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Phoenix Rising #2
Firebase Freedom
This time, it’s us or them, FIGHT OR DIE
ONE NATION, UNDER GOD--THEIRS.
Eighteen months ago, America was invaded from within—by the self-proclaimed “Army of Allah.” Now, U.S. veteran Jake Lantz and a ragtag team of survivalists have built a safehold on Pleasure Island. From this home base in the Gulf, they can reclaim our nation’s natural gas wells for Phoenix, freedom’s last defense against Islamic invaders. But when U.S. President Ohmshidi publicly admits that he is, and has always been, a Muslim, every American is forced to choose sides—or else…
WITH LIBERTY, AND PAYBACK, FOR ALL
Under president’s orders, electric power, privileges, and “peace” will be restored—to any citizen who pledges allegiance to the new regime.
Jake and the Phoenix Group are willing to sign up—over their dead bodies. Instead, they’re reaching out to patriots across the nation to build an underground network of rebels. Like the Founding Fathers before them, they’ll do anything for their country. Swear on their lives. Fight to the death. And blow this “New World Order” to kingdom come…
ONE NATION, UNDER GOD--THEIRS.
Eighteen months ago, America was invaded from within—by the self-proclaimed “Army of Allah.” Now, U.S. veteran Jake Lantz and a ragtag team of survivalists have built a safehold on Pleasure Island. From this home base in the Gulf, they can reclaim our nation’s natural gas wells for Phoenix, freedom’s last defense against Islamic invaders. But when U.S. President Ohmshidi publicly admits that he is, and has always been, a Muslim, every American is forced to choose sides—or else…
WITH LIBERTY, AND PAYBACK, FOR ALL
Under president’s orders, electric power, privileges, and “peace” will be restored—to any citizen who pledges allegiance to the new regime.
Jake and the Phoenix Group are willing to sign up—over their dead bodies. Instead, they’re reaching out to patriots across the nation to build an underground network of rebels. Like the Founding Fathers before them, they’ll do anything for their country. Swear on their lives. Fight to the death. And blow this “New World Order” to kingdom come…
340 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
About the author
William W. Johnstone
1,055 books1,425 followersWilliam W. Johnstone is the #1 bestselling Western writer in America and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of hundreds of books, with over 50 million copies sold. Born in southern Missouri, he was raised with strong moral and family values by his minister father, and tutored by his schoolteacher mother. He left school at fifteen to work in a carnival and then as a deputy sheriff before serving in the army. He went on to become known as "the Greatest Western writer of the 21st Century." Visit him online at WilliamJohnstone.net.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 15, 2019
Where do I even start? This whole book was a thinly veiled (though the author certainly thought clever) attack on the Obama administration. Political opinions aside, I hate, hate, HATE ham-fisted political messages in my books, whether I agree with the message or not. There's nothing wrong at all with commenting on current social and political trends. In fact, those can be the best kinds of stories. But please don't beat me over the head with it.
At one point the author describes the fictional president's campaign posters and they're exact copies of Obama's 2012 campaign images. And I'm pretty sure one of the protagonists is supposed to be Rush Limbaugh, which is laughable.
I'm not even going to analyze the characters or plot, or the amateurish writing style because it'd be a waste of time. When a book is so flagrantly a political statement, the people who agree with the statement will love it and the people who disagree will hate it. That's just the way it is.
At one point the author describes the fictional president's campaign posters and they're exact copies of Obama's 2012 campaign images. And I'm pretty sure one of the protagonists is supposed to be Rush Limbaugh, which is laughable.
I'm not even going to analyze the characters or plot, or the amateurish writing style because it'd be a waste of time. When a book is so flagrantly a political statement, the people who agree with the statement will love it and the people who disagree will hate it. That's just the way it is.
August 14, 2018
3d grade level crap
February 22, 2020
This book is a disgrace to rationality.
February 6, 2022
Hate to say this, but this was one of Johnstone's flops. Almost gave it 1 star, but the the last several chapters got better.
The whole premise is based on our country being taken over as a caliphate. The first book was decent enough, but this one was all over the place, and the writing was very simple. This is not a quality thriller like Vince Flynn or Brad Thor.
The good was seeing how several groups of people deal with what is happening and how to go about changing it. Main group from the 1st book is settled in Fort Morgan near Gulf Shores, AL. How these groups come together is good.
The bad: Everything else. Just kill the bad guys, not too much suspense. No buildup. Also wonder how the country would have come to this in the first place, without a full scale revolution.
Lots of the same phrases over and over, especially what the "bad" guys have folks do.
Quick read but does not invoke much thinking.
The whole premise is based on our country being taken over as a caliphate. The first book was decent enough, but this one was all over the place, and the writing was very simple. This is not a quality thriller like Vince Flynn or Brad Thor.
The good was seeing how several groups of people deal with what is happening and how to go about changing it. Main group from the 1st book is settled in Fort Morgan near Gulf Shores, AL. How these groups come together is good.
The bad: Everything else. Just kill the bad guys, not too much suspense. No buildup. Also wonder how the country would have come to this in the first place, without a full scale revolution.
Lots of the same phrases over and over, especially what the "bad" guys have folks do.
Quick read but does not invoke much thinking.
December 4, 2015
When I first started reading this book; it was like a nightmare. the arose in my mind. How could this happen, but history tells us it can happen. I got really mad in the beginning pages of this book, because of the mistreatment that echoed from its pages. I realized this is what's going on in the far east at this very time. How people are leaving their homes and home land to escape the evil. The shows how ISIS is dealing with people in their regions, and how they are trying to spread it around the world.
August 17, 2020
This is a futuristic novel which stuck me as very timely. The United States of America has been taken over by Imam Mohammed Akbar Rahimi. and a fundamentalist Islamic sect who call themselves the Moqaddas Sirata, or the Holy Path. It has been been transformed into The American Islamic Republic of Enlightenment. Things are very similar to under Hitler's regime, Children 5 to 17 are taken from their parents and put into camps to be retrained into useful Muslims. If you want to be able to shop , you have to convert.
Groups of Patriots have gathered and are making plans to take the USA back again.
Groups of Patriots have gathered and are making plans to take the USA back again.
October 10, 2020
This was the second book in a series. America was invaded from within. All privileges have been revoked and will not be reinstated unless you pledge allegiance to the new regime. Jewish people are sent to work camps and men and women are separated. There is no armed services just the special police. William W. Johnstone usually writes western novels. This is a page turner. This was written in 2012 and is very relevant in the present times.
January 28, 2021
USA needs Help
The Johnstone's are not writing a Western this time. The United States has been taken over by a strange election. The Story is well written. The Characters are very Dynamic and believable. The Story is very exciting and tense. This book is a very Good Read. Santa Mike
The Johnstone's are not writing a Western this time. The United States has been taken over by a strange election. The Story is well written. The Characters are very Dynamic and believable. The Story is very exciting and tense. This book is a very Good Read. Santa Mike
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2022
Really can’t see how this happened has I saw the author completely negated a dozen secretary measures we have at the ports to detect nukes but what ever. Instead my problem his almost every nation has a nuclear signature to tell what reactor it came from!!!
September 28, 2017
There are several very disturbing parts of this book. In many ways, it's a What Might Have Been" book.
June 8, 2018
Not my usual type of book but it was lent you me by a friend. I got into the action and the end was a good cliffhanger.
February 5, 2022
continuing story
This book is the second of a series of three. This story starts the taking back of America. Enjoyed it. Now to the third book.
This book is the second of a series of three. This story starts the taking back of America. Enjoyed it. Now to the third book.
November 20, 2013
I went from the first of the series to the second book, this one. The first was disappointing and hoped the second would get the story's act together and get some teeth in it. It didn't.
This one really stumbles in the inability of the writer(s) to put a good story together. There was clearly an end and a continuation of the series in mind. What wasn't focused on was a feeling of care for characters or a depth of story to make the novel worth the time of the reader. Most of the writing just goes through the motions of getting the book done.
Before I started reading any Johnstone book the first of this year, i approached in fear this kind of book would be what I would run into. It very much wasn't the case. Almost all of the other eleven books I've read this year by the Johnstone clan excel in character development and a want to read more about them. This book is the first that meets my fear. I really am surprised it took so long to find a Johnstone book so bad, but I figured I might eventually come across one.
The major problem is that so many characters wear the lone hero label and succeed at their task without hardly an obstacle. None even get hurt in their efforts. Where are those great scenes in the Mountain Man series or Home Invasion where not everyone survives or breaks a leg or takes a bullet?
The most unbelievable scene in all of the Johnstone books I've read so far involves a character that goes in to rescue someone in a top government area and runs into about as much trouble as breaking into an unlocked candy store in a desert.
The series goal is to show how Americans can get their country back. Basically this series treats the world as two islands: The ones who took over and the ones who want to bring the country back. It's easy to ignore the rest of the world, but intellectually dishonest to believe there would be no repercussions to the actions of those who took over. There's also the issue of how so many were enlisted to become soldiers of those who took over. Where did they come from? Why are they so prevalent in some areas and missing in others? None of this makes sense.
The overall writing is subpar. This book is written more in mind of a comic book than a novel. That's not all that unusual in a Johnstone book, but it usually fits well into a strong story that's also present. The writing also goes off on tangents in some areas, specifically of descriptions, then pulls back, such as the rescue scene mentioned above which could have been a real nail biter.
On a side note, i love the patriotic theme. There's a ribbon of realization that comes over the characters that hey have something to fight for. I love that, but a writer could just as well written a treatise about patriotism.
I certainly am not giving up on the Johnstone clan based on a series book. Since January I've acquired more than fifty books of various series. I might even visit the third in this series down the road sometime. There are certainly better books ahead and I look forward to those.
Bottom line: I do not recommend this book.
This one really stumbles in the inability of the writer(s) to put a good story together. There was clearly an end and a continuation of the series in mind. What wasn't focused on was a feeling of care for characters or a depth of story to make the novel worth the time of the reader. Most of the writing just goes through the motions of getting the book done.
Before I started reading any Johnstone book the first of this year, i approached in fear this kind of book would be what I would run into. It very much wasn't the case. Almost all of the other eleven books I've read this year by the Johnstone clan excel in character development and a want to read more about them. This book is the first that meets my fear. I really am surprised it took so long to find a Johnstone book so bad, but I figured I might eventually come across one.
The major problem is that so many characters wear the lone hero label and succeed at their task without hardly an obstacle. None even get hurt in their efforts. Where are those great scenes in the Mountain Man series or Home Invasion where not everyone survives or breaks a leg or takes a bullet?
The most unbelievable scene in all of the Johnstone books I've read so far involves a character that goes in to rescue someone in a top government area and runs into about as much trouble as breaking into an unlocked candy store in a desert.
The series goal is to show how Americans can get their country back. Basically this series treats the world as two islands: The ones who took over and the ones who want to bring the country back. It's easy to ignore the rest of the world, but intellectually dishonest to believe there would be no repercussions to the actions of those who took over. There's also the issue of how so many were enlisted to become soldiers of those who took over. Where did they come from? Why are they so prevalent in some areas and missing in others? None of this makes sense.
The overall writing is subpar. This book is written more in mind of a comic book than a novel. That's not all that unusual in a Johnstone book, but it usually fits well into a strong story that's also present. The writing also goes off on tangents in some areas, specifically of descriptions, then pulls back, such as the rescue scene mentioned above which could have been a real nail biter.
On a side note, i love the patriotic theme. There's a ribbon of realization that comes over the characters that hey have something to fight for. I love that, but a writer could just as well written a treatise about patriotism.
I certainly am not giving up on the Johnstone clan based on a series book. Since January I've acquired more than fifty books of various series. I might even visit the third in this series down the road sometime. There are certainly better books ahead and I look forward to those.
Bottom line: I do not recommend this book.
December 29, 2012
The PHOENIX RISING series is somewhat reminiscent of the late William Johnstone's ASHES series, Americans taking back their country from oppressors. There is even a former adventure writer as leader, though he's no Ben Raines, as in the main character, but just one of a number of characters.
This is a scattershot novel obviously setting up the next books in the series with a series of vignettes of various characters coming to realize what's happening and escaping to work their way to the center of the United Free America.
I liked this one, though I had a few problems. As in other Johnstone books recently published, the ghost writers portray all liberals as incompetent fools and all conservatives as people of sterling character. Not true as any but the most rabid person knows better.
The enemy in this series are the radical Muslims that have taken over the country and begun molding it in their version of religion. There's even a group of Muslims that don't like what is being done to their religion and have begun to fight back.
I'll stick with this series a bit longer, despite the strident tone, to see what happens.
This is a scattershot novel obviously setting up the next books in the series with a series of vignettes of various characters coming to realize what's happening and escaping to work their way to the center of the United Free America.
I liked this one, though I had a few problems. As in other Johnstone books recently published, the ghost writers portray all liberals as incompetent fools and all conservatives as people of sterling character. Not true as any but the most rabid person knows better.
The enemy in this series are the radical Muslims that have taken over the country and begun molding it in their version of religion. There's even a group of Muslims that don't like what is being done to their religion and have begun to fight back.
I'll stick with this series a bit longer, despite the strident tone, to see what happens.
October 6, 2013
Contrived, lots of unanswered questions, some details left unexplained. The story moves along well; there are numerous secondary stories taking place, but the Johnstones manage to tie the characters together into the overall story fairly well. The premise is good, and the allusions to certain political figures are obvious. It is the type of story that will have minimal lasting value once the political scene moves on.
January 6, 2013
Although I found this an interesting book to read, and I read it in about five hours, I also found it to be a thinly veiled account, although an exaggeration of peoples irrational fears about President Obama's presidency.
January 25, 2013
After electing a Muslim president, the United States ceases to exist as a democracy. Islam controls the country and non-muslims are persecuted in a state similar to Nazi Germany. Some Americans resist and declare their freedom from the American Islamic Republic of Enlighteenment.
January 16, 2023
This story keeps you turning page after page. The action is non-stop. This is pure Johnstone.
***CAUTION - This a thinly veiled political thriller warning what could happen. It will be offensive to some political beliefs.
***CAUTION - This a thinly veiled political thriller warning what could happen. It will be offensive to some political beliefs.
February 25, 2013
For a book to stir emotion it must be well written and hit close to home. Congratulations Johnstone's you have done both!
June 29, 2013
Great book; could actually see the things described in this book happening in America! Recommended reading!
September 5, 2013
A book that is a take on Barack Obama, Rush Limbaugh. USA overtaken by Muslims. The fight to get the country back!
May 3, 2016
Well, I made it this far. Might as well read the third one. It's like the Star Wars prequels, I watched each one thinking that t couldn't get worse.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews