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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AW BOOK CLUB (spoilers)

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What Members Thought

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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Jan 12, 2016 Ben rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-apocalypse

Summary: A reluctant hero holds the line for civilisation while the forces of chaos and anarchy try to claw him (and the rest of the world) down into the ash.

Things I liked:

* I liked how some chapters started with a letter written between various correspondents and how this was used as a device to show some of the bigger picture stuff going on in the world outside of the main man's POV.
* Sense of threat was pretty constant and I definitely got the sense that anyone or anything could go pretty ...more

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