Reddit reviews The Legacy of Chernobyl

Of course I don't mind! I hope it grabs you in the same way it has me. ^.^ First, let me preface by saying, at great risk to my perceived integrity, that the wiki articles for both are fantastically fleshed-out synopses. They're great primers, so to speak. For more in-depth analysis, though:

Chernobyl:
https://www.amazon.com/Chernobyl-Record-Definitive-History-Catastrophe/dp/075030670X - This is the starting point and ending point. It's intimidating as hell, so save it for last, but I'm obligated to list it first because it is the source on this accident.
https://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Chernobyl-Zhores-Medvedev/dp/039302802X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475163468&sr=1-1&keywords=legacy+of+chernobyl - This is a way more personal and far less "accurate" one, strictly speaking. It's written by a dissident ex-Soviet biologist who first brought Kyshtym to public attention in the West. It's spirited, brooding, personal, and reflects on the social and political factors which led to the accident. However, Medvedev was not privy to nearly the sort of documentary support that would become available in the following decade (it was written a mere six years after the explosion).

http://www.iaea.org/inis/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/14/724/14724059.pdf - Los Alamos tries to wrap its head around the accident. It's dated, but it discusses the central role of Medvedev in getting information into the public/scientific discourse, the parallels between Handford and Kyshtym, etc.

Mayak: This is a problem, because there's not much published about it yet. My fiancee recently bought me a copy of Kate Brown's Plutopia (https://global.oup.com/academic/product/plutopia-9780199855766?cc=us&lang=en&), and it looks promising. Other than that, it's mostly speculation. Ozersk is still a closed city, Mayak is still operational, and Russia is correspondingly tight-lipped about it.

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a254669.pdf - Brief, but relevant as it's a primary source, under the auspices of the Defense Nuclear Agency. Again, whispers and supposition with some hints of factual support.