Alas, Babylon
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4.4 • 296 Ratings
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
“An extraordinary real picture of human beings numbed by catastrophe but still driven by the unconquerable determination of living creatures to keep on being alive.” —The New Yorker
The classic apocalyptic novel by Pat Frank, first published in 1959 at the height of the Cold War, with an introduction by award-winning science fiction writer and scientist David Brin.
“Alas, Babylon.” Those fateful words heralded the end. When the unthinkable nightmare of nuclear holocaust ravaged the United States, it was instant death for tens of millions of people; for survivors, it was a nightmare of hunger, sickness, and brutality. Overnight, a thousand years of civilization were stripped away.
But for one small Florida town, miraculously spared against all the odds, the struggle was only just beginning, as the isolated survivors—men and women of all ages and races—found the courage to come together and confront the harrowing darkness.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
First published in 1959, Pat Frank’s novel about a nuclear apocalypse is a classic science fiction “what if?” story. It begins just before a thermonuclear attack leaves only pockets of the United States unscathed, including the small Florida town of Fort Repose, whose residents struggle to survive in a world without technology or resources. Frank’s writing is so vivid that we almost wanted to start stockpiling supplies for a worst-case scenario. But this isn’t just a tale of doom and gloom—despite worsening setbacks, the people of Fort Repose face the apocalypse with a can-do gumption that makes the novel feel unexpectedly optimistic. Alas, Babylon serves not only as a warning, but also as a beacon of hope about how humanity can band together through tragedy.
Customer Reviews
Go back in time to the day...
Go back in time to the gay the book was written. You will find that the book is very good, and that is an understatement. Coming forward to our day much of what was written in this book is still very relevant to any conflict that would involve nuclear weapons. So if you take out the bad guy of Russia and insert whoever would use nuclear weapons against the US the story is perfectly logical and relevant.
Required reading for sci fi buffs!
Read this and see themes that continue to inform the body of science fiction we have now.
Disappointed in the quality of this edition. So many typographical errors. This story deserves better.
Masterful Work
Credible and inspiring. A thoroughly entertaining and informative read.