The Postman
Author: David Brin
Year: 1985
Abstract:
Gordon Krantz, a 34 year-old survivor of the Apocalypse, is trying to survive in the American Northwest. When bandits run
him out of his campground, he discovers the remnants of a long dead United States postal worker. Gordon puts on the
clothes of the long dead postman, and heads off to try to find some civilization. At first, he likes the idea of being
welcomed into towns and villages, being given food and warmth on the pretense that he is a postal worker for the
Restored United States. However, he begins to see the effect it has on people. Warring tribes become close allies,
people begin once again to right letters to relatives, friends, and colleagues. Pretty soon, Gordon starts off on trying to
establish regular mail routes, to reunited a country. Only one thing stands in the way of Gordon's success, and that is
the Holnists. Violent men, bent on the destruction of the weak. Can Gordon encourage the last surviving vestiges of
humanity to team up long enough to fight off an even greater evil?
| Advanced Mind | |
| Exploration/Quest |  |
| Military/Fighting | |
| Horror | |
| Magic | |
| Advanced Technology | |
| Time Travel/Alternate History | |
| Science | |
| Aliens/Beasties | |
| Contemporality | |
Other books in this series:
None
Spectre's Review
I really enjoyed this one. Brin has a startlingly realistic perspective of how things could go wrong, and what life would be like
shortly after an apocalypse. I enjoyed the character of Gordon Krantz, and felt for him when things didn't go his way
(most of the book). Here are a couple of the interesting technology things that helped the plot: 1) Quantum bubble
computer memory that would be destroyed if it rose above a certain temperature (an old man actually acted as a
computer to continue the myth of the computer guide, so his town would stick together). 2) The augments. Humans
who are physiologically modified to be stronger, faster, and smarter (there's a huge fight scene near the end of the book
between a couple of them). Little things like that, and the fact the David Brin has a Doctorate in Astrophysics, made this
book very fun to read. The writing style flows smoothly, and for once in a long while, I really liked the ending.
Spectre's Rating
Hope for a post-apocalyptic world.