Johnny and the Bomb
Encyclopedia
Johnny and the Bomb is a 1996 novel
by Terry Pratchett
. It is the third novel to feature Johnny Maxwell
and his friends, and deals with the rules and consequences of time travel
. The first two novels in the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy are Only You Can Save Mankind
(1992) and Johnny and the Dead
(1993).
The action of the novel revolves around an incident during World War II
in which Johnny's inoffensive home town of Blackbury
was hit by a bomb during an air raid
intended for an industrial complex at another nearby town. It is this bomb, and not nuclear weapon
s, to which the title refers.
, during the time of The Blitz
with his friends Walter, aka Wobbler, Bigmac, Kirsty and Yo-less (possibly because Johnny has been obsessing about the destruction of Paradise Street in a German raid). Wobbler gets left behind in 1941, and when they return for him, Johnny tries to prevent the deaths caused in the raid.
Stephen 'Wobbler' Johnson Johnny's best friend and the second main character in the book. He is overweight and heavily into computers, an expert at piracy. He wants to be a nerd, but they would not let him join. It is his considered opinion that Johnny is mental. His real name is Stephen Johnson. In Johnny and the Bomb, Wobbler gets stuck in 1941 and grows up to be a billionaire calling himself Sir John, but, due to the time travel and multiple timelines involved, where and if this happens is questionable. Certainly a Wobbler returns successfully from 1941.
Simon 'Bigmac' Wrigley. An asthmatic skinhead who is deeply embarrassed by his instinctive grasp of mathematics. He lives with his brother in a rundown tower block on the edge of Blackberry. He is not exactly a criminal but has a confused grasp of car ownership. His real name is Simon Wrigley.
Yo-less A West Indian boy so nicknamed by Johnny because he does not say "Yo!" Interested in Star Trek, train spotting, Morris dancing and brass band music. His reaction to those who are surprised a black kid has such "uncool" hobbies varies from amusement to irritation. When faced with genuine racism he has a brittle anger that manifests itself in cold, almost emotionlessly delivered, sarcasm.
Kirsty Unlike the rest of the gang, Kirsty is a highly organised person who knows exactly where she is going in life. She is highly intelligent but has very poor people skills, something she views as a character flaw in everyone else. She is trying to get Johnny's life organised since he is clearly incapable of doing it himself, but has not realised that he does not especially want his life organised. He finds her very easy to talk to since she never listens.
aired a three-part television adaptation of Johnny and the Bomb, starring George MacKay
as Johnny, Zoë Wanamaker
as Mrs Tachyon, Frank Finlay
as Johnny's grandad Tom, and Keith Barron
as Sir Walter.
A smaller change is that in the series, Stephen (Wobbler) is renamed Walter, later Sir Walter.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
. It is the third novel to feature Johnny Maxwell
Johnny Maxwell
Johnny Maxwell is a fictional character in a series of three children's books by Terry Pratchett. He is a young boy living in the typical late-20th-century English town of Blackbury .Johnny has a difficult home life...
and his friends, and deals with the rules and consequences of time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
. The first two novels in the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy are Only You Can Save Mankind
Only You Can Save Mankind
Only You Can Save Mankind is the first novel in the Johnny Maxwell trilogy of children's books and fifth young adult novel by Terry Pratchett, author of the Discworld sequence of books. The following novels in the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy are Johnny and the Dead and Johnny and the Bomb...
(1992) and Johnny and the Dead
Johnny and the Dead
Johnny and the Dead is the second novel by Terry Pratchett to feature the character Johnny Maxwell. The other novels in the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy are Only You Can Save Mankind and Johnny and the Bomb...
(1993).
The action of the novel revolves around an incident during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in which Johnny's inoffensive home town of Blackbury
Blackbury
Blackbury is a fictional English town, created by Terry Pratchett and featured in The Bromeliad and the Johnny Maxwell books.Its exact location is unclear, but it seems to be in South-West England, probably the somewhere in the downlands. A real Blackbury Castle exists in Devon, which might or...
was hit by a bomb during an air raid
Airstrike
An air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
intended for an industrial complex at another nearby town. It is this bomb, and not nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s, to which the title refers.
Plot summary
After Johnny Maxwell, a boy in his early teens, finds Mrs. Tachyon, an old bag lady, by a cinema he discovers that her trolley is in fact a time machine. He goes back to his town, BlackburyBlackbury
Blackbury is a fictional English town, created by Terry Pratchett and featured in The Bromeliad and the Johnny Maxwell books.Its exact location is unclear, but it seems to be in South-West England, probably the somewhere in the downlands. A real Blackbury Castle exists in Devon, which might or...
, during the time of The Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
with his friends Walter, aka Wobbler, Bigmac, Kirsty and Yo-less (possibly because Johnny has been obsessing about the destruction of Paradise Street in a German raid). Wobbler gets left behind in 1941, and when they return for him, Johnny tries to prevent the deaths caused in the raid.
The gang
Johnny Maxwell Johnny is the protagonist.Stephen 'Wobbler' Johnson Johnny's best friend and the second main character in the book. He is overweight and heavily into computers, an expert at piracy. He wants to be a nerd, but they would not let him join. It is his considered opinion that Johnny is mental. His real name is Stephen Johnson. In Johnny and the Bomb, Wobbler gets stuck in 1941 and grows up to be a billionaire calling himself Sir John, but, due to the time travel and multiple timelines involved, where and if this happens is questionable. Certainly a Wobbler returns successfully from 1941.
Simon 'Bigmac' Wrigley. An asthmatic skinhead who is deeply embarrassed by his instinctive grasp of mathematics. He lives with his brother in a rundown tower block on the edge of Blackberry. He is not exactly a criminal but has a confused grasp of car ownership. His real name is Simon Wrigley.
Yo-less A West Indian boy so nicknamed by Johnny because he does not say "Yo!" Interested in Star Trek, train spotting, Morris dancing and brass band music. His reaction to those who are surprised a black kid has such "uncool" hobbies varies from amusement to irritation. When faced with genuine racism he has a brittle anger that manifests itself in cold, almost emotionlessly delivered, sarcasm.
Kirsty Unlike the rest of the gang, Kirsty is a highly organised person who knows exactly where she is going in life. She is highly intelligent but has very poor people skills, something she views as a character flaw in everyone else. She is trying to get Johnny's life organised since he is clearly incapable of doing it himself, but has not realised that he does not especially want his life organised. He finds her very easy to talk to since she never listens.
Television series
In January 2006 the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
aired a three-part television adaptation of Johnny and the Bomb, starring George MacKay
George MacKay (actor)
-Biography:MacKay was born in London, England. At the age of five, he produced, directed and created his very own production of the play Peter and the Wolf with his friends playing the characters...
as Johnny, Zoë Wanamaker
Zoe Wanamaker
Zoë Wanamaker, CBE is an American-British actress. She has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company; in films, including the Harry Potter series; and in a number of television productions, including a long-time role as Susan Harper in the sitcom My Family.-Early life and family:Wanamaker was...
as Mrs Tachyon, Frank Finlay
Frank Finlay
Francis Finlay, CBE is an English stage, film and television actor.-Personal life:Finlay was born in Farnworth, Lancashire, the son of Margaret and Josiah Finlay, a butcher. A devout Catholic, he belongs to the British Catholic Stage Guild. He was educated at St...
as Johnny's grandad Tom, and Keith Barron
Keith Barron
Keith Barron is an English actor and television presenter, well-known from numerous roles on British television from the 1960s to the present day.-Career:...
as Sir Walter.
Differences between book and TV series
In the book, Johnny changes history so that no-one dies in the Paradise Street bombing. However, the TV series has this as the "original" history, which the gang inadvertently changes on their first visit to the past. In the history thus created, Johnny's grandmother was killed, meaning he no longer exists.A smaller change is that in the series, Stephen (Wobbler) is renamed Walter, later Sir Walter.