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The Survivalist #5

by Jerry Ahern

John Thomas Rourke, M.D., ex-CIA Cover Operations Officer, weapons expert, and survival authority, has accomplished one of his goals - he's helped his young friend Paul Rubenstein locate his parents. Now, Rourke's search for his own family must continue, hampered by severe storms raging along the Eastern Seaboard caused by the earthquakes which destroyed Florida. Rourke picks up his relentless quest, avoiding the Russian troops searching for the missing data on the enigmatic Eden Project, and rides into the most bizarre situation he's discovered since the Night of the War. Life in the Tennessee mountain village is all too normal, seemingly unaffected by the war. It is there that John Thomas Rourke finds himself in the middle of a mass suicide

Genres: Post Apocalyptic, Fiction, Action, Science Fiction, Adventure, Dystopia, War

173 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2008

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

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Web (The Survivalist #5) by Jerry Ahern was a bit slower than other installments of series. Plus, it doesn't seem like as much happens. Honestly, it could have been a little shorter than its 222 pages. Regardless, it's still a solid read.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old school pulp fiction at it's best. Bad dialog, over the top characters and plot holes you could drive a truck through. Very enjoyable!

[Nicholas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not all that different from the previous novels so far, except for Rourke running into some crazy people. Gun names, other gear names, badass survival, etc. One problem with these novels is that they repeat too much that has already been said in the previous books. We all know by now what his favorite pistols, revolver, shoulder holster, and assault rifle are. We know that his son looks like him because his wife thinks it 1,000 times per novel and the author tells us. The author isn't good at characterization, and uses repetition in its place.

If you took this stuff out, I think you could combine the novels and reduce the number in the series by half.

That said, I do find it interesting that the Soviet characters are not all cartoonish villains, which is something one might expect when first engaging with this type of novel, especially given the time period in which they were written and when the author grew up. But while they Soviets, like the protagonists, are only one or two note characters, he's gone out of his way to present several of them as fairly decent people. He certainly gets props for that instead of simply giving us repeated incarnations of Boris and Natasha.

[Gary Mcdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great inspiration.

Although there are a mass of typos, this is still a great segment of a great story! I have read this series many times since the early 1980s and will read it yet again.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best one yet!!!! Even had a librarian in it

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Część piąta - niespodziewanie przyjemne odzwierciedlenie kina akcji w klimatach postapo z czasów filmów na kasetach wideo.

[Regalia Lenzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zakochana Marta pokonała wspaniałego Johna. No super ;)

[Joseph B · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I continue to enjoy the Survivalist series for what it is, a pulpy post-apocalyptic adventure with an overpowered main hero, The Web is the first entry I found to be exhausting at times due to the repetitiveness. John stumbles upon a mysterious town pretending World War III didn't happen; while Natalia tries to uncover what the Eden project is. A freak cold weather event also takes up most of the opening act; with Sarah Rourke having a minor subplot. Overall the story is enjoyable if not exceedingly slow paced with not much happening.

As is the case with pulp novels; the mandated habit of recapping general things at the beginning in case someone just picked up the book is there. However my issue is Ahern has a habit of reiterating everything; even at later points in the novel. John's trusty pistols, the Retreat, the holsters, etc. It got tiresome. However I must commend Ahern on being a more descriptive pulp writer than most. As well as his point-of-view being really well done.

However in the end it's still a decent "junk food" read and worth continuing on with the series if the plot has interested you so far. Like I've mentioned in other reviews, while the Russians are the baddies they still have some nuance which I appreciate. Something atypical for the post-apocalyptic pulp genre. 2 1/2 stars out of 5.

Note: This review was edited in 2024 after a re-read for expanded perspective and clearer critique.

[Little Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite adventure series. Dr John Thomas Rourke leads his family and friends through a post apocalyptic world fighting ever step if the way. Fantastic characters and plots. Very detailed weapon descriptions. Excellent series. My highest recommendation

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'll quit my job before they make me work on another Survivalist.

I'm going to spoil this book for everyone. John Rourke kills brigands. Sarah Rourke loves her kids. The end.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my review under "Total War," Survivalist Book 1.

[Dan Panke · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Survivalist series is interesting and it appears to be one large book broken down. To my knowledge the series consists of 27 books.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was fun easy reading in my teens. Would actually like to pick one up again and see what I think now. :D

[Ron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Post-apocalyptic pulp goodness.

[Kurt Vosper · Rating 3 out of 5]

see book 1