gjerawlins@watdaisy.UUCP (Gregory J.E. Rawlins) (12/07/85)
THE POSTMAN - David Brin; Bantam, 1985. $18.95 (Canadian)
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The Cover painting:
Grey on grey on grey. Scene: a flat, broken and parched expanse
of earth, warped, as if seen through a fisheye lens. In the extreme
background, the ruins of a city - the picture of Desolation. In the
middle distance, a U.S. Mail Postman in insouciant pose as if daring
the world to do its worst - the epitome of Defiance. In the extreme
foreground, a miniscule plant struggling to survive in its arid
surroundings - a symbol of Hope and Regeneration.
----
With _The Postman_ Brin has (apparently) taken a giant step
sideways into the best-seller market and attempted to explore some
of the Big Words - Country, Duty, Honour, Sacrifice, and, for my money
(literally) he did a reasonably good job.
Gordon Krantz is an ex-liberal, one of those who still believe in
fair-play and justice and bread and salt for all. Gordon is hopelessly
obsolete in post-Doomwar America. While trying to save himself from
dying of exposure after an encounter with bandits he discovers a
postman's jacket complete with long dead postman and mailsacks. He uses
the jacket to ward off the cold and, in return for a night of warmth,
he shoulders a burden that is to ride him for the rest of the book.
This is a tale about the myth making process and the value and
extent of myths to human beings. Gordon like Ben Franklin, George
Washington and Company finds himself the nucleus of a myth that needs
to be in order for a new Idea to become a new country. The mood is
upbeat -i found myself cheering several times throughout the book -
despite the setting of the story, but, unfortunately, Brin doesn't
quite convince. There is an ancient Chinese proverb usually paraphrased
as "If you have two pennies buy a loaf of bread with one and a rose
with the other". In _The Postman_ Brin manages the rose but not all of
the loaf; he correctly evokes the mood but does not adequately explore
the underpinnings of his solution to the problem.
I have a few other gripes but they are relatively minor: since the
slightly negative response to the mild obscurity present in _Sundiver_
Brin seems to foreshadow events so much that much of the impact is lost
- but this seems a necessary evil for any book aimed at best-seller
lists. Further there are a few infelicities of expression which mar the
smooth flow of the prose but overall i was pleased with the work. The
point at which it fell flat for me would require divulging too much of
the plot to those of you who care about such things.
On the whole it's a worthwhile read but i recommend you wait for
the paperback unless you're a rabid Brin fan or you can give it to
your SO for Christmas if s/he isn't into sf.
greg.
--
gjerawlins%watdaisy@waterloo.csnet 1-519-884-3852 Gregory J. E. Rawlins
gjerawlins%watdaisy%waterloo.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa CS Dept., U. Waterloo
{allegra,decvax,inhp4,utzoo}!watmath!watdaisy!gjerawlins Waterloo, Ont. N2L3G1perelgut@utai.UUCP (Stephen Perelgut) (12/09/85)
My $0.02 worth "Postman" is an excellent book, and I have no regrets about paying the hardcover price for it. I would certainly consider Brin's next book in hardcover based on his excellent track record. (Personally I'd vote for Sheri Tepper over David Brin for best new writer, but it's a close call). That aside, Postman has a couple of flaws that seem to be required for a "bestseller". The first flaw is a plethora of characters that don't add much to the plot. The second, and much worse, is the stupid mutant-stronger-than- true-human sub-plot. Yucko! If Brin had stuck to the theme of Hope and Restoration without the (seemingly obligatory) car-chase-type scene, I'd have rated the book a +3 or +4 on my -4 to +4 rating scheme. As it is, I'd give it only +2. Borrow it in hardcover if you have an opportunity, or keep asking your local bookstore when the paperback is due. -- Stephen Perelgut Computer Systems Research Institute, University of Toronto