• Alas, Babylon

  • By: Pat Frank
  • Narrated by: Will Patton
  • Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (13,335 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.

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What listeners say about Alas, Babylon

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    8,161
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    3,739
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Story
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  • 3 Stars
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Not dated at all

This book was recommended to but I hesitated because it was written in the late 50's I though it would be hard to relate to but boy was I wrong. Great book, great performance, left me wanting more.

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Alas indeed

Very interesting and well written. The storyline still applies to today's world. It could happen at any time.

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Held my interest the entire way through.

Narrator was excellent, good characters with enough to get an idea of the town but not so many that you can’t keep track. I like this genre, and this was in a different decade so that made it just a little different than others.

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timeless novel, best narration

First I must say that Will Patton's narration of this book is among the best of all the audio books I have ever listened to. His characters are lively and varied without being phony or comical. I will look for his name as a credit to any Audible book I might consider in the future.
The story is at once dated and current. Some of the social terms pin the book to its day and age and the foreign threats have changed but topic of survival of cataclysmic events is never far from the modern mind and the characters feel like real humans of any time.

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Awake narration

Will Patton was awesome on this project. I’ve listened to hundreds of audio books and his perception and intonations were stellar

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one of my favorites!

I have listened to this book over and over. love it and highly recommend.

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Fantastic Performance of an Amazing Novel

The only thing I hated about this book was that it ended at all! I could've enjoyed reading more of the story.

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Great Book

This is an excellent read and so apropo for this very time
So much to learn from history but sadly we do not.

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Great novel, well delivered

I'm a lover of apocalypse genre , alternative history, and just overall fiction that really inspires a movement within the soul. This book is now one of my favorites, if you enjoyed it I highly recommend the one second after trillagy. This is a classic with great performance.

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Fill Tubs!

Yikes! This was great. Realistic story, not sensational rhetoric. Written in 1959, it lacks too many slick tricks. Just enough! Will Patton is amazing! Love his voice and the unique qualities he gives characters!

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