Science & Suspense: Geoffrey Simmons Talks Oppenheimer’s Demon
Watch Episode
Have you ever read a book in which both the origin and end of man hang in the balance? That’s a rare combination that comes together in a new disaster thriller novel now available from Discovery Institute Press. On this ID The Future, DI Press executive editor and CSC senior fellow Jonathan Witt takes a turn at the hosting mic as he welcomes medical doctor, disaster preparedness expert, and novelist Geoffrey Simmons to discuss his latest book Oppenheimer’s Demon.
Simmons discusses his extensive real-world expertise as a FEMA regional advisory council member, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) trainer, and disaster medicine board member. He explains how he harnesses this unique expertise to build a realistic foundation for the novel. Simmons and Witt also unpack the novel’s plot and characters. Set primarily in Chicago, the thriller follows a district attorney racing against a countdown to stop a nuclear terrorist from utilizing the historic “demon core” from the Manhattan Project to wreak havoc on a major American city.
One of the novel’s key characters is a brilliant neurosurgeon who faces intense professional backlash from her Darwinist dean because of her support for intelligent design arguments. Simmons explains that this conflict was inspired by the real-world academic freedom challenges and career threats experienced by proponents of intelligent design.
This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.
Dig Deeper
- Put Oppenheimer’s Demon on your reading list! Get your copy today.
- Geoff Simmons reads from his new novel Oppenheimer’s Demon in this recent episode: