Killing Wedge

Defender #2

by Jerry Ahern

Killing Defender #2 (The Defender) [Aug 01, 1988] Ahern, Jerry …

188 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1988

About the author

Jerry Ahern (born Jerome Morrell Ahern) was a science fiction and action novel author best known for his post apocalyptic survivalist series The Survivalist. The books in this series are heavy with descriptions of the weapons the protagonists use to survive and prosecute a seemingly never-ending war amongst the remnants of the superpowers from pre-apocalypse times.

Ahern was also a firearms writer, who published numerous articles in magazines such as Guns & Ammo, Handguns and Gun World.

Jerry Ahern passed away on July 24, 2012 after a long struggle with cancer.

Ahern also released books under pseudonym Axel Kilgore.

Reviews

[Lyndon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Killing Wedge is book 2 of 12 in The Defender series by Jerry Ahern, the Defender being protagonist David Holden, a former Navy SEAL and professor who is now the head of a vigilante patriot group called The Patriots. This series started in 1988 with The Battle Begins, and the terrorist antagonists in our near-future anarchic America are very 'antifa'-like. The Patriots are law-abiding, although the FBI doesn't trust them. Quite prescient, actually, for being written in the late 80s.

I haven't read book 1 but hear it's a good set up as I was kinda lost at the beginning of this short novel (183 pages). I found books 2, 5, and 7 at a bargain bin and really dig the action-adventure covers of the originals. Not sure who the artist is, but the almost hidden signature at the bottom right of book 2 looks like "Zorad 88."

I asked Grok to do a deep dive into possible artists, but it came back with no specific possibilities, claiming that Dell often left the freelance cover artists' names off their rapid-release action hero pulp novels. (If you're seeing an ugly stock-photo cover, Grok tells me they're from 2011-2103 and "were handled by Speaking Volumes, LLC, a small press specializing in reviving pulp and genre backlists.")

I'd not heard of Ahern, but evidently he was an expert in firearms and wrote a lot of magazine articles about various weapons. (Jerry Ahern died in 2012.) His expertise shows because every gun is thoroughly described! So some narrative overkill at times, but generally the story moves along despite the herky-jerky POV scene changes between Holden's attempt to escape DC and the bad guy who's been sent to kill him. From other reviewers, I get the sense that the author's lengthy (33 books!) post-apocalyptic Survivalist series are better written.

I'll likely read the other two Defender books I own and keep an eye out in the used book stores for the others in the series. If you like men's action-adventure pulp hero vigilante justice yarns, this will be right up your alley. This one is 3.5 stars for me.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alternate world view of a possible future events by the writer of the Survivalist series. Citizens finally have had enough of the gangs and inept government and band together as patriots and fight back. Recommended

[R.N. Vick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the 1st but awesome nonetheless. A few surprises and killing off of main characters help with the gritty realism of the series.