History Literature / ThePostman

* SmugSnake: General Macklin truly thinks of himself as superior to everyone around and acts accordingly. Not to mention his SuicidalOverconfidence (too much of it) thanks to his cybernetic implants.

* ChosenConceptionPartner: Having mumps as an adult rendered Michael infertile. While he and Abby are both HappilyMarried, they also want to have a child. To avoid the genetic bottleneck effect and friction with a locally-picked father, they ask Gordon, an outside drifter, to try to impregnate Abby. The book somehow manages to handle it without making it as awkward as it sounds and it doesn't carry any romantic undertones, unlike the infamous RomanticPlotTumor from the film adaptation. [[spoiler:Gordon never again visits Pine View and intentionally distances himself from the daughter Abby bears.]]

** Gordon finding the postal van while trying to catch up with robbers who just mugged him. It helps in both the short and long term -- first providing shelter and clothes, then giving him a perfect U.S. Postal Carrier disguise. This is also an example of the AnthropicPrinciple, as Gordon finding the van and needing to wear the outfit is what starts the story.
** Gordon finding [[spoiler:Dena after being recaptured by Holnists, moments before she expires in his arms]].

* DeconstructorFleet: Openly admitted by author David Brin as a massive takedown on [[AfterTheEnd the entire post-apocalypse genre]], which was at its peak of popularity back then. Most of it is achieved by simple PerspectiveFlip and telling the story from the perspective of people that are usually saved by some cliché, OneManArmy-style AntiHero and making it a point to show just how horrible life without modern civilization can get. And that usual hero archetype is most represented by the ''bad guys'' here, with a lot of the ideas underlying it deconstructed. The protagonist himself isn't some badass loner who is strengthened by living in the wild, but a milquetoast man who ''hates'' struggling in the wild and wishes to join a community that has rebuilt itself. His heroism does ''not'' come from winning battles, but by (inadvertently) inspiring others to think beyond merely survival and rebuild society.

* FakeRealTurn: Gordon made up the Restored United States and its postal services, but as he travels and recruits more postmen to his cause, the lie becomes more and more real.

* InstantAIJustAddWater: Averted. The pre-war [=AI=] computers were a step between supercomputers and true [=AI=], built on specially designed processors and components. Only by running sufficiently long could they go beyond answering questions and solving equations to achieve true sentience. [[spoiler:Which makes Cyclops' death even more shattering.]]

* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:Roger Septien, the robber from the very first pages of the book, is eventually killed by Johnny when he and Gordon are escaping Holnist [=HQ=]]], as he is unlucky enough to stand guard in a vital spot.

* SmugSnake: General Macklin truly thinks of himself as superior to everyone around and acts accordingly. Not to mention his suicidal level of overconfidence thanks to his cybernetic implants.

* SuperSoldiers: The Augments, who were chosen for their violent tendencies, modified [[BodyHorror freakishly]], and deployed several times before the government wised up to what that sort of soldier does during peacetime. Post-Doomwar, they hold the top positions among the villainous Holnists. [[spoiler:George Powhatan is a second-generation augment, chosen because he is an ActualPacifist and forcibly transformed with more subtle implants focusing on [[MasterOfYourDomain biofeedback]].]]

* SurvivorGuilt: Gordon doesn't feel too good about the fact that [[spoiler:all his fellow militiamen are dead]]. It's more than a decade and he still labors under the burden of being the last man standing.
* TakeThatAudience: There are countless jabs throughout the story towards all sorts of prepper types that might read the book simply because it's set AfterTheEnd. Even with Holnists removed from the equation, the sole notion of the glorified "self-sustaining survivor" is shred to pieces. Rather than focusing on the [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality self-righteous hero]], the story instead points out what happens if two (or more) such types end up in a single area and [[PersonOfMassDestruction how much havoc they will cause to people around them]]. By the start of the book, the vast majority of those types managed to kill each other dead ''over a decade'' ago, in the process squandering a huge amount of vital supplies and dragging the whole civilization down to "protect" their lifestyle.

** When tracking the muggers in the first chapter, Gordon notes that he will most likely die in the process ... but at least the surrounding area will be a bit more safe for future travelers.

This 1985 novel by Creator/DavidBrin is most famous for [[TheFilmOfTheBook an adaptation]] made 12 years later [[StarDerailingRole that nearly killed]] Creator/KevinCostner's career.

* ActionSurvivor: Gordon, who is regularly out of his depth and survives by guile or luck.

* AmericaSavesTheDay: In a sense. [[spoiler:The Restored United States of America starts as a lie and ultimately becomes very much real.]]

* ArtisticLicenseGunSafety: A well-AvertedTrope. [[CombatPragmatist Gordon]] never holds more than four bullets in his revolver, unless it's an emergency or it appears he's doomed. His gun is always secured in its holster. He takes a good care of it and always uses it with an accurate two-hand grip.

* BackupBluff: [[spoiler:When the Holnists are encircling the unit of Willamette Army Gordon is commanding, he realizes their only chance is in pretending there are more of them. So he makes sure to shout orders to nonexistent back-up at top of his lungs, trying to overcome the gunfire. It works only partially -- the Holnists still overrun the camp, but at least [[TakingYouWithMe the Willamette forces managed to kill a fair few of the survivalists in the ensuing confusion]].]] The charade is even brought back up later, when Gordon is recognized as the "mouthy fellow".
* BadassNormal: One of Gordon's comrades is a former [[SemperFi Marine]], and when both of {{The Dragon}}s are killed off-page while hunting him, the BigBad assumes that he is responsible. [[spoiler:The second Dragon actually killed the Marine, and in turn [[BigDamnHeroes George Powhatan]] killed him.]]

** The original postman. While going through his mail, Gordon realises he died ''three years'' after the war, courageously going behind lines for the sake of the mail, and only part of it being vital messages. He didn't even carry any weapon on himself.

** The Restored United States of America, along with the Restored Postal Service - neither is real (well, the Postal Service ''becomes'' real) when Gordon starts talking about them, but they quickly evolve into ideas that ''[[CantStopTheSignal nothing]]'' [[CantStopTheSignal can stop]]. Gordon even makes up a few basic Congressional orders to further facilitate the conspiracy and, in the process, bring order to Oregon.
** [[spoiler: Servants of the Cyclops and Cyclops itself. Originally, it was very real, but Cyclops was destroyed early on after the Doomwar, forcing the scientists behind it to maintain the masquerade and doing their darnest to perform even the preliminary plan of the supercomputer to rebuild civilisation or at least make Oregon less of a hellhole]].

* ComesGreatResponsibility: A recurring theme, even if that power is the seemingly innocuous position of postman.

* CrazySurvivalist: The "Holnist Survivalists"; it's explicitly noted that after everything fell apart, Holn himself was dragged out and lynched for getting them started. Also that the Holnists forever tainted the term "survivalist".

* DeathGlare: Gordon gave one to the Mayor of Oakridge when he started to contest the Mayor's authority over the town -- the first act of defiance the Mayor had to face in many years.
* DeathIsDramatic: Averted for almost all characters, who die suddenly, without much fanfare and often without funeral, but played absolutely straight when [[spoiler:Dena dies. She has all the time needed to talk with Gordon for the last time and expires calmly in his embrace]].
* DeconstructorFleet: Openly admitted by author David Brin as a massive take down on [[AfterTheEnd the entire post-apocalypse genre]], which was at its peak of popularity back then. Most of it is achieved by simple PerspectiveFlip and telling the story from the perspective of people that are usually saved by some cliché, OneManArmy-style AntiHero and making it a point to show just how horrible life without modern civilization can get. And that usual hero archetype is most represented by the ''bad guys'' here, with a lot of the ideas underlying it deconstructed. The protagonist himself isn't some badass loner who is strengthened by living in the wild, but a milquetoast man who ''hates'' struggling in the wild and wishes to join a community that has rebuilt itself. His heroism does ''not'' come from winning battles, but by (inadvertently) inspiring others to think beyond merely survival and rebuild society.
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Ever since the world collapsed, Gordon has been just drifting all over the northern parts of the former US, trying to find some place worth staying and any semblance of civilization worth taking part in.

* DividedWeFall: The only reason why Holnists or just regular thugs and bandits can thrive is lack of cooperation and unity on the side of the communities they oppress. The book as a whole makes it a point to explain that civilization and society as we know it can exist when and only when people work together for shared goals, putting the group ahead of their own ambitions. This was written [[TheEighties at a time]] when {{Greed}} was seen as a virtue.

** {{Subverted}} with the Holnists -- they are generally feared, but hated even more. Large bands of Holnists can force people into submission, but if any of them are caught alone, the common people will show no mercy.

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Those who have bought into the Holnist philosophy believe that [[MightMakesRight anything you can acquire by force is rightfully yours,]] and [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain this makes women inherently inferior.]] They can't accept any philosophies of equality or respect for people weaker than you as anything except a delusion among those 'frightened' of this 'reality', serving to shackle the strong men like them.

* FeudalFuture: Countless communities were either reduced into clan-like organisations or outright serfdom under some strongman. Then there is the land under Holnist rule, which is divided into baronies -- hell-holes where everybody except the local brute-squad are slaves for some local "lord".

* FromNobodyToNightmare: Roger Septien, one of the robbers at the beginning, introduces himself as a former stockbroker. Later on, Colonel Bezoar says he was once a lawyer and Republican county commissioner.

** Subverted later on, when [[spoiler:the Holnists capture him for the second time. He manages to climb onto [[UnwillingSuspension a beam his hands were tied to]]]], but the first thing Colonel Bezoar does when he realizes Gordon is missing is look up. Gordon expects this, however, and drops on him as soon as he does.

* InverseLawOfUtilityAndLethality: Gordon is a former sophomore of some sociology-themed major who was attending acting group in spare time back then... which helps him all the time in the postwar world.
* IronicName: The Holnists' call their domain "the Free Realm", with their military being the "American Liberation Army". They're a slave society and seek to conquer everyone else around them. No doubt they would not view this as ironic, however -- rather as the [[MightMakesRight freedom of the strong]] to crush or rule the weak, [[AboveGoodAndEvil without restraints]].

* MadeASlave: Anyone captured alive by Holnists. This also includes {{sex slave}}s.

* {{Matriarchy}}: And a noble one -- Pine View is guided by elderly Mrs. Thompson. The first chapter is much more prone to use tribalistic references and thus even narration calls her a matriarch a few times.

* MutualMasquerade: Gordon with his Restored Postal Service (and RUSA behind it) meets [[spoiler: Servants of the Cyclops, who run their own BenevolentConspiracy]]. Gordon manages to figure out their con, but never reveals it, fully understanding how [[HopeBringer important it is]]. His own postal con is never exposed, while also [[FakeRealTurn becoming very real]], making its made-up origin a moot point anyway. Both of those conspiracies share the same goal: to bring back law and order and rebuild at least a semblance of the pre-war world.

** Towards the end of the book, the Postman discovers why the Holnists have been pushing so hard into Oregon. [[spoiler:They are retreating from an army in the Republic of California.]]

* SerialNovel: The first part of the book was originally published as a short story and later the second one was written as continuation in the same format. The final part was added after Creator/DavidBrin decided to turn it into a full-fledged book. It ''shows''. The first part is written in a completely different style and with vocabulary aiming to point how primitive the world is. The first two parts of the book fit as clearly standalone stories. The final part is obviously [[ArcWelding aiming to sew everything together]] into much tighter structure.

* SnowballLie: In the process of covering his ass, the Postman accidentally invents a "Restored United States." The myth becomes so widespread that even the Holnists can't stomp it out [[spoiler:and eventually leads to the RUSA being very much real]].
* TheSocialDarwinist: Holnists, who firmly believe that the strong should rule the weak, the only possible law is the law of the jungle and idealistic principles are only good for retarded and kids.

* SpannerInTheWorks: Gordon with his SnowballLie shows up mere months before [[spoiler:Holnist evacuation into Oregon. This means they encounter organised and fierce resistance of the entire region, rather than just picking settlements one by one like they're used to]].

* StrawFeminist: The title character is caught between the Scouts and the Holnists ([[ProudWarriorRaceGuy straw masculists]]). The Scouts come off better, but they're still slightly crazy. The main difference between the Scouts and most examples on this page is that they are roughly egalitarian feminists who (1) know of the progress made towards gender equality in the USA during the 20th century and (2) recognize that in the post-apocalyptic present all those achievements are being eroded. Furthermore, they realize that within a generation or two women could be in the same situation they were two centuries ago, or if the Holnists win, far, far worse. They are determined to avoid this possibility. The "slightly crazy" part is because they're long on ideology and commitment but short on practical solutions. Although they earnestly try to train and prepare for the coming conflict, battle between the Scouts (in their current form) and the Holnists would be a lot like an armed hiking club trying to repel a Cossack raid. [[spoiler:Perhaps unsurprisingly, their plot against the Holnists fails.]] Importantly, Scouts, unlike Holnists, are not only aware they have SmallReferencePools for their ideology, which obviously leads to various misinterpretations, but are doing their best to keep the more extreme stances and ideas under the rug, while Holnists dive headfirst into their extremism.

* TakeThatAudience: There are countless jabs throughout the story towards all sort of prepper types that might read the book simply because it's set AfterTheEnd. Even with Holnists removed from the equation, the sole notion of the glorified "self-sustaining survivor" is shred to pieces. Rather than focusing on the [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality self-righteous hero]], the story instead points out what happens if two (or more) such types end up in a single area and [[PersonOfMassDestruction how much havoc they will cause to people around them]]. By the start of the book, the vast majority of those types managed to kill each other dead ''over a decade'' ago, in the process squandering a huge amount of vital supplies and dragging the whole civilization down to "protect" their lifestyle.

* VictoryByEndurance: Discussed and invoked. General Macklin explains to Gordon how his minor setbacks are meaningless in the long run, simply because he has ideological superiority over "cowards" -- the Holnists can simply wait out for [[WeAreStrugglingTogether the local alliances to collapse over time]] when they will no longer be under pressure of direct threat, only for the Holnists to return then to mop up the survivors one by one. All while the teachings of Nathan Holn are ''very'' tempting to ambitious, strong and brave individuals, further eroding ranks of the "sheep". [[spoiler:But it's the Willamette Valley that comes out victorious this way, simply by resisting the Holnists for long enough to finally convince [[SummonBiggerFish George Powhatan to join their fight.]] A few weeks later, the Holnists are a DecapitatedArmy on retreat and busy fighting each other for the leadership, while the Oregon region emerges as a unified territory with a strong government.]]

* WasntThatFun: According to Johnny, he had a great time while [[spoiler:escaping from the Holnists' [=HQ=]]].

** Mrs. Thompson, the elderly matriarch guiding Pine View's community.
** The inner ring of [[spoiler: Servants of the Cyclops]] are all elderly professors and post-grads, who run the whole show.
* WastelandWarlord: The Holnists in general, but General Macklin in particular. His goal is to secure as much ground and assets as possible to maintain his power and also disrupt as much as he can the new reconstruction effort in Oregon. All to [[spoiler: prevent a repeat of the situation in California, where the local communities established the Republic of California and soundly trashed Macklin's American Liberation Army]].
* WeCanRuleTogether: Macklin makes an offer like this to Gordon when he's his prisoner. He recognizes that Gordon is a {{worthy opponent}} of the Holnists, and says he'd be made a baron. Knowing Gordon's principles, he even says that he'd be allowed to treat his serfs compassionately if that's his wish. Gordon flatly rejects this, however.

* WhatHaveIBecome: The Chairman of Public Safety from Curtin, after realizing how barbaric life has become. Bonus points for being a former member of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Society_for_the_Prevention_of_Cruelty_to_Animals ASPCA]], now organizing dog fights. [[ManlyTears He starts to weep over this.]]
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: The brutal survivalists/Holnists are led by General Macklin and his aides, who were [[spoiler:pre-war experiments on creating soldiers with superhuman strength and speed]]. The government chose the most ruthless, intelligent, and efficient killers in its military, with foreseeable results when the US itself turned into an anarchistic warzone. Macklin is finally killed by [[spoiler:George Powhatan, a later experiment of the same ilk, though with a nature loving Neo-Hippie as subject]].

** One of the main points of Holnist philosophy is high regard toward people who managed to beat them, but that doesn't mean any quarter in case of being encountered in the future:
** To his own surprise, Gordon is praised for his killing of two Holnists who he encountered in the library. Despite Holnist ideology being sexist, Macklin also praises the female Army Scouts for their plot against the Holnists too.

* WriterOnBoard: But a [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools really good one]]. Brin makes a good cause for his agenda: society can only work when people within it are willing to cooperate and look past their own personal gains, focusing on the broader picture instead, as this will benefit them anyway. The sum can be much greater than its parts, making all those individuals who feel powerless stronger as a group.

* UtilityBelt: DownplayedTrope. Gordon's military belt holds his most important belongings: canteen, Swiss army knife, tube of iodine, compass, and holster with his gun and bullets.

* UtilityBelt: DownplayedTrope. Gordon's military belt holds his most important belongings: canteen, Swiss army knife, tube of iodine, compass, and [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers holster with his gun and bullets]].

* ShamingTheMob: After being finally invited to Powhatan's Sugarloaf Mountain fortress, Gordon quickly realizes lies about the Restored United States won't work here. Instead he ditches all the speeches prepared in advance and calls everyone there out [[ApatheticCitizens on their indifference and lack of action]], when they have all the means and skills needed for the fight against Holnists and how things will turn out if they won't help their neighbors. [[SubvertedTrope It still doesn't work.]]

* UnspecifiedApocalypse: The details are intentionally kept vague, but it's relatively easy to figure out that whatever the Doomwar was about, it ended up with limited nuclear exchange, combined with high-altitude detonations (thus EMP) and biological agents were also used. However, ''neither'' of those knocked the government or civilisation as such down. Instead it was result of the various mobs that formed in the aftermath of war, some of which actively and deliberately harassed and destroyed any efforts at reconstruction they came across, further combined with indifference of people not affected directly. The letters Gordon finds in the van clearly indicate that things were struggling, but somewhat still normal ''three years'' after the Doomwar and he was himself a guardsman in the National Guard some two years after the war. All this uncertainty is used as a plot-point, since in the end, it doesn't really matter and people have to come to terms with it if they didn't already.

* UnspecifiedApocalypse: The details are intentionally kept vague, but it's relatively easy to figure out that whatever the Doomwar was about, it ended up with limited nuclear exchange, combined with high-altitude detonations (thus EMP) and biological agents were also used. However, ''neither'' of those knocked the government or civilisation as such down. Instead it was result of the various mobs that formed in the aftermath of war, some of which actively and deliberately gunned down and destroyed any sign of reconstruction they've came across, further combined with indifference of people not affected directly. The letters Gordon finds in the van clearly indicate that things were struggling, but somewhat still normal ''three years'' after the Doomwar and he was himself a guardsman in the National Guard some two years after the war. All this uncertainty is used as a plot-point, since in the end, it doesn't really matter and people have to come to terms with it if they didn't already.