The Postman

I really loved this book. It was a gripping tale of Gordon Krantz, an American survivor of the Doomwar that has left America (and presumably the rest of the world) in a state of near pre-industrialization disarray. After being robbed, Gordon stumbles upon a long-deceased postal service worker and takes over his uniform. Not long after he realizes that the people he encounters are treating him differently - almost with reverence - because of the uniform. They take it as a sign of hope for recovery, and after a while, Gordon stops disabusing them...

This was a wonderfully written book that asks big questions and provides answers that are refreshing and complicated. A great ride.

This book started off really well. It's post apocalyptic, which I love and had a wonderful premise: Gordon, the main character, discovers an old mail truck with the body of a mailman in it. He scavenges, making the warm leather jacket and the rest of the uniform his. As he moves from scattered village to far out community, he discovers that the uniform empowers him and gives him a means to provide hope and courage to the disconnected United States. A huge lie takes root, except that it's not really a lie because he is actually delivering the mail.

And then, Brin descends into thinly disguised pro-government and pro-technology-runs-the-world propaganda and that's where he lost me. I know, it's common. Hollywood glorifies the USA and show more patriotism all the time. He idealizes civilization as it was when he wrote this novel - 1985 - and gives no room for a new order of the world. There's clear black and white lines between civilization and savagery, between the good guys and the bad guys, between right and wrong in a world turned topsy turvy.

All of this would have been ok, probably, if the book had been carefully written and well polished. It wasn't terribly written, but it wasn't great, either. Brin told the story but didn't allow the reader to sink into the world and find complete satisfaction in the story.

Would I recommend it? Sure. It was mildly entertaining. Would I go out of my way to recommend it? No. It was nothing extra special. show less

I'm a sucker for a good post-apocalyptic tale, and The Postman did not disappoint on that score. The United States has been destroyed, and isolated communities in the Pacific Northwest are barely surviving in the aftermath of a war that was less damaging than the plagues that followed on its heels and killed most of the population. When a solitary traveler is mistaken as an agent for a reconstituted U.S. government (due to his having stolen the uniform and mailbag of a dead postman along the way), he figures out a way to use the lie to bring communities together to fight the larger threat of anarchic gangs of "hypersurvivalists" who bear an uncomfortable resemblance to modern-day militia groups.

It's touching to see how eagerly the show more villages want to believe that they are not alone in the world. The postman initially doesn't intend to deceive them, but soon figures out that it's the best way to bring them together against the common enemy. Beyond the basics of the plot, the book also has a powerful message about the real dangers of the post-apocalyptic world. The war itself caused limited damage, the plagues that followed did more, but it was the "hypersurvivalists" with their stockpiles of weapons and food who caused the most damage and prevented the country from rebuilding itself by attacking and disrupting humanitarian relief efforts. As Pogo said so long ago, "We have met the enemy and it is us." show less

Between this and the movie there's a single good book. Unfortunately, separate, they're a halting story strewn with some interesting ideas. The most compelling part of the book; reinventing civilization through a lie, never blossoms to its potential.

In my experience people who pretend to be postmen are usually up to no good, they are more apt to enter your homes under false pretenses and rob you blind than attempt to unite the post apocalyptic Disunited States of America. The protagonist of this book has to be the most heroic postman in fiction. You thought Postman Pat and Cliff Clavin from Cheers are the bees knees? They got nothing on Gordon The Postman, he really knows how to deliver!

This is the second Brin book for me, the previous one I read was [b:Startide Rising|234501|Startide Rising (The Uplift Saga, #2)|David Brin|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1432746993s/234501.jpg|251634] which was fun but just a wee bit disappointing in that it did not resonate with me much (those show more "uplifted" dolphins are just a little too cute for me, even the badass ones). Still, I like Brin's writing and the basic premise of The Postman so I thought I'd give it a go, and it turned out to be one of my more inspired decisions. An optimistic post apocalypse book is a rarity, if this is a sub-sub genre I doubt it will catch on, you don't warn people about the errors of their ways only to have things eventually turning out OK. I think this book is more about idealism than a commentary about where the world is heading today. It is about a lie that grows into a truth rather than “A lie told often enough becomes the truth” which is an entirely different mailbag.

While the story is sentimental in places, and not entirely unpredictable or cliche-free, Mr. Brin pushes the right buttons most of the time (leaving the left buttons entirely untouched). He has me cheering "AMERICA F*CK YEAH!" and I am not even American. I also like it that when the climactic kickassery ensues it is not between the titular Postman and the "boss villain", let the more interesting side character do the heavy lifting for a change. This is an excellent read that touches me at the emotional core. Five stars? I'd award it all the stars in the sky plus those residing in Hollywood!

Note: I don't think I want to see the Costner movie after reading this factoid on IMDb. show less

David Brin’s post-apocalyptic tale takes a slightly different path than Cormac McCarthy’s [The Road]. But beyond the differences in style and tone, the stories echo essentially the same message, one of the spirit of hope found in human sacrifice and honor.

Gordon Krantz is a drifter, scavenging the debris of a self-destructed civilization and dodging blood-thirsty groups of feudalists bent on taking control of the meager remnants of life. On the run from just such a survivalist raiding party, Gordon shelters in a wrecked postal truck, spending the night snuggled next to the skeleton of its original pilot. The next morning, Gordon takes what he can find of use, a leather mail satchel and the driver’s leather coat, each with the show more official emblems of a forgotten authority. When Gordon stops into a village for shelter and food, these emblems inspire the drifter to lie about who he is. Broken and desperate villagers, eager for a symbol of hope and re-birth latch on to Gordon’s lie, treating him with deference and showering him with gifts. As the lie takes root in the hearts of those he meets, Gordon begins to recall what it meant to believe in something larger than himself.

[The Postman] begins with a poetic, if dark, prelude, lyrically describing the end of one world and the beginning of a new life. The chapter that follows introduces Gordon on the run, quoting what looks like a passage from [The Art of War]. With such an introduction, Brin sets an impossible high standard, and while the rest of the book is good, it never lives completely up to the promise. Brin jams a few too many twists and a few too many characters into the story, sometimes falling into preaching instead of storytelling. [The Postman] is at its best when it’s focused on Gordon as he transforms from guilt over his initial lie into a life of hesitant duty and honor. The hesitant heroes always carry the most potential.

For those folks who found McCarthy too dark and couldn’t recognize the hope in his stark book, [The Postman] offers a lighter, more action-oriented take on the same material. The hope is more obvious, within easy reach.

4 bones!!!! show less

Superb. Powerful, compelling, poignent.

Set in post apocalypse america, some 16 years after a limited world war, society has collapsed back into shattered enclaves. Gorden, ex-marine, ex-milita and almost ex-survivor is alone in the wilderness of Oregan. An encounter with local bandits - both more and less organised than himself - goes badly and he flees deeper into the hills, chancing upon an abandonded and unfound jeep for shelter. In the morning he disregards any scruples (which already sets him out as different from many others in this world) and takes the jacket and gear from the long dead postman / driver who no longer requires them. Little does he realise their potential. But as he travels westward isolated and deeply suspicious show more communities - managing to raise themselves out of subsistance level barbarianism - are awed at the symbol he represents in his uniform, and life goes easier for a while. However like a cancer eating away at society, not everyone is willing to pull together and in these barbaric ages, Survivalists, gun nuts, alpha men, and those with short term vision threaten the very tenuous existance that even the most hardy farmer manages to eke out. Gordon's uniformed presence and the concept of 'offical' help damages their ideals and self justifications, forcing a dramatic showdown.

The only slightly discordant note is the dates. This was written in '85 and the story is set in 2011 which makes the great collapse about 95-98 or so. Some of the technology postulated for this 10 year advance from 85 is just highly improbable - but have seemed much more reasonable set 25 or more years later on. The only other gripe is that the book is not long enough! The ending came far too soon - although perfectly paced as a plot - I wanted to carry on reading for days more. The characters are skillfully crafted, deftly handled to pull at emotions. The motivations and complex moral and ethical dilemmas required to stay alive in such a world are subtley introduced, and you feel the characters' pain as difficult choices have to be made. The descriptions are limited but again very well crafted leaving glowing images of a world just starting to recover. This allows the story to flow from location to location over time spans that are clearly indicated within the text at a gripping pace. The social commentry is muted, but clearly marked - humankind has to pull together, everyone, or else all will perish.

Truly a masterpiece of dystopia, hope, spirit, and meaning of being human rather than just alive.

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