Pat Frank wrote a book that has stood as a masterpiece for fifty years, even though the cold war has ended and the book is a bit dated. What makes this such a powerful piece, and why, like all classics, it will last for all time, is the interactions and relationships of the characters, both with others and within themselves. The fact that Fort Repose was not destroyed in the nuclear war forced people to make a choice. Survive or give up. Who digs deep to become a leader? Where do all those silver spoons go? And will all the disaster, can you still be a moral man? Alas, Babylon has always been a quick read for me. Not because it is simple (it isn't) but because of the authors skill with narrative and characterization.