The Postman

David Brin's "The Postman" (you have to scroll down the linked page a bit) is better than what I've heard about the movie by the same name. No, I haven't seen the movie. Short summary, free of spoilers: Gordon Krantz is trying to survive 16 years after an apocalyptic cataclysm involving nuclear arms, pestilence, famine, a three-year nuclear winter. Needless to say, America (not much mention of the rest of the world, but presumably it's all messed up too) has imploded into a tribal sort of existence. Actually, "America" doesn't really exist anymore. It's just a bunch of people trying to survive. That is, until good ol' Gordon becomes a postman. It's entirely by accident - after being robbed by a band of ne-er do wells, he stumbles across the remains of a postie in a rusted out Jeep - with the accoutrements (nice jacket but for a couple of bullet holes), a hat, and, yes, a sack of mail. For his own reasons, Gordon picks up the mail and appoints himself some rounds. Sleet, hail, nuclear winter... GO USPS!

Actually, he falls into it by accident - he's mooching food and shelter at a small enclave, and they twig onto the postman gear, and bingo bango bongo, he's the first employee, inspector, and CEO of the Restored United States of America Postal Service. Neat, because people get all funny and give him food and shelter when he comes around. But, it's never so simple. He made up the Restored U.S.A bit, and then has to run with it. Along his route, he meets people that really feed off the idea, and then the book has the chance to explore several themes all at once, including the nature of leadership, the folly of aggression versus cooperation, technophilia versus technophobia, feminism, individualism and it's variants, Mountain Man anti-governmentalism, "Man" in a state of nature (Hi there Hobbes! Rousseau's out for a bit!) and the need for hope as well as the unending responsibility faced by reluctant yet worthy leaders.

Whew.

Worth reading. I've been lucky with the books so far. I'm probably due for a stinker.