book data
740 ratings, 3.79 average rating, 82 reviews
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published
November 3rd 1997
(first published 1985)
by Spectra
binding
Mass Market Paperback, 336 pages
literary awards
1986 Locus Awards Winner (SF), 1986 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
isbn
0553278746
(isbn13: 9780553278743)
description
Gordon Krantz survived the Doomwar only to spend years crossing a post-apocalypse United States looking for something or someone he could believe in ...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 944)
Read in July, 2007
I really enjoyed this. The Postman was nominated for the Hugo and Nebula the same year as Ender's Game, which really isn't a fair competition. Had this book come out in a different year, I think it would've won both.
The Postman tells the story of Gordon, a loner trying to survive in post-Apocalyptic Oregon. The world had fallen apart 16 years ago, from a combination of nuclear war, biological weapons, and domestic t...more
The Postman tells the story of Gordon, a loner trying to survive in post-Apocalyptic Oregon. The world had fallen apart 16 years ago, from a combination of nuclear war, biological weapons, and domestic t...more
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Read in August, 2008
What starts as a ploy to survive takes on a life of its own and propels Gordon into an epic quest to bring hope into a dying and cruel world. The selfishness of the world is all that is left when everything else crumbles but Gordon is able to progress beyond mere survival and sacrifice his own desires for that of the greater good. Will his example be enough to inspire what's left of society to rise up and triumph over the terror the waits just over the horizon?
The author does a fantastic j...more
The author does a fantastic j...more
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recommends it for:
People who routinely stop reading right before the climax resolves
The Postman is a perfect example of a great storyline with a great build-up that is then totally ruined by a deus ex machina resolution. It's as if the author were given a page count limit and then realized that he was about two dozen pages from that limit and said, "Uh-oh, I'd better wrap this up."
This ranks right up there with Stephen King's The Stand for a horrible, abrupt ending that had little to do with the build-up and character development of the first 95 per...more
This ranks right up there with Stephen King's The Stand for a horrible, abrupt ending that had little to do with the build-up and character development of the first 95 per...more
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Don't let the movie version keep you away from this book. Yes, the plot is very similar-- a wanderer in a post-apocalyptic America stumbles across a US Postal Service truck/uniform, and uses the uniform to bluff his way into communities by promissing that he is a representative of a newly formed US Government -- but on the plus side, there's no Costner involved :) This book is actually three novellas with stitched together, each with its own distinctive story arc. All told, an interesting rea...more
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recommends it for:
Rachel
This is what's going to happen to the world if we don't take over and another right wing nazi like Bush is elected president! Ok-- all seriousness aside-this is a doom-gloom-post nuclear world where a man is struggling to survive and in a twist of fate keeps hope alive.
Ok. I've finished reading it. The myth Gordon builds is brilliant. However, I thought the description of the augmented soldiers was a little too Bruce Banner turns into Incredible Hulk. Overall, it was really good.
Ok. I've finished reading it. The myth Gordon builds is brilliant. However, I thought the description of the augmented soldiers was a little too Bruce Banner turns into Incredible Hulk. Overall, it was really good.
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This is a great post-apocalypse book, ignore the Kevin Costner movie... although I thought that was fun... it has very little to do with the book.
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Read in January, 1994
I really enjoyed this, because nothing says warm and cozy like that post apocalypse feeling.
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Read in October, 2008
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
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Read in January, 1998
I read this after I saw the movie (this is a movie that I actually enjoyed despite the film's panning by critics) and I was pleasantly surprised to find a story that was much more detailed and mush further afield of what we got in the film.
The story at it's root is a little less patriotic, and a lot more intense on science fiction. It contains a false artificial intelligence, mutant super soldiers, and the ruins of society picking clean the technology of the most recent age. Of course, there...more
The story at it's root is a little less patriotic, and a lot more intense on science fiction. It contains a false artificial intelligence, mutant super soldiers, and the ruins of society picking clean the technology of the most recent age. Of course, there...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommended to Stephanee by:
my sisterrecommends it for: people who like books about cataclysmic disasters
The idea of this book was better than the actual thing. This is one of only two books I have ever read where I thought the movie was better than the book. The movie really tightened up the plot and made this story move faster than the book. In fact, it's been a while since I saw the movie, but I'm pretty sure they changed a LOT of the storyline when they wrote the screenplay. This was an interesting story, but the writing was too slow-moving for my taste and I really never became attached to...more
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Maybe a guilty pleasure, but I love this book. Don't judge it by the movie, read the book. It's a post-apocalyptic tale that takes place in America. I've heard David Brin speak several times as he lives in Southern California, and he is very much a creative and innovative thinker and futurist.
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I found this to be a remarkable story. It's about a guy who, after surviving a horrendous war that has all but wiped out civilization in the US, travels back and forth across the country searching for something worth continuing to live for. By a twist of fate, he must assume the role of Postal Inspector of the Restored United States, and in this new role he continues to travel the country bringing much needed contact with the outside world to small enclaves of survivors. He actually begins this ...more
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Despite the harsh criticism by some reviewers, I think this is an excellent effort by David Brin. One thing I've always liked about the author is that despite his academic background he seems to be able to create believable characters. I like the world-weariness of Gordon, the leanings towards intellectualism and harsh pragmatism that make up his perspective. I enjoyed the portrayal life in a post-apocalyptic world and the day to day decisions which determine the very chances of surviving to the...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommended to Chessa by:
my husbandrecommends it for: Fans of utopia/dystopia, fans of The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri S. Tepper
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 rec...more
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Read in June, 2008
I never saw the kevin costner movie of the same title, but I assumed it was horrible. Having read this book, I'm even more sure the movie must've sucked. This was too good a book to ever make a decent movie. The author evidently knew sci-fi pretty well. The book is set in a post-apocalyptic Oregon, but occasionally you get hints that the USA developed some of the holy grails of Sci-Fi (intelligent AI, body/mind augmentation) just before the war came. And now its sadly all lost. No one but a...more
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Better book than movie. Brin is always good.
"You have to separate movies from books. As Hollywood has picked up the drama of science fictional situations, it's very seldom brought with it the thoughtfulness. Take (Kevin) Costner's movie, 'The Postman,' which was based on my novel of the same name. People ask why I'm not angry that the directors threw out every neuron of brain from the book. But in fact, Costner kept faith with the one thing that I absolutely required: His movie has a re...more
"You have to separate movies from books. As Hollywood has picked up the drama of science fictional situations, it's very seldom brought with it the thoughtfulness. Take (Kevin) Costner's movie, 'The Postman,' which was based on my novel of the same name. People ask why I'm not angry that the directors threw out every neuron of brain from the book. But in fact, Costner kept faith with the one thing that I absolutely required: His movie has a re...more
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Read in January, 1999
This is going to be one I have to read every few years. A classic of life during nuclear winter. Civil society in America has died in a slow battle with post-war chaos, hypermilita groups, and famine. It's a wonderful tale of a professional liar, a traveling actor who becomes mired in his deceptions and in the process starts a legend that might lead the survivors back to civilization. The first step is the simple act of starting a postal service. There is interesting musing about feminism in thi...more
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Read in February, 2007
recommends it for:
fans of post-apocalyptic America
To Brin's credit: this book moves along quickly, follows a nice formula, and goes roughly where you expect it to go with just enough twists to keep it engaging along the way.
That said, this is also an exemplar of a very average novel about a "post-apocalyptic America". It makes me want to see the film with Costner. Just to compare.
Also: Brin's attempt at being sympathetic to a woman's plight in this post-apocalyptic scenario? Fell way short. Trust me bro, these broads would...more
That said, this is also an exemplar of a very average novel about a "post-apocalyptic America". It makes me want to see the film with Costner. Just to compare.
Also: Brin's attempt at being sympathetic to a woman's plight in this post-apocalyptic scenario? Fell way short. Trust me bro, these broads would...more
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I liked this book, even though it was not wholly believable. It is the story of a drifter passing through post-Apocalyptic Oregon where life has devolved to pioneer-like days of no electricity or motors and with "survivalist" groups terrorizing the countryside instead of Indians. It is an interesting enough story, but what I liked best were some of the philosophical musings about the important things in life. There perhaps is enough patriotism for Rob to enjoy. There is also some adven...more
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A bit dated now, but still has the message and the reality; for anyone who enjoys a look at post-apocalyptic Earth.
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