Are you a fiend for post-apocalyptic tales of societal collapse? Then Alas, Babylon is for you.
After a full-on nuclear war leaves most of the United States inside a crater, everything about society is thrown out the window. The government? Destroyed. Corporations? A thing of the past. The police? Haven't seen them since the bombs started falling.
In the midst of this chaos, Randy Bragg and his band of ragtag misfits struggle to rebuild some small sense of order in their Central Florida home of Fort Repose. Randy might break a few eggs to make his omelet, so to speak, but it results in a much safer community for his friends and neighbors.
Questions About Rules and Order
- What sort of power does the U.S. government hold after The Day? Is it fair to call it a government?
- What are some symbols used in the novel to illustrate the downfall of society?
- What does Randy mean when he says that the "Christian era" is dead? Do you agree with him given the circumstances?
- Which characters handle the collapse of the social order best? Who handles it worst?
Chew on This
After The Day, the U.S. government is essentially a figurehead: they only control a small portion of the country, after all.
After The Day, the U.S. government is still going strong: they're the ones who won the war, after all.