• Alas, Babylon

  • By: Pat Frank
  • Narrated by: Will Patton
  • Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (13,324 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Alas, Babylon  By  cover art

Alas, Babylon

By: Pat Frank
Narrated by: Will Patton
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.89

Buy for $21.89

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

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.

More from the same

What listeners say about Alas, Babylon

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8,154
  • 4 Stars
    3,736
  • 3 Stars
    1,076
  • 2 Stars
    225
  • 1 Stars
    133
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8,194
  • 4 Stars
    2,446
  • 3 Stars
    633
  • 2 Stars
    98
  • 1 Stars
    72
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7,079
  • 4 Stars
    3,002
  • 3 Stars
    1,031
  • 2 Stars
    194
  • 1 Stars
    117

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

On The Beach for the COVID age

Very reminiscent of On The Beach, but set in America. Written in 1959, it is very applicable to many situations we faced during COVID panic shortages. Many good survival tips too. I will listen to almost anything Will Patton performs because I love his voice(s) and his low key approach to narration. I even paid attention to the storyline for this one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A nuclear attack and the spirit of man

Having lived through this period as a teenager, I have always enjoyed 2 novels of nuclear attack and its aftermath. “War day”by Whitley Striebder and James Konetka was set in the mid 1980’s and is initially based in New York City. “Alas, Babylon” is set in 1959 in central Florida.

“Babylon” has a more “nostalgic” feel. I gave this to my grandson and had to explain several parts to him, such as the CONELRAD radio warning system and Western Union telegram service. But it is a fully fleshed out tale of before, during, and after the attack. It focuses on our ability to respond to a total change of lifestyle and how character effects the results of our live.

The audiobook version is well-presented.

I had read the book soon after the Cuban Missle Crisis This version very accurately tells of my feelings of the world as a 14-year-old at that time. I listen to audiobooks mostly in the car. I spent several moments in my driveway at the end of my commute home. This is what that era felt like.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

More!!!

Great book all around. Not overly complicated but still engaging. Good character development. Will Patton is an amazing narrator! Please let this be a series! ~ JTC ~

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good story

Started out very strong and tapered off about the last few chapters. Overall enjoyed the listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

oldie but a goodie

Have no read this in over 20 years. Audible makes it happen. really enjoyed it again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A book set in a different time

Loved the book. Had read it many years ago, so was like meeting an old friend. Some elements have dated, of course, but the general story is great.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Possible True Horror

Although set in the mid 20th century, the disaster in the story could still happen in the 21st century. Very chilling in its detail, but with signs of hope. Hopefully optimistic at its core, it's a fiction I never want to see made real.
The narrator is excellent and his pacing and tone really convey the story well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

the ultimate post-apocalyptic story

first read this book back in the early to mid 70s it was my first Venture into post apocalyptic fiction. even though some aspects of this book are dated it remains a magnificent Story of Survival and Hope in the Apocalypse well-developed characters just enough humor and wonderfully narrated by Will Patton

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A timeless tale

Although this book is over a half a century old it’s as applicable now as it was when written

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Alas this is a wonderful book

Pat Frank tells a wonderful story Very well written. The narrator is one of my very favorites. Will Patton

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!