Forsaking Home

The Survivalist #4

by A. American

They survived the collapse, but can they survive the aftermath?

Morgan Carter has weathered the weeks after the collapse of the nation’s power grid, reuniting with his family and ensuring their safety, but his struggle isn't over yet. Carter must focus on survival in an increasingly unstable society—but the challenges he faces are beyond his wildest imagination.

Meanwhile, the enclosed quarters of the nearby government-run refugee camp make for an environment where injury, assault and murder are the norm. As Jess creates trouble within the camp, Sarge and his crew plot to take down the entire establishment.

From the author of the hit Survivalist Series books, Forsaking Home is an action-packed adventure that depicts the harrowing possibilities of a world gone awry, and the courage it takes to protect what matters most.

Genres: Post Apocalyptic, Fiction, Survival, Apocalyptic, Audiobook, Dystopia, Military Fiction

371 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 2014

About the author

CHRIS WEATHERMAN, also known as ANGERY AMERICAN, is the author of twenty-two published works, including USA Today Best Sellers Forsaking Home and Resurrecting Home. His books include the Survivalist Series, a sensational hit that began with the first book in the series, Going Home, and has sold more than one million copies worldwide. Chris’ latest release, Engineering Home, was #1 on Amazon New Releases Charts in Dystopian Fiction and Dystopian Science Fiction at its debut. It was also #2 on the Amazon Best Seller Chart only behind George Orwell’s 1984 upon Engineering Home’s release.


Chris appeared in season one of History Channel’s Alone series. He has been involved in prepping for over thirty years and practices primitive skills as well as modern survival that focuses on being prepared with the proper equipment. He travels the country appearing at expos and prepper-focused events to meet with readers, sign books and occasionally speak. In addition to these events, his travels also allow him to meet and train with instructors and students all over the country on preparedness and homestead design covering everything from food production to security.


As a trade Chris worked in the power industry for nearly twenty years building power plants and performing line work for power companies. He worked his way up to be the commissioning and start-up supervisor for many of these projects and has a solid understanding of power generation and distribution.


Chris currently lives in Florida on the edge of the Ocala National Forest with his wife of twenty-six years and his thirteen year old daughter Little Bit.

Reviews

[John (JC) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morgan, with family and friends, are still surviving in spite of adverse conditions. The DHS is always a threat, holding people against there will, forcing people to join their group. In the DHS facility there are questionable events taking place that a civilized world would never tolerate. Small packs of people, that do not think twice about taking advantage of others, are another battlefront he is faced with during these tough times. His family is adjusting the best they can but it is tough on the children, especially not being able to comprehend that life will not be the same for a while. Sarge and his group has combined with the local National Guard and are moving forward slowly in spite of growing pains.
The action is constant and seconded only by the suspense. Hard decisions have to be made and not many have the experience to make these calls. It is a hard book to put down for the reader is always wanting to see what is “just over the hill”. I feel my fellow GR friends will enjoy this read.

[Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A European, female perspective: I'm interested in prepping, but I am definitely no admirer of the USA and its corporation run government. As a Euro, you simply have to swallow hard and decide not to get irritated at the American exceptionalist outlook of the author. It's worth it, in my opinion, for anyone with an interest in prepping.

Plot : This is where the strength of this series lies. How does a man with a prepping background take care of his family and neighbours after an EPI attack? Partly, this can be read as a prepping manual with concrete examples.

Language : I'm not even a native English speaker, but can pick up on grammatical and stylistic errors. The story telling is done in a very basic completely chronological fashion. Lots of American jargon. This book will fall below the minimum stylistic standards for some. But having a literary experience is not the reason why you pick this book up in the first place.

Observations : The female characters feel very shallow or sketchy, although the author goes out of his way to convey the proponent, Morgan, thinks that women too can shoot and handle weapons. There is lots of talk about particular brand-name products that Morgan is using. He must have been a VIP customer with internet prepping businesses prior to the fallout event.

The federal US government is very much the bad guys, in fine US prepper tradition. I never really got a good feel for what precisely the US army was doing in this series -- suffice to say, it was not good!

Recommended for : People with an interest in prepping, or anyone concerned about a breakdown of society.

[Jo Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why. Why did I force my way through four of these poorly written pieces of prepper fan fic propaganda. The author (middle name must be "Male" >sarcasm< ) couldn't write a woman if he had one of the many weapons he loves describing held to his head. I suspect he is not knowledgeable about the military either but i only have experience being a woman so can't comment. The huge variance in tone from sweeping generalizations to "list making" and the sudden insertions of anti- Obama, anti - liberal rhetoric are jarring. I read the first because I was trapped in Jury Duty. I read the next three because I'm an idiot. Avoid unless your eyes need excercise from rolling or this is your particular flavor of Kool Aid.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series and book 4 was just as much of a pleasure as I was expecting. The writing has improved as the series progressed; and while I loved the action-packed gung-ho attitude of the first two books, at this point there is a lot more character development, personal interaction and emotional experiences between the characters. All the characters from previous books are present here (the ones who've made it alive to this point LOL) and I felt right at home with this motley crew of army men, survivalists, male and female, along with a few of their teens and children. There is a culmination of the plot that has been driving the series all along and the book finishes up on a satisfactory note that feels like the end as we imagine these people going on to live in and shape this new world they are now a part of. I'd be satisfied with this as an ending, but I know a fifth book has come out and I'll have to read that soon. Great series for people who like eotwawi, survivalist or gung-ho fiction.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent series. It is well written, realistic, and even allows for some blue on blue shooting. On the whole, it addresses things that really could happen during a confusing and morally murky situation. In this book Jess is in an internment camp and in a bad way. She and some girls took action against a rapist and will now have to pay the price. Can Sarge and his team backed up by intel from Morgan and Thad save the day? Read the book to find out.

[William M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth installment seems to have really picked up with the author breathing new life into the series. The familiar characters feel more flushed out and the dangerous situations might be a bit implausible, but I didn't really care. The infiltration of the camp was a fantastic idea that hooked me through to the end. While not perfect, I will certainly be picking up the next title and continuing the journey with the characters, who, by now, feel like friends of mine. There are so many stories in this new world that A. American has built, the possibility is nearly endless. I can't wait!

[Richard Muro · Rating 5 out of 5]

ONG…excellect reads…..

[Dale · Rating 2 out of 5]

A summary of this book.

I am man. Man is good. Man better than woman. Woman weak. Guns good. Men with guns who agree with us are good. Men with guns who disagree with us are bad. Anyone without guns is hopeless. We have an endless supply of materials. Whenever we need something, we magically 'remember' about a set of the said resource we stashed away once upon a time.

The writing and ideas in this series became worse as it went on. My OCD made me finish it, but I am glad it's over because even that couldn't make me go further. The characters are arrogant and pigheaded. The description is long winded and boring. I do not need a page describing how to make coffee.

And the book sheds no new light on what caused the event, or what is happening in the wider world. We learn only of places and characters we already knew about from the previous texts, and even then they really don't 'do' anything for a whole book.

[Jonathan Barnett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mediocre at best. If this series were a TV show this book could only have been made into one episode. The plotline dragged its way through countless boring situations that had no bearing on the story along with timelines that never seem to make any sense. One day the characters collect an abundance of food the next day they are starving because they haven't eaten in days... This series could have been stopped at book 1 and been a decent stand alone novel but the series continues to slog along without much direction.

[Dalene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book from Penguin's First Reads program. Like the previous books in this series, I enjoyed it very much. The storyline is good and the characters are well defined and written. We have some new characters added to the mix. I hope that this is a continuing series as I would like to see what happens with Morgan and friends next.

[Karina Halt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! You learn while reading. Highly recommended!

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

This 4th installment felt like a departure from the first 3 in the series. It was slow moving and did not provide the same amount of "what would you do if you were in this situation" opportunities as the rest of the series... not even close. I found myself relying on my past experiences with the characters in order to color in the gray areas a little better as there is very little fleshing out done even with the main characters.

An opportunity was wasted when the female badass was introduced and her character "de-volved" into relying on the men-folk to assure her that she is good enough to get the job done. - She could have done much more for the story on a couple of levels the least of which being introduced to the wives and children @ Morgan's camp and being some sort of role model especially for Leanne.

Normally I would give a story like this a low 3 stars for effort and never pick up the author again but this story gets two because he shoulda' better known better. .

All 3 books held the bar higher than this story could attain. The way I see it you owe us another book. :-)

* ... and the interaction with Andy was tedious and a bit unbelievable based on Morgan's past interactions. It was not clearly explained why all of the individual personalities involved in Morgan's group were so unanimously light-handed and generous with such a clear and vocal threat. If the reader was supposed to learn something from that interaction, it should have been better explained.

[Jamie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't think I'll ever be able to read an EMP book again. I'm wondering if there isn't a group of people writing all these EMP series that are almost the same series over and over again. They all follow the same formula and the characters are nearly identical. No one should read these with the expectation of a strong female lead, thats for sure. I really want to find some books in this genre, even books featuring surviving after an EMP, that are not terrible.

[Kenneth Garrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I finally threw in the towel on this series. I enjoyed the first book; the Odyssey-like saga of Morgan making his way back home through all kinds of trauma, danger, violence, etc., but once he made it home the story became predictable, gratuitous, and even and a bit immature. Glad I pulled up the reins.

[Tracey Mccall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding

I am loving this series! So well written with characters that you can't help but like. Sarge is cracking me up! Living in Florida it's nice reading this series that's playing out around me

[Wfrazier · Rating 2 out of 5]

Done with this one. This is the 4th book in a series, and they are becoming a bit repetitious. Three more to go and I'll read them all, but not as enjoyable as the start.

[Vickii Bendit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series draws you into the world created by A. American. I can’t wait to begin the next one!

[David A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book #4 of the series. Fantastic read! I cannot wait to start book $5.

[Scott Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful saga

A. American is a great story teller. His style keeps you on the edge of your seat. You almost see, hear and feel like you are right there with the characters.

[Karen Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story. I could do without the cussing though.

[Logan Streondj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best one so far, lots of foraging, and peacefully resolving differences.

[Gil · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I jumped into the series at book 4 not knowing what has happened to create the situation the characters of the book are having to survive, but as the story progressed it was somewhat explained, so i didn't feel i had to go back and read the other books in the series. Out of curiousity I may read them, only because the survival skills taught in this book are detailed and worth learning. This book finds the survivors of what seems to be a grid shutdown getting by on what they can hunt or gather. Living in the swamps of the Southern USA there seems to be plenty of food if you know what to gather or how to. The descriptions provided in this book of how the characters get by, at times, seem like a how to manual. But surviving hunger isn't the only battle, the Department of Homeland Security is run by private contractors who are imprisoning the population rather than assisting, and bands of scavengers are running loose taking what they can.

[Joseph Santiago · Rating 3 out of 5]

This survivalist series was a bit annoying as it based most of conspiratorial plot on the government getting people dependant on the state. After people needed welfare, food stamps, assistance in any form they were somehow not as worthy to freedom and would blindly comply with the government. This political philosophy is wrong in my eyes, but there are some that believe this. This is just a story and I enjoy the DHS jokes. The book has spelling errors and is not a mainstream published book. I like that about it and the story is good. The is good for me because it follows a few people and their adventures while imparting some prepping knowledge. This book does not have a lot of surprises but it is an easy and good read.

Mr Joe

[Robert Rangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series really got me into the whole apocalyptic survival genre. Though I read 2 books of another series before this, the story of Morgan and his friends intrigued me thru book 4. Now I’m going to take a break and read a couple other books before going to #5. I’ve learned some interesting things reading this series. Book 4 isn’t as interesting as the first but that’s probably because I find the initial onset of the unknown like a cataclysmic event peak my curiosity. Hence the break to read something different. But I will say that of the many narrators I’ve listened to, Duke Fontaine is very good at keeping you in the story. I will finish this series just because I want to see where it ends and it is worth the time.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one, although it has its rough spots, is fairly optimistic.

Not nearly as much violence as in the first three books in the series.
The survivors live more cohesively now and are more used to living without modern conveniences. Thad and Morgan continue to surprise their friends with hidden talents that make life in the cabins easier.
Sarge and his crew make frequent appearances and have plans to overtake the DHS site - hopefully, in time for their imprisoned friends?
A surprise return to the neighborhood as the rainy season begins is a boon for the group. Jess is among them now. Has anyone thought to tell Sarge and the National Guard about the nearby DHS camp that is expecting a supply of workers soon? Yikes!

[Wendi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Main character's viewpoint is getting tiresome

This is the fourth book in the series and the opinions of the author come through more heavily in this book than the first three. He believes he's justified in anything he does and has a demeaning viewpoint of women in general (this came through clearly with the female guardsman). The whole series is written kind of strangely - lots of extemporaneous details and it didn't always flow well. That being said, I enjoy reading someone who has a different perspective and mindset from myself and also feel like I've gleaned some info from these books. It's made me think about the"what if" scenarios.

[Shawn Fahy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished books 4 and 5 of A. American's series, "Forsaking Home" and "Resurrecting Home", respectively. In book 4 the main antagonists in the neighborhood, the DHS, get dealt with and in book 5 the new opponent is nature, in the form of a large forest fire. The last time I read this series must have been before 2020, or else I would have remembered seeing the parallels between the fire in the book and the Cameron Peak wildfire last time I read it. Both books are well-written, entertaining, and very easy to read.

[Bp93yj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read, I really enjoy the characters and the fact that live in the area where this takes place is even more interesting. The places described in these books are very accurate. Having been to a lot of them its easy to visualize.
The premise behind the series is interesting. The details given about survival and prepping along with the weapon discriptions are interesting. Looking forward to the rest of the series.

[Craig Wakefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my comments for #2 and #3 in the series. Again a few more observations. Think of EMP and have vehicles that will survive them. Have plenty of gas. Watercraft are nice. Small 4 wheelers seem essential. Besides food have plenty of toilet paper. Oh, have a friend that can get all the supplies you need from the U.S. Army.

[Jared Michael Revlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not necessarily as action-packed as the first three, but still a good story. Definitely the darkest of the series to this point, focusing a lot on the psychological and physical challenges of detainment as opposed to the survival and tactics focus on in the series up to this point. Still a good, quick read.