This review is on The Postman by David Brin published in 1985. The storytelling is easy to get into. With some stories it's hard to form a clear picture of what's going on in the first chapter or two. Not with The Postman. The scenes and the motivations seemed clear in my head from the start, which makes for really smooth reading.
When I bought this paperback the owner of the bookshop commented that it was better than the movie with Kevin Costner. I didn't think so. I felt the novel didn't have the emotional peaks the movie did. In the novel, the main character never seemed to be fully committed to his new role or the potential for its symbolism to unite people. He was second guessing himself through the entire book. The movie delivered on the central theme a lot better. The novel also had a weird subplot of genetically engineered soldiers which felt out of place in this story. I don't remember that in the movie, which seems the right subplot to have removed.
As a reader, the emotional investment in the story started out high, but didn't seem to go anywhere the way it played out. I'd give this book a C; I don't feeld I'd recommend it to anyone.
When I bought this paperback the owner of the bookshop commented that it was better than the movie with Kevin Costner. I didn't think so. I felt the novel didn't have the emotional peaks the movie did. In the novel, the main character never seemed to be fully committed to his new role or the potential for its symbolism to unite people. He was second guessing himself through the entire book. The movie delivered on the central theme a lot better. The novel also had a weird subplot of genetically engineered soldiers which felt out of place in this story. I don't remember that in the movie, which seems the right subplot to have removed.
As a reader, the emotional investment in the story started out high, but didn't seem to go anywhere the way it played out. I'd give this book a C; I don't feeld I'd recommend it to anyone.