Alas, Babylon (Perennial Classics) (Paperback)

by Pat Frank (Author) "In Fort Repose, a river town in Central Florida, it was said that sending a message by Western Union was the same as broadcasting it..." (more)
Key Phrases: man with the bat, pat frank, grocery truck, Fort Repose, Ben Franklin, Dan Gunn (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A warm, continuously interesting story of what can happen to a group of ordinary people in a perilous situation." -- New York Herald Tribune

"An enthralling and vivid story of the follies and failures of people, their courage and cruelty, their treachery and triumphs. Mr. Frank is a magnificent writer." -- Chicago Sunday Tribune

"Frank is successful enough in making us believe it could indeed happen here to send a small, fearful chill along our backbone." -- Saturday Review

"Frighteningly credible and exciting reading." -- Library Journal

"Ingenious...Provocative." -- -- New York Times

Product Description
The classic apocalyptic novel that stunned the nation with its vivid portrayal of a small town's survival after nuclear holocaust devastates the country.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; 1st Perennial Classics Ed edition (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060931396
• ISBN-13: 978-0060931391
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (281 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #107,936 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shute's "On the Beach" wasn't the only good WW-III yarn, July 19, 2002

By	R. L. MILLER (FT LAUDERDALE FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This story deals with the Soviet nuclear attack on America that fortunately didn't happen. Where "On the Beach" was written from a British/ Australian perspective, this book is based in the American south, perhaps making Pat Frank the Pat Conroy of post-apocalyptic fiction. In 1960, during the height of the Cold War, Randy Bragg, descendant of an old Florida family, gets a heads-up from his career Air Force brother and prepares his family and his town for when "the button gets pushed". Younger readers who didn't live through the Cold War might find this story a bit campy, but as one of the kids taught by teachers to hide under my desk, I'm in no position to scoff. The book's short length (by today's standards) might make you take it for pulp fiction at first glance, but the fact that it's still in print four decades later is a testament to its quality. Rather than just crank this thing out, certain that no one would notice the picky details, Frank did his homework on this story. Even down to the dog tag on the collar of a wild stray German shepherd in one passage--as a one-time resident of Rochester NY the same as that dog, I can testify to the fact that the phone exchange on his tag really did exist back in those days...

43 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Alas, Babylon, December 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Alas, Babylon (Library Binding)

Two brothers growing up in Ft. Repose, Florida would often sneak down to the African American congregation to listen to the intense, hell-fire preacher. After every convicting statement he belted to his congregation he would follow them with "Alas, Babylon." Frome then on, Randy a former politician, and Mark a high ranking officer serving in military intelligence would use this phrase as a code. As an intense nuclear threat puts Mark Bragg and his family in trouble Mark sends his family to Ft. Repose, Florida for fear that one of the first targets will be the his intelligence base. Mark sent a telegram prior to the arrival of his family reading, "Urgent you meet me at Base Ops McCoy noon today. Helen and children are flying to Orlando tonight. Alas, Babylon." The story begins to unfold from there as the plot thickens and becomes more detailed and complex. The book is about the unthinkable happening; a nuclear strike and survival after the such a devastating event. A provocative story written by a great author, Pat Frank which is easy to follow and very interesting. His foresight into what could possibly happen is incredible. Even smallest details don't go unattended. Thrilling suspense that will keep the pages turning and your mind thinking. A book for anyone who enjoys an apocolyptic thriller, conspiracy plots, or just a plain old great book.

86 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Humanistic Science Fiction, November 9, 2001

By	R. Barnes "Music Collector" (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

First of all, this is not a Science Fiction Novel. This is a classic Novel written almost 35 years ago at the Cold War. The reason why it is such a good read is because todays generation can get a real good feel as to the mood of the American Culture at that time. Since it takes place mostly in Florida I particular liked it since it was very descriptive of the local area were I live. It's is remarkably realistic, and deals more with the impact of day to day life of the individual rather than try to write a novel on all of mankind. It will make you think, it may make you shudder and many times you will think " I never thought about that".

This novel effectively takes you from the time just before a Nuclear War to its aftermath, and how a group of people in a small town in Florida cope, Tourists and all. Its documentation as to the War itself is chilling and gets to the core. The aspects of survival are well thought out and is definitely a page tuner. This is a recommended book for everyone wanting to learn about those times and for the people my age, (late forties), will bring back memories.

A good companion to this believe it or not is "Lucifers Hammer" by Larry Nivin/Jerry Pournelle, which also deals with catastrophe but deals with many aspects not brought out in this one.

A good, recommend booked, and well worth the small price.

Science Fiction that could have been Science Fact.