This compelling novel stands firmly as a projection of historical possibility--and just as firmly as a riveting adventure told in moving human terms. It is the tale of an awesome clash of arms and of cultures. After the Nazi collapse and surrender in April of 1945, Japan stood as the last enemy--the final, formidable foe. In July, on the desert beyond Los Alamos, New Mexico, the test of an untried, secret weapon, an atomic device, failed. A sudden electrical storm struck and impaired the bomb, postponing for months any future test--which might even prove this theoretical weapon worthless. Forced to the final campaign of World War II, the U.S. mounted Operations Olympic and Coronet--the invasion of the Japanese homeland. Resistance by the defenders was expected to be fierce, even suicidal. Estimates of casualties ran conservatively into the millions. The Japanese had drawn up detailed defense plans. They had been astutely analytical, visualizing the American intention as if they had the strategy of Olympic and Coronet before them. The world was poised for the bloodiest confrontation in all history. The Burning Mountain is the spectacular portrayal of this momentous assault, blending sweeping detail of the most massive naval and military forces ever assembled with the poignant experiences of the individuals on both sides caught up in the ultimate struggle. Based on actual war plans of both nations, this stunning novel is a brilliant feat in concept, narrative drive, prodigious research, character creation, dramatic interplay and thematic clarity. It is a work of vast significance and haunting power.