

Loading... Alas, Babylon (1959)by Pat Frank
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A ridiculous, though well written, middle-class fantasy about surviving nuclear war. It descends into camp somewhere into the last third, when an increasing number of deus ex machinas occur to save the main characters. ( ![]() Oft recommended to me, i finally gave in - just because it was a convenient, between books time for me. Worth it. Nuclear war pops up in about 1960. Set in Florida, we run the gamut of food, gasoline and medicine shortages to reflections on the meaning of life and predictable rise of violence/gangs. Seemed familiar territory from The Road, and perhaps media portrayals? Still, worth it- well told, great page turning quotient and the classic "quick read". Having said those positive things, it is a bit pat and by the numbers account.... nothing surprising - at all- happens. That's a feat. "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank is a book that must be read while taking into the time period in which the book was written. I had to forget that with that many nukes flying about, the earth's atmosphere would be destroyed. I want him to get his story across, which is "what was the point?". It has been and returns to us now as a poignant tale in 2017. Re-read 20/05 Alas, Babylon was well written and well narrated by Will Patton. There's quite a bit of tension in the beginning and the writing skillfully shows the beautiful horror of the unknown. It clenches at your chest at times. On the other hand, knowing what I do of events at that time I couldn't fully immerse myself in the fear and worry. Everything was a bit silly when it had no right being that way. So it caught me off guard when history diverged from narrative. I had to take a moment and look at the book more closely to see the publication date and say, "ahha!" Action from that point on had a different vibe and not an altogether kind one. Elements I'd considered included for historical accuracy turned out to just be plain old racism, and in the face of what was happening it all seemed the more absurd. Characterization fell apart and the story spiraled for me. I lost interest toward the end.
Doom-minded and Cassandra-speaking, this author, who touched off the play in Mr. Adam in comic vein, and continued his warnings in Forbidden Area (1956) here looks at an all-out bombing that freezes and contaminates most of the United States. What happens to Fort Repose in central Florida- which escapes the worst -- becomes an account of survival when, slowly learning that all props are out from under, some few citizens work out a make-do, or die, program. Heading up a colony that manages to exist is Randolph Bragg, whose Air Force brother gives him the word and the little chance to prepare for the disaster of Russian attack, and, with his brother's wife and children, some neighbors -- white and black -- he finds out many ways to circumvent encroaching death. Death through lack of medicine, electricity, communications, through the threats of epidemic, mob attack, highway marauding, decline of authority and the sudden regression that results from the loss of ""civilization"". Bragg's efforts -- and those of his group -- pull them through when yesterday's history becomes archaic and changed rules must govern changed conditions. When hope comes -- of rescue and victory -- does it matter -- to those who have survived? Contemporary Robinson-Crusoeing. Belongs to Publisher SeriesIs contained inHas as a student's study guideHas as a teacher's guide
When a nuclear holocaust ravages the United States, a thousand years of civilization are stripped away overnight, and tens of millions of people are killed instantly. But for one small town in Florida, miraculously spared, the struggle is just beginning. No library descriptions found. |
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![]() GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54 — Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:![]()
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