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Alas, Babylon

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Alas, Babylon

By: Pat Frank
Narrated by: Will Patton
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About this listen

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. Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Nuclear War Social justice Cold War

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)
All stars
Most relevant  
I can’t remember ever being so completely engaged in a story! Wow! I won’t bother reviewing- BUY THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY

Best book I’ve ever read

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An compelling enough story to follow, in an interesting setting, unfortunately interspersed with saccharine, self serving southern politics.

Having to deal with the not so subtle racism, jingoism and misogyny was also eye roll inducing, but at least some of that was intentional. I say some because I doubt the author realized how racist it might be to have one of his few African American characters be the only one in the entire book to take up a spear as his weapon of choice, for example.

That said, it was still an interesting listen, plus it’s always a treat to hear Will Patton narrating anything. That man’s voice could make reading the back of a corn flakes box enjoyable.

Some unfortunate downsides

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I think 5mins in I was thinking how grateful I was for Audible's return policy but was gardening and it was easier to keep listening. About 30 mins in I was listening to the politically incorrect language and then googled it and found the book written back in the 50's. I love this genre but a little tired of things always going down the violence path. If you want a great post apoc book that lays out the puzzle before MRE bars were a thing... a book with real characters and a real situation then this is it. So glad I stuck it out because I couldn't turn it off. And the NARRATOR - WOW - thought Kevin Pierce was the be all and end all but this guy - he read true to the period/language, the accents, the diversity. Superb effort. If you loved One Second After then this is number 2 in the list.

So glad I didn't bail

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With over 10 years audible membership and 440+ titles in my audible library, I’m an avid consumer of good quality audiobooks. I first listened to Alas Babylon nearly ten years ago, and it remains my favourite audio book of all time, for several reasons. I love well written post apocalyptic fiction, and this story, published in the late fifties, is, in my opinion, one of the better ones. It’s intelligently written, the characters are well drawn, and the whole story is evocative of an era, time and place that no longer exists (even though the location and nuclear events in the story are fictional, that particular America no longer exists). Will Patton’s narration is superb, and will paint a picture for you.
I’m not usually one for re-reading novels or listening to the same story multiple times, but Alas Babylon is one of my few exceptions to this rule.
Fabulous story and narration.

Hands down my favourite audio book of all time.

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A really interesting read. This early exploration into post-nuclear survival was enlightening and well-written. Unfortunately, the first 1.5 hours or so were painfully slow. I wanted to give the book 2 or 3 stars by the time the bombs actually hit. But then it really picked up the pace and went to interesting places.

The narrator does a good job impersonating different voices. I commend him for that. It kept the narration from being stale. However, the way he would say “Alas.......... Bab-lon” the same way every time was grating. He would also rush two sentences together for nearly every single character, which seems organic at first but quickly grew annoying and demonstrated the fact the lines were being read, not spoken. Otherwise he does a good job and I’d be keen to hear him again with more practice.

A worthwhile book!

A painfully slow start followed by a breakaway to glory

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After listening to this book it left me wanting more but as I thought about it this book is almost a blueprint for any media with the same theme. Now that I've concluded with that I feel I've experienced the premier nuclear apocalypse story less of an apocalypse more of a disaster that is overcome by the strong willed that remain

Blueprint for all good Apocalypse stories

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The words were written brilliantly, the narration was enthralling, the story - while brilliant too -became second

The narration is fantastic

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Loved this all over again. I read this in my early twenties in the reader's digest. I'm in my sixties now and this book has stood the test of time, completely relevant in the current tumultuous world situation. It should be mandatory reading for today's politicians.

A reminder of the world then and now!

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Seemed to rush toward the end. Liked the author was given a deadline and had to hurry up.

Excellent Character development, very forward facing story, I felt uncomfortably in their moment

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The United States unintentionally sparks a nuclear war with USSR when a US fighter plane accidentally strikes a base in Syria, resulting in USSR's nuclear retaliation.

Pat Frank might have written this novel in 1959 but swap USSR for Russia and it's a synopsis that could just as easily be drawn from a future headline.

This was the first time I'd read/ listened to Alas, Babylon and I really enjoyed it - particularly the insight it gave me into 1950s nuclear age. Gender roles are strong - men are brave and protective, women stand by their men and children as nurturers and carers and even little boys carry stiff upper lips.

But how interesting it is to see how society breaks down and yet humanity persists in the face of a nuclear war. Now I've read it, I can see where so many other post-apocalyptic novels, films and games have rightfully drawn their inspiration.

A great read - highly recommended.

Eerily close to home, even today

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