The Lucky strike
Book • 2009
"The Lucky Strike" is Kim Stanley Robinson’s influential short story that reimagines the Hiroshima bombing scenario when a replacement bombardier, Captain Frank January, intentionally alters the mission to avoid targeting a city.
The narrative closely follows January’s moral struggle, the immediate consequences for his crew and himself, and reflections on warfare and individual responsibility.
Robinson uses detailed procedural and emotional description to heighten tension as January wrestles with duty, guilt, and ethics under pressure.
The story prompts readers to consider how single decisions can reverberate through history while engaging with the ambiguity of outcomes and moral cost.
The narrative closely follows January’s moral struggle, the immediate consequences for his crew and himself, and reflections on warfare and individual responsibility.
Robinson uses detailed procedural and emotional description to heighten tension as January wrestles with duty, guilt, and ethics under pressure.
The story prompts readers to consider how single decisions can reverberate through history while engaging with the ambiguity of outcomes and moral cost.
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Anthony Ha
613. The Best of Kim Stanley Robinson Part 1 Review (with Anthony Ha)
