An action-packed but historically logical retelling of what would have happened had the U.S. invaded Japan instead of Japan surrendering after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. America has dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But Japan has only begun to fight. . . . In 1945, history has reached a turning point. A terrible new weapon has been unleashed. Japan has no choice but to surrender. But instead, the unthinkable occurs. With their nation burned and shattered, Japanese fanatics set in motion a horrifying endgame-their aim- to take America down with them. In Robert Conroy's brilliantly imagined epic tale of World War II, Emperor Hirohito's capitulation is hijacked by extremists and a weary United States is forced to invade Japan as a last step in a war that has already cost so many lives. As the Japanese lash out with tactics that no one has ever faced before-from POWs used as human shields to a rain of kamikaze attacks that take out the highest-value target in the Pacific command-the invasion's success is suddenly in doubt. As America's streets erupt in rioting, history will turn on the acts of a few key players from the fiery front lines to the halls of Washington to the shadowy realm of espionage, while a mortally wounded enemy becomes the greatest danger of all. Praise for Robert Conroy's 1901 "Likely to please both military history and alternative history buffs . . . The writing . . . keeps us turning the pages." -Booklist "Fascinating . . . skillfully crafted." -Oakland Press "Packed with action." -Detroit News