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Phoenix Rising #3
Day of Judgment
Our worst nightmares have come to pass: America has been taken over and is ruled by Muslims. The USA is now called the Islamic Republic of Enlightenment. Sharia is the law of the land. Americans have a choice--convert or die.
You Didn't Build That
Three armies of brave but outgunned patriots--the Brotherhood of Loyalists, the Brotherhood of Liberty, and the United Patriots--send emissaries to Jake Lantz and Bob Varney at Firebase Freedom. Their goal: establish a more perfect union, revive the Constitution, and ultimately take back all of America.
The new capitol of New America is Mobile, Alabama. But the enemy is the same. The United Islamic Republic of Enlightenment is not giving up without a bitter, bloody fight. With the World Caliphate of Holy Path Islam behind them they are stronger than ever in their evil history. But so is a new America gathering force. Battle lines are drawn, new weapons tested. The United States of America--the Land of the Free--will rise again.
First Time In Print!
297 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2013
47 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
William W. Johnstone
1,040 books1,380 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 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 31, 2014
Wow. Just wow. This is, easily, one of the worst books I've ever read, both in concept and in writing style.
To address the former, the only real synopsis that I can come up with for the plotline is that this is every extreme conservative's wet dream apocalypse scenario. The EVIL MUSLIMS that we've all been warned about have managed to ruin America and turn it into a new caliphate, with strict shirah law and harsh, cruel treatment of non Muslims. It, essentially, took every paranoia and propaganda piece that Fox news has run over the last six or thereabouts years of Obama's presidency, took them to the absolute most extreme possible outcome, and turned it into a fluff novel for some doomsday prepper to get off to. Everything from the well outplayed "birther" nonsense (the fictitious president is foreign born, of course! And even has a scary Muslim-y sounding name that conveniently has an O for the first letter, so they can say "Pre-O times") to the president being a secret radical Muslim to the "share the wealth" junk that got tossed around.
So, really, let's just boil this novel down to what it is: a xenophobic rag written for middle aged white Christians who are scared of America actually becoming that melting pot they long lauded it for being. It's just melted a little too dark for their liking, eh?
Now, I thought I would give this a try, because I do try to read both fiction and nonfiction that are outside of my political leanings, just so I don't immerse myself in nothing but literature that I agree with. I find that reading opposing views is a wonderful way to challenge what I believe in, on a personal level, so that I don't just bury myself in things that I can sit around and blindly agree with. I mean, I read some of the Left Behind books and I'm not a Christian. But this, this isn't even a valid opposing viewpoint. It's not even a valid novel, to be honest. Just a bunch of inane conspiracy theories typed up and shoved out in a book so that all of the people who were proved wrong when none of these things happened in the real world like their conservative news told them it would can live out their end of the world fantasies in fiction.
So, really. Terrible, horrible, wretched book. Easily in the top 10 worst things I've ever read.
To address the former, the only real synopsis that I can come up with for the plotline is that this is every extreme conservative's wet dream apocalypse scenario. The EVIL MUSLIMS that we've all been warned about have managed to ruin America and turn it into a new caliphate, with strict shirah law and harsh, cruel treatment of non Muslims. It, essentially, took every paranoia and propaganda piece that Fox news has run over the last six or thereabouts years of Obama's presidency, took them to the absolute most extreme possible outcome, and turned it into a fluff novel for some doomsday prepper to get off to. Everything from the well outplayed "birther" nonsense (the fictitious president is foreign born, of course! And even has a scary Muslim-y sounding name that conveniently has an O for the first letter, so they can say "Pre-O times") to the president being a secret radical Muslim to the "share the wealth" junk that got tossed around.
So, really, let's just boil this novel down to what it is: a xenophobic rag written for middle aged white Christians who are scared of America actually becoming that melting pot they long lauded it for being. It's just melted a little too dark for their liking, eh?
Now, I thought I would give this a try, because I do try to read both fiction and nonfiction that are outside of my political leanings, just so I don't immerse myself in nothing but literature that I agree with. I find that reading opposing views is a wonderful way to challenge what I believe in, on a personal level, so that I don't just bury myself in things that I can sit around and blindly agree with. I mean, I read some of the Left Behind books and I'm not a Christian. But this, this isn't even a valid opposing viewpoint. It's not even a valid novel, to be honest. Just a bunch of inane conspiracy theories typed up and shoved out in a book so that all of the people who were proved wrong when none of these things happened in the real world like their conservative news told them it would can live out their end of the world fantasies in fiction.
So, really. Terrible, horrible, wretched book. Easily in the top 10 worst things I've ever read.
July 16, 2022
1.5 stars, rounded up to 2.
You may want to skip this one, unless you've read the first 2. Not as good as the those.
The good: The continued camaraderie stories of the original Phoenix team, and the various storylines going on.
The bad: Several chapters or parts of chapters that really did not add anything to the story, with innocents getting killed by the AIRE. Maybe it was meant to infuriate you? The execution of the different battles/engagements etc, was fairly poor. Maybe I'm just spoiled by other authors who stick with just military/spy stories. Johnstone does military, westerns and sometimes horror, though that has been a while. Kind of like a restaurant. If one specializes in a specific type of cuisine and is good at it, then stick with it. Don't delve into other types thereby losing your touch. Johnstones westerns are pretty good.
The other bad was that this 3rd book was published in 2013. The ending left the door open for a 4th, but so far nothing, which is disappointing.
You may want to skip this one, unless you've read the first 2. Not as good as the those.
The good: The continued camaraderie stories of the original Phoenix team, and the various storylines going on.
The bad: Several chapters or parts of chapters that really did not add anything to the story, with innocents getting killed by the AIRE. Maybe it was meant to infuriate you? The execution of the different battles/engagements etc, was fairly poor. Maybe I'm just spoiled by other authors who stick with just military/spy stories. Johnstone does military, westerns and sometimes horror, though that has been a while. Kind of like a restaurant. If one specializes in a specific type of cuisine and is good at it, then stick with it. Don't delve into other types thereby losing your touch. Johnstones westerns are pretty good.
The other bad was that this 3rd book was published in 2013. The ending left the door open for a 4th, but so far nothing, which is disappointing.
February 7, 2022
3rd book
This was the third book of a series. I enjoyed the first two books, but this book dragging on and on. It introduced a bunch of characters and left characters from the other books out. The book took too long describing battles, arms and the paperwork of starting the new country.
This was the third book of a series. I enjoyed the first two books, but this book dragging on and on. It introduced a bunch of characters and left characters from the other books out. The book took too long describing battles, arms and the paperwork of starting the new country.
October 25, 2018
The 3 book series never really got off the ground. Each book was less enjoyable from the previous. Pretty vanilla, sprinkled with some mediocre action. They are OK easy reads if you get them for free, otherwise, save your $$$.
March 26, 2021
This was the third in the Phoenix Rising trilogy. I was not as thrilled with this segment as I was with the other two. Very interesting concept. I did not care for the ending.
November 29, 2023
I started this mini series knowing it was a 3 book series. I knocked 1 star off because it should have been 4 books. The ending was not satisfying at all, to many loose ends.
July 24, 2025
Scary realistic
When you look at what's going on in the World today then read this book and not get cold chills, you should. Hopefully there will be another book in this series.
When you look at what's going on in the World today then read this book and not get cold chills, you should. Hopefully there will be another book in this series.
June 17, 2013
The PHOENIX RISING series covers the same ground as the late William Johnstone's ASHES books. Only not nearly as well. The story of a splintered America trying to be rebuilt by patriots in the face of opposition. Mr. Johnstone's books were as long as they needed to be to tell his story.
The Phoenix books are determined to all be in the roughly 350 page range. To that end we get a lot of padding. This one, for instance, has a large cast of characters, the bulk of the Americans introduced just long enough to be horribly killed by the Muslim terrorists in charge in all manner of unseemly methods.
And a long info dump telling us the effects of a nuclear bomb on New York City, the deaths and destruction. The thing ran on for page after page that got boring very quickly. This is not a treatise on nuclear effects, it's a thriller novel. A bomb took out New York City and killed x number of people. One short paragraph was enough to get the point across, I gave up on the second page and skimmed along until the narrative picked up.
Not sure whether the fault lay with whatever writer was using the J. A. Johnstone house name or the folks who control the Johnstone line. Whichever, it's put me off this series and I likely won't return.
The Phoenix books are determined to all be in the roughly 350 page range. To that end we get a lot of padding. This one, for instance, has a large cast of characters, the bulk of the Americans introduced just long enough to be horribly killed by the Muslim terrorists in charge in all manner of unseemly methods.
And a long info dump telling us the effects of a nuclear bomb on New York City, the deaths and destruction. The thing ran on for page after page that got boring very quickly. This is not a treatise on nuclear effects, it's a thriller novel. A bomb took out New York City and killed x number of people. One short paragraph was enough to get the point across, I gave up on the second page and skimmed along until the narrative picked up.
Not sure whether the fault lay with whatever writer was using the J. A. Johnstone house name or the folks who control the Johnstone line. Whichever, it's put me off this series and I likely won't return.
June 18, 2013
Very patriotic, but a bit cleche. All the parts are there (action, humor, intrique, etc.) but the were too expected. It was just too easy for the good guys. I knew they would always win. And though some did die it seems to be just the minimum that could be gotten away with. No 'real' bad things happened. Life isn't that way.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the book and I'm glad the good guys win, I just prefer a bit more nailbiting.
Though the previous two had alot of historical and theological information the stroyline itself was good. The storyline in this one seemed to get a little too stretched. There was also way too much detail about how things were done, how many item they have, ect., dragging the pace of the story.
Also, for reason's unknown, I thought it was to be a trilogy and that this was the last book. So after my intial confusion, I think I'm on the right page now and am looking forward to the next.
Favorite scene: Captain Virdin dealing with the AIRE destroyer, and his FLASH messages.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the book and I'm glad the good guys win, I just prefer a bit more nailbiting.
Though the previous two had alot of historical and theological information the stroyline itself was good. The storyline in this one seemed to get a little too stretched. There was also way too much detail about how things were done, how many item they have, ect., dragging the pace of the story.
Also, for reason's unknown, I thought it was to be a trilogy and that this was the last book. So after my intial confusion, I think I'm on the right page now and am looking forward to the next.
Favorite scene: Captain Virdin dealing with the AIRE destroyer, and his FLASH messages.
July 31, 2013
America has elected a Muslim president after the US Constitution was changed to allow naturalized citizens hold the office. The First and Second Amendments go out the window as Americans are required to convert to Islam in order to survive. Jews and Christians are murdered by the government of the new Islamic America. Bands of patriots start a rebellion to take back America. A very interesting thriller in the light of current events that are leading to the collapse of the USA as a democratic republic.
August 4, 2013
Great book. Sad to know the subject matter of this fictional book can very easily happen in our country under the current administration! Anyway, I recommend this read to anyone who enjoys an adventurous book.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews