The nuclear holocaust genre was born when an acquaintance asked Pat Frank what would happen if the U.S. and the Soviet Union engaged in a nuclear conflict. By that point, Frank had already established himself as a detailed observer of humanity's relationship to war, having written the novels Mr. Adam and Forbidden Area, as well as coverage of the Korean War.
Frank answers that question in his 1959 Alas, Babylon. Set in 1960, Alas, Babylon follows Randy Bragg, a citizen of the semi-fictional Florida town Fort Repose, as he prepares for and then deals with the aftermath of a nuclear attack. Under Randy's leadership, Fort Repose survives and rebuilds after the attack.
Today,...
