Alas, Babylon

By: Pat Frank

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins

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)

Review from an audiobook noobie.

I hope this review resonates for those who haven't been lifelong readers and/or are new to audiobooks. At 34, I am the picture of the guy who was raised on the original Nintendo and bought every new system thereafter, even up to the PS3. Now that I have children, I am beginning to understand the value of reading.

I twice attempted to listen to 2 different audiobooks but had an incredibly hard time following through. I figured I wasn't built for listening. It wasn't until I got this book that I realized all it took was an engaging plot in combination with a good narrator to really be able to enjoy the story.

Alas, Babylon had both. It really rekindled my interest in reading. If your like me and trying to engage yourself in storytelling for the first time, this book is a great place to start. I learned a great lesson also. Don't assume newer books will resonate better. This story was written so long ago and yet it feels like the author was writing based on current events.

Im glad I took heed to the reviews and gave listening another try.

Great story with superb narration

Would you consider the audio edition of Alas, Babylon to be better than the print version?

The narration was perfect for this book. The whole time I was listening I was thinking that the author did a great job with the material,

What other book might you compare Alas, Babylon to and why?

Funny you should ask because I just got done listening to 1225 Christmas Tree Ln Which is a cedar cove novel. It was about a community of people who helped each other get through difficult situations. This book was about how the community helped each other through hard times. This book was written in 1959 about nuclear war. The other one was just about what to do with 12 orphan puppies. They both had the same theme. Alas Babylon was obviously more intense because the stakes were higher.

Which scene was your favorite?

When the youngest member of the community asked the oldest member of the community for advise. They both were feeling helpless to contribute and they both found out they did have something to offer.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were a lot of parts that moved me.it was about surviving and their perseverance to carry on. The main character, especially, decided it is not going to end this way.

Any additional comments?

I feel like the story and narration came together as a real great experience.

Is this our future?

This is a mind bender of what could happen. Gives me pause to think of what life could be like if this were to happen. A must read!

Probably my favorite audio book of all time.

Fantastic story and even better narration. I have listened to this book maybe 10 times. It's just as good every time.

great post apocalypse classic

good story. A quick read (listen). This book does better than most in the genre in explaining how they kept their members fed post-SHTF. But not great. That's probably the biggest issue I see in every post-apocalyptic genre book. Anytime you have a big group like this, it takes an enormous amount of food to keep everybody fed. If you didn't have each organic amount of long-term food stored ahead of time, you never make it until Harvest Time when your crops grew. and if you don't keep everybody fed then order will quickly turn to chaos. most of the other townspeople and Neighbors seem to keep ticking along and surviving throughout the course of the book, but where was everybody getting their food?

Surprised

Wasn't sure I was going to like this. It did start a looker slow, but the longer I listened the morning I got pulled in. Good character development.

kept me hooked

great book and performance by the reader. wish there was more. would read a sequel

Amazing Prepper fiction

Loved it. A must read for those who have never prepared to survive and for those who have.

Great story, even after a second listen.

A well-crafted tale of 1950s Cold War fears come to life: a nuclear attack on the United States, and while a world war is being fought blindly, a small Florida town tries to survive as an island surrounded by a radioactive sea of contaminated cities. Will Patton is fantastic, and the fifties sensibilities are fascinating. One star deducted for the era's sexism and racism. (Might be unacceptable for some.) Warning: You may begin building a bomb-shelter or food stockpile after listening.

Strange Title. Brilliant story and performance.

What about Will Patton’s performance did you like?

Incredible narration and character portrayal. Just about the right amount of gravitas, with some humour and with enough pathos to let the listener know that this is no celebration but a kind of epitaph to human folly and military ambition. Equally each character was drawn out and became individuals in the audible illustrations that Will Patton created.

Any additional comments?

A mature, compelling story, the listener is taken back to a time pre-mobile phone, computer,internet, even pre Pop music, or so it would seem, and the unfolding story of a sleepy community and how the town folk are effected by and react to Nuclear war and country-wide devastation is superbly crafted. The society at the time really lived under a Nuclear shadow and this is really driven home.What I found very refreshing was the focus on character development and the lack of current post apocalypse novels pre-occupations with martial arts / weaponary etc. Yes, bad things happen, and bad people do need to be dealt with, but it is not glorified . I really cared about what was to happen next.I enjoyed the southern USA accents and the language used, probably typical of the time, but a good contrast to modern language.Only "One Second After" matches the tone and charcterisation of this book, but I found "Alas Babylon" more enjoyable.