ordon Krantz was just another Doomwar survivor making his way across a post-apocalypse United States when he was attacked by bandits. Although he managed to escape uninjured, he was forced to leave behind most of his belongings, including his winter clothes. Without the gear, his escape would amount to only a few hours of grace--once night falls he will surely freeze to death. So Gordon tracks the bandits back to what he thinks is their lair, hoping to regain enough of his possessions to at least survive until morning. But what he finds instead is an old postal truck filled with bags of undelivered mail and the skeleton of a long-dead postman. It's enough for Gordon, who salvages the postman's uniform and jacket, as well as a sturdy mailbag, and who keeps himself alive through the cold night by nestling in forgotten mail.
The mail paraphernalia proves to be an unexpected boon for Gordon, who begins, a bit unwillingly at first, to pass himself off as a mail inspector of the "Restored United States," sent out to establish a mail route between Idaho and Oregon. Despite the fact that his story is clearly contrived, the isolated enclaves Gordon travels to are more than willing to believe him, for he offers them a hope many thought long lost. They welcome him with open arms (for the most part) and even set up post offices of their own. Gordon dutifully designates local mail carriers in each town, and they begin trundling mail back and forth along the routes Gordon has already trodden.
But all is not well in post-war America as the followers of the survivalist dictator Nathan Holn try to take over the more-or-less peaceable communities Gordon comes across. There may be hope in the local legend of Cyclops, a benevolent artificial intelligence that survived the war. But ultimately the salvation of humanity, or at least this small pocket of it, may lie in an almost-forgotten symbol of a once-powerful nation.
Brin's Postman delivers an unusual story
It's easy to see why this novel has gathered a cult following over the years, because at its heart there is a spirited and compelling story. Brin uses the "postman" as a powerful symbol of a bygone age that brings hope to a defeated and disenfranchised population...heady stuff indeed, especially for patriotic-minded Americans. Even though readers know "the postman" is a ruse half concocted by and half thrust upon Gordon, it's easy to become caught up in what is essentially the rebirth of a nation and a people.
Unfortunately, much of this inspired story is mired in lackluster writing and contrived plots. Brin also paints Gordon as a less-than-sympathetic character who seems to alternate between being a bit too whiny, a bit too supercilious, and a bit too inept (not to mention the fact that he just doesn't seem to catch on about how important "the postman" is becoming to society, even though the evidence is often thrust in front of him).
Some of these flaws may be attributable to the fact that The Postman is actually comprised of four parts, two of which ("The Postman" and "Cyclops") appeared as short stories in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in 1982 and 1984. Although each part continues Gordon's story, they jump forward in both time and space by varying degrees, making for a somewhat disjointed read. Short, inchoate "interludes" meant to bridge the gap (at least thematically) don't smooth things out much, although it's fairly obvious they were included to provide some framework for the overall story.
In spite of these seemingly insurmountable flaws, The Postman is undeniably a successful novel on the "gut" level. And in the end it is certainly a book worth reading, although it's doubtful this one will be listed as one of Brin's great works.
