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)

A story that is never outdated or irrelevant

I have read this book twice and now listened to it narrated. It never gets old. This story takes place in the late 1950s but the lessons learned are still relevant today. The thought processes and realizations of the characters when suddenly thrust into a life with no modern conveniences are real and would be even more drastic today. While the threat of global nuclear war may not be as prevalent today as it was when this book was written, there are plenty of threat scenarios in the world now that make this book just as relevant as in the cold war era.

The only reason I gave the narrator 4 stars instead of 5 is that some times he allowed his voice to soften to the point of being unintelligible. Otherwise, he did an awesome job of varying his voice to fit the characters, making the book come alive.

I highly recommend this book.

great listen.

I was very pleased with the story .
I didn't expect it to be as good as it was .
I liked it just as much as the second after.

Excellent listen

What a great book at a great price. I was a little reluctant given the age of year this was written but it was an excellent story. If you like this genre I would absolutely pick this little gem up. Patton does an outstanding job with the narration. The characters are well developed and story evolves a span of time that causes the reader to think...what would I do if...or at least it did me. I know I went out and picked up a bunch of batteries after listening.

Written in 1959 - still a fantastic read in 2015.

Reading (listening) to Alas Babylon was reminiscent of reading George R Stuart's "Earth Abides" (1949), in it's almost documentary handling of it's subject. Namely civilizations collapse and ordinary people trying to cope.

Stuart's chosen apocalypse was a great plague. Frank deals with the post nuclear war problems ordinary people have to deal with. Although not in a heavily wrecked or contaminated part of America. This does not lessen it's impact. It's chilling to realize that this was written three years before the Cuban missile crisis.

Wonderful narration by Will Patton.

As Relevant Today as it was When Written

Other than the absence of computers and cell phones this story could be written today and be just as meaningful. Great characters, great story stands the test of time.

An eye opener to what might be...

Any additional comments?

A great book, some slow bits and some lost time, but over all I found it informative, entertaining and a great listen... Walked away contimplating if I would be able to survive such a disaster...

The best

There’s only one question that they don’t answer for the entire story and it lingers in your head and in the last few seconds of the story they answer it in the best way possible it is possibly my favorite book ever so far

The Apocalypse is only the beginning!

Will Patton magnificently brings a story I haven't read in thirty plus years to life. His flawless accents and seamless transition from character to character makes the work of fiction as real as flesh and blood. This story of what almost was leaves me breathless & makes my heart skip. Absolutely a fantastic ride from the first word to the last!!!

beautiful

g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g g great sweet good book loved it

An old favorite

I read this book for the first time as a teen and read it again as a young adult. Now as a senior adult I didn’t remember exactly what it was about but remembered that I liked it well enough to read it twice so I thought I would listen to it. It is still relevant and thought provoking. And the performance was well done.