• Alas, Babylon

  • By: Pat Frank
  • Narrated by: Will Patton
  • Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (13,331 ratings)

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Alas, Babylon  By  cover art

Alas, Babylon

By: Pat Frank
Narrated by: Will Patton
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Publisher's summary

This true modern masterpiece is built around the two fateful words that make up the title and herald the end - “Alas, Babylon.” When a nuclear holocaust ravages the United States, a thousand years of civilization are stripped away overnight, and tens of millions of people are killed instantly.

But for one small town in Florida, miraculously spared, the struggle is just beginning, as men and women of all backgrounds join together to confront the darkness. Will Patton's narration paints this classic tale as an ominous picture of the terrible possibilites of the nuclear age.

©1959 Harry Hart Frank (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

  • Audie Award Winner, Fiction, 2012
"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)
"A warm, continuously interesting story of what can happen to a group of ordinary people in a perilous situation." ( New York Herald Tribune)
“Will Patton is a calm and steady narrator whose quiet intensity wraps around this post-apocalyptic saga...He reflects the tones of deference of women to men, nonwhites to whites, and children to adults. In a conversational tone, he quietly brings the characters and their relationships to life.” ( AudioFile)

Featured Article: The 20 Best Survival Audiobooks for the Prepper in All of Us


Whether we’re focused on the apocalypse or just an ill-timed breakdown on the side of a particularly remote road, there’s something about imagining survival scenarios that can be addictive. On some level, we all wonder if we would have what it takes to pit ourselves against the worst the world can possibly offer and make it out alive. That’s why it’s no surprise that survival literature is so popular, and that the stories in the genre are so diverse.

What listeners say about Alas, Babylon

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8,158
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    3,738
  • 3 Stars
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Performance
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
    117

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    5 out of 5 stars

Wow

I never thought a book written in 1959 could be so relevant today. Stunning was the commentary about the purchase of political seats. I feel every Supreme Court justice could benefit from reading, or re-reading this book. Excellent narrator.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Chilling

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

The reason is because the author did such an amazing job with this work, that I actually noticed my body tense up after certain sections. It is an amazing book... Scary - but amazing.

Any additional comments?

I have not finished this book yet. Most of it - Yes. I got so wound up in it that needed to take a bit of a rest. I am looking forward to the continuing.

This revue is more so about the mental and emotional impact this topic
(when presented correctly) can have.

Worth the Money - (Shiver)

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Mediocre

Will Patton's usually exceptional performance could not save this drab and unexciting story. It's not horrible but it's far from good.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Listening

Alas, Babylon. Will Patton makes you think you are in Florida in the 60's after Russia has attacked the US. As a baby boomer, this book brought back many memories of the Cold War. Mr. Patton's gives a wonderful voice to the times - the apocalyptic times seem very real.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Aging well . . .

While dated in some respects, if seen as the "period piece" that it essentially is, it holds up well. Much more enjoyable than the "mainstream" sci-fi that has been recommended to me.

As I was explaining to a colleague: the book leads you into thoughts of how you would cope with such calamities, which makes for interesting thoughts that last well beyond the reading of the book.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

This book is fantastic!

I loved this book. Will Patton is a fantastic narrator. Sad when it was done.

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You will enjoy this one

I enjoyed this book very much. The narrator did a great job and the story was well told. I can see why this book is on so many reading lists for high school literature classes. This is a modern classic, that is for sure.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Truly Frightening

To realize that so much of this story is still relevant today is a very frightening.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I loved this book

If you are concerned that the time period in which this book takes place might make it kind of dated, please don't let that stop you from downloading and missing out on a great book. While technology may have advanced since this time period, the story is as relevant and compelling today as ever. I never once found myself thinking that the story was dated. The narrator is first rate and kept me involved from the start. Alas Babylon is worth the credit and deserves to be on this list. After I listened to it I turned my wife on to it who is a post-apocolyptic junkie, she loved it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Time well spent

Where does Alas, Babylon rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 3rd...all around good book

What did you like best about this story?

One of the first appocalyptic books...1959!

What does Will Patton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great reader!...is he still alive?

Any additional comments?

Great book to start with to get your mind into prepping mode. Other books can contain too much reality and cause a would be prepper to be paralyzed with inaction.

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