Alas, Babylon (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Pat Frank
- First Published: 1959
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Science fiction—post-holocaust
- Time of Work: The mid-twentieth century
- Setting: Fort Repose, a river town in Central Florida
- Genres: Long fiction, Science fiction, Apocalyptic and catastrophe fiction
- Subjects: Twentieth century, Leadership, Florida, Bible, biblical imagery, or biblical symbolism, Christ figures or saviors, Nuclear warfare or weapons
- Locales: Florida
The Plot
The time frame of Alas, Babylon is limited to a single year following a nuclear war. Randy Bragg is a thirty-two-year-old lawyer and former military officer living in Fort Repose, Florida. He and his small community manage to survive the effects of the war and, through their communal efforts, to preserve a modicum of civilization.
Randy receives from his brother Mark, an Air Force colonel and member of Strategic Air Command Intelligence, a telegram that ends with the phrase “Alas, Babylon.” This is their code for disaster, adopted from fiery sermons...
[The entire page is 963 words long]
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