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Ashes #5
Alone in the Ashes
A lone mercenary must fend for himself against gangs of bloodthirsty thugs in a post-apocalyptic wasteland—from a USA Today–bestselling author. While those who survived the bombs, the fallout, and the germ warfare struggle to stay alive in a world gone mad, legendary soldier and survival expert Ben Raines is fighting to rebuild a nation out of anarchy and bitter chaos. In this hellish new order, there are devils leading armed gangs of marauders. Under monikers like Cowboy Vic and Texas Red, they wreak destruction wherever they go. When Raines is cut off from his SUSA Rebel forces, he becomes their prey—a special target for their frenzy and bloodlust. From Georgia to West Texas and Colorado to Idaho, Raines must stay one step ahead of death…until he decides it's time to turn and fight. Fifth in the long-running series!
356 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1985
142 people are currently reading
277 people want to read
About the author
William W. Johnstone
1,046 books1,395 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
July 13, 2025
One of the best so far. Back to the basics as Ben heads out into the wilderness alone, leaving the rebels behind. Now we are back to man versus the world instead of armies battling each other.
July 9, 2018
Alone in the Ashes is the fifth book in William W. Johnstone's 'Ashes' series, which is set after what appears to be the most benign nuclear war conceivable. These books are not good in any objective sense, but I'm on a mission to read one of these terrible beasts every year until I either finish the series or die. I'm not sure which outcome I'm most looking forward to.
But before I talk about how bad this book is -- and it's bad -- I want to take a minute to give Johnstone credit for something that was utterly surprising and previously unheard of. Ben Raines, the previously infallible lead of this series of books, makes a mistake, and pays for a price for that mistake.
Let me say that again, especially for any one of you who might have read previous entries: BEN RAINES MAKES A MISTAKE. TWICE. The first mistake costs the life of the young boy he has adopted. The second mistake leads to the kidnapping of his lover, and leaves Raines on his deathbed for weeks.
This is notable because in every book prior to this, Raines is literally incapable of making a bad decision or doing anything wrong. His plans always work out perfectly, his bullets never miss, every woman he meets gets wet in the knickers from manly manliness, and nearly every person he encounters knows his name, either because he was a writer or because he's a super awesome good guy fighting for good in the post nuclear wasteland of badness.
So, uh, kudos for making Mr. Raines briefly fallible. Believe it or not, it humanizes him and makes the book better because of it. Though only marginally so.
Because for the rest of the novel's length, Ben is exactly how I described him. Completely infallible.
There's a moment early on when Ben encounters a brother and a sister, apparently running for their life. They tell Ben that they're on the run from some warlords who are trying to kill and rape them, because you can spot all the bad guys in this series because they're rapists. Ben being the good guy that he is decides to help these two out, and so they boobytrap up a small town then lay in wait to lay some smackdown on the warlords when they arrive.
But as I read this, I thought, how great would it be if these two were actually the bad guys, a couple who had spent months or years raping or murdering children, and a band of freedom fighters were now chasing them down, and they had just scammed Ben into helping them out. Because really, that's just as likely. Ben doesn't need any kind of evidence from them to support their story. They just tell him a bunch of stuff, and he's like, "Sure, let's kill these mofos following you."
Good guys are always good guys, because they tell you they're good guys. And bad guys are always bad guys because they talk incessantly about how much they love rape.
This is not even remotely how people would behave. And it's note even remotely a good way to tell an interesting or compelling story.
Another weird thing in this book, that I think I may have noticed in previous books in this series, is that it's not very good at having a self-contained arc. Things that happen at the start -- like Ben saving the siblings and then hooking up with the sister as a travel and sexual companion -- don't really go anywhere and kind of run out of the steam by the middle. And then something kind of happens in the middle -- like the introduction of an entirely new female character, who Ben will later hook up with as a travel and sexual companion, and yes this is a thing that happens all the goddamn time -- and then continues to the end of the book.
This second female seems like one who should have been there from earlier on, if this was being written and drafted as a standalone book. But I'm beginning to get the sense that the 'Ashes' series may not have been written as a series of standalone books. I'm getting the sense that they were written as one giant, single novel, that Johnstone just took chunks of and published as he completed them. Every, say, 250 pages or so, he'd look and go, "Yeah, this seems like this could closely approximate a book." And so it was.
It's just a theory mind you. Right or wrong, it at least conveys a sense of how it reads. Which is awkward and without any kind of solid throughline.
Would I recommend this book. Heavens no, but it's probably close to the one I'd be most likely to recommend if forced to. There are a couple of slightly better moments that elevate this entry above the previous ones, including a couple of combat sequences that were bordering on interesting to read. But in the end, the initial entry in the series remains the high water mark for batshittedness and terrible writing, and that's where anyone interested in this mess to get a taste for it.
But before I talk about how bad this book is -- and it's bad -- I want to take a minute to give Johnstone credit for something that was utterly surprising and previously unheard of. Ben Raines, the previously infallible lead of this series of books, makes a mistake, and pays for a price for that mistake.
Let me say that again, especially for any one of you who might have read previous entries: BEN RAINES MAKES A MISTAKE. TWICE. The first mistake costs the life of the young boy he has adopted. The second mistake leads to the kidnapping of his lover, and leaves Raines on his deathbed for weeks.
This is notable because in every book prior to this, Raines is literally incapable of making a bad decision or doing anything wrong. His plans always work out perfectly, his bullets never miss, every woman he meets gets wet in the knickers from manly manliness, and nearly every person he encounters knows his name, either because he was a writer or because he's a super awesome good guy fighting for good in the post nuclear wasteland of badness.
So, uh, kudos for making Mr. Raines briefly fallible. Believe it or not, it humanizes him and makes the book better because of it. Though only marginally so.
Because for the rest of the novel's length, Ben is exactly how I described him. Completely infallible.
There's a moment early on when Ben encounters a brother and a sister, apparently running for their life. They tell Ben that they're on the run from some warlords who are trying to kill and rape them, because you can spot all the bad guys in this series because they're rapists. Ben being the good guy that he is decides to help these two out, and so they boobytrap up a small town then lay in wait to lay some smackdown on the warlords when they arrive.
But as I read this, I thought, how great would it be if these two were actually the bad guys, a couple who had spent months or years raping or murdering children, and a band of freedom fighters were now chasing them down, and they had just scammed Ben into helping them out. Because really, that's just as likely. Ben doesn't need any kind of evidence from them to support their story. They just tell him a bunch of stuff, and he's like, "Sure, let's kill these mofos following you."
Good guys are always good guys, because they tell you they're good guys. And bad guys are always bad guys because they talk incessantly about how much they love rape.
This is not even remotely how people would behave. And it's note even remotely a good way to tell an interesting or compelling story.
Another weird thing in this book, that I think I may have noticed in previous books in this series, is that it's not very good at having a self-contained arc. Things that happen at the start -- like Ben saving the siblings and then hooking up with the sister as a travel and sexual companion -- don't really go anywhere and kind of run out of the steam by the middle. And then something kind of happens in the middle -- like the introduction of an entirely new female character, who Ben will later hook up with as a travel and sexual companion, and yes this is a thing that happens all the goddamn time -- and then continues to the end of the book.
This second female seems like one who should have been there from earlier on, if this was being written and drafted as a standalone book. But I'm beginning to get the sense that the 'Ashes' series may not have been written as a series of standalone books. I'm getting the sense that they were written as one giant, single novel, that Johnstone just took chunks of and published as he completed them. Every, say, 250 pages or so, he'd look and go, "Yeah, this seems like this could closely approximate a book." And so it was.
It's just a theory mind you. Right or wrong, it at least conveys a sense of how it reads. Which is awkward and without any kind of solid throughline.
Would I recommend this book. Heavens no, but it's probably close to the one I'd be most likely to recommend if forced to. There are a couple of slightly better moments that elevate this entry above the previous ones, including a couple of combat sequences that were bordering on interesting to read. But in the end, the initial entry in the series remains the high water mark for batshittedness and terrible writing, and that's where anyone interested in this mess to get a taste for it.
February 8, 2023
Another Excellent Book in the Ashes Series
Alone in the Ashes did not disappoint. The pace of the story continues rapidly, but without sacrificing any details we want as readers vested in Ben Raines' story. I am looking forward to the next book as a digest this one. Raines has become the friend you want to have on your side in any situation, particularly in TEOTWAWKI. The characters are all well developed and are interesting separately, but our protagonist, Raines, is who makes this story pop.
Alone in the Ashes did not disappoint. The pace of the story continues rapidly, but without sacrificing any details we want as readers vested in Ben Raines' story. I am looking forward to the next book as a digest this one. Raines has become the friend you want to have on your side in any situation, particularly in TEOTWAWKI. The characters are all well developed and are interesting separately, but our protagonist, Raines, is who makes this story pop.
May 31, 2025
Alone in the,ashes
Another home run for Mr. Johnstone. Full of action making the reader want to keep on reading. Great series can't wait to read the next volume to see what Ben has slated for us next.
Another home run for Mr. Johnstone. Full of action making the reader want to keep on reading. Great series can't wait to read the next volume to see what Ben has slated for us next.
July 4, 2017
very good but the end left me hanging
February 4, 2021
Rereading enjoyment!
I have been reading some of the reviews by other readers and I don't agree with most lol. A fan!
I have been reading some of the reviews by other readers and I don't agree with most lol. A fan!
November 22, 2014
With the mantle of leadership growing heavy on his shoulders, Ben decides to hit the road alone for a while. He is joined by people for a short time. A little boy who dies a few weeks after meeting Ben, a woman who spends the winter with him is eventually kidnapped by Sam Hartline. It looks like he and the Russian General will be taking their places as bad guys again soon.
This book gets back to a lot of the feeling of Out of the Ashes. We even return briefly to the old Tri-States.
This book gets back to a lot of the feeling of Out of the Ashes. We even return briefly to the old Tri-States.
August 28, 2010
Ben Raines gets tired of leadership and strikes out on his own for awhile.
While Ben Raines is still thwarted in his attempts to put civilization back together. I liked this one a lot simply because I enjoy fugitive stories where the hunted turns the tables and becomes the hunter.
Warning, strong language, violence and sex.
While Ben Raines is still thwarted in his attempts to put civilization back together. I liked this one a lot simply because I enjoy fugitive stories where the hunted turns the tables and becomes the hunter.
Warning, strong language, violence and sex.
December 28, 2014
kindle edition - bad
This book looks like it was scanned from the original paperback. And not a good scan either. The text is not clear and is hard to read
This book looks like it was scanned from the original paperback. And not a good scan either. The text is not clear and is hard to read
July 6, 2015
Formula writing but entertaining brainless read.
January 25, 2016
Very good adventure series. Basically the forming of a new United States after WW3 and the story of the man who leads and forms it. If you like men's adventure stories you will enjoy it. Recommended
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews