ATOM

  • An espionage story about the atomic bomb and the end of World War II.
  • More than 220,000 copies sold of his novels altogether.
  • Risiko was nominated for the German Book Prize.
  • Rights to Damenopfer were sold to Hungary (Scolar) and Italy (Due Stendardi) .
  • English sample translation available.

A tale of a spy, a dangerous technology, and love in the nuclear age.

London at the start of World War II. Simon Batley wants nothing more to do with British intelligence. Years earlier, as a physics student in Berlin, he worked undercover for them, leading to a catastrophe he never understood and the abrupt end of his love for his classmate Hedi von Treyden.
But the war changes everything. Agent Batley uncovers a new German weapon of unprecedented destructive power. Soon, guided by Niels Bohr and Rudolf Hess, he travels to the Third Reich to track down the enigmatic Hans Kammler, the planner of Mittelbau-Dora and one of the most powerful Nazis, who controls the German secret weapon program.
While trying to acquire German uranium before the Soviets and Americans do, Batley also pursues a personal mission: to find Hedi, uncover what happened in Berlin, and atone for his past.

A story of love and betrayal, the trail of a phantom, and a deadly primal energy: Steffen Kopetzky’s thrilling novel about the hunt for nuclear technology and a man caught between guilt, love, and hope.

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  • Publisher: Rowohlt Berlin
  • Release: 11.03.2025
  • ISBN: 978-3-7371-0152-3
  • 416 Pages
  • Author: Steffen Kopetzky

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Buchcover von ATOM
Steffen Kopetzky ATOM
Portrait von Steffen Kopetzky
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Steffen Kopetzky

Steffen Kopetzky , born in 1971, is the author of novels, stories, radio plays and theatre plays. His novel Risiko (2015) was on the Spiegel bestseller list for months and was nominated for the German Book Prize, while Propaganda  (2019) was nominated for the Bavarian Book Prize. From 2002 to 2008, Kopetzky was the artistic director of the Theatre Biennale Bonn. He lives in his hometown Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm with his family.