After reading The Devil in the White City, I thought that I would read another book by Erik Larson that sounded like it had similar qualities. Thunderstruck is the two stories of Marconi and his quest to deliver wireless communication with a murder mystery that ultimately is foiled in part because of Marconi’s invention.
While the history is interesting, in particular on the Marconi side, it doesn’t quite mesh as well as Devil in the White City. In comparison, this book almost seems forced. That said, I did learn some interesting history.
It is particularly fascinating to really think about concepts like wireless communication from the perspective of it never previously existing. We take it for granted now, but like electricity, few of us really understand how it works. When we pause to think about it, it is still quite magical. For me, this is where the book really shines.