And it has a great, big heart, beautifully conveying the moral center of my tale, for which I’m grateful. I won’t go into detail here, except to say that I deem it to be among the most gorgeous – in music and cinematography – in film history. Of course there’s the 1997 Kevin Costner movie – you’d expect me to have mixed feelings. Some messages reported that this decidedly America-centered tale has taken root as an icon for democracy movements even in nations of the former Soviet steppe. In this era of cynicism, we need reminders of the decency that lies within. In the years since this novel emerged, I’ve been touched by many letters and messages from readers who felt moved by the travels and travails of a ragged survivor, deeply scarred, yet still willing to hope.

A wanderer who cannot let go of a dream we all once shared, who – quite by accident – sparks restored faith that we can recover, and perhaps even become better than we were. It starts with the last idealist in a fallen America. This a story about how much we take for granted – and how desperately we would miss the little, gracious things that connect us today. Yes heroes matter! But far more important would be reminding survivors that they once had been mighty beings called citizens, and they might be, yet again. The Postman was written as an answer to all those post-apocalyptic books and films that seem to revel in the idea of civilization’s fall, and that only lone heroes can make a difference.

The postman by david brin