The Postman (novel) The Postman (novel)
I thought this book was a very enjoyable read, but
I actually decided to take it off the best list after some thought. Although
I initially gave it a 7 due its originality and the strength of ideas behind
the book, I have to agree with Sven (below) that the story itself isn't
quite compelling enough for a "best" book. The idea is certainly
an interesting one - a wanderer in post-apocalyptic America takes the uniform
of a dead Postman and gets caught up in his own lie (how's that for a back-of-book
summary?).
It's surprising how powerful this image becomes - that of the postal service as the glue that holds society together. But really, it makes sense - it is only because we take for granted the ability to communicate over vast distances in the modern world that we forget how essential that ability is to modern (such as it is) civilization (such as it is). Brin does a good job of making his Postman someone who you can identify and respect - someone who doesn't want the responsibility that they have thrust themselves into, but can't bring themselves to shirk it, either.
On the whole this book is an enjoyable read, and is definitely worth the time.
This was a well-crafted
piece of science fiction. The world was well-grounded in scientific theory,
and the social changes were the sort of "thought experiment" that
good sci-fi explores. I found the characters and plot interesting but not
compelling - the sign I think of a writer with very good ideas, original
and consistent, but without the spark for story-telling that makes the difference
between a good story like this one and an "Ender's
Game" or "Snowcrash".
