The story of Alas, Babylon addresses one of my favorite historically related questions, "What If?". In this circumstance, what if the soviet union had initiated a nuclear attack upon the United States in the late 1950s, at the height of the Cold War. When I had initially read the summary of the story on the back cover, I was not especially drawn to the possibilities... for it is a most scary subject, having been brought up in the spector of the ever present threat of nuclear fallout.

However, swallowing my dread, and hungering for a new story, I finally bit the bullet and picked up the book. I was wrong in my trepidation. Frank weaved a wonderful collection of characters from a small Florida town into an enthralling story of survival and hope. Perhaps it is more poignant to read that these people find a way to go on and survive after their worst nightmare occurred... something we were always afraid of happening when we were little ourselves.

I also found it quite interesting seeing the characters adapting to the changes in their lives due to this 'war' that has snuck up upon them... what can you eat? what do you do when there is no more gasoline? what do you do without electricity? how do you protect yourselves from the unruly? are you forgotten in the midst of the bigger picture or still a part of the whole?

This story is indeed classic and I highly suggest that others take the time to read it. Many of the political messages hidden within the context of the book remain important even today, with escalating tensions, it is good to see a classical novel pointing out that even if you are amongst the power players on the block, it doesn't take much to knock you off that position if you are unwary.

Check it out if you can.