Daikon
By Samuel Hawley
Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster
The old saying goes that history is written by the victors. This history then, tells of the people who lost. Specifically, it’s about a Japanese air force grunt who comes across some kind of unexploded bomb left over from an air raid by the Americans, and the physicist who’s forced to figure out exactly what the thing is. As they attempt to maintain secrecy, the powers that be have other ideas. It’s not giving away too much to say that part of how they keep the secret is to name it after a daikon radish. I’d put this in my top 10, especially the philosophical arguments these two have, as well as the continued downward spiral of the colonels and generals who feel that though they’re losing the war, they must never surrender.