Holding Their Own IV: The Ascent

Holding Their Own #4

by Joe Nobody

The president is dead and the military divided, two powerful armies aligned to reignite a bloody, civil war. Millions struggle and starve, waiting for the government to reform and initiate a recovery. Bishop and Terri have a simple plan – they want to retreat to an isolated strip of West Texas desert and prepare for the expansion of their family.

It’s not meant to be. The vacuum of leadership ignites an internal struggle that pulls the couple into the middle of a fast paced, dangerous adventure as powerful, desperate men fight to control what’s left of the United States.

Book four of Joe Nobody’s popular series, Holding Their Own, takes the reader on an adventure through a world trying to recover and rebuild after a complete collapse of society. The post-apocalyptic landscape is dangerous, unpredictable and often requires creative solutions just to survive. Join Bishop, Terri and their friends as The Ascent begins.

Genres: Post Apocalyptic, Fiction, Survival, Dystopia, Action

266 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 25, 2013

About the author

Joe Nobody (pen name for the author who wishes to keep his identity confidential) has provided systems, consulting and training for the U.S. Army, Department of Homeland Security, Office of Naval Research, United States Border Patrol as well as several private firms and government agencies which cannot be disclosed.
He is currently active in this area and for the security of his family and ongoing business, wishes to remain anonymous.

He has over 30 years of competitive shooting experience, including IPSC, NRA, and other related organizations. He has been a firearms instructor and consultant for over 30 years and holds the rights to a United States Patent for a firearms modification.

Joe initially became involved in helping private citizens "prepare" at the request of his students and clients. A conscientious instructor, he would always inquire as to why they wanted to learn certain skills or techniques and often the response was to prepare for more than just simple home invasion or self-defense. If you ask Joe what his greatest attribute is, he will tell you he is a "problem solver" and uses his formal education in Systems Engineering to this end.

"As the economy worsens, world tensions rise, and the modern media propagates bad news faster than ever before, more and more people want to prepare. I wrote HOLDING because it allows me to reach more of the good folks who are concerned about their security. I want them to sleep better at night knowing they have a plan of defense should the 'Event' ever occur."

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had gotten to this collection earlier, it worth the time it takes to read. While some of the things thrown the characters are a bit over the top, their reactions are in line. Some of the conversations are bit of a struggle or to readily agreed to it is a good story just the same.

[Brad Theado · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not very favorable in my rating of book 3 but book 4 came back to a cohesive story. And a good one at that. Lots of action. Lots of the Bishop that we love.

[Sexybeast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series

[Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

He's not Shakespeare but the author does have some entertaining ideas.

[BH Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Near unstoppable protagonist in an apocalyptic circumstance.

[January · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is decently entertaining and suspenseful, and the characters, if not 3 dimensional, are at least not one-dimensional.

I've listened to the whole series, thus far, on audiobook, and I must say that the narrators (a new one each time) are truly abysmal: bad character accents, bad acting, and strange vocal habits. (The narrator on this particular book dropped the pitch of his voice at the end of each sentence.) On top of that, on the first and fifth books, the "marketing company" that created the audio version felt the need to put cheesy keyboard jingles between each chapter instead of just saying "Chapter 3" like normal audiobooks. It made me cringe every time. Overall it was hard to take the series seriously when the narration was so bad. It was rather like having a (possibly) good movie script destroyed by bad actors; in the end, the movie just comes out bad.

[Steven Sheeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Nobody has done it once again. I can't say much more about this series that I already have. I love it! I go thru each book so quick that I cannot wait for next one. This series of novels is way more entertaining than the James Wesley Rawles books although I do like Patriots a lot.

I have consumed these books one right after the other, reading them as fast as I can. I only hope that this series continues to deliver.

[Tadd Gestrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another compelling installment in the Holding Their Own series. The novel picks up right where the third in the series left off. This tale is a well-woven combination of character development and intense action. Along the way, the author throws in some political intrigue, some practical prepper advice and some convincing tactical training. If you've enjoyed his previous books in the series, you'll find this latest installment satisfying as well. The word from the author at the end of the story is to expect his next installment later in May 2013; I can't wait!

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe this is the best of the series so far. Character relationships are more clearly defined and the reader is drawn in to the struggles of each. I found the strategies used to avoid detection to be quite interesting and informative if I ever need to employ them. I can't wait to read the next one.

[Jim]

Yes, there are misspellings and grammatical errors in this/these books but it doesn't detract from the stories. I enjoyed this book very much and will start the next one soon.

There are some glaring errors so far though ... Mountain lions do not get up to 500 pounds, and the Bonneville Salt Flats are in Utah, not California.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

They changed the narrator. The previous narrator was decent, but this one sounds awful. He reads every sentence like a roller coaster ride. Ramps up, speaking quickly, getting higher in pitch. Then drops off at the end of the sentence. It sounds as if he is turning each sentence into a seperate paragraph.

[Joe Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, but needs an editor!

I enjoy the stories, but the constant stream of misspelled and misused words is distracting. Still, I can't wait to see where the next one takes us.

[Kelly English · Rating 5 out of 5]

Series is getting better and better

The first three books were well set up, this one, with better writing and editing, is a page turner. I'm late to this series, but glad that I can binge read them.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

short but good. Story moves along.

[Seth Kinkaid]

Awesome Like the rest of books

[Mark Auman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a page turner

Always a page turner

You will not be able to put these books down. I only regret that there are two left. So will you.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found myself caught up in a page-turner ... Always excellent when that happens.

The factions, including the issues of covert factions, is well done.

[Sandy Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best

[Teresau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series!

[Deborah McCloskey]

Joe Nobody's writing is very good, but sometimes he puts a chapter at the beginning of the book that doesn't go with the story until later in the book, otherwise, it's fast-paced, action-packed, and has very good dialog between characters. You can learn a lot about self-defense and survival in any circumstance be it storm, earthquake, or other disaster