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[alyson]

I never saw the movie, which got panned. But I figured, it was well-liked enough for them to make a movie, so maybe the book is good.

Here's the synopsis: a major world war has occurred, causing a three-year winter and the eventual decimation of civilization as we know it. Mankind isn't wiped out, but most people that can be found are isolated and living at subsistence-level, under a variety of localized social systems.

Our protagonist, Gordon, is an ex-militia-member, wandering west across the country (about 17 years after the war). One night when he's freezing and desperate, he happens upon an unlooted mail truck, including the body of its former driver. Gordon takes the postal uniform, and some mail for something to read.

Soon he finds that the people he meets take him for a real postman himself, and that he can use that to gain entry to their strongholds and to trade for supplies. And from there the plot unfolds.

The Postman was an enjoyable book. The writing was smooth and the action was fast enough to carry me over the bumpy parts. The plot flowed fairly logically, and Brin tied up loose ends very well. I didn't feel like I'd been left hanging by the end, and the conclusion was satisfying without being "unrealistic".

This is a perfectly ok book, and although my recommendation is without fervor, other people may like it a lot more than me. I'm prejudiced by my preference for a particular type of idealistic ending.
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