Bryce W. (Calliope) - , reviewed on + 24 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
As a basically morbid and paranoid person, I quite enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction. I'm happy to report that Alas, Babylon, one of the first books in the genre, did not disappoint.
The book centers around Fort Repose, a Florida community that manages to survive after a nuclear attack wipes out much of the United States. Specifically it centers on Randy Bragg and his family and neighbors as they try to live and thrive against all odds. I enjoyed reading about the problems and solutions they faced -- Are armadillos edible? How to get more salt? What do we trade when money is worthless? -- and would have welcomed even more details.
I see moments inspired by Alas, Babylon in many modern-day dystopian and post-apocalyptic works, from the reboot of Battlestar Galactica to S.M. Stirling's Dies the Fire and beyond.
I notice many negative reviews of this book center around its supposed racism and sexism. Perhaps those reviewers overlooked the fact that this book was originally published in 1959, and for its time, seemed to be remarkably progressive. White characters and black characters work side-by-side, as equals. A female cabinet member becomes Chief Executive of what's left of the USA. If women seem to swoon more than realistically plausable and the N-word is bandied about quite frequently... well, 1959 was still 1959.
The book centers around Fort Repose, a Florida community that manages to survive after a nuclear attack wipes out much of the United States. Specifically it centers on Randy Bragg and his family and neighbors as they try to live and thrive against all odds. I enjoyed reading about the problems and solutions they faced -- Are armadillos edible? How to get more salt? What do we trade when money is worthless? -- and would have welcomed even more details.
I see moments inspired by Alas, Babylon in many modern-day dystopian and post-apocalyptic works, from the reboot of Battlestar Galactica to S.M. Stirling's Dies the Fire and beyond.
I notice many negative reviews of this book center around its supposed racism and sexism. Perhaps those reviewers overlooked the fact that this book was originally published in 1959, and for its time, seemed to be remarkably progressive. White characters and black characters work side-by-side, as equals. A female cabinet member becomes Chief Executive of what's left of the USA. If women seem to swoon more than realistically plausable and the N-word is bandied about quite frequently... well, 1959 was still 1959.
