Alas Babylon, by Pat Frank, Book Review

Recently I read Alas Babylon, by Pat Frank. The book is set in Cold War era Florida in the 1950s. The U.S. and the Soviet Union are locked in a standstill. Each world power has its nuclear arms amassed and is ready to strike if the other attacks. One small action however, will start a nuclear holocaust that set many parts of the world thousands of years back. After the Soviet Union fires nuclear missiles at military bases in Florida, the small town of Fort Repose miraculously survives. The inhabitants of the town must work together to survive the challenges they face.

I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. The author does a good job explaining  the time period of the story and the circumstances leading to the end of the world. Unlike many dystopian novels of today, where the cause of the end of the world is not known,  Alas Babylon shows the characters reactions to the apocalypse and the fear and panic that are caused by it. The author also does and excellent job of explaining the challenges the characters face, food, water, salt, the collapse of the economy and the government, robbers, disease, and radiation. The book is written in third person and switches between character's perspectives in the first several chapters and then mainly focuses on the main character. People who would enjoy this novel are people who like dystopian or survival stories.

Main Themes of Stardust, by Neil Gaiman

For my summer reading project I chose Stardust, by Neil Gaiman. There are several important underlying themes and ideas in this novel. Several important ideas that appear frequently in this book are: adventure and a journey. While reading I found several main themes that encompass this novel and others. The main theme of the book is that a journey can change a person or a group of people for the better. Another important theme of the book is that trust can go a long way.


Stardust, by Neil Gaiman

 

Stardust Article

 There is an article Neil Gaiman wrote for The Guardian about the importance of fairytales. He says that they were originally written for adults but changed to appeal to children. He says he wrote Stardust because he wanted a fantasy tale in the style of pre-Tolkien fairy tale writers that appealed to and older crowd.