Indian Country

Kelly Turnbull #2

by Kurt Schlichter

It’s all-out war for ruthless red state special operator Kelly Turnbull when he returns in this blockbuster prequel to “People’s Republic,” Kurt Schlichter’s top selling novel of America after the polarized politics of blue versus red have split our country apart. “Indian Country” finds Turnbull sent back into the blue states to help those trapped inside resist a politically correct police state. As the progressive government ratchets up the violence, Turnbull must mold regular Americans into a fighting force capable of resisting the People’s Republic Army, led by his former US Army Special Forces mentor. Longer, bigger and bolder than the original, “Indian Country” is filled with Kurt Schlichter’s trademark snarky humor and even more non-stop action, drawing on his work as a television commentator and Senior Columnist for Townhall.com, and his experience as a retired Army infantry colonel. National Review’s Jim Geraghty calls Kurt Schlichter’s “People’s Republic” “a surreal, fast-paced journey through a dramatically different America … Violent, imaginative, full of mordant humor and dark, gritty details, you won’t want to live in this People’s Republic…but you’ll feel a chill as you wonder how different our real future will be.” Author and television host Cam Edwards says “Kurt Schlichter's ‘People's Republic’ is a roller coaster ride through a post-election Hellscape that will leave you wanting more.” Radio host Hugh Hewitt say “Schlichter puts a whole flight of Black Swans in the air --each of them plausible-- and the result is a riveting, page-turner, and a demand from Schlichter for...more.”

Genres: Fiction, Politics, Thriller, Alternate History, Dystopia, Contemporary, Military Fiction

319 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 28, 2017

About the author

Kurt Schlichter is a trial lawyer, and a retired Army infantry colonel with a degree from the Army War College who writes twice a week as a Senior Columnist for Townhall.com. His new novel "People's Republic" is now available!

Kurt was personally recruited by Andrew Breitbart in 2009 to write for Big Hollywood. He is often on the air as a news source, an on-screen commentator, and as a guest on nationally syndicated radio programs discussing political, military and legal issues, including Fox News, HLN, CNN (Well, maybe not anymore), the Hugh Hewitt Show, the Dennis Miller Show, Geraldo, the Greg Garrison Show, the John Phillips Show, the Tony Katz Radio Spectacular, PJTV's The Conversation, The Delivery with Jimmie Bise, Jr., the Snark Factor, and WMAL's Mornings on the Mall with Larry O'Connor, among others.

He appears weekly on the Cam and Company Show with his own brand of caring conservative cultural commentary.

His previous book "Conservative Insurgency: The Struggle to Take America Back 2009-2041" was released in 2014 from Post Tree Press

As a stand-up comic for several years, he has gathered a large and devoted following in the world of social media for his amusing and often biting conservative commentary. He is an active user of Twitter (@KurtSchlichter) with over 71,000 followers, which led to his #1 selling Amazon "Political Humor" ebooks "I Am a Conservative: Uncensored, Undiluted and Absolutely Un-PC," "I Am a Liberal: A Conservative's Guide to Dealing With Nature's Most Irritating Mistake," "Fetch My Latte: Sharing Feelings With Stupid People," and "50 Shades of Liberal."

Kurt is also a successful trial lawyer based in the Los Angeles area representing companies and individuals in matters ranging from routine business cases to confidential Hollywood and entertainment industry disputes and transactions. A member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which recognizes attorneys who have won verdicts in excess of $1 million, his litigation strategy and legal analysis articles regularly run in such legal publications such as the Los Angeles Daily Journal and California Lawyer.

Kurt is a 1994 graduate of Loyola Law School, where he was a law review editor. He majored in Communications and Political Science as an undergraduate at the University of California, San Diego, where he also edited the conservative student paper California Review while writing a regular column in the student humor paper the Koala. He also drank a lot of Coors.

Kurt rose to the rank of Army infantry colonel on active duty and in the California Army National Guard. He wears the silver "jump wings" of a qualified paratrooper and commanded the elite 1st Squadron, 18th Cavalry Regiment. A veteran of both the Persian Gulf War and Operation Enduring Freedom (Kosovo), as well as the Los Angeles riots, the Northridge earthquake and the 2007 San Diego fires mobilizations, he is a graduate of the Army's Combined Arms Staff Service School, the Command and General Staff College, and the United States Army War College, where he received a master of Strategic Studies degree.

He loves military history, red meat and the Second Amendment. His favorite caliber is .45.

Reviews

[Charles Haywood · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the distant past—five months ago—I believed our country could heal its divisions. Sure, we’d always have disagreements, and sure, our new President was always going to be unpopular with a lot of people. But, after all, he had won a democratic election. The Left would regroup, consider why its offerings had been rejected, and perhaps dial back its extremism. But I was wrong. The Left has instead doubled down on hatred. This was shown yesterday, when the fear and anger created and nurtured by the Left over the past two decades, deliberately whipped to a fever pitch in the past months, caused the first attempted political assassinations of Republican Congressmen. In this harsh light, the split of the country originally posited by Kurt Schlichter in “People’s Republic” no longer seems as unrealistic as I thought in my November 2016 review of that book. As Schlichter accurately says, “Yes, the Left hates Trump, but its hatred is really for us.”

This book, “Indian Country,” is a sequel of sorts (actually a prequel) to “People’s Republic,” and it succeeds in being the rare sequel that is even better than its predecessor. At its heart, Indian Country is black comedy as cautionary tale, with a bunch of guns and killing thrown in. It is “Gulliver’s Travels” for the 21st Century, with more Javelins and less international travel. Like all good satire, its targets are exaggerated versions of undoubtedly existing tendencies or practices, rather than fantasies woven out of whole cloth (which would be make-believe, not satire). But that basis in reality makes it a doubly disturbing, though often amusing, read in today’s environment.

It is true that even to a Schlichter fan, such as I most definitely am, a few elements of the satire seem silly at first. But that is a fault in my vision, not in Schlichter. He has merely realized, and now ably communicates to us, the truth that a lot of things existing in the world of June 2017 also seemed equally silly, not so long ago. Now, though, the Left, with its domination of all news-setting media, academia, and big business, characterizes them as eternal truths, opposition to which, we are indoctrinated, is either insanity or hatred. So, when Schlichter talks about “reparations taxes” being imposed on all those not in a designated victim category, or describes the squabble between a Hindu and a cripple, each claiming higher oppression status so that he can advance in the line for airport customs, it may seem silly. But, if you think about it honestly, that’s exactly what would happen in California this very moment if that state were left to its own devices.

“Indian Country” is tightly focused in time and space. It takes place over several weeks beginning June, 2027. The country had split in 2023, following Hillary Clinton’s election to replace Donald Trump, and her immediate attempts to, among other things, seize guns (which, again, is undoubtedly what would happen immediately if the Left fully gained power—anyone who says otherwise is totally delusional or a liar). The “Split” is hastily negotiated and has the two coastal regions as one new “blue” country, the self-named “People’s Republic.” The rest of the country, basically the flyover states, remains the “United States.”

Crucially for the plot of this book, the division is made strictly along existing state lines, for purposes of getting the Split accomplished quickly. But that means that some areas that really should be blue are in red states, and vice versa. One such area is southern Indiana, centered around Jasper. As the two countries negotiate border revisions, the book turns on efforts by the United States to destabilize southern Indiana in an attempt to make abandoning it more attractive to the People’s Republic—a realistic scenario that does not cast the United States as at all heroic, merely realistic and practical. The result is non-violent #Resistance by the red-leaning citizens of Jasper (accelerated, but not caused, by the hero of the story), followed by violent repression by jack-booted thugs (complete with political officers, i.e., “diversity commissars”—a nice touch), followed by ever-widening circles of retribution, anger and violence, capped off by armored brigade-level fighting countered by irregular action, centered in and around Jasper.

We tend to look at a scenario like this and say “it can’t happen here,” simply because we can’t picture it here. Isn’t this deep down still the country of Norman Rockwell’s portrayals, with better cars and social media? No, of course it isn’t (nor was much of the country even in Rockwell’s time like that, though many areas were, convenient post hoc Leftist myth to the contrary notwithstanding). This blindness is an error. Not only can it happen here, it has happened here. Think, for example, of Civil War Missouri. Or think of the 1970s, when in eighteen months during 1971 and 1972 the Left detonated 2,500 bombs in America. This wave of terrorism has been erased from memory because it was the Left who did it. And they, together with their media and academia allies, were then actively working for the imposition of a form of government that would have executed millions of Americans if it had come to power. It very much can happen here, and not just simple battle, but the types of atrocities we inaccurately associate only with distant places and foreign cultures, like Cambodia or Turkey.

So, I think I’ll take the opposite tack of my “People’s Republic” review—I’ll examine what things in this book are realistic, even if they’re not things most people like to think about. That said, as with People’s Republic, this book posits too much one-sided virtue—it portrays, for example, what amounts to a heroic hillbilly family (most of whom are massacred by the irregular militia “People’s Volunteers,” along with the federalized police, the “People’s Security Force”). I am sure there are heroic hillbilly families. But far too many of them are just as welfare- and substance-dependent as many in big cities. The other day the New York Times profiled a pathetic male-free household of multiple generations eager for disability checks, in rural red America, living in squalor, totally dependent on pills and handouts. As a spate of recent books, from Sam Quinones’s “Dreamland” to J.D. Vance’s “Hillbilly Elegy,” have chronicled, the “red” lower classes in America are in a very bad way, and are not just waiting to take up arms against the Man to defend their ancient freedoms. They’re waiting for their next government check so they can get four cases of Mountain Dew, two cartons of Marlboro Lights, and some meth.

On to realism. First, in any civil conflict, it is impossible to stay neutral indefinitely, human nature being what it is. The best example of this in American history is the Tories in the War of Independence, whom we conveniently forget were violently abused where they were a minority, sometimes killed, and almost all driven out, going first to New York or other havens, and ultimately to Canada, Florida, the Caribbean or England. Schlichter even has the Red locals call other locals sympathetic to the progressive cause “Tories.” While allegiance to nut jobs like the People’s Republic seems strange, it makes complete sense that such people would exist when you think about all the people you know who define their self-worth by allegiance to the latest progressive ideological inanity. The original Tories had good reasons for being Loyalist; these Tories are a few notches higher, or lower, in the stupidity scale. But the point is everyone is always forced to choose a side, even though most people don’t really want to.

Second, and related, there are no angels in civil wars. Such conflicts are never clean—not that war ever is, but a civil war is much less so. We run a clean drone war in the Middle East, from our perspective (not from the target’s perspective). That’s possible because it’s impossible to get to the drone operators. As Schlichter shows, if drones were used in America, the targets would become the drone operators. Or, even more likely, though Schlichter does not show it, their families. Over time, the evil that men do gets glossed over. We forget what John Brown did in Kansas, because he later became an icon. It wasn’t pretty, and it wouldn’t be in any future American civil war either, on either side.

Third, it is critical to never underestimate your enemies. The Left is stupid in this book, just like in real life. They really would have diversity commissars, undercut military readiness by mandatory sensitivity training and general lack of competence, and stifle innovation and productivity. But that doesn’t mean they’re not a threat. Stalin had commissars too, and killed much of his officer corps, and he was still capable of fighting a war. Just because the Left shoots itself in the foot by elevating fat transgender people to colonel rank doesn’t mean they can’t shoot you too, or have their People’s Volunteers do it for fun. When in doubt, shoot first, rather than waiting relying on their incompetence causing their collapse.

Fourth, on a lighter note, “Indian Country” does an outstanding job exposing as ridiculous sophistical cant that sounds good on first impression, a position we already find ourselves in today. Thus, posters are everywhere in blue America, announcing “Intolerance Will Not Be Tolerated.” The government airline in the blue states is “Justice Air,” and the in-flight magazine cover story “was a hagiography about a differently abled Justice Air pilot. She was blind.” Deodorant is constricted to one male and one female version—followed by reduction to only one choice because “genderfluid individuals” protested this hate crime. (This is, of course, a satire of an actual admonition of Bernie Sanders). This action is characterized as “The People’s Republic was hoping to soon be able to expand the constriction of choices throughout the country as part of its quest for greater freedom.” Practically every page has something like this, which make the reader unsure whether to laugh or cry, since most such passages have the ring of truth, being necessarily dictated by the principles of the Left and very similar to what has already happened in many areas of life. You sometimes have to think for a while to decide if a particular passage is satire or something that has already happened in today’s world. Unfortunately, if I could get a progressive with no sense of humor (not difficult to find) to read this book (harder to do), I suspect he would actually approve of at least 80% of the cant that Schlichter makes fun of. Which just goes to prove his point, I suppose.

Fifth, the entire plot shows, as the saying goes, “man proposes and God disposes.” Nothing ever goes according to plan. Everybody knows this and yet everybody acts as if he doesn’t know it. This is true both on the tactical and the strategic level. Thus, glib calls on the Left or Right for the type of split Schlichter portrays are ill-considered merely as a planning matter, for the end-result is not likely to be what the speaker wants. More likely it’ll be some form of unpleasant authoritarian government on both sides, since governments that cherish freedom are in short historical supply.

Sixth, if one must fight a civil war (for just because it’s unpleasant in the extreme doesn’t mean it won’t become necessary), this book shows why it’s a myth that Americans could not effectively fight back against the traditional Army, with its overwhelming technological and weapon superiority. Of course, our inability to win in Afghanistan and Iraq shows that clearly enough, but the balance would be closer to even here. You often hear that the Second Amendment is an anachronism, with the claim that small arms can’t defeat a modern army. (We can leave aside that the definition of “arms” in the Second Amendment should clearly include more than small arms; it should also be totally legal to own any type of portable crew-served weapons, including machine guns, mortars and anti-tank rockets, as well as explosives and grenades, with, of course, no government oversight or tracking). But you don’t need an army to defeat an army—you just need enough weapons to kill enough people to acquire heavier weapons (or, as here, supply from abroad of anti-tank and other man-portable destructive devices), and then you need to use those weapons effectively. Given the large numbers of Americans in red states with military training, that probably won’t be too difficult. And that’s true for an insurgency—what’s portrayed here is basically proxy civil war, which would likely be even more effective from the insurgents’ perspective.

In some perfect world, I’d like to rate this book “fun, if gruesome, fantasy,” and now go back about my day. Instead, I rate it one-quarter prophecy, one-half warning and one-quarter training manual, and now I will go worry about it. I’m not happy about it, but that’s just the way it is.

[Jeff P · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book, it is very funny and entertaining and yet sobering at the same time.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding military fiction about organizing revolt in Southern Indiana against the ruling Socialist Peoples Republic of Blue States.

[pat w downey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Priceless. It's great biting satire that pokes fun at PC poison. Unfortunately it hits very close to home given the current lawlessness. A fun ride.

Priceless. It's great biting satire that pokes fun at PC poison. Unfortunately it hits very close to home given the current lawlessness. A fun ride.

[Hans G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent speculative fiction describing what might happen if current political division split the country apart.

[Jim A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average post apocalyptic novel. What makes this one different from others of the same genre is the apocalypse itself. Not an EMP or virus as so many authors write about. This was triggered by the election of Hillary Clinton as president followed by Elizabeth Warren.

The Red States have broken off from the Blue States and the author has an infiltrator from the Red working with those citizens in southern Indiana who just want to be left alone. The infiltrator has his own agenda, much like today’s CIA, when it comes to those citizens.

Much of it is written with tongue in cheek, (Apache helicopters are called Woodrow Wilson because “Apache” is a disparaging word.) but the leanings toward the conservative side of politics is certainly there. Mocks PC at every opportunity.

As this is billed as a prequel there is really not much suspense as to how it’s going to turn out.

[Allen McDonnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cautionary tale

I know the author wrote this as a cautionary tale, he said so himself.

As a Libertarian I find much of the scenario used as the basis all too believable. The novel is about the exploits of a post breakdown in USA unity working in 'Blue Country' where people who believe in the US Constitution are reviled. The various states have broken up along the lines of the Red-Blue political split, and those who are in the more purple states where the political balance is close to 50/50 are stuck in one camp or the other. Naturally those who are Blue stuck in the Red want out, and as mostly urban folks moving is easy enough. Unfortunately for the Red stuck in Blue the folks are mostly rural and relocation means giving up a business or farm that may have been generational in nature, which is emotionally much more difficult. Naturally this leads to hardship and conflict between the government and the citizens, especially Red citizens under Blue government.

[Paula Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A year ago I would have thought the plot entirely fanciful and unrealistic. Not to mention frightening. In January 2021, it is realistic, and only slightly cartoonish. The plot is crisp and the writing spare and very clear and readable. You share the fury and the anger of the normal Americans in southern Indiana who find themselves subject to the ideological fantasies of a woke elite who want to completely destroy them. My only complaint is that the weapons get more character development than some of the characters wielding them :-) I skipped over some of those details, but hey, I'm a girl.

[Lois A., McGuire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling read

Terrifying to read this book in light of what is going on in the USA Today. We, the people who believe in our Constitution and Bill of Rights as written by the founding fathers, are heartened by the story and the message. Well reasoned, well written, and well worth your time.

[Gerry O'Malley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrifying and realistic portrayal of urban insurrection. If anything, this sequel is better written than the first book. This book is less funny (although it is pretty funny in places) and much more serious than People's Republic, the first novel in this series. In the first novel, Schlicter seemed more interested in poking fun at the ridiculous political correctness of the Left and the absurd, racist, kleptocommunist state they created. In this book, which is a prequel to the events of People's Republic, Schlicter describes the house-to-house and hand-to-hand combat necessary for a group of guerillas to push back against a stronger, overwhelming military force. The story is multi-layered and nuanced with complicated and mixed loyalties among the characters. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because I thought it became bogged down in too much technical detail toward the end of the book - once the Battle of Jasper started, the action picked up and didn't let up for a second, but getting there was a bit of a slog for about 50 pages with painfully detailed descriptions of weapons and ammunition and routes of attack (which didn't make sense because, as Schlicter explains in the addendum, the town of Jasper in the novel is a creation - it doesn't actually exist - so all the details about which Interstate crossed which highway and how the rivers and roads divided the surrounding terrain north, south, east and west became meaningless). I pulled out a map of southern Indiana and tried to figure out what routes and rivers were being occupied but I quickly gave up because none of it made any sense. Still - it's a crackling good read full of action and pathos and genuine terror, not just for the characters in the book, but for our country. Just the title alone, INDIAN COUNTRY tells you everything you need to know about Schlicter as an author - he is very clever and has a knowledge of American history that translates exceedingly well into fiction.

[Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A prequel to his popular "People's Republic". In it he continues to ridicule the extremes of politically correct thinking (and speech) that seem to be gaining momentum these days. Set in a dystopian near-future when the U.S. is divided, he explores the idea of a patriot's revolt against the socialist regime of the People's Republic in a traditionally conservative area (Southern Indiana) - with a little help from their friends to the south.
The problem with any territorial division is that it is never clean with opposing parties on either side of the lines - someone always gets left behind. Look at the split between India and Pakistan and see the ongoing conflict over the Punjab region as just one example. Or the break-up of Yugoslavia and the Bosnian conflict or the artificial borders created by colonial powers in the Middle East and Africa that threw disparate tribes and peoples together and see how that has led to strife, civil war and genocide.
If such a division ever took place in the U.S. those same troubles we see in other nations would eventually rise to the surface here with the same bloody outcome. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly and how readily the northern and southern states were willing to embrace war and tear each other apart instead of finding a way through the problems to an equitable solution, although, in today's political climate the level of rancor and divisiveness (which is whipped up by media and politicians alike) makes it hard for meaningful discourse to happen. We should hope and pray that such a scenario never happens!

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A prequel and a bit longer than the first published book of the series, this book doesn't lean quite as hard into the political satire of the first exploring what it would look like wete the hard left on America to accomplish their intersectional cultural revolution, but I still enjoyed it never the less.

Schlichter has a pretty good writing style and I enjoy the characters that he creates. This story explores what would happen to the conservative areas encapsulated within liberal regions of the United States were the country to split into separate nations. It reads very much like a civil war version of Red Dawn, and he even makes a self aware referential joke to that at one point in the book.

I will admit, I feel like the use of military/government acronyms exploded in this book and Schlichter is an ex-military man who loves his guns, but the specifics on most of the weapons used in the book were unnecessary and overzealous in my humble opinion. And these two things are what dropped that last star for me and took me out of the book every now and then. To me, guns, like cars, are tools. They can be neat, but I personally just need them to do their function efficiently and don't really care about the details either way.

Overall, this book was still certainly engaging enough that I plan on continuing the series.

[Collette Greystone · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fiction, but it seems more prophetic, especially in 2020’s political climate.

This isn’t a book that lets you escape 2020. As a prequel, it answers some questions raised in the first book “Peoples Republic “. The characters aren’t too deep and the main character, Kelly Turnbull is someone you would like to meet.

There’s a lot of gun use and gun descriptions, which was distracting to me, but made the action authentic. The description of the battles were detailed and too lengthy for me. I stopped reading it about halfway through because of this. I picked it back up several weeks later because I was curious how the book ended. It’s a good ending.

This is the second book I’ve read in the series and while reading, I often find myself wondering what it’s like in the “red states” in this world Kurt Schlichter creates. If you read Kurt’s columns, you can pretty well guess what life in the “blue states” is like. Hilarious if your politics lean right, or if you are just plain tired of political correctness and a dual system of justice in America.

Overall, this book is well thought out, well written and should be on your bookshelf!

I plan to read the next book in the series.

[John Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series, but it's set before the first book, making it a prequel. Kelly Turnbull is a Special Forces operator in Iraq, leading a local anti-terrorist team. He's recruited by the CIA to become an asset working for them, which leads him to being sent into the Blue parts of Southern Illinois after the US splits into two parts, both politically opposite to each other. The People's Republic has become a Fascist-like Communist Utopia, full of diversity, equality, and integration, and the people don't appreciate the armed People's Volunteers (armed militia gangs) stealing their hard earned items.
Kelly is sent to "peacefully" cause problems for the Republic, and he finds himself at the centre of an armed rebellion, lead by the townsfolk who have had enough. Soon, they are fighting an all-out guerrilla campaign against the People's Republic Police Force and it's Gestapo-like Secret Police.

It's a scary look at what is slowly happening in the US right now, and what could possibly happen in the future. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[dennis miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possible, but horrible future

My biggest complaint is thinking the blues would be smarter. But living in the puget sound region, I know they are not. The western part of the "split" is the region the local socialists wanted for their nation of pacifica, because they believe the propaganda of their democratic politicians, and think they would be self sufficient.

It isnt really hard to imagine the split drawn on state lines, even though the core of progressive marxism is rooted in the I-5 corridor around the big urban areas (consumers) and all the producers in the east side or coastal regions hate their policies.

One thing that makes this book a realistic outlet is how the left has doubled down on their positions since the election in 2016, and enforce their idiotic beliefs on the rest of us. I am not sure if fanatics or fascist is the correct term, but do know tolerance is not.

[Ronda · Rating 5 out of 5]

When this was written it was probably considered satire, now not so much. What once would have been extreme fringe ideology between the woke "Blues" sounded like today's news and twitter feeds. Having recently taken up learning to shoot, the story hit almost too close to home to be enjoyable as fiction. I took it as a training manual to prepare for the years ahead. I enjoyed some clever exchanges, some funny moments, and some very satisfying conclusions to hair-raising situations.
Since this was described as a prequel, I read it first. Whether that was a good choice or not, I'll find out after I read the next one in the series.

[K Shirey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seriously glad I read this book and the previous one before our USA elections were stolen. At a time I’d already learned our media, AMA, Big Pharma, Social Media and of course government agencies had all been sold out to the highest bidder or the best black mailers, this book still didn’t seem like a possible future. There are some, in America, and around the world who are incapable of seeing the truth. The good news is there are more people who can and have. Where we end up is anyone’s guess but this author put his guess to pen and paper and I just continue to hope we don’t go over the edge into this guys creative shit storm.

[Cary B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting and funny

This book is even better than the first in the series, People's Republic. It's funny at times, fast moving and meticulous when it comes to exposing hypocrisy and weakness in 'the enemy', that is the People's Republic. There's plenty of solid exciting action too.

Kelly Turnbull, hero/anti-hero is more fleshed out and likeable in this volume than the first. I often chortled with delight as he got the better of yet another opponent. Schlichter's well-known acid humour is very much in evidence. Definitely a must-read if you ever feel that the current clown-world is getting you down.

[Richard Bolland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in the Kelly Turnbull saga of life in a post-national division of territory wrought by a recognition that the divergent politics now marking America cannot continue indefinitely. It also describes the inevitable conflict between the two nations as the socialist nation forms alliances with other communist countries and sews the seeds of its own demise. Once again the enforced political correctness enforce by law in the People’s Republic is both amusing and frightening. A good read and quite entertaining.

[Virginia O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book, but too close to the near future for comfort

Also not for the squeamish. If war is hell, then civil war is where the reality too bad for the Devil’s sensibilities lies.

We can still avoid this future. But everyone, every real American, needs to get serious and become a sheepdog, because the sheep can’t lead us anywhere good. If we don’t, we’ll all end up as wolves out of necessity, and I’d rather not need to resort to predator tactics.

Kurt Schlichter just may be a prophet. I hope he’s not. But either way this book is damned hard to put down.

[Roger Burk · Rating 2 out of 5]

SPECOPS porn. The author clearly relishes the idea of a civil war between Red states and Blue, which the Red states will win because of their superior righteousness, testosterone, and skill. The Bad Guys, of course, are all caricatures--ignorant, loud, self-righteous, narrowminded, bullying, bumbling, cruel, murderous fools. Transsexuals come in for particular scorn.

On the other hand, it does provide tips on how guerrillas can fight a mechanized army. News you can use, depending on where you live.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is rare that a sequel is better than the first book, but Schlichter achieves that feat, and with a prequel no less! There are many more interesting characters in this book than in the first one, and the action is top notch. I really liked the character of the opposing general as a principled man fighting for the wrong side. It added a layer of grey that was not present in the first book. Overall, a great conservative and patriotic read.

[H. Edwin Nehus · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was filled with satire like I have never read before. I must admit that this is the first book I have read by fellow American, Kurt Schlichter. I hope I said his name correctly. ( A little of satire of my own!) It did keep me on the edge of my seat and I am so glad that I am up to date with the news and the politics of the day.

The book is entertaining, a fast read, and you don't want to put it down. I sure am glad I found this author and I plan to read all of his books.

[Joan S. Royer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting!

Indian Country was such a great story! It was exciting and made the reader feel like he was a part of the scenes portrayed! Part of the guerrillas recovering some of the country lost in the split between the United States and the hated, Peoples Republic! If I ever have to choose between the Reds and Blues, there is no doubt which side I will be on. Keep writing, Kurt!

[Sidney J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this series with a weary eye. The writer hit all the woke tropes, so I was prepared for it to be a very one dimensional read and that I would not read the other books in the series. Then the Biden administration happened (Global Warming, white extremism as a defence issues, and Kabul). Later in the book he mentions an aging and cognitively impaired President Elizabeth Warren. The book was written in 2018 and it hits very close to home.

[Patrick Sweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot of "Indian Country" is the liberation of oppressed people of southern Indiana from the "blue" People's Republic. Maybe in 2012, this could have been dismisssed as a fantasy but seems to now follow the trajectory that this country in the real timeline is on: a division between totalitarian blue and free red nations. Our hero is a law unto himself. I have read #1 and #2, and speeding through the series. To new readers, I would recommend reading #2 first.

[Fred J Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Kelly Turnbull so far

I took some recommendations to read the series out of order. Indian Country is great. I only have one more to read. This book brings the red vs blue fight home to the people who can make a difference. I hope our real battle never comes to this but I spent several years in So. Indiana and have lots of relatives there who love our country and know how to shoot. Thanks Kurt.

[Andrew Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story itself is definitely 5 stars. Laying out the only logical end point of the trajectory of our culture.

Knocking off a star because the writing itself simply is not good enough. Multiple times I had to return and reread various passages to clarify them. And with some of them, even the second pass wasn’t enough to make it make sense.

I’m on to book 3 at this point, so I am definitely in on the Kelly Turnbull story.

[Mark Phinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Frightening Possible Future Coming to Pass

The second installment of a possible future rapidly approaching … if a lot of things don’t change. Definitely worth the time to read. Well written with a very plausible plot line. The character “Kelly Turnbull” is reminiscent of Brad Thor’s “Scott Horvath:” an honorable man doing what is necessary to protect his country and fellow citizens.

[Randy Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kicked ass

Read in one sitting now I am going to bed praying that our politicians on both sides of the aisle stop acting like petulant children and find a way to make America one again. This is a hard core vision of where we could be soon. Patriots vs. Left nut jobs. Find middle ground if not this gruesome snapshot of folks defending their homes families, and churches might not be a fiction but reality.