D: Heavy Water [PRE-ORDER 10/13]

NOT YET AVAILABLE. Pre-order now. This title is scheduled to arrive October 13, 2026.

Note: release dates and prices are tentative and subject to change at the publisher's whim.

When pre-ordering with multiple items, remember your order will not ship until the last pre-ordered item is in stock. If you want items to ship separately, place separate orders.

A Gripping Historical Espionage Thriller Set on the Eve of World War II

From Neal Stephenson, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Polostan and Cryptonomicon, comes the second installment in his monumental Bomb Light series—a gripping tale set on the eve of World War II, as nations race to find and control an elusive substance critical to building atomic weapons.

Europe, 1934. British journalist Owen Crisp-Upjohn is dispatched to Moscow, where his assignments quickly escalate from cultural reporting to international espionage. Before long, Owen finds himself pulled into the orbit of the enigmatic Earl of Suffolk, a maverick aristocrat, and Aurora, a curiously compelling woman with a shadowy past rooted in Soviet intelligence.

Their mission soon becomes clear: secure the earth’s only supply of deuterium—"heavy water"—before it falls into Nazi hands. The high-stakes pursuit takes them from London’s plush drawing rooms to Barcelona, ravaged by the Spanish Civil War; from far-flung Soviet aerodromes to the perilous, icy landscapes of occupied Norway. Over time, Owen evolves from a detached observer into a man forced to confront profound questions of honor, love, and moral responsibility as loyalties are tested and allegiances shift in an ever-tightening web of science, intrigue, and deceit.

Rich with historical insight, emotionally complex characters, and a relentless sense of urgency with a world on the edge of cataclysm, D: Heavy Water is a suspenseful and wildly entertaining tale of courage and consequence in which humankind’s future is shaped by decisions made in the shadows.

Author: Neal Stephenson
Series: Bomb Light Volume 2
Publisher: William Morrow 
Pages: 448pp
Size: 6 x 9 x 1.25
Notes: hardcover
Release Date: October 13, 2026
ISBN: 978-0062839732