Robinson, Kim Stanley. "The Lucky Strike"
Divergence: 1945 CE
What if: The "Enola Gay" crashed on a practice flight.
Summary: The "Lucky Strike" is selected to bomb Hiroshima, but its bombardier is horrified by the power of the atomic bomb.
Comments: Analyzed in Mark McNally's "Exceptionalism, the Atomic Bomb, and U.S.-Japanese Relations".
Published: In Universe 14 (ed. Terry Carr), Doubleday 1984 and Tor 1986 (0812532716, 0812532724);
The Best Science Fiction of the Year #14
(ed. Terry Carr), Gollancz 1985 (0575037148, 0575037474),
v.t. Terry Carr's Best Science Fiction of the Year,
Tor 1985 (0812532732, 0812532740);
Nebula Awards 20: SFWA'S Choice for the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year 1984
(ed. George Zebrowski), HBJ 1985 (0151649278, 0156654776);
The Year's Best Science Fiction, Second Annual Collection
(ed. Gardner Dozois), Bluejay 1985 (0312944853, 0312944845);
Alternative Histories: Eleven Stories of the World as It Might Have Been
(eds. Charles G. Waugh and Martin H. Greenberg), q.v.;
The Planet on the Table,
Tor 1986 (0312935951), 1987 (0812552377, 0812552385), Orbit 1987 (0708882323);
There Won't Be War
(eds. Harry Harrison and Bruce McAllister), Tor 1991 (0712519418);
The Norton Book of Science Fiction: North American Science Fiction, 1960-1990
(eds. Ursula K. LeGuin and Brian Attebery), Norton 1993 (0393034568);
Remaking History and Other Stories, Tor/Orb 1994 (0312890125BUY);
The Way It Wasn't: Great Science Fiction Stories of Alternate History
(ed. Martin H. Greenberg), q.v.;
The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century
(eds. Harry Turtledove and Martin H. Greenberg), q.v.;
History Revisited: The Great Battles: Eminent Historians Take On the Great Works of Alternative History
(eds. J. David Markham and Mike Resnick), q.v.;
The Lucky Strike, plus…, PM Press 2009 (9781604860856);
and
The Mammoth Book of Alternate Histories
(eds. Ian Watson and Ian Whates), q.v.
Original in: English.
Translation: French by Michel Demuth as
"[[title unknown]]", in
La planete sur la table, J'ai lu 1988.
Translation: German by Michael Nagula as
"Der Flug de Lucky Strike", in
Geschoepfe der Sonne, Bastei-Lübbe 1988 (3404241045);
and
Schöne verkehrte Welt: Phantastische
Geschichten zur Geschichte
(ed. René Oth), q.v.
Translation: German by Michael Windgassen as
"Lucky Strike", in
Hiroshima soll leben! Die schönsten Alternativwelt-Geschichten
(ed. Karl Michael Armer), q.v.
Translation: Italian by Luisella Artabano as
"Il Lucky Strike", in
I mondi del possibile (ed. Piergiorgio Nicolazzini), q.v.
Translation: Japanese as
"[[title unknown]]", in
Hayakawa S-F #9.
Translation: Portuguese by Paula Reis as
"The Lucky Strike", in
Planeta sobre a Mesa, Caminho 1988.
Awards: Nominee: 1984 Nebula for best novelette.
Nominee: 1985 Hugo for best novelette.
Robinson, Kim Stanley. "A Sensitive Dependence on Initial Conditions"
Comments: An essay on quantum physics and alternate history, with various possible outcomes of the bombing of Hiroshima described.
Published: In Interzone #49 (July 1991);
Author's Choice Monthly #20, Pulphouse 1991;
Remaking History, Tor 1991 (031285126X);
Remaking History and Other Stories, Tor/Orb 1994 (0312890125BUY);
and
The Lucky Strike, plus…, PM Press 2009 (9781604860856).
