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mcj_writer96's review against another edition
3.0
Alas Babylon is one of the first stories that poses the question of what society would be like after a war between the US and USSR got hot. Information about what such a society, and the aftermath of what the war would be like, has grown since the publishing of the book and some of this book’s optimistic views about life after the War seems a bit outdated.
Some of the language present is a bit unpleasant. But Frank did consider himself progressive and the main character argues for civil rights.
A neat tale that isn’t very long and has never had any major adaptation (besides a 60’s TV play), so if you want to know the story, you’ll have to read it.
Some of the language present is a bit unpleasant. But Frank did consider himself progressive and the main character argues for civil rights.
A neat tale that isn’t very long and has never had any major adaptation (besides a 60’s TV play), so if you want to know the story, you’ll have to read it.
megadeathvsbooks's review against another edition
2.0
This is one of the first books to deal with nuclear war and its potential aftermath. So I shouldn't be too hard on it. But once the bombs fell, not much happened. Or, events that happened didn't seem to have any impact or effect. For a book where a lot of BIG stuff happened, I left it feeling like nothing had really occurred.
gatun's review against another edition
5.0
I have loved apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction since I was a young teen. I do not know if it is because I am a child of the cold war era or not. Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank is a classic of the genre. It was written in 1959. If you keep that 1959 mindset in mind, it seems like a plausible story of determination and survival. Of course, compared to what we really know about nuclear detonations, the story seems naive and overly optimistic.
You do not read Alas, Babylon for scientific accuracy. You read it because it is a classic of American Literature, a classic in the post-apocalypse genre and because it is a well-written story. Before "The Day", Randall Bragg is a lawyer but not a very ambitious one. He lives in his family home and makes it with the earnings from his small citrus grove. His older brother, Mark, is a Colonel in the Air Force. The story follows how Mark, his family, Randall, and his neighbors meet the challenge of surviving in central Florida.
I had read the book several times over the years since I was a teen. After acquiring the Audible version narrated by Will Patton, I listen to it at least twice a year. It is an excellent story in Mr. Patton's hands. His narration is smooth. He conveys the emotions well and handles the accents well. I am not doing it justice but if you like the post-apocalyptic genre, be sure to check out this classic.
You do not read Alas, Babylon for scientific accuracy. You read it because it is a classic of American Literature, a classic in the post-apocalypse genre and because it is a well-written story. Before "The Day", Randall Bragg is a lawyer but not a very ambitious one. He lives in his family home and makes it with the earnings from his small citrus grove. His older brother, Mark, is a Colonel in the Air Force. The story follows how Mark, his family, Randall, and his neighbors meet the challenge of surviving in central Florida.
I had read the book several times over the years since I was a teen. After acquiring the Audible version narrated by Will Patton, I listen to it at least twice a year. It is an excellent story in Mr. Patton's hands. His narration is smooth. He conveys the emotions well and handles the accents well. I am not doing it justice but if you like the post-apocalyptic genre, be sure to check out this classic.
birdloveranne's review against another edition
5.0
Great to re-read this book, which I had never forgotten. Too bad this library ebook edition is filled with OCR errors.
woody1881's review against another edition
5.0
I read this while also reading the One Second After series. This is an excellent book. Written in 1959 I believe, it has some dated elements, but I had to go out of my way to notice them. Great characters and story. I think it was meant as a cautionary tale, but it also provides some really good survival ideas and scenarios.
truittclark's review against another edition
4.0
It's kind of funny how several other sci-fi books I've read are written almost in the exact same style as a book released over 60 years ago, albeit usually with a little more profanity. Frank imbues his story with plenty of optimism, though much of this requires the main characters being in extremely lucky circumstances. It's a surprisingly hopeful novel. Would have been interesting to see exactly how this was received when it was first released.
landonfx's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
spitzig's review against another edition
3.0
Ok. Only borderline SF. SF, in the sense that nukes are scientific, and mainstream fiction usually doesn't significantly affect history.
The characters were pretty well done, though very traditional male/female roles. It was written and took place in the 50's, though.
It's probably considered post-apocalyptic, but it's the smallest apocalypse I've seen. Things just aren't that bad. Most apocalypses have at least 90% of people die. Nowhere near that here. Maybe they didn't have as many nukes back then.
The characters were pretty well done, though very traditional male/female roles. It was written and took place in the 50's, though.
It's probably considered post-apocalyptic, but it's the smallest apocalypse I've seen. Things just aren't that bad. Most apocalypses have at least 90% of people die. Nowhere near that here. Maybe they didn't have as many nukes back then.