Alas, Babylon

By: Pat Frank

Narrated by: Will Patton

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 griping read!

I grabbed this paperback out of my mother's bookshelf as a bored teenager on summer vacation and I've dragged it around with me for over 30 years! Though the characters are a bit simplistic, the story is riveting.

This story explores what happens when civilization as we know it ceases to exist. How do people survive when there are no safety nets? Decade’s pass and technology marches on, however the story of mankind’s struggle to survive remains pertinent. I actually used this book as a basis for a Sociology paper in college.

The narrator is very good and the story is every bit as good today as it was in 1959.

Excellent 5-star listen

I read this story when it was first released and have replaced my copy several times. It has maintained it's relevancy over the years well. With Will Patton reading, it comes alive. Well worth the money and a continual pleasure in any form.

This was ok

but if you want to know what would happen in modern day times, read One Second After. It goes into much greater detail about what would happen today.

Doesn't Seem Possible that This Is 1959!

What did you love best about Alas, Babylon?

I was resistant to trying this title because I always pick up on outdated technologies in a book and they don't ring true. I needn't have worried. This book is stunning and never for one second did I even realize that this wasn't present day America. Frank sticks to human nature as he explores a post-apocalyptic future, and human nature is the same generation to generation.

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

The Road by Cormac McCarthy is another view of a civilization gone awry, but with a different conclusion. Frank's account relies on the strength of human goodness to build a brighter outcome. We don't known which vision will ultimately be more realistic until the time comes.

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

I loved the narration of this book. Will Patton's everyman style of delivery was a perfect fit for the setting--small town USA. The characters came alive.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I felt deeply for the characters and looked forward to a conclusion which would bring them some relief from the unknown.

Any additional comments?

I'm still impressed that I read this fifty years after it was written and it was as fresh and insightful as if it had been written yesterday. That's the best compliment I can give an author. A timeless work of fiction that will leave you thinking about the past and the future and what your reaction would be to a similar emergency. A hopeful read.

Essential but Antiquated

This book deserves its place as an Audible Essential, and has aged pretty well, if you don’t mind a little 1950’s sexism. Today there have been many post-nuclear war novels, many quite a bit better than this, but this is one of the very first, and I give it some historical credit for helping transform the idea of nuclear war to the unthinkable. The narration is excellent adding a lot of feeling to the protagonist. The characters and story are pretty simplistic yet nostalgically touching. The story does not have much action (other than a bunch of nudets) and all the problems are now standard post-apocalyptic fare. You can see the strong influence this book had on later novels, like One Second After. I likely won’t read this again, but I am glad to have heard it.