From the Bookshelf of Apocalypse Whenever…

The Postman

David Brin

Start date: June 1, 2011

Finish date: July 8, 2011

Discussion: AW BOOK CLUB (spoilers)

Discussion leader: Gertie

Why we're reading this: Many of you will have seen the movie The Postman with Kevin Costner. This is the story of a man who inadv…more
[close] Many of you will have seen the movie The Postman with Kevin Costner. This is the story of a man who inadvertently becomes a post-apocalyptic mailman. The position takes on surprising significance in a torn-down world with small, estranged pockets of humanity.

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What Members Thought

May 17, 2019 Mitchell Friedman rated it really liked it

Shelves: post-apocalyptic, liked-reviews, four-star-science-fiction, science-fiction, own, fiction, near-future

A reread. But I don't know that I'd ever re-read this one before and its been a long time. My memory was always that this was one of the author's lesser books with a not very good ending. But I liked this much more than I remembered. And even though there was a few twists too many near the end, it was still a solid interesting earned ending. As an after-the-day novel, the play with the title still reads clever to me - since it stars someone pretending to be a Mail Carrier aka a Postman. When I r ...more

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Oct 17, 2019 Jak rated it it was amazing

Shelves: post-apocalypse

As a fan of the post-apocopic genre, I really enjoyed The Postman by David Brin.

The story starts about 20 years after the war had essentially brought humanity to its knees and living in the middle ages. Small townships exist independently of each there and are frequently raided by a sociopathic anarchist sect call Holnists. Between the townships is the Badlands full of bandits and ne’re-do-wells who would rob and kill anyone they come across for anything of value.

Our protagonist Gordon Krantz, As a fan of the post-apocopic genre, I really enjoyed The Postman by David Brin.

The story starts about 20 years after the war had essentially brought humanity to its knees and living in the middle ages. Small townships exist independently of each there and are frequently raided by a sociopathic anarchist sect call Holnists. Between the townships is the Badlands full of bandits and ne’re-do-wells who would rob and kill anyone they come across for anything of value.

Our protagonist Gordon Krantz, and idealist with a penchant for survival, opens the novel just escaping death at the hands of such a bunch before by ditching his worldly possessions and running & hiding. While following the bandits hoping to ambush them and get his possessions back he finds an old mail vain and takes the dead postman’s uniform.

Upon entering the next township he encounters he lets the inhabitants believe he’s a genuine postman in the employ of the reformed US government and is tasked with rebuilding the mail routes as a precursor to getting the USA back on its feet and tacking the problem of the Holnists.

It’s a little lie that begins to grow out of control and Gordon quickly realises that many people have come to depend on the lie and place more hope I it than he wishes. Despite being cursed with a conscience and regretting every lie, Gordon plays up to the myth as the communications between townships is actually working and improving lives.

On his travels setting up a communication line/postal route Gordon encounters other symbols of hope that people are rallying behind as well as other lies like his own.

Inevitably, there is a confrontation at the end with the Holnists who threaten to tear down the fiction of the reformed government and stamp out the remaining townships finishing off any remanence of life as we know it.

As I said at the start of my review I really enjoyed The Postman and appreciated Gordon’s internal struggle about wanting to tell the truth but realising that the fiction is what people really needed.
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May 23, 2012 Alison rated it liked it

Well, I liked the movie (not least because of that Tom Petty cameo), but the book is certainly more complex psychologically than the movie, and I'm pretty sure the plots diverged significantly. The book drags a little in the middle, but it wasn't bad overall. The Oregon geography - which is kind of crucial to the story - would have been very confusing if I hadn't followed along with my iphone in one hand, looking up all the locations on Google Maps, so I'm glad I didn't read this way back when i ...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Donna Berthelette rated it liked it

Shelves: apocalypse-dystopia

This was pretty good; I didn't feel much emotional involvement in the main character though.. now I want to go back and watch the movie adaption they did

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Sep 19, 2008 Rachel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult-fic

Excellent post apocalyptic book about a man who travels west after the collapse of society due to war. Survivalists threaten the communities that are trying to survive and he joins the fight against the survivalists while posing as a postman and representative of the "Restored United States" which probably doesn't exist. Well thought out and believable. ...more

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