My copy of The Postman is battered, well-read, and much loved. It's a movie tie-in Bantam paperback that I found at a used bookstore, the pages ever so slightly yellowed, the cover worn, its top corner ever so slightly curling up in a dog's ear. It fits perfectly with the atmosphere that David Brin creates. This is not a book to be treated delicately or reverently; it is meant to be read, re-read, enjoyed, and explained.As good fiction, and science fiction, is wont to do, The Postman made me think. The central theme of this book is how humanity depends on myths to survive, and that these myths are always exaggerated and perhaps even, at their core, false. What matters is not their truthfulness but that they provide hope and inspire people to do great things, something Gordon Kranz discovers when he singlehandedly re-establishes the U.S. Mail service in Oregon and hails the coming of the "Restored United States."Brin does not proselytize this theme subtly, but that's OK. It probably shouldn't be subtle, because it's such a fundamental part of the fabric of our society—perhaps the U.S. more so than my Canada, but every country has its founding myths. John A. MacDonald's "National Dream," anyone? We codify, honour, and embellish these myths (or in the case of my example, we pay Pierre Berton and the CBC to do it for us); upon these myths, we build our national identities and ideologies. The Postman reminds us that it behoves us to remember this fact. Myths are not, in and of themselves, bad—if we take Gordon's dream featuring Benjamin Franklin playing chess with a supercomputer at face value, it would seem that myths are necessary for the preservation of a stable, just nation. Nevertheless, we must tread carefully, lest myth cross that line from useful propaganda to Big Lie.Playing the role of antagonists in The Postman, the Holnists follow the writings of anarchist survivalist Nathan Holn. The strong survive and the weak obey—or perish. Holn rises to popularity prior to the apocalyptic "Doomwar" (which is a really cheesy name) with a book that employs what Gordon calls "the Big Lie" technique:Just sound like you know what you're talking about—as if you're citing real facts. Talk very fast. Weave your lies into the shape of a conspiracy theory and repeat your assertions over and over again. Those who want an excuse to hate or blame—those with big but weak egos—will leap at a simple, neat explanation for the way the world is. Those types will never call you on the facts.This is obviously rhetoric on Brin's part against what he sees in politics in 1985. That it still rings true twenty-five years later is not surprising; as long as we have some form of society, post-apocalyptic or not, those who tell Big Lies will stay with us.Just as we remember the myths, we have to remember the treacherous nature of Big Lies. The Postman is a repetitive lesson in critical thinking. Gordon plays the role of both deceiver and deceived, providing an excellent example of why myths can both help and harm. Everything in this postapocalyptic Oregon is wrapped in myth: the Restored United States, the philosophy of the survivalists, the truth behind the Cyclops supercomputer, Dena's militant feminists, etc. Nothing is what it appears to be.I loved this book for the first three quarters. After Willamette Valley faces invasion by the survivalist, the quality of the book suffers. In particular, I didn't too much care for Brin's portrayal of Dena and her feminist ideals. They were straw feminists. Brin gives a slightly better treatment of this subject in Glory Season. As far as feminism in The Postman goes, however, you're better off ignoring this theme.The climax and denouement do not give this book the resolution it deserves. The final chapter is both heartening and somewhat cliché—but probably necessary. Despite this, Gordon is different at the end of the book; events have changed him, for better or worse. So while I can't celebrate the particulars of the narrative, I can commend the changes they bring about in the characters. Gordon is a protagonist whom we can admire and even aspire to be. At the same time, he is fallible, and sometimes he lets us down. He may be the last "Twentieth Century idealist" in a twenty-first century wasteland, but that makes him perfect for his role as hero.The Postman endures because it captures a story that is eternal to the human condition: the necessity of the myth, and the dangers of the Big Lie. As far as science fiction goes, it lacks most of the tropes. It takes refuge in the typical post-apocalyptic milieu and adds the merest hint of artificial intelligence and a dash of eugenics to the mix. But what it lacks in pomp and circumstance it makes up for in the persistence of its theme. The Postman is a myth unto itself, and one I heartily recommend.
In my experience people who pretend to be postmen are usually up to no good, they are more apt to enter your homes under false pretenses and rob you blind than attempt to unite the post apocalyptic Disunited States of America. The protagonist of this book has to be the most heroic postman in fiction. You thought Postman Pat and Cliff Clavin from Cheers are the bees knees? They got nothing on Gordon The Postman, he really knows how to deliver!This is the second Brin book for me, the previous one I read was Startide Rising which was fun but just a wee bit disappointing in that it did not resonate with me much (those "uplifted" dolphins are just a little too cute for me, even the badass ones). Still, I like Brin's writing and the basic premise of The Postman so I thought I'd give it a go, and it turned out to be one of my more inspired decisions. An optimistic post apocalypse book is a rarity, if this is a sub-sub genre I doubt it will catch on, you don't warn people about the errors of their ways only to have things eventually turning out OK. I think this book is more about idealism than a commentary about where the world is heading today. It is about a lie that grows into a truth rather than “A lie told often enough becomes the truth” which is an entirely different mailbag.While the story is sentimental in places, and not entirely unpredictable or cliche-free, Mr. Brin pushes the right buttons most of the time (leaving the left buttons entirely untouched). He has me cheering "AMERICA F*CK YEAH!" and I am not even American. I also like it that when the climactic kickassery ensues it is not between the titular Postman and the "boss villain", let the more interesting side character do the heavy lifting for a change. This is an excellent read that touches me at the emotional core. Five stars? I'd award it all the stars in the sky plus those residing in Hollywood!Note: I don't think I want to see the Costner movie after reading this factoid on IMDb.
What do You think about The Postman (1997)?
Again with my interest in post-apocalyptic stories. I guess I’m always a sucker for man stripped of all his contrivance and forced back to earlier software build. It’s kinda like reinstalling the OS for the world, I guess.The Postman must not be confused in any way with the Kevin Costner adaptation for screen. While that one did a decent job of capturing some of the visuals, the emotion of the story seems bleached out.In brief, our hero is a survivor in a fractured post nuclear war United States. In order to score some authority and welcome into the small, girded pockets of remaining humanity, he dons the uniform of a dead pre-war postal worker and fabricates his service to the postal service of the “Restored United States.” What started out as subterfuge is embraced by the survivors of the Pacific Northwest as hope that life might be returning to some sort of normal. The Postman carries enormous guilt about what he’s created, but his act of self-interest accidentally starts off a chain of events that begins to offer real hope for renewal. He’s finally forced to own his new persona when all that has been created is threatened by a band of survivalists seeking to crate a fiefdom in the vacuum of federal power.The offical review/synopsis on Good Reads says this isn’t Brin’s best work, calling the writing substandard and the plot contrived. I can’t quite agree. While it may not be a tour-de-force, a terrific character is realized in the role of the Postman. It’s a classic thief-turned-hero story; through his subterfuge, he creates good. That good in turn rebirths him and makes him this flawed society’s ideal defender.
—Roger
Nu știu câți dintre voi își amintesc de Jericho, micul serial post-apocaliptic care deceda în fașă, după numai 29 de episoade, cu mult înainte ca sfârșitul lumii să fie cool și să ajungă subiectul a vreo 375 de seriale diferite, în care lumea e distrusă în moduri din ce în ce mai creative.De Jericho mi-a adus aminte oarecum Poștașul, de David Brin (apărută recent la noi la editura Paladin), atunci când am început s-o citesc și mi-am dat seama că se va concentra în cea mai mare parte pe soarta a câteva orășele americane din Oregon, și nu a lumii întregi. Tot de Jericho (a cărei locație era Kansas) mi-a adus aminte și poleiala de patriotism a cărții și preocuparea pentru câteva concepte importante asociate de obicei cu SUA (democrație, libertate de exprimare). Ar fi putut fi un experiment tragic, iar Poștașul ar fi putut sfârși ușor în lada de gunoi a literaturii pentru un exces de cheesiness (din categoria patetism patriotic), dar Brin o salvează cu o mână sigură în momentul în care te face să înțelegi că, dincolo de toate cuvintele astea goale, cruzimea umană este un pericol real, mai real decât toate celelalte consecințe ale unui război.De altfel, într-o versiune destul de des întâlnită de viitor-postapocaliptic (bombe nucleare și EMP-uri care au distrus nu doar populația, ci și orice formă de tehnologie, mici comunități izolate de supraviețuitori care se luptă cu diverse grupuri anarhiste, oameni înfometați, în zdrențe, care țin cu dinții de ultima fărâmă de umanitate și preferă să moară de foame decât să ardă cărți), Brin face câteva mișcări deștepte, care schimbă cu totul jocul:1. Personajul principal, Gordon Krantz, nu este un erou. Nu vrea să salveze lumea. El doar găsește într-o mașină abandonată un poștaș mort lângă un sac de scrisori. Pentru că are nevoie de haine uscate, îi fură uniforma. Pentru că are nevoie de mâncare, dar comunitățile de supraviețuitori sunt prea speriate și sărace ca să mai fie și primitoare cu străinii, inventează un stat fictiv numit “Statele Unite Restaurate” și, ca reprezentant al acestui nou stat, le livrează oamenilor scrisorile din tolba poștașului. Își dă seama, astfel, că intermedierea comunicării dintre micile societăți izolate este biletul lui de intrare cam peste tot. Efectul neașteptat al planului lui Krantz este că oamenii capătă brusc speranță, și un întreg serviciu poștal ia naștere în micul colț uitat de Oregon. Comunicarea între oameni e o formă de putere, ne spune Brin, iar speranța în ceva ce nu există e un combustibil mai bun pentru supraviețuire decât lipsa oricărei speranțe.Nimic original, dar ideea mi s-a părut frumoasă. Te face să lăcrimezi nițel dacă te gândești bine.2. Umanitatea este ceva se se păstrează atâta timp cât oamenii au impresia că o păstrează cu un scop, își continuă Brin teoria, atunci cât în roman apare Cyclops, o supermașină care a supraviețuit miraculos apocalipsei și în jurul căreia s-a format o comunitate extrem de puternică, hotărâtă și prosperă. Evident (Spoiler alert!), Cyclops nu există decât fizic, e o mașină banală manevrată de niște păpușari inteligenți care și-au dat seama că dacă le spun oamenilor ce să facă, cineva o să le pună sigur spusele sub semnul îndoieii, dar că dacă ideile lor vin de la o mașină superinteligentă, ele vor fi luate în serios. Brin ne explică, prin acest microsistem, de ce o lume cu un dumnezeu aleatoriu e mai bună decât o lume lipsită de unul. Oamenii au nevoie să fie conduși de o entitate pe care n-o pot dărâma, de care nu se pot îndoi.3. În final, lumea e salvată de femei. Nu vă spun mai multe decât că nu mă așteptam ca asemenea feminism să transpire dintr-un SF postapocaliptic, dar a fost o surpriză plăcută. (continuarea cronicii: http://www.bookaholic.ro/postasul-de-...)
—Bookaholic
I stayed away from this book for a long time, mostly due to some cheesy scenes from the Kevin Costner movie I've caught between switching channels on my TV.I'm glad I've finally got around to give it a try. It starts as a rather bland post-apocalyptic adventure, but gradually the author weaves in the real theme - the role of myths (or Big Lies as they are called in the text) in shaping society. The Postman, the supercomputer and Denna are all riffs on the theme of the Messiah in the guise of Duty, Patriotism, Science or Feminism: the source of morality and the cohesive foundation of civilization as opposed here to the destructive trends of selfishness or greed. The American centrism of the novel brings some false notes from time to time (as in here was the best of all possible worlds, brought down by forces envious of their freedom), but ultimately I appreciated the message of hope that was still prominent in 1985, as compared to the more cynical view of recent authors.
—Algernon
