The Postman

Last week, I talked about finishing up the David Brin book, Sundiver. I liked it, but it was a little bit too far on the hard sci-fi end of the scale for my tastes, so it didn't really do it for me like I'd wanted. A twist of fate in the scheduling of my holds, however, had me trying Brin out again right afterward with his book The Postman. 

I remember that being a movie with Kevin Costner in it back in the 90s, but I didn't ever see it. I did know the general storyline of the book, however, because of the commercials and whatnot for that film. It's a post-apocalyptic world, and a dude brings hope and community to the people by pretending to be a postman and delivering letters around the area.

Now, that may sound a little silly. It did to me. I'm guessing that David Brin once worked as a mailman before his career as a writer took off or something. If I had to imagine what things might ignite hope in people after a nuclear holocaust, having a mailman would likely be down on the list toward the bottom if it made the list at all. Brin made it work, though. The story was good and even believable. Maybe it wasn't the best thing to use as an avatar of hope, but it worked.

I really enjoyed the story, and for the most part, unlike what I had in the previous book from him, Sundiver, I really wanted to keep reading to see what happened next. That's really all I'm looking for in my entertainment...some real entertainment. So, getting this book from Brin right after Sundiver was good. It makes me more likely to go back and finish up the books in the Uplift Saga as well, After all, unlike Sundiver, those ones are the books that are on my shelf. 

The Postman was too, so I'm making some progress. Someday soon I'll be able to say I've read all the books on my shelf, but for now it remains a dream.