Review of Two Hours to Doom by Peter Bryant
By: Michael A. Arnold
The world was once on a knife's edge and everyone knew it. For (just about) half of the 20th century the world was dominated by two ideological camps that feared each other so much they were both prepared to attack with weapons powerful enough to possibly end human life for good. In the 1950s there was a report to President Eisenhower that warned a full scale nuclear exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union would destroy the northern hemisphere - not an exaggeration. In the following few decades the bombs only became more powerful.
In 1964, two years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, Stanley Kubrick released the black comedy Dr. Strangelove based on the 1958 novel either titled Two Hours to Doom (as it is called in the UK, where it was first published) or Red Alert by “Peter Bryant”, the pseudonym of Peter George – who was serving in the Royal Air Force when the book was published. Of all Peter George's novels this is the only one to use the name “Peter Bryant”. It might be because the plot of this novel is heavily based on technical knowledge he would have acquired during his military service.
A lot of fans of Kubrick's film probably know about the existence of this book. It would be interesting to know how many have actually read it. A quick check on Amazon.com says it is much easier to get in the US than here in the UK, where it has been long out of print and extremely expensive. The book is also not a comedy, unlike Kubrick's film. This is a thriller, short enough to be read over a lazy afternoon. This is to the novel's benefit, because the story of the book takes place over the course of about an hour (with each chapter heading giving each chapter's location and time, in quite a Dan Brown sort of way) and so it does not overstay its welcome or become too convoluted. It is exactly what it aims to be: a quick and enjoyable read, with enough technical information to give the story some believability.
However, Dr. Strangelove really overshadows this novel as you read it. It is very hard to picture this book in your head and not think of the Dr. Strangelove cast acting the scenes out. At times this can even be slightly awkward. Obviously the story is very close to what is in the Dr. Strangelove film, but there were several additions that Kubrick made, some of which are quite surprising. The most glaring difference between Dr. Strangelove and Two Hours to Doom, aside from the tone (going from a serious novel to a black comedy film), is that the character Dr. Strangelove himself does not exist in the book. There is not even anyone comparable, he was an original character invented for the film.
The Soviet ambassador also is also a slightly sinister figure in the film. He steals food from the War Room table, he tries to take pictures of the strategy board, so jokes could be made that in such a desperate situation, or even after a nuclear war, the Cold War would still carry on. In the novel the two sides are portrayed more or less equally, and are equally sympathetic, which is honestly to its credit.
In keeping with this more serious tone, the base commander Jack Ripper does justify his unauthorized attack on the Soviet Union, explaining logically and through his own experiences that the goal of Communism is to try to subvert western capitalism from the inside. With more time, the more likely they are to succeed, and so an all-out attack is the only genuine form of defense. As chilling as it might seem, when seen from a certain perspective this does make logical sense. This novel is, after all, a thriller. But in the film he is portrayed as a madman, who wants to destroy the Soviet Union because they are tempering with ‘our drinking water, our vital essence', a parody of the extreme paranoia of the time.
The ending of the novel is also very different. Ultimately war is averted and the world is saved. However, there is one odd section where, because an American plane the base can no longer contact (and so cannot recall) might destroy a Russian city, the Russians try to negotiate an agreeable retaliatory strike, and drop a nuclear bomb on Atlanta. If this is realistic is debatable, and is perhaps the biggest suspension of disbelief the reader has to make.
Despite the changes that separate the book from the film, the connection is still there, and at this unavoidable. If you were to read Two Hours to Doom, it is probably because you know Dr. Strangelove well. It would be interesting to see what someone who has not seen the film would think of this book.
However fun this book might be, it must be said that this is quite a mediocre novel on purely literary grounds. The writing is in places quite clunky and awkwardly written. There is a lot of exposition about the crew pilot of the bomber plane being single and having flings with girls ‘back home' for example. Also, the description, when it is given (sometimes it isn't), is just functional, and not especially evocative or particularly memorable. Peter Bryant/Peter George did not exactly have a mind for style or literary flare, and so this is probably not a book that would reward any close reading. The author was much better with dialogue, and seemed aware of it. When characters speak their exchanges are sharp, naturally paced, and better written. Sometimes it feels like the writer wrote scenes just so he could get to the dialogue. Since this is a thriller that is perhaps more forgivable, and it does make this novel feel like it is trying to be nothing more than a quick, enjoyable piece of entertainment. If that was the aim, it does honestly do that well.
It could be genuinely asked: is Two Hours to Doom even worth reading today, if it has been so overshadowed by Dr. Strangelove? My initial reaction was no, considering that the writing is not especially good, and without the film this book is probably not very memorable. On reflection this is probably a little too harsh, Peter George is not a well-known writer, and this novel is very short, easily read in an hour or two. It would be a good holiday novel, something to read by the poolside. It is not a perfect novel, for what it is worth it is quite a fun one. It is also a decent reminder that once the world was more aware of nuclear weapons, that the world is still suspended over a large gorge - and that rope it is walking is still pretty thin.