based on his results. However, his critical mistake that took him nearly three decades to discover was that his use of long wavelengths was not necessary and that short waves travelled much further with less power. I think now about short wave radios like the one that my Dad had set up for awhile in the backyard and I remember my own fascination with the ability to speak with someone on the other side of the world through such a seemingly simple device. Now that I know its origins, I am fascinated by the logic that conspired to its existence. Marconi was so enthusiastic and dedicated to his work that he was able to surpass the scientists and physicists at the time without the knowledge of what was going on with his system. Instead of spending time formulating a theory and answering questions, he pushed on with experiment after experiment until he accomplished what he set out to do. This feat is a testament to the abilities of a person to accomplish something incredible, something innovative and inventive, without being formally schooled in that area. Simply by playing with the nature of things and using a fresh perspective it is possible to creative a new technology such as this wireless communication system. Of course, it is worth noting that Marconi himself did not invest the wireless transmitting capability. That was Oliver Lodge, and for the rest of his life that man fought to be recognized as the founder. In addition, there were other key players at the time, including Fleming who was also not recognized despite his planning for the station that first transmitted signals across the Atlantic Ocean from Pordhu to Canada. Marconi was a man set on acquiring the title as the man who created this application, and he succeeded. In his time, wireless telegrams were even referred to as Marconigrams. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics, much to the dismay of Lodge and myriad other competitors, just seven years after the Nobel Prize came into existence. There are other wonders held in the book, including the details of the interesting life of Dr. Crippen who would become one of the most famous murderers of his time. Having this drama depicted on a timeline parallel to Marconi's allowed for a better illustration of the world at this time. The scenes of London, the talk of war with Germany as inevitable, and the other inventions being released within the same timeframe. Some of the most entertaining facts were trivial, such as the origins of the word "taxi" which is simply a shortened version of the word for the device developed by a German to automatically calculate of a customer's fare in a cab; the "taximeter." Additionally, I revelled in the foresight that Nicola Tesla posessed in his reference to "television" in 1900 as a capability now that wireless had become so established. Tesla made statements alluding to his own ability to bring this to the world, but was unable to accomplish this feat. Overall, the book was a testament to the wonders of history. It especially gives insight into the mindset required to invent a new technology that a century later may be used as a common way to control the human environment. I am inspired by what Marconi was able to achieve, and I feel that knowing of his works will serve as subconscious motivation to achieve what is said to be impossible. It's a matter of a passionate pursuit for technological advancement.

THUNDERSTRUCK is a highly entertaining and educational "novel." I call it a novel, because it generally flows with the speed and fluidity of one. You don't feel lectured to...it's like reading a filmed documentary. Erik Larson has pretty much mastered his particular style. If this had been the first Larson book I had read, I would be quite effusive in my praise. But it pales a little only in comparison to ISAAC'S STORM and THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY. STORM is simple a smashing, vivid and sad account of the events of the great Galveston hurricane. WHITE CITY is one of the great books of its kind...the perfect blending of man's achievements at their loftiest (the Chicago World's Fair) and their lowest (the serial killer H.H. Holmes). Their stories blended together beautifully, and all in all it was the kind of book that made me wonder...why isn't this taught everywhere...it's the coolest story! Just amazing stuff. Made me go out and find out all I could about these two stories. THUNDERSTRUCK again blends two stories, one of man's inventiveness (the development of wireless transmission, particularly by Marconi) and man's brutality, in the person of Crippen, and infamous wife-killer. It is well-written, carefully researched, fast-paced and full of interesting information. I learned a lot, and I was greatly entertained. But the fact of the matter is that the story of Marconi isn't quite as amazing or varied as the story of the World's Fair. He overcomes a lot of obstacles, but the obstacles seem awfully similar year after year. It's accurate...but it's not the most riveting drama. And the crime of Crippen, though very well-known, can't compare in breadth and daring to what Holmes pulled off in the US. And then the melding of the two stories (wireless being used to track Crippen's escape) is interesting, but it doesn't feel as compelling of a natural juxtaposition as the idea of Holmes visiting the World's Fair with his victims. I highly recommend the book, even if I sound reserved. Again, I'm only comparing what Larson has given us before. His skills as writer and researcher are undiminished...it's the basic story that isn't quite as thrilling. If you've not read his work before...start with one of the others. If you have, by all means don't stop. It's darn good stuff. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

Larson possesses a rare ability to give historical non-fiction sustained tension and drama while clinging closely to the treacherous face of factual accuracy. As his 48 pages of notes and references will attest, his attention to detail is obsessive. He clearly relishes the research that goes into a project of this scale. He emphasizes that every time a statement appears enclosed in quotation marks, it is taken from a written account. Thunderstruck is the parallel stories of two men: Guglielmo (pronounced "goo-yee-ail-mo") Marconi, one of the primary inventors of what we now call radio, and Dr. Hawley Harry Crippen, a soft-spoken quack and the second most notorious murderer in modern British history. For most of the book, the narrative alternates between these two separate plots, with the action often taking place on different continents. The sense of inevitability builds until the stories cross near the end. This is a rich, full, well-developed piece of work that reads like a novel. The title is a reference to the deafening crackle and roar produced by the earliest versions of the transmitting equipment (some of which were huge towers more than a hundred feet high), as each dot and dash created a visible electrical arc. One of the aspects that I personally found morbidly amusing was the way even in 1910 a real-time media frenzy builds around a sensational case that captures the public's interest -- including dangerous and unethical behavior by reporters of the day. Some may think of tabloid journalism as a contemporary phenomenon, but it was alive and well more than a century ago. Also intriguing were the snarky exchanges and vicious personal attacks involving the scientists and engineers who were racing towards the goal of achieving practical wireless communication. These arguments were carried out through open letters that the general public read in newspapers and magazines, but aside from the quaint language and the multi-day response time, they are pretty much just like the comment wars that spontaneously erupt around an Internet news article today. Likewise, the business dealings were every bit as much of a shark-infested pool as they are in 2013 -- churning with feuds, back-stabbing, betrayal, secret alliances, international spies and a bloody scramble for that all-important treasure: the Government Contract. More than anything, I am deeply impressed with Larson's talent for holding the reader's interest with an exciting, engaging, character-driven story. That is a tricky feat to pull off when constrained by the need to adhere to the truth, and once again he does it. I enthusiastically recommend Thunderstruck to anyone who enjoys reading true history -- and even if you usually prefer historical fiction, give this one a chance. It's as entertaining as anything anyone ever made up.

"Thunderstruck" is a daring title for a book. This one didn't live up to it. I've had a livelier time from random shocks of static electricity at home in dry weather. Maybe you have to know, and care, a good deal about the science of electricity and wireless communications, for this book to spark your interest. I don't, and it didn't. I paid a good price for the Kindle book, which I already regretted. As I'm writing this review, it's on sale at a deep discount, which sharpens the regret. Ouch. Erik Larson is a skilled researcher and writer. I've enjoyed his other books, most recently the excellent Dead Wake. Sadly, this book was just a slog. The two main characters - Marconi and Crippen - were never revealed in a way that enlivened them to me as sympathetic or even interesting human beings. Marconi was a spoiled, self-centered, obsessive with a marked deficit of empathy for other human beings. Crippen was a drifting grifter, chasing riches in the medical world including "patent medicines." Reader, I finished it. But only - from a third of the way into the book - by skipping the details of Marconi's countless failed experiments and demonstrations, and the fits and feuds and bruised egos of a handful of British scientists. And details of Crippen's wanderings. It's marvelous that Marconi made it possible for ships at sea to make contact with the rest of the world. It's true - if a historical footnote - that Crippen was the first fugitive from justice who was captured essentially by use of ship to shore wireless communications. Inspector Dew's pursuit of Crippen at sea, aided by the canny captain of the ship on which Crippen sailed, and of course complicated by the relentless press looking for banner headlines, was the liveliest part of this book. A tedious tale of two oh-so-tenuously connected men who lived long ago.

This is the third book of Erik Larson that I have read. All of his books, including this one, are highly researched and easy to read. If you can only choose one of his books to read, I would say by far, his book "Devil in the White City" is his best. Thunderstruck, uses the same format as the "Devil in the White City", where he interweaves two stories together. One story is about Marconi, who invented the wireless. The other story is about Dr. Crippen, who murdered his wife. The two stories are connected because Marconi's wireless is used to capture Dr. Crippen as he tried to escape to America. First let me talk about the Marconi part of the book. As stated above, Erik Larson does an amazing job researching this book. He has a "Notes and Sources" section at the end of the book, where he shows his sources. For the first half of the book, I was riveted to the Marconi story. Mr. Larson does a great job explaining how Marconi created the wireless, how he tried to improve on the wireless, and how other people also claimed credit for creating the wireless before Marconi. This story at times drags though in the second half of the book. Mr Larson tries to write about all of his research, an at times it felt that what he was saying was not advancing the story. It felt repetitive at times, even though the event happened at three different locations. Just an FYI, Mr. Larson sometimes goes on historical tangents. Usually I found these tangents extremely entertaining and informative. But I can see some readers finding them unnecessary for the story. But please note, I am extremely happy he put them into the book. The other part of the book is about Dr. Crippen. For the first half of the book I found this part of the story somewhat boring. Once Dr. Crippen meets Ethel, the story become really interesting. If you are looking to read about a sick and devious murderer, this is not the book for you. Dr. Crippen and Ethel seem like really nice people, while his wife is not that likeable. One thing the reader needs to take account is this murder actually happen, and it occurred in the early 1900's. No matter how well Mr. Larson investigated this story, he couldn't find all of the answers. He can't go into the mind of Dr. Crippen, he can only state the facts as he know them. Thus some aspects of the murder, Mr. Larson can't explain. He will give different theories, but he can't say for sure how the murder went down. Also, some actions of Dr. Crippen really confused me as a reader. Here is an example of the one that bothers me the most. His wife always was threatening to leave him, and telling him that other men would wan't her in a minute. She even takes steps in terms of leaving him. Why did Dr. Crippen not just leave his wife. instead of murdering her? Mr. Larson as an historical writer can't answer that question, but it is a question that really bothers me. The reason I gave this book 4 stars is that the story about Dr. Crippen is boring for the 1st half of the book. And sometimes the author goes overboard about Marconi. A good editor should have seen this problem and fixed it. Thus I recommend this book, with those small caveats.

One man’s invention seals another man’s fate in this true story. The beginning of the 20th century was a time for unparalleled innovation. Guglielmo Marconi experimented with electromagnetic waves believing that he could communicate through them over long distances. The man did not have the credentials or education of a scientist, but he was obsessed with proving his idea. In the process, Marconi acquired quite a few rivals. Another man Oliver Lodge had made groundbreaking strides in the same area. Lodge would have probably discovered how radio waves could be used for communication if not for his tendency to get distracted with other interests, one being communicating with the dead. Marconi was raised in Italy, and his Irish mother insisted that he speak perfect English. Therefore, when he moved to London to acquire funding and a sponsor for his ideas, he could quickly move around in society even though he was a foreigner. Marconi negotiated with the British post office, which controlled British telegraphy. He set to work building antennae stations and eventually ran experiments transmitting shore to ship. A homeopathic doctor named Hawley Harvey Crippen was investigating various drug compounds to cure patient illnesses in America. He had married a rather vivacious but dominating younger woman who was convinced she was the next operatic star. Cora and her husband’s temperaments could not be more different. He was self-effacing and quiet, and she was loud and flamboyant. In time she became abusive to Crippen, but she was only to display the abuse in private. Around others, she showed a front of a loving wife. When Crippen had financial problems, Cora still demanded her jewelry, furs, and dresses. Cora made his life miserable. Then he met a woman he was willing to risk everything for. Author Eric Larson provides fascinating details of the life stories of these two different men. Both men were interested in science and had difficulties with their relationships, but the similarities ended there. The life’s work of one of the men brought the other man to justice. True crime fans will be absorbed by the book and those who like to read history, especially of the early 20th century.

I’ve studied history all my life, at first just as one intensely interested, and then later as an academic. In my studies, I’ve always been consumed with the minute details of an era - the daily life - that really make it come alive for me and allow me to walk in the footsteps of those who’ve lived it. Erik Larson’s books allow me to do that in a way I’ve never experienced before. I bought several of his works, just based on reviews and an interest in the period of which he writes; I started off with Devil in the White City, which was quite a bit denser than this one, and took more time for me to digest. But I feel like he’s really hit his stride in this work! I’ve found myself staying up late and getting up early to read it, because it’s so absorbing. Some have said that he’s too descriptive in some elements, and that it gets bogged down because of apparent digression. But I never felt that way at all. I loved his descriptiveness, and it allowed me to enter into the mindset of the different characters. The people and places, their actions and motives, all of these things came alive! I’ve never read books like these before, and am so glad I’ve found them! For any student of history - whether professional, or merely the curious, these books are heavy with the perfume of the past, and I would highly recommend them! I need to edit this to add something that may seem a bit of a spoiler, but I hope not too much: at the end when Larson is describing the reporters waiting for the ships in Canada, and all of the wireless and cable transmissions being sent out, all I could picture in my head was that scene from the movie Airplane! when a bunch of reporters dash into a bank of payphone booths, knocking them over in their enthusiasm. Surely this must be the earliest version of that sort of feeding frenzy! I love this book for bringing images like that to mind!

Erik Larson juxtaposes a murderer and a inventor and makes it work! This writer will never run out of ideas as witnessed by this historical non-fiction, which is an exemplar of this likable genre of writing. I'm a big fan of this kind of book, only because the reader gets a good dose of history while thinking he, or she is reading a novel. Erik Larson is becoming the most salient author of this style, at least as far as I'm concerned. The book starts out slowly as Larson builds up the backgrounds of Gulielmo Marconi, the father of wireless telegraphy and London's famous murderer, Dr. Hawley Crippen, who becomes as notorious as Jack the Ripper! By the way, if you are having trouble pronouncing Marconi's first name, it's Goo-yee-ail-mo, phonetically! Anyway, the reader finds out about Marconi's struggles to obtain dominance in wireless communication while fighting numerous competitors; such as, Oliver Lodge and William Preece of England and the powerful Telefunken Company of Germany. The trials and tribulations of Marconi start out somewhat as a cognitive challenge, but become absorbing later in the book, especially when women enter his life. On the other hand, the life of 5' 4" meek Dr. Crippen was a delight from the start. Here we have a homeopathic doctor who switches medical fields as often he needs to better his position. His second wife Belle, who desires to be a opera diva, spends his money faster than he can make it. She dominates his life, consumes his assets, ridicules him and constantly threatens to leave him. One day she does leave him, or does she? Enter Ethel Le Neve erstwhile his employee, now his future wife. Dr. Crippen can't explain Belle's disappearance well enough for her stage friends. They don't believe that Belle went to America to help a sick relative. Enter Chief Inspector Walter Dew of Scotland Yard to investigate. This is the cusp in the book that the reader gets a sense of how the stories of Marconi and Crippen will congregate. And believe it or not, they do! I enjoyed how Erik Larson told both stories in different years ( basically 1894 to 1910 ), alternating chapters between the doctor and the inventor, then climaxing in the year 1910. This is a well written original idea that only Larson would come up with. Every time I read a Larson book I come away with historical knowledge along with literary gratification. It is noteworthy to mention that Larson states in a note to readers that: " This is a work of nonfiction. Anything appearing between quotation marks comes from a letter, memoir, or other written document." That is a bold and confident statement that makes this reader a big fan.

Brilliant recounting of the famous Dr. Crippen murder and the emergence of Marconi and his invention of wireless that occurred at the same time -with both tales finally intertwining dramatically. Terrific, well researched book, by an author at the top of his game.

Bom

This is a gripping and well researched read.

Es gibt in diesem Buch 2 Handlungsstränge. Erstens Marconi's Erfindung der drahtlosen Signalübertragung und zweitens eine Lebensbeschreibung von Dr. Crippen, seinem Verbrechen und seiner Flucht. Gegen Ende des Buchs wird beides zusammengeführt und beschrieben wie Crippens Ergreifung ohne Marconi's Erfindung wohl kaum gelungen wäre. Wie bei allen bisher von mir gelesenen Büchern des Autors ist auch dieses wirklich exzellent recherchiert und es ist eine Fülle an Details vorhanden. Sehr empfehlenswert!

Excellent. Très documenté. Erik Larson a l'art de nouer deux intrigues apparemment sans lien. Ici, un fait divers célèbre et une découverte qui a changé la communication (ondes) autour du Dr Crippen et de Marconi. Ce n'est pas un roman mais cela se lit comme un roman.