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)

Excellent audiobook

It's difficult to believe this book was first published in 1959. The storyline is extremely well thought out, the characters are well defined and very believable.
The book is full of historically accurate facts that take the reader back to the days of what an earlier generation knew as "Mutually Assured Destruction." This audiobook is well worth the investment of your time and money.

The possibilities of survival - 1959 -- Today?

I really enjoyed the book set in central Florida after a Russian nuke attack. Miami, Tampa, Homestead, Orlando and Jacksonville are all gone and millions more are dead throughout the rest of the country. Is survival possible? The most seemingly, insignificant day-to-day uses such as toothpaste, salt, toiletries, aspirin, etc, become luxuries in this post nuclear war event. Money becomes worthless and the rich and poor are now equals. Could you handle it?

Wonderful book with modern relevance

Who would have thought a book written in the 1950s would have so many relevant messages and themes for today's world? Even sixty years later, with the Cold War a distant memory, Alas Babylon is a potent, chilling picture of what semi-rural America would look like after a nuclear attack. Today we don't fear a nuclear strike by the Soviets, but we live in fear, or at least heightened awareness, of a terrorist strike. With Iran making daily threats against the US and Israel, with Al Qaeda regaining strength, with Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations solidifying power in the wake of the "Arab Spring," the threats today are different but no less real than they were in Pat Frank's day. So the book is chilling and current even though the specifics of the modern era are obviously very different.

The book is very well written, with rich characterizations and great emotion throughout. Will Patton proves to be an excellent narrator--I would listen to anything he reads. I've seen him in movies and on TV but wouldn't have thought of him as a good narration candidate. Well, he's wonderful.

This book is highly recommended for its content, its story, and its reader. Very well done, and well worth my February credit!

Wow, what an excellent book

I read this as a part of my MFA thesis requirements. I had to read a classic in my genre, so I selected this book with little hope that I would really like it, because I hate anything even resembling a war story. I was happily proven wrong. This is an excellent story read by an excellent reader. The plot is rich in character and relationships while supporting a wonderful suspence thread mingled with a science-fiction-esque quasi-apocolyptic landscape. I would suggest this for anyone - man or woman - as a fantastic read.

Incredible story

Probably my top 3 favorite books of all time. It might even be my favorite. It is an incredible story, especially for those post WWII and children of the 80's, like me, when we really feared a nuclear strike from Russia. An incredible listen.

Great Book everyone should hear/read.

This book was great right in line with Surviers, One Second After and Patriots.
This is a must hear/read and the reading was so well done I got lost in the story from the begining. Wonderful carry thru with the characters and story line with an ending that was original.

Story and great narration.

This was a really great story, but kinda scary when you think about it. Excellent narration by Will Patton

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!