Customer Reviews

By the Waters of Babylon (Creative Short Stories)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a tale, the first tale, of post-Armageddon America, rural pioneer America, somewhere near the join of the Ohio and the Missisippi, in the mountains, of long to come; there is no definition of The Great Fire, referred to as having happened centuries ago, but it sure sounds like nuclear war to me, and it was written before such devastation had any possibility.

The scenes encountered by the young boy as he travels are also consistent with nuclear fallout; he sees that people were arrested at their dinner, the food on the table. Hiroshima hadn't happened yet, but Benet foresaw that.

And it's a rattling good tale, a coming of age tale, superbly well written, by a true American master of country idiom, who ridiculously, regrettably, and unfathomably has been almost forgotten. Benet wrote a little like Ray Bardbury to those who know the latter and not the first.

Benet, and his wife (Rosemary Benet) and brother (William Rose Benet) and brother's wife (Elinor Wylie) were nearly all we had of a true literati in the late thirties. Catch anything any of them wrote. It's supremo.

Judging from the two young students' experience with this story, I'd say their teachers did little to help them understand the real-life implications of Benet's work. As a sophomore English teacher I found that there was just not enough time to fully explore all the related aspects of Benet's cautionary tale. The dissatisfied readers would benefit from reading related books (1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Gulliver's Travels, Candide, etc.)and learning about the history of the time (Great Depression, Nazi uprising) in order to put the themes of the story in context, starting first with the history of Babylon.

... The number of things the author had right - especially since he died two years before the first Atomic bomb - is almost frightening.
This type of fiction appears to be out-of-genre for the author, best known for historical writings, but one can see in it the basis of his motivations, pre-Pearl-Harbor, concerning United States entry into World War II.
Taken in context with its era, it is a very important work - ...

The best example of apocalyptic sci-fi I have ever read! This story basically outlines the journey of a priest named John, who ventures into an dangerous city to unlock the secrets of society as we know it today. It is about 14 full pages. See if you can figure the foreshadowing clues, like "Ashing," "Oui-di-san River," and "Ubtreas." Everything makes for a great story that I have read many times and still enjoy!

Although I haven't read it since high school,I would have to say this is one of the best books I have read. It has such depth. This author really grabs your attention, and getting into your mind, he gives you a "wake up call" as to how the reality of this story is not all that fictional. I would highly recommend this book to all!

The depth of this book is immense, in that Benet foreshadows the darkest moment of mankind's time. The utter destruction and then, the rebuilding of a society that learns from the old, and moves on. I would hope that one would not be forced to read this book, but join in Jon's adventure through our time, trying to understand our downfall. I am currently writing a 7-8 page research paper on the book, and find that is hard to stop speculating what it means, and the message hidden under the encription. Again, I am sorry for those poor souls who do not see the depth of this prophesy.

I remember when an English teacher of mine read this short story to my class(in high school). Though I did not grasp it THEN, when I READ it MYSELF it made sense. What the laws forbidding traveling to the Eastern U.S., crossing the Great River (the Hudson), and visiting the Place of the GOds (New York City), mentioned in the story, referred to were attempts to coerce people to be happy to live as people did in the Stone Age and forget that there was civilization. Apparently, the young priest
(whose father was a priest) defied these stoopid laws, traveled eastward, and floated down the Hudson, passing ruins of the "god roads across it"(George Washington, Bear Mountain, and other bridges). At the Place of the Gods there were mentioned a "washing place but no water"(meaning tub-shower combo)"cooking place but no wood"(a gas or electric range), "things that looked like lamps with neither oil nor wick"(electric light fixtures).
What was enlightening was that the priest and his priest-father
SAW the light, realized that there WAS civilization before the Great Burning, sought to visit Dead Places (buildings where people had lived, worked, and worshipped) to learn throught the writings) and even go to the Place of the Gods (New York), to build again.

For those who enjoy intelligent, symbolic literature, I highly recommend this. It is a brilliant commentary regarding the possible developments of humanity should we not become more responsible regarding the maintenance of our Earth and the relationships of our fellow humans.

I just read this book as the reading comprehension part of my ILA final! It is amazing how deep this novel is. As a piece of science fiction, it gives a great theme. Basically, humans create without understanding the consequences. (Similar to The FLying Machine by Ray Bradbury). The elements of foreshadowing are evident everywhere, and it teased me throughout. It makes people think about the direction our country and world are headed in! Even people who are not science fiction fans will probably like it, contrary to what other reviewers have said.

I belive that the book "By the Waters of Babylon" was very insightful. When I was reading the book I realized that it took place in the future. Jon's charater seemed very courageous and wise. The main theme in the book would have to be that knowledge can have good and bad aspects on life. The story had to do with a Great Burning that occured a long time ago and a new civilization began called the Hill People. This story has a lot of foreshadowing and you need to use your knowledge in order to understand the book. It is related to the nuclear bombing that will or has occurred on Earth. The message states that too much knowledge can destroy a spirit and it is better to die with your spirit living on, then to die with no spirit at all.