Balding, barrel chested, with a dazzling smile and a confident baritone voice that rose steeply in pitch when he became excited, Fomin had all the overbearing Soviet charisma Brukhanov lacked. An electrical engineer, his appointment had been pushed through by the Party in Moscow over the objections of the Ministry of Energy. He had no previous experience in atomic power but was ideologically beyond reproach – and did his best to learn nuclear physics through a correspondence course. (Chapter One)

Importance: This quote sets the stage for what will happen later, while also giving the reader a concrete example that demonstrates the overall atmosphere at Chernobyl, where technical expertise was not as valuable as being able to make it look like you were getting things done.

Although the specialists who labored under Dyatlov at the Chernobyl plant may have disliked the way he treated them, many admired him, and few doubted his expertise. Eager... (Chapter Five)