The Postman

Book And Movie Equally Awesome - In Their Own Ways. I was first exposed to the tale of The Postman through the movie starring Kevin Costner and Will Patton - and I love that movie so much it inspired one of my tattoos. The book is VERY different, though of the same tone and with at least some of the early events similar if not identical. In particular, the point of becoming the Postman and the first time the costume is used in Pine View are almost identical, though from there the story diverges. Whereas the movie gave us a tale of a singular tyrannical Holnist - Will Patton's General Bethlehem - that is constantly right on the cusp of killing the Postman and everything he holds dear, the book is more of a tale of the Postman's travels and survival across Oregon. Both share that it isn't just the Postman's survival that is in peril, but that of the very concept of hope. And both ultimately share the tale of how that other most powerful force - love - is the strength that allows hope to survive. How each tells these tales, and the other points each makes along the way, are very, very different. But how the book - written over three decades ago - speaks to the modern political era is particularly prescient, and for that reason alone the book is well worth the 5 stars.