Stallion Gate

In a New Mexico blizzard, four men cross a barbed-wire fence at Stallion Gate to select a test site for the first atomic weapon. They are Oppenheimer, the physicist; Groves, the general; Fuchs, the spy. The fourth man is Sergeant Joe Pena, a hero, informer, fighter, musician, Indian. These four men -- and a cast of soldiers, roughnecks and scientists -- will change history forever.

From Publishers WeeklySmith seamlessly blends fact and fiction in this towering novel, a successor to his remarkable Gorky Park. The story begins at Los Alamos in 1945, where hordes of people arrive and set up a community almost overnight. Sgt. Joe Pena, an Indian in the U.S. Army, is ordered by his superior, Capt. Augustino, to find or fabricate proof that Robert Oppenheimer is spying for "the commies." The charge is silly, Pena knows, but he fails to convince Augustino, who also ignores the sergeant's evidence against two actual traitors at the site: Harry Gold and Klaus Fuchs. Pena's troubles multiply with his involvement with local Native Americans, disturbed by the mysterious activities on their land. As the days pass and work on the atom bomb progresses, the clash between Pena and the insanely bigoted captain becomes unavoidable. It occurs at the peak of suspense and leaves a lasting impact on the reader. This is a monumental thriller in which the tormented Oppenheimer, Edward Teller, General Leslie Groves and other historic figures live again. Equally memorable is Joe Pena, a genuine hero. 125,000 first printing; major ad/promo; BOMC alternate. Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library JournalSwitching from mystery/intrigue to straightforward character novel, author Smith ( Gorky Park ) roughly outlines the development, under J. Robert Op penheimer, of the first nuclear weapon at Los Alamos, New Mexico. The im pending test blastwith its foregone historical conclusionserves as little more, however, than anchor and chro nological end frame to an otherwise aimless plot exhibiting muted prose, wistful philosophy, and nonexistent suspense. In central focus, yet not fully realized as character, stands Sergeant Joe Pena, an independent Pueblo Indi an and self-contained veteran of mili tary action (mostly as boxer and pia nist) in the Philippines who drives for "Oppy. " Joe's episodic antics (he likes to flout authority) juxtapose natural (i.e., Indian, the desert) and unnatural (i.e., U.S. Army, the bomb). Evocative at times, but largely unsympathetic and ultimately inadequate. BOMC alter nate. Rex E. Klett, Anson Cty. Lib., Wadesboro, N.C.Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.