From the Bookshelf of Apocalypse Whenever…

Alas, Babylon

Pat Frank,

David Brin (Foreword)

Start date: June 15, 2016

Finish date: July 1, 2016

Discussion: AW BOOK CLUB (spoilers)

Discussion leader: Gertie

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 346 topics — 20,928 comments total

AW BOOK CLUB (spoilers)

* What is a good book for AW discussion? (Nominations pool)
By Gertie · 64 posts · 214 views

last updated 17 hours, 6 min ago

* AW Book Club: what we've read
By Gertie · 16 posts · 1821 views

last updated Dec 10, 2019 09:01AM

showing 10 of 52 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Aug 16, 2010 Amy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: post-apocalyptic, 2010-books-read

Certainly not the best post-apocalyptic I've read. I guess it became a classic since it was written during a time when everyone really was afraid everyone on the planet would nuke everyone on the planet (which is what happens in this book). ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 19, 2011 Elizabeth rated it really liked it

Shelves: bookclub-ladies, 2011, fiction, not_since_school, post-apocalyptic

first read Alas, Babylon as required reading in 6th grade. I couldn’t remember the name of the book or author, but would remember bits and pieces and hoped I would run across it again one day. It was one of the first apocalyptic stories I read and introduced me to a genre that I have revisited frequently. After finally finding it again and giving it another read, it held up to my expectations.

Set in cold war America, Alas, Babylon explores the potential aftermath of nuclear war. While the speci ...more

Like · see review

Sep 26, 2012 Patrick Nichols rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

One of the earliest, and coziest, nuclear holocausts. This is no "Threads," meant to make you wet your pants in terror then hang yourself with your underpants. No, it's more of a family-friendly Sunday dinner apocalypse. There are a few moments where the horror of mass death seeps in to the narrative - especially the hotel full of lonely recluses, hiding in their dark rooms, waiting hopelessly for the return of electricity. But then the hotel burns down and we are relieved of pity. Rather polite One of the earliest, and coziest, nuclear holocausts. This is no "Threads," meant to make you wet your pants in terror then hang yourself with your underpants. No, it's more of a family-friendly Sunday dinner apocalypse. There are a few moments where the horror of mass death seeps in to the narrative - especially the hotel full of lonely recluses, hiding in their dark rooms, waiting hopelessly for the return of electricity. But then the hotel burns down and we are relieved of pity. Rather politely, the holocaust only dooms the deserving people (i.e. the ones the author dislikes) - the small minded bank manager who won't give the authorial stand-in a loan and the baddies who steal a crate full of radioactive treasure.

Not that I object to this rosy cataclysm in which our heroes ride off into the nuclear sunset. Who really wants realism when it comes to Armageddon? "The Road" was a great book, but it wasn't exactly upbeat.

The characters are surprisingly well-hewn for a science fiction novel. You get used to limited palette of characters in SF novels, mostly written by lonely introverts: the nebbish author stand-ins, the over-masculine bad guys drawn from memories of high-school bullies, the hip ubermensch character they fantasized being to escape from depression. It's tough to create good characters when you don't get out much.

Frank, on the other hand, was a professional newspaperman, so it's clear he got around and had to meet, and depict, a wide range of different people and perspectives. And this pays off; the novel has a surprisingly diverse mix of good characters. Because of this, "Alas, Babylon" is more about the way a whole community of people reacts and transforms after the fall of the great powers. And since most journalists wear a mask of cynicism to conceal their basic optimism about humanity, our tale also ends well for our heroes.

Snarkiness aside, this is a fun read. The writing is brisk and crisp, and despite the considerable age of novel (one of the main characters works at a telegraph office), the dated-ness rarely intrudes on ones enjoyment. The only really jarring element is the racism (this is 1950s in the south, remember). The author was probably quite forward-thinking for his day, but his indulgent condescension towards the black characters is pretty cringe-worthy to a modern reader.
...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 24, 2013 Scott rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: apocalypse

Such a bummer that the world nearly ended right on the heels of equal rights in the U.S. The benefit is that it was a lesson in all working together to help each other survive. The aftermath of a nuclear war published first in 1959 must have been a frantic read at the time. It did rely heavily on the hope of a utopia within a newly reformed and governed society. The "what ifs" and real-life scenarios made this a novel of ruin and thankfulness.

The glimpses of segregation are even more interestin ...more

Like · see review

Feb 08, 2011 Kate Rudasill rated it it was amazing

Probably my second favorite apocalyptic fiction (and I read A LOT of it!)
Classic story of survival, adaptation, hope and all that good stuff in the face of adversity.

Like · see review

Oct 08, 2012 Donna Berthelette rated it really liked it

Shelves: apocalypse-dystopia

Finally read this book.. really liked it!

Like · see review

Jan 16, 2009 Eric rated it liked it

Shelves: dystopian

This was a pretty good book focused on what would happen to people if America was bombed out by Russia. The author's, Pat Frank, writing is smooth and fluid and keeps you turning pages. The story was well written and fairly believable if not a bit boring at times. Picturing living in a world without order, I imagine a bit more chaos than Mr. Frank describe but this is still an enjoyable read with likeable characters. If you like end-of-the-world type books, give this one a try. ...more

Like · see review