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The Coming Collapse #1
Patriots
America faces a full-scale socioeconomic collapse—the stock market plummets, hyperinflation cripples commerce and the mounting crisis passes the tipping point. Practically overnight, the fragile chains of supply and high-technology infrastructure fall, and wholesale rioting and looting grip every major city.
As hordes of refugees and looters pour out of the cities, a small group of friends living in the Midwest desperately tries to make their way to a safe-haven ranch in northern Idaho. The journey requires all their skill and training since communication, commerce, transportation and law enforcement have all disappeared. Once at the ranch, the group fends off vicious attacks from outsiders and then looks to join other groups that are trying to restore true Constitutional law to the country.
Patriots is a thrilling narrative depicting fictional characters using authentic survivalist techniques to endure the collapse of the American civilization. Reading this compelling, fast-paced novel could one day mean the difference between life and death.
As hordes of refugees and looters pour out of the cities, a small group of friends living in the Midwest desperately tries to make their way to a safe-haven ranch in northern Idaho. The journey requires all their skill and training since communication, commerce, transportation and law enforcement have all disappeared. Once at the ranch, the group fends off vicious attacks from outsiders and then looks to join other groups that are trying to restore true Constitutional law to the country.
Patriots is a thrilling narrative depicting fictional characters using authentic survivalist techniques to endure the collapse of the American civilization. Reading this compelling, fast-paced novel could one day mean the difference between life and death.
384 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 1998
723 people are currently reading
2669 people want to read
About the author
James Wesley, Rawles
22 books250 followersJames Wesley, Rawles is a internationally recognized authority on family disaster preparedness and survivalism. He has been described by journalists as the "conscience of survivalism." Formerly a U.S. Army intelligence officer, Rawles is now a fiction and nonfiction author, as well as a rancher. His books have been translated into seven languages. He is also a lecturer and the founder and Senior Editor of http://www.SurvivalBlog.com, the Internet's first blogs on preparedness that has enjoyed perennial popularity and now receives more than 320,000 unique visits per week. He and his family live at a remote self-sufficient ranch surrounded by National Forest lands that is is cryptically identified as located "somewhere west of the Rockies.
Rawles worked as an Associate Editor and Regional Editor (for the Western U.S.) with Defense Electronics magazine in the late 1980s and early 1990s and concurrently was Managing Editor of The International Countermeasures Handbook. He worked as a technical writer through most of the 1990s with a variety of electronics and software companies including Oracle Corporation. In 2005, he began blogging full-time. On his book covers and in his blog, he presents his name with a comma, as James Wesley, Rawles, to distinguish between his given name and his family name.
James Wesley, Rawles was born James Wesley Rawles in California in 1960 and attended local public schools. Rawles received a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Jose University.
From 1984 to 1993, he served as a United States Army Military Intelligence officer. He resigned his commission as a U.S. Army Captain immediately after Bill Clinton was inaugurated as President of the United States.
Rawles is the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, a popular blog on survival and preparedness topics. The blog has been described as "the guiding light of the prepper movement." The main focus of his blog is preparing for the multitude of possible threats toward society. In his various writings, Rawles has warned about socio-economic collapse, terrorist attacks, and food shortages.
He is now a freelance writer, blogger, and survival retreat consultant. One journalist called him a "survival guru" He was described as the "conscience of survivalism." Rawles is best known as the author of the survivalist novel Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse.
Rawles is an outspoken proponent of family preparedness, especially regarding food storage and advocates relocating to lightly populated rural "retreat" areas. His preparedness philosophy emphasizes the fragility of modern society, the value of silver and other tangibles for barter, recognition of moral absolutes, being well-armed, maintaining a "deep larder," relocation to rural retreats, and Christian charity. In an interview in The New York Times, Rawles identified himself as a "guns and groceries" survivalist.
Rawles interprets the 2nd Amendment as supporting citizens' individual rights to bear and keep arms. He believes they should be able to take arms to public events.
Rawles is opposed to racism. He supports abolition of modern slavery in the world.
Rawles is a spokeman for the surivalist movement. A central premise of that movement is that there is a high risk of a coming societal meltdown and the need to prepare for the repercussions. Rawles said that the popular media has developed an incorrect far-right "lunatic fringe" image in part because of the actions of a radical few such as Timothy McVeigh. He called this a distortion of the true message of survivalism. Unlike the handful of fringe proponents, Rawles focuses instead on family preparedness and personal freedom. Rawles explained that the typical survivalist does not actually live in a rural area, but is rather is a city dweller worried about the collapse of society who views the rural lifestyle as idyllic. Speaking from his experience, Rawles cautions that rural self-sufficiency a
Rawles worked as an Associate Editor and Regional Editor (for the Western U.S.) with Defense Electronics magazine in the late 1980s and early 1990s and concurrently was Managing Editor of The International Countermeasures Handbook. He worked as a technical writer through most of the 1990s with a variety of electronics and software companies including Oracle Corporation. In 2005, he began blogging full-time. On his book covers and in his blog, he presents his name with a comma, as James Wesley, Rawles, to distinguish between his given name and his family name.
James Wesley, Rawles was born James Wesley Rawles in California in 1960 and attended local public schools. Rawles received a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Jose University.
From 1984 to 1993, he served as a United States Army Military Intelligence officer. He resigned his commission as a U.S. Army Captain immediately after Bill Clinton was inaugurated as President of the United States.
Rawles is the editor of SurvivalBlog.com, a popular blog on survival and preparedness topics. The blog has been described as "the guiding light of the prepper movement." The main focus of his blog is preparing for the multitude of possible threats toward society. In his various writings, Rawles has warned about socio-economic collapse, terrorist attacks, and food shortages.
He is now a freelance writer, blogger, and survival retreat consultant. One journalist called him a "survival guru" He was described as the "conscience of survivalism." Rawles is best known as the author of the survivalist novel Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse.
Rawles is an outspoken proponent of family preparedness, especially regarding food storage and advocates relocating to lightly populated rural "retreat" areas. His preparedness philosophy emphasizes the fragility of modern society, the value of silver and other tangibles for barter, recognition of moral absolutes, being well-armed, maintaining a "deep larder," relocation to rural retreats, and Christian charity. In an interview in The New York Times, Rawles identified himself as a "guns and groceries" survivalist.
Rawles interprets the 2nd Amendment as supporting citizens' individual rights to bear and keep arms. He believes they should be able to take arms to public events.
Rawles is opposed to racism. He supports abolition of modern slavery in the world.
Rawles is a spokeman for the surivalist movement. A central premise of that movement is that there is a high risk of a coming societal meltdown and the need to prepare for the repercussions. Rawles said that the popular media has developed an incorrect far-right "lunatic fringe" image in part because of the actions of a radical few such as Timothy McVeigh. He called this a distortion of the true message of survivalism. Unlike the handful of fringe proponents, Rawles focuses instead on family preparedness and personal freedom. Rawles explained that the typical survivalist does not actually live in a rural area, but is rather is a city dweller worried about the collapse of society who views the rural lifestyle as idyllic. Speaking from his experience, Rawles cautions that rural self-sufficiency a
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 526 reviews
November 10, 2011
For any man who's ever wanted to be a Hero With a Gun but was too gutless to join the military or police force, and any woman who wants to hide out in the backwoods of Idaho with said asshole and bear his children, this book is a must read. Invaluable advice is offered: for example, it's okay to waste ammo pumping multiple rounds into the corpses of Gay Communist Cannibals, because, as the hero points out, "They can't be dead enough." Rawles also instructs you on how to ambush and destroy an Abrams tank, if one ever detaches from its unit and travels solo into your neighborhood with a sign around its turret reading "Flank Me." Granted, the incompetent tank commander in this scenario was not American but German, which makes complete sense because (a) the reborn European Nazi Empire will stop at nothing to invade Idaho, and (b) as you're no doubt aware, Germans know nothing of tank warfare.
"Laugh while you can, sheeple!"
"Laugh while you can, sheeple!"
November 3, 2010
Thank God this is over with. This is not a story. This is 300 pages about guns, stuff you need should the economy ever collapse, and about 20 characters that are all the same person. It's very random, it's very boring, and it's very subjective to this one guy's ideas of what would happen should the economy ever die for realz.
Yeah. I could say it's worth reading just because he does give a list of stuff it would be nice to have in such a situation, but really, don't waste your time. Just visit a survivalist blog or something. It's much faster and cheaper, and your brain will thank you for not slogging through this travesty of dead trees.
Yeah. I could say it's worth reading just because he does give a list of stuff it would be nice to have in such a situation, but really, don't waste your time. Just visit a survivalist blog or something. It's much faster and cheaper, and your brain will thank you for not slogging through this travesty of dead trees.
December 8, 2019
In a way I'd like to do 2 things here. First I'd like to be able to rate this higher. I believe that the idea of a possible collapse of some kind isn't all that far fetched. I'd seen the power go down in areas of Nashville for as much as 2 weeks and it got bad. Any kind of complete collapse would lead to massive death and even horror. This could have been and should have been an interesting book. TOO MANY BOOKS ON THIS TOPIC CROSS OVER INTO FRINGE BELIEFS. This one doesn't do that.
It's just not very interesting.
The second thing I'd like to do (sort-of) is start a shelf titled "action ?".
I read (tried to read) a nonfiction book by this author on preparedness. The problem was that first he pushes his own programs and second his survival strategies are geared to people who have a virtually unlimited budget for survival equipment and some kind of bolthole/fortified farm.
This book purported to be a novel is about a group of people who've prepared using hundreds of thousands of dollars to get their bolt hole ready...I know because the writer goes into GREAT detail about how, when and why they bought everything (including paying cash for the farm). It's a fantasy about his own plan (which you can get details of for a small fee) and feeds right back into the nonfiction book which pushes his own programs etc.
I'd really like to find some good books about this scenario about actual people learning how to survive without becoming part of the "mob" of killer refugees this writer pictures pouring out of the cities to endanger all the "smart prepared people"...so far the only good ones have been about zombies.
I'm not ruling it out but I'm not really putting zombies among my top 5 reasons for collapse...not my top 3 anyway.
I wish I could rate this higher, I wish I could like it more, I wish I could recommend it....I wish I hadn't used an Audible credit on it.... Oh, forgot this, I wish I had a couple of million dollars so I could build a fortified bolt-hole. Even if I never needed it it would be cool.
It's just not very interesting.
The second thing I'd like to do (sort-of) is start a shelf titled "action ?".
I read (tried to read) a nonfiction book by this author on preparedness. The problem was that first he pushes his own programs and second his survival strategies are geared to people who have a virtually unlimited budget for survival equipment and some kind of bolthole/fortified farm.
This book purported to be a novel is about a group of people who've prepared using hundreds of thousands of dollars to get their bolt hole ready...I know because the writer goes into GREAT detail about how, when and why they bought everything (including paying cash for the farm). It's a fantasy about his own plan (which you can get details of for a small fee) and feeds right back into the nonfiction book which pushes his own programs etc.
I'd really like to find some good books about this scenario about actual people learning how to survive without becoming part of the "mob" of killer refugees this writer pictures pouring out of the cities to endanger all the "smart prepared people"...so far the only good ones have been about zombies.
I'm not ruling it out but I'm not really putting zombies among my top 5 reasons for collapse...not my top 3 anyway.
I wish I could rate this higher, I wish I could like it more, I wish I could recommend it....I wish I hadn't used an Audible credit on it.... Oh, forgot this, I wish I had a couple of million dollars so I could build a fortified bolt-hole. Even if I never needed it it would be cool.
November 24, 2014
Contrary to the assertions of many reviews, Patriots did have an editor.
I have acquired a draft of actual proofreading notes from the editor of Patriots.
I am not at liberty to say how I acquired these notes, or who delivered them to me, so don’t ask. Here are some representative quotes from those notes:
“I’m not seeing enough lists here. These lists are a literary goldmine. The reader will eat those up like Halloween candy. More lists!”
“The reader needs to know more about the character’s firearms and ammunition. It is not possible to go into too much detail on this matter. Cut out character development if necessary. The reader will get to know the character by his firearm.”
“Germans are ‘been there, done that’ villains. If you want real villainy, I have one word for you: Belgians. I choked on a waffle once. It was terrifying.”
“This character is not high enough on the Asperger’s spectrum. Fix that.”
“It is a good start presenting these two looters as Communists, but less savvy readers might not know who Chairman Mao is. Perhaps the looters could be seen punching a baby. Or eating a baby? Your call.”
“In order to prevent the reader from mistaking the women for man-bashing lesbian feminists, make a point of demonstrating them being enthusiastically obedient to their husbands.”
“What religion are the heroes, again? I can’t remember. It has been over five pages since you referenced that the protagonists as Christian. Unacceptable! We don’t want them to be mistaken, even for a second, for atheists.”
“Get rid of all of the sex scenes between the male protagonists. Instead, have the men sublimate their man-love for each other with long descriptions of them admiring each other’s ‘weapons’ as well as the size of the ‘loads’ of their ammunition. The reader will be able to crack that code.”
“Your dialog is too short. Don’t say your dialog out loud to see if it sounds like how people actually talk. Instead, imagine that your characters are delivering seminars, or speaking to others as if they were toddlers.”
“Not enough exposition on the door of the Group’s retreat. This door is the breakout star of the story and the reader is going to want you to spare no detail on how this door was made. I want an entire chapter devoted to the door. This inanimate slab of wood and metal should be the most well developed character in the entire story. There is interest in optioning a spin-off novel, and perhaps a movie deal, just for the door itself. I’ve been told that Kirk Cameron has expressed interest in a movie, provided he gets cast as the door.”
“I realize that there is some logic to a State Trooper using pepper spray on Matt Keane during this traffic stop, but that is just not dramatic enough. Just forget pepper spray exists and is issued to every uniformed law enforcement officer in the country. Just have him go for his gun. Instant drama.”
“There needs to be a black guy in the story so that the Reader will know that none of the heroes are racist. I recommend that the black guy be married, so that he will not appear to be a threat to the men in the Group. And try not to make him too uppity. In fact, don’t waste a lot of time developing a character at all. Just name him Jefferson or Jackson or Washington or something.”
“The Hispanic woman doesn’t come across as Hispanic enough. Emphasize phonetically her heavy accent so that the reader will know how exotic she is, while also making her off-putting enough so that she doesn’t pose a threat to the other women in the Group. Make her sound as much like Charo as you can.”
I have acquired a draft of actual proofreading notes from the editor of Patriots.
I am not at liberty to say how I acquired these notes, or who delivered them to me, so don’t ask. Here are some representative quotes from those notes:
“I’m not seeing enough lists here. These lists are a literary goldmine. The reader will eat those up like Halloween candy. More lists!”
“The reader needs to know more about the character’s firearms and ammunition. It is not possible to go into too much detail on this matter. Cut out character development if necessary. The reader will get to know the character by his firearm.”
“Germans are ‘been there, done that’ villains. If you want real villainy, I have one word for you: Belgians. I choked on a waffle once. It was terrifying.”
“This character is not high enough on the Asperger’s spectrum. Fix that.”
“It is a good start presenting these two looters as Communists, but less savvy readers might not know who Chairman Mao is. Perhaps the looters could be seen punching a baby. Or eating a baby? Your call.”
“In order to prevent the reader from mistaking the women for man-bashing lesbian feminists, make a point of demonstrating them being enthusiastically obedient to their husbands.”
“What religion are the heroes, again? I can’t remember. It has been over five pages since you referenced that the protagonists as Christian. Unacceptable! We don’t want them to be mistaken, even for a second, for atheists.”
“Get rid of all of the sex scenes between the male protagonists. Instead, have the men sublimate their man-love for each other with long descriptions of them admiring each other’s ‘weapons’ as well as the size of the ‘loads’ of their ammunition. The reader will be able to crack that code.”
“Your dialog is too short. Don’t say your dialog out loud to see if it sounds like how people actually talk. Instead, imagine that your characters are delivering seminars, or speaking to others as if they were toddlers.”
“Not enough exposition on the door of the Group’s retreat. This door is the breakout star of the story and the reader is going to want you to spare no detail on how this door was made. I want an entire chapter devoted to the door. This inanimate slab of wood and metal should be the most well developed character in the entire story. There is interest in optioning a spin-off novel, and perhaps a movie deal, just for the door itself. I’ve been told that Kirk Cameron has expressed interest in a movie, provided he gets cast as the door.”
“I realize that there is some logic to a State Trooper using pepper spray on Matt Keane during this traffic stop, but that is just not dramatic enough. Just forget pepper spray exists and is issued to every uniformed law enforcement officer in the country. Just have him go for his gun. Instant drama.”
“There needs to be a black guy in the story so that the Reader will know that none of the heroes are racist. I recommend that the black guy be married, so that he will not appear to be a threat to the men in the Group. And try not to make him too uppity. In fact, don’t waste a lot of time developing a character at all. Just name him Jefferson or Jackson or Washington or something.”
“The Hispanic woman doesn’t come across as Hispanic enough. Emphasize phonetically her heavy accent so that the reader will know how exotic she is, while also making her off-putting enough so that she doesn’t pose a threat to the other women in the Group. Make her sound as much like Charo as you can.”
July 9, 2020
Fourteen years ago, when I first left the military, I did a lot of reading and research on the militia movement in the United States. This was only a few years after the Oklahoma City bombings, and I had met a few militia types while in the service. One of the books I heard referenced over and over again was called The Turner Diaries, so--of course--I read it. The Turner Diaries is one the most vile books ever written: it is a racist screed that is so horrific that I couldn't help but laugh out loud at a few points. It was awful, simply awful. I used to actually hide that book on my bookcase until I finally gave it away to someone years ago. With that said, I could see why people interested in militias, or in being a survivalist, would read it.
A good friend suggested that I read Patriots, but I was hesitant. After reading The Turner Diaries, I was not interested in 400 pages of paranoid ranting about the Aryan race and the ascension of Nordic Man. Trusting my pal, I started this book on Thursday and could not put it down until I was done. Now, let's be clear: the writing is not very good. The characters are one-dimensional. The plot--America falls into chaos, then rises again from the ashes--is hardly original (think Lucifer's Hammer, or The Parable of the Talents, The Handmaiden's Tale, etc.) What is remarkable about this book is how freaking real it is. I learned more about what to expect if the lights go off--and stay off--than I could have researched on my own in a library in a month. The author is a survivalist, and he clearly has thought this whole thing through, from (very detailed) passages about guns to medicine, food, energy, clothing, home defense, travel, the rule of law, and on and on and on. It is amazing.
Without going too into the plot, the American economy, then the global economy, collapse. The federal government is broke(n) and of no use. Before too long, rioting, looting, and lawlessness spreads from coast to coast, followed quickly by hunger and disease. The first third of this book was so frightening that I literally had a hard time sleeping (I had a similar experience with Octavia Butler's Parable books). I almost put Patriots down; it was bothering me that much. And no, it's not terribly graphic, but you get the idea just how bad things could be if people are truly hungry and scared. It was chilling.
The second third of the book is about the early days after what the author calls 'The Crunch.' People are struggling to stay alive. Those who planned live. Those who didn't die. It's that simple. The main action during this middle part of the story involves fighting off brigands and slowly making contact with other survivors.
The final part of the book was the best. I won't go into it, but slowly the survivors rebuild America, and--after fighting off tyranny--restore our Republic. Sounds lame, but I was getting all teary eyed by the ending. Great stuff!
So this is a fun, thought-provoking read, but not for everyone. If you are interested in guns, for example, this one is for you. Lots of guns. If you are interested in rooting for a group of brave Americans who fight off the United Nations, restore our Constitution, and make jerky out of virtually any sort of mammal, I encourage you to read Patriots. Do you like the Founding Fathers? Do you secretly watch Glenn Beck? Do you know what CONTUS stands for? DO YOU LOVE LIBERTY? You won't be disappointed.
A good friend suggested that I read Patriots, but I was hesitant. After reading The Turner Diaries, I was not interested in 400 pages of paranoid ranting about the Aryan race and the ascension of Nordic Man. Trusting my pal, I started this book on Thursday and could not put it down until I was done. Now, let's be clear: the writing is not very good. The characters are one-dimensional. The plot--America falls into chaos, then rises again from the ashes--is hardly original (think Lucifer's Hammer, or The Parable of the Talents, The Handmaiden's Tale, etc.) What is remarkable about this book is how freaking real it is. I learned more about what to expect if the lights go off--and stay off--than I could have researched on my own in a library in a month. The author is a survivalist, and he clearly has thought this whole thing through, from (very detailed) passages about guns to medicine, food, energy, clothing, home defense, travel, the rule of law, and on and on and on. It is amazing.
Without going too into the plot, the American economy, then the global economy, collapse. The federal government is broke(n) and of no use. Before too long, rioting, looting, and lawlessness spreads from coast to coast, followed quickly by hunger and disease. The first third of this book was so frightening that I literally had a hard time sleeping (I had a similar experience with Octavia Butler's Parable books). I almost put Patriots down; it was bothering me that much. And no, it's not terribly graphic, but you get the idea just how bad things could be if people are truly hungry and scared. It was chilling.
The second third of the book is about the early days after what the author calls 'The Crunch.' People are struggling to stay alive. Those who planned live. Those who didn't die. It's that simple. The main action during this middle part of the story involves fighting off brigands and slowly making contact with other survivors.
The final part of the book was the best. I won't go into it, but slowly the survivors rebuild America, and--after fighting off tyranny--restore our Republic. Sounds lame, but I was getting all teary eyed by the ending. Great stuff!
So this is a fun, thought-provoking read, but not for everyone. If you are interested in guns, for example, this one is for you. Lots of guns. If you are interested in rooting for a group of brave Americans who fight off the United Nations, restore our Constitution, and make jerky out of virtually any sort of mammal, I encourage you to read Patriots. Do you like the Founding Fathers? Do you secretly watch Glenn Beck? Do you know what CONTUS stands for? DO YOU LOVE LIBERTY? You won't be disappointed.
September 1, 2011
So I've decided to stop reading this one although I'm not quite finished. I can't take it any more. As a lot of other people have said, the format for this book is really odd.
If you like lists you might really like this book. There are lists of every blood type and what types of blood those types can receive, lists of every kind of gun with the types of rounds that those guns shoot and what you might like to shoot with those guns, lists of food items, tools, and processes. Even step by step order for how to have a baby and sew up someone's arm. It was a little too list heavy for me.
Honestly, the story is kind of boring and unrealistic. Nothing at all happens for the first two years, and we don't even get to know what's happening in the country because we're focused on this tiny farm in the middle of nowhere. It's funny though: they manage to store 4 years worth of food, medical supplies, endless weapons and barter items (don't worry they are all listed) for 10 people in the basement of a small house, and they never run out of anything, despite the fact that they are supposedly giving a lot of stuff away because they are such good, charitable Christians (oh, and a token Jew).
The saving grace for this book is that it does encourage preparation and planning for the future and some of the information is accurate. Unfortunately it is fiction so you really can't use it for a help manual even though it's just about as exciting as reading a text book.
This is not my definition of a Patriotism, and really I wish that people would stop writing books like this. I believe in being prepared for difficult situations, like the one described in this book, and I would like to get on board with the "prepping" movement, but this conservative-militia-scare-tactic isn't helping anyone. It comes across as militant and hypocritical.
If you like lists you might really like this book. There are lists of every blood type and what types of blood those types can receive, lists of every kind of gun with the types of rounds that those guns shoot and what you might like to shoot with those guns, lists of food items, tools, and processes. Even step by step order for how to have a baby and sew up someone's arm. It was a little too list heavy for me.
Honestly, the story is kind of boring and unrealistic. Nothing at all happens for the first two years, and we don't even get to know what's happening in the country because we're focused on this tiny farm in the middle of nowhere. It's funny though: they manage to store 4 years worth of food, medical supplies, endless weapons and barter items (don't worry they are all listed) for 10 people in the basement of a small house, and they never run out of anything, despite the fact that they are supposedly giving a lot of stuff away because they are such good, charitable Christians (oh, and a token Jew).
The saving grace for this book is that it does encourage preparation and planning for the future and some of the information is accurate. Unfortunately it is fiction so you really can't use it for a help manual even though it's just about as exciting as reading a text book.
This is not my definition of a Patriotism, and really I wish that people would stop writing books like this. I believe in being prepared for difficult situations, like the one described in this book, and I would like to get on board with the "prepping" movement, but this conservative-militia-scare-tactic isn't helping anyone. It comes across as militant and hypocritical.
July 12, 2012
Anyone who knows me knows I like post-apocalyptic fiction. And I like almost any of it. However, I did not like Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse.
This book seems to be less of a novel than a cross between James Wesley Rawles’ personal fantasies & diatribes on the state of the Union.
Don’t get me wrong, he has done an admirable job of researching in order to supply facts to explain his opinions & has an index in case you want to look it up yourself, but that’s part of what makes this less of a novel & more of an instruction book.
The basic plot is that the United States and also much of the world has sunk into another Depression called “the Crunch.” A group of like-minded people, who call themselves ‘the Group,” have been expecting this for years. They’ve bought farms in Idaho & stocked up food, medicine, and various other supplies. They’ve also all bought uniforms and have accumulated quite a pile of weapons.
The introduction of characters reminded me of the opening of a Babysitters’ Club novel – name the character, give a brief history of their personality, strengths, weaknesses, & how they came to join the group.
The dialogue between characters is extremely stilted – real people simply don’t talk the way these people do. Many of the pages are thinly disguised lists of supplies in case you want to bug out yourself. There’s also a lot of discussion of the weapons & ammunition & how to procure it.
Bottom-line: If you’re looking for an instruction manual on How to Start Your Very Own Militia, then this is the book for you. I’ve always been a conservative, but reading this made me think “Oh this is what the liberals see us as. Yes, I’ll admit that would be quite frightening.” Honestly, I could bring myself to keep reading halfway thru chapter 6. As a novel, this was so, so bad. Seriously, the critics of Stephenie Meyer’s writing would reconsider their position after reading some of this dialogue.
This book seems to be less of a novel than a cross between James Wesley Rawles’ personal fantasies & diatribes on the state of the Union.
Don’t get me wrong, he has done an admirable job of researching in order to supply facts to explain his opinions & has an index in case you want to look it up yourself, but that’s part of what makes this less of a novel & more of an instruction book.
The basic plot is that the United States and also much of the world has sunk into another Depression called “the Crunch.” A group of like-minded people, who call themselves ‘the Group,” have been expecting this for years. They’ve bought farms in Idaho & stocked up food, medicine, and various other supplies. They’ve also all bought uniforms and have accumulated quite a pile of weapons.
The introduction of characters reminded me of the opening of a Babysitters’ Club novel – name the character, give a brief history of their personality, strengths, weaknesses, & how they came to join the group.
The dialogue between characters is extremely stilted – real people simply don’t talk the way these people do. Many of the pages are thinly disguised lists of supplies in case you want to bug out yourself. There’s also a lot of discussion of the weapons & ammunition & how to procure it.
Bottom-line: If you’re looking for an instruction manual on How to Start Your Very Own Militia, then this is the book for you. I’ve always been a conservative, but reading this made me think “Oh this is what the liberals see us as. Yes, I’ll admit that would be quite frightening.” Honestly, I could bring myself to keep reading halfway thru chapter 6. As a novel, this was so, so bad. Seriously, the critics of Stephenie Meyer’s writing would reconsider their position after reading some of this dialogue.
March 4, 2013
I bought this book after looking at the high overall score it got, and after reading a few of the good reviews. How I wish I would have read some of the 1 star reviews before buying it!
This book is without a doubt the worst novel I have ever read in my life. Where to begin? First off, there is no real story involved here. There are probably 20 pages of blather in between every plot progression in the book. The plot will progress a little bit, then Rawles will spend the next 4 or 5 pages describing in painful detail weapon specifications, inventories, etc.
There is also no character development whatsoever, besides the fact that they are all a bunch of religious zealots. When they aren't ambushing and killing communist cannibals (seriously), they are either praying, discussing religion, or engaging in other drivel that makes each page more boring than the next.
Their moral compass is completely out of whack as well. These are people who won't eat canned food they find on the side of the road because they consider it "stealing", but think nothing of accosting private citizens walking down a public street at gunpoint while they meticulously go through all of their private belongings, questioning them on each item.
And what is up with the author's name? I guess it should have been a warning sign when the author puts his name on the book like "James Wesley, Rawles" What the hell is the comma for? Later on in the book they have a child at the retreat and they name the kid "Jacob Edward Samuel, Gray". WTF???
In order for a end of the world survival novel to be successful, you have to be able to relate to the characters. after nearly 200 pages, I still could not remember which one is which. I found myself thinking that if I was in that situation, I would rather be out on my own fending off looters than living with these nutcases at their retreat.
To conclude, any body who gave this book more than 2 stars hasn't read nearly enough books. It is total garbage. The only good thing about it is that there is some decent survivalist information in the book. However, there are much much better books you can read to get the same information without have to read 20 pages of some nutjobs blathering just to get a few useful tips.
I wish I had my money back on this book, it is truly pathetic and a waste of money. Buyer beware!
This book is without a doubt the worst novel I have ever read in my life. Where to begin? First off, there is no real story involved here. There are probably 20 pages of blather in between every plot progression in the book. The plot will progress a little bit, then Rawles will spend the next 4 or 5 pages describing in painful detail weapon specifications, inventories, etc.
There is also no character development whatsoever, besides the fact that they are all a bunch of religious zealots. When they aren't ambushing and killing communist cannibals (seriously), they are either praying, discussing religion, or engaging in other drivel that makes each page more boring than the next.
Their moral compass is completely out of whack as well. These are people who won't eat canned food they find on the side of the road because they consider it "stealing", but think nothing of accosting private citizens walking down a public street at gunpoint while they meticulously go through all of their private belongings, questioning them on each item.
And what is up with the author's name? I guess it should have been a warning sign when the author puts his name on the book like "James Wesley, Rawles" What the hell is the comma for? Later on in the book they have a child at the retreat and they name the kid "Jacob Edward Samuel, Gray". WTF???
In order for a end of the world survival novel to be successful, you have to be able to relate to the characters. after nearly 200 pages, I still could not remember which one is which. I found myself thinking that if I was in that situation, I would rather be out on my own fending off looters than living with these nutcases at their retreat.
To conclude, any body who gave this book more than 2 stars hasn't read nearly enough books. It is total garbage. The only good thing about it is that there is some decent survivalist information in the book. However, there are much much better books you can read to get the same information without have to read 20 pages of some nutjobs blathering just to get a few useful tips.
I wish I had my money back on this book, it is truly pathetic and a waste of money. Buyer beware!
February 15, 2010
1 star novel
2 star survival manual
4 star product catalog
as a novel, the characters are all exactly the same, the plot is stretched, and the clumsiness of it all hurts the eyes. as a survival manual, the actual skills involved tend to be sketchy at best, But this book truly shines as a product catalog for Rawles sponsors. I didn't count the number of times he talked of his characters doing something like: "taking a firearms course at frontsight training in california" or talking about "mountain home freeze dried food". The sad thing is, in 10 years, many of the businesses mentioned will be out of business, or will have changed their name, anyways. as such, the useful shelf life of this book is extremely low. Although he's welcome to have his own personal preferences, just because rawles endorses products does not necessarily mean they're the best ones. No information here that isn't already available by the boatload on rawles blog.
Some have touted the ability of this book to convince family and friends to start preparing a little more. BS. first of all, the book caters to the "far christian right" and beats you over the head with that, unless your friend happens to be a part of the "far christian right" (this coming from a conservative libertarian) you might as well use the book for kindling. secondly, the book does advocate owning some questionably legal items, and questionably legal practices, if your friend has a problem with breaking said laws (IE: most of us) then they'll balk if you give them this.
probably the worst part of this book is that the author creates 2 interesting characters a little less than half way through the book, Spends two or three chapters talking about them, goes on to talk of something else, and NEVER gets back to these two; you never get to hear more about what happens to them, you just return to talk about the main cardboard cutouts that represent main characters.
All in all, 1 out of 5. The book is worthless, if I wanted to be advertised to, I'd pay attention the the ads on the website, not buy the mans book. I intend to get rid of this book asap.
2 star survival manual
4 star product catalog
as a novel, the characters are all exactly the same, the plot is stretched, and the clumsiness of it all hurts the eyes. as a survival manual, the actual skills involved tend to be sketchy at best, But this book truly shines as a product catalog for Rawles sponsors. I didn't count the number of times he talked of his characters doing something like: "taking a firearms course at frontsight training in california" or talking about "mountain home freeze dried food". The sad thing is, in 10 years, many of the businesses mentioned will be out of business, or will have changed their name, anyways. as such, the useful shelf life of this book is extremely low. Although he's welcome to have his own personal preferences, just because rawles endorses products does not necessarily mean they're the best ones. No information here that isn't already available by the boatload on rawles blog.
Some have touted the ability of this book to convince family and friends to start preparing a little more. BS. first of all, the book caters to the "far christian right" and beats you over the head with that, unless your friend happens to be a part of the "far christian right" (this coming from a conservative libertarian) you might as well use the book for kindling. secondly, the book does advocate owning some questionably legal items, and questionably legal practices, if your friend has a problem with breaking said laws (IE: most of us) then they'll balk if you give them this.
probably the worst part of this book is that the author creates 2 interesting characters a little less than half way through the book, Spends two or three chapters talking about them, goes on to talk of something else, and NEVER gets back to these two; you never get to hear more about what happens to them, you just return to talk about the main cardboard cutouts that represent main characters.
All in all, 1 out of 5. The book is worthless, if I wanted to be advertised to, I'd pay attention the the ads on the website, not buy the mans book. I intend to get rid of this book asap.
May 10, 2010
Anyone who voted for Obama would likely shred this for their cat's litter box. They are exactly the people who should read it, and do so while abstaining from political judgment. The novel's extremely strong qualities are: a) a decent intro to the mechanics of family or small group survival in the event of a catastrophic economic event (and folks if you don't think this is possible, watch the 'reality TV show' in production called 'My Big Fat Greek Economic Meltdown'), b) As extremely wooden as the characters are, you can if not sympathize then at least recognize humanity behind a growing % of the US population that rejects Federalism as currently defined, c) it articulates, from a neo-conservative perspective, a politically-neutral message about the consequences of an overly complex economy.
It's not for nothing this novel is a quasi best seller. If you are not politically conservative, put your politics aside and read the novel for the above points.
It's not for nothing this novel is a quasi best seller. If you are not politically conservative, put your politics aside and read the novel for the above points.
July 6, 2014
As a regular reader of James Wesley Rawles's Survival Blog, I was interested to hear what a novel written by him would sound like. Knowing he's a conservative Christian libertarian, I expected a big dose of hatin' on Obama and probably a bunch of atheist liberals getting what's coming to them, but in fairness, the author mostly keeps the right wing vitriol in check until the latter part of the book. But when it does emerge, boy does it ever.
The first thing to know is that Rawles clearly hopes this book will "wake up" some of his readers, both to the threat he believes is facing the country and to the need to prepare for the coming collapse. Whether or not you believe that hyperinflation will cause a a total collapse of the U.S. government, I have always felt that there is some wisdom in preparing for worst case scenarios, for some value of "worst case." In other words, the preppers are not completely wrong. We can't all move to an armed compound in Idaho, as the characters in this book do, or even build bunkers in our back yards, but we can keep a month or two supply of dried rations, water, toilet paper, and first aid kits in storage. People with pets and kids and medications to juggle have to think more seriously about what they'd do if the power goes down for more than a day or two. And some of us might even include things that go bang in our preps...
So, when you read this book, be prepared for lots and lots of lists, of firearms, ammunition, accessories, vehicles, survival gear, rations, batteries, fuel types, backpacks, you name it. There are chapters stuffed with "how tos" on everything from blood transfusion to farming. You couldn't actually use this novel as a guide in a real-life grid down situation, but reading it will make you think a lot about what sorts of things you'd need to know. A lot of reviews complain about the listology and the didacticism of the book, and that's a fair complaint - if you just want a good old fashioned post-apocalypse novel, Patriots is awfully dry at times. But since I do actually have an interest in the subject, I didn't get too bogged down with the "stuff you oughta know" parts.
That said, Rawles is certainly not going to dazzle you with his prose or his characterization either. There are over twenty characters in this book, all of them friends who have supposedly been saving and stocking up for the apocalypse since their college days, and so we get chapters about each of them at one point or another. None of them are really distinguishable from one another beyond a few simply-described traits: there's the chubby Asian gun nut, the ex-Army Officer alpha male, the motherly nurse, the ROTC cadet prepper, the biker machinist (an awful lot of highly skilled individuals with all the right political and religious views just happen to wander down the road to the characters' compound), the token Jew and the token agnostic about whom I can literally remember nothing else, etc.
The "plot" of the first part of the book is basically everyone getting together on their compound and weathering it out for a few years, as America goes to hell and they have to deal with looters (who are Marxists and cannibals and implied to be gay) and other prepper militias.
Then comes the second part of the book. This is when the United Nations installs a provisional relief government, and the book shoots straight into gibbering right-wing lunacy. The UN troops are all mustache-twirling war criminals who think nothing of rape and torture, the American quislings promptly agree to suspending every single American civil right (literally the first thing a newly-arrived UN-backed American official does is give a speech to a skeptical community of survivalists that carrying a gun will henceforth be a capital crime), and soon we are seeing, I kid you not, FEMA concentration camps.
The militia organized by the main characters joins up with a resistance movement, and in a few months they are able to kick heavily-armed UN troops with tank divisions out of the country because Americans are just that awesome. Then they rewrite the Constitution and institute a new U.S. government that would make the Tea Party collectively die of spontaneous orgasmic expulsion of their precious bodily fluids.
I still give this book 3 stars because it was, after a fashion, both entertaining and informative, but it was like the author was trying to keep his rabid Euro-phobia and Red-baiting impulses in check for the first few hundred pages and then he couldn't hold it in anymore.
If you have a serious interest in prepping combined with a love of post-apocalyptic novels, this book is worth reading, but if your interest is only in fiction, there are much, much better books, and if you're mainly interested in the survivalist aspects, try Rawles's non-fiction or his blog instead.
The first thing to know is that Rawles clearly hopes this book will "wake up" some of his readers, both to the threat he believes is facing the country and to the need to prepare for the coming collapse. Whether or not you believe that hyperinflation will cause a a total collapse of the U.S. government, I have always felt that there is some wisdom in preparing for worst case scenarios, for some value of "worst case." In other words, the preppers are not completely wrong. We can't all move to an armed compound in Idaho, as the characters in this book do, or even build bunkers in our back yards, but we can keep a month or two supply of dried rations, water, toilet paper, and first aid kits in storage. People with pets and kids and medications to juggle have to think more seriously about what they'd do if the power goes down for more than a day or two. And some of us might even include things that go bang in our preps...
So, when you read this book, be prepared for lots and lots of lists, of firearms, ammunition, accessories, vehicles, survival gear, rations, batteries, fuel types, backpacks, you name it. There are chapters stuffed with "how tos" on everything from blood transfusion to farming. You couldn't actually use this novel as a guide in a real-life grid down situation, but reading it will make you think a lot about what sorts of things you'd need to know. A lot of reviews complain about the listology and the didacticism of the book, and that's a fair complaint - if you just want a good old fashioned post-apocalypse novel, Patriots is awfully dry at times. But since I do actually have an interest in the subject, I didn't get too bogged down with the "stuff you oughta know" parts.
That said, Rawles is certainly not going to dazzle you with his prose or his characterization either. There are over twenty characters in this book, all of them friends who have supposedly been saving and stocking up for the apocalypse since their college days, and so we get chapters about each of them at one point or another. None of them are really distinguishable from one another beyond a few simply-described traits: there's the chubby Asian gun nut, the ex-Army Officer alpha male, the motherly nurse, the ROTC cadet prepper, the biker machinist (an awful lot of highly skilled individuals with all the right political and religious views just happen to wander down the road to the characters' compound), the token Jew and the token agnostic about whom I can literally remember nothing else, etc.
The "plot" of the first part of the book is basically everyone getting together on their compound and weathering it out for a few years, as America goes to hell and they have to deal with looters (who are Marxists and cannibals and implied to be gay) and other prepper militias.
Then comes the second part of the book. This is when the United Nations installs a provisional relief government, and the book shoots straight into gibbering right-wing lunacy. The UN troops are all mustache-twirling war criminals who think nothing of rape and torture, the American quislings promptly agree to suspending every single American civil right (literally the first thing a newly-arrived UN-backed American official does is give a speech to a skeptical community of survivalists that carrying a gun will henceforth be a capital crime), and soon we are seeing, I kid you not, FEMA concentration camps.
The militia organized by the main characters joins up with a resistance movement, and in a few months they are able to kick heavily-armed UN troops with tank divisions out of the country because Americans are just that awesome. Then they rewrite the Constitution and institute a new U.S. government that would make the Tea Party collectively die of spontaneous orgasmic expulsion of their precious bodily fluids.
I still give this book 3 stars because it was, after a fashion, both entertaining and informative, but it was like the author was trying to keep his rabid Euro-phobia and Red-baiting impulses in check for the first few hundred pages and then he couldn't hold it in anymore.
If you have a serious interest in prepping combined with a love of post-apocalyptic novels, this book is worth reading, but if your interest is only in fiction, there are much, much better books, and if you're mainly interested in the survivalist aspects, try Rawles's non-fiction or his blog instead.
May 31, 2023
I was a kid in the late seventies when the Survivalist movement began to get attention.The energy crisis, stagflation, increasing tensions between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S.A. and other things fueled the movement. Within a very short while it was big business as novels, movies and consumer items catered to those who were involved ,or at least interested, in the movement. Things slowed down in the 90's, but thanks to the current social/economical/political situation the Survivalist movement is once again Big Money. Excuse me I believe the correct term is Preppers in 2015.
I live in Idaho. I am not Mormon, but I grew up around Mormons (the original Preppers) and came to appreciate their insistence that all members keep a supply of food, water and other essentials on hand. I'm a gun-owner, mostly conservative with some Libertarian leanings and I see nothing wrong with having things on hand for the unexpected. Crisis do happen and one might be forced to rely on ones wits, commonsense and whatever supplies are at hand. Nothing wrong with that. That aspect of the Prepper Movement I agree with, but like all movements driven by ideology there is much that I don't agree with. The Prepper Movement is dominated by the hard right wing (as well as the Tea Party) and I find it tiresome in what it demands of those who might associate with it.
"Patriots" is a bit much. As others have pointed out the first half is very list oriented. Basically a how-to list that goes on "ad nauseam" and I found myself flipping through pages at a time.
The second half is a political scree that indulges in simplistic cliches and stereotypes. Why? Because it's easier than looking at how complex the world really is. The author is obviously an intelligent and well educated man, but he prefers things to be black and white. This is not a very good book in that respect. There were aspects that held my interest, but when the writer went away from his instruction and rammed his political and social views down my throat I found myself less than interested.
I do not consider myself a genius. I know that there are others who are smarter, faster and stronger than me. I also know that even though I might not agree with some individuals or groups it's very foolish to think that they are less intelligent and less capable than me. To acknowledge this (in my opinion) is a mark of maturity, sophistication and flexibility. This is something that is lacking in this book. The villains are idiots and cardboard cutouts.Lazy writing in my opinion.
If you want to read PA fiction with a strong dose of the author's opinions, but not as repugnant, I suggest the late authors Dean Ing and Jerry Ahern. Dean Ing was an engineer and lived in Oregon. His books tend to be more science fiction, and not preachy. Jerry Ahern wrote pulp fiction. Lots of details on how to get through the apocalypse and battle mutant Nazis at the same time, but his work was at least fun.
I live in Idaho. I am not Mormon, but I grew up around Mormons (the original Preppers) and came to appreciate their insistence that all members keep a supply of food, water and other essentials on hand. I'm a gun-owner, mostly conservative with some Libertarian leanings and I see nothing wrong with having things on hand for the unexpected. Crisis do happen and one might be forced to rely on ones wits, commonsense and whatever supplies are at hand. Nothing wrong with that. That aspect of the Prepper Movement I agree with, but like all movements driven by ideology there is much that I don't agree with. The Prepper Movement is dominated by the hard right wing (as well as the Tea Party) and I find it tiresome in what it demands of those who might associate with it.
"Patriots" is a bit much. As others have pointed out the first half is very list oriented. Basically a how-to list that goes on "ad nauseam" and I found myself flipping through pages at a time.
The second half is a political scree that indulges in simplistic cliches and stereotypes. Why? Because it's easier than looking at how complex the world really is. The author is obviously an intelligent and well educated man, but he prefers things to be black and white. This is not a very good book in that respect. There were aspects that held my interest, but when the writer went away from his instruction and rammed his political and social views down my throat I found myself less than interested.
I do not consider myself a genius. I know that there are others who are smarter, faster and stronger than me. I also know that even though I might not agree with some individuals or groups it's very foolish to think that they are less intelligent and less capable than me. To acknowledge this (in my opinion) is a mark of maturity, sophistication and flexibility. This is something that is lacking in this book. The villains are idiots and cardboard cutouts.Lazy writing in my opinion.
If you want to read PA fiction with a strong dose of the author's opinions, but not as repugnant, I suggest the late authors Dean Ing and Jerry Ahern. Dean Ing was an engineer and lived in Oregon. His books tend to be more science fiction, and not preachy. Jerry Ahern wrote pulp fiction. Lots of details on how to get through the apocalypse and battle mutant Nazis at the same time, but his work was at least fun.
October 24, 2012
I had prepared a comprehensive review of this novel, complete with textual citations, so that I could thoroughly detail the deficiencies in the writing, the laziness in the plotting, and the general awfulness of the philosophy underlying it. However, after the concluding chapter, in which our plucky band of Christian survivalists overthrows the occupying UN army, restores the gold standard, and sends an army to liberate Europe from the socialists, I decided I've spent as much time as I can stand in the muck of the modern American conservative mindset.
This is soft porn for Tea Partiers, and seeing how popular this novel is with the right makes me ashamed to be an American. James Wesley Rawles can go jump in a lake, and if you're sympathetic to the philosophy behind this novel, then you can, too.
This is soft porn for Tea Partiers, and seeing how popular this novel is with the right makes me ashamed to be an American. James Wesley Rawles can go jump in a lake, and if you're sympathetic to the philosophy behind this novel, then you can, too.
June 21, 2011
I had hoped that someone who is a popular blog writer with a following would be able to string a few words together in an entertaining way. I was wrong. This is a list of equipment broken up by short biographies of unrealistic people set in a world that I don't recognize.
I agree that the loss of water, gas and banks would cause chaos...but I don't see much about how we get to that point beyond, "It's their fault."
I expected a novel that might let me inside the mind of a survivalist. This book gave no real attempt at plot. It explained how a military compound might be run, it explained how the world might be thrown into chaos, it explained how two comlpetely innocent gun nuts get into a gunfight with the evil government brainwashed police officer. It was then that I gave up. Go try to brainwash someone else...I'm not buying in.
I am interested in any recommendations others might have of a novel about possible futures where completely normal people attempt to survive a global collapse. I am not interested in any more gun-nut/far-right-wing propaganda.
I agree that the loss of water, gas and banks would cause chaos...but I don't see much about how we get to that point beyond, "It's their fault."
I expected a novel that might let me inside the mind of a survivalist. This book gave no real attempt at plot. It explained how a military compound might be run, it explained how the world might be thrown into chaos, it explained how two comlpetely innocent gun nuts get into a gunfight with the evil government brainwashed police officer. It was then that I gave up. Go try to brainwash someone else...I'm not buying in.
I am interested in any recommendations others might have of a novel about possible futures where completely normal people attempt to survive a global collapse. I am not interested in any more gun-nut/far-right-wing propaganda.
January 5, 2023
Meh. I think the concept of the book was really good, but very poorly executed. He gave few descriptions of the characters and landscapes, which made it very hard to visualize the story. In fact, I don’t think he used any descriptions other than height and sometimes ethnicity for people, and the high number of “main” characters made it difficult to keep track of who was who.
On top of that, he went into mind-blowingly boring detail. I’m sure it would be interesting to people who are passionate about the best model of sleeping bag to use in the apocalypse, or what brand of radio you should buy if there are bands of cannibals roving around. It felt like the book was written as a survival manual rather than a novel. Maybe I should have been taking notes.
The ending was pretty interesting, but I don’t think this book is worth the time.
On top of that, he went into mind-blowingly boring detail. I’m sure it would be interesting to people who are passionate about the best model of sleeping bag to use in the apocalypse, or what brand of radio you should buy if there are bands of cannibals roving around. It felt like the book was written as a survival manual rather than a novel. Maybe I should have been taking notes.
The ending was pretty interesting, but I don’t think this book is worth the time.
March 12, 2012
What a very disappointing book!! For someone with so much knowledge this was an epic fail. I am all about a great prepping end of the wold book but this wouldn't even make my top 50 in this category. Besidesthe fact that he needs to fire or hire an editor due to the never ending errors it's unrealistic one dementional caracters. This was poor!
July 29, 2008
This book is one of my favorite Scary future books because I don't really see us that far off. The dollar is obviously inflating. Our structure and "Just in time" delivery of food and materials means hospitals do not have a deep reserve of supplies necessary to treat a large number of victims in an emergency. This book also really highlights the big part of what is needed to seriously prepare for a major emergency of any sorts.
Now, I have 1 issue with the book (beside the fact that it's more action than true "what would happen" because we all know, if it were written as a day to day log of living at the retreat during a national or global emergency, it would look like:
"day 42, pa shot a squirrel, mostly out of boredom."
"day 179, we finally saw our first person... ah... no... wait, it was a deer."
"day 286, I stubbed my toe. Nothing more."
It would be incredibly boring if it were written this way, so instead the action is sped up a bit, just to keep the reader paying attention to the story.
Religion. I'm not a very religious person. Well. Correction. I am, a little. I respect a lot of different religions for what they preach. Christianity really enforces the whole point of charity and loving they neighbor. The LDS church tells it's members to hang on to some extra food, water, and tools, just in case. The Jewish community really strives on a solid economic foundation and are very cautious investors.
Well, at times, the book does get a little too preachy. It doesn't bother me to the point where I wouldn't recommend the book, but it is religion heavy at time. Perhaps if I sat and seriously reflected on my beliefs, I would find a religion that suits me, but until then, I respect the fact that the author included an atheist in the story, and didn't bash on him all too bad for not believing in god.
Beyond that, I really enjoyed the story, and find myself constantly picking up and re-reading a chapter or two, to catch something I didn't get the first time. I also really enjoy the author's blog: http://www.survivalblog.com which is updated daily with practical information for those concerned with preparing for the coming collapse.
Now, I have 1 issue with the book (beside the fact that it's more action than true "what would happen" because we all know, if it were written as a day to day log of living at the retreat during a national or global emergency, it would look like:
"day 42, pa shot a squirrel, mostly out of boredom."
"day 179, we finally saw our first person... ah... no... wait, it was a deer."
"day 286, I stubbed my toe. Nothing more."
It would be incredibly boring if it were written this way, so instead the action is sped up a bit, just to keep the reader paying attention to the story.
Religion. I'm not a very religious person. Well. Correction. I am, a little. I respect a lot of different religions for what they preach. Christianity really enforces the whole point of charity and loving they neighbor. The LDS church tells it's members to hang on to some extra food, water, and tools, just in case. The Jewish community really strives on a solid economic foundation and are very cautious investors.
Well, at times, the book does get a little too preachy. It doesn't bother me to the point where I wouldn't recommend the book, but it is religion heavy at time. Perhaps if I sat and seriously reflected on my beliefs, I would find a religion that suits me, but until then, I respect the fact that the author included an atheist in the story, and didn't bash on him all too bad for not believing in god.
Beyond that, I really enjoyed the story, and find myself constantly picking up and re-reading a chapter or two, to catch something I didn't get the first time. I also really enjoy the author's blog: http://www.survivalblog.com which is updated daily with practical information for those concerned with preparing for the coming collapse.
September 1, 2016
What are the chances the power goes out, for good? Not from an asteroid crash that wipes out everything and that you can’t do anything about. But call it from “garden variety apocalypse.” You lose refrigeration. You lose the water systems. You lose ATMs and gas stations. Say from terrorism or currency collapse. Hmmm.
Realistically, the answer is nobody can say for sure what the odds of no power are. But that just states the problem another way, or begs the question: should you prepare for it. You can pretty much assume that if you don’t, you and your family will die. Quickly. And not peacefully.
So what is the extent of your responsibility, to yourself and your family? Have a guaranteed source of clean water, uncontaminated food, and safe shelter? Okay. For how long? Probably longer than it would feel like just camping out in your house or somewhere else.
If you’re honest with yourself and really believe you have more than a couple of weeks of everything, you’re better off than most people. Probably better off than the 80%. Remember the eighty twenty rule? You know it won’t get repealed just for the worst of times.
That brings up the tougher questions. How long before they show up at your place to make you share? And, how long can you hold them off?
This book is a very readable answer to these questions. In the form of a thriller, it shows what a group of people much like yourself would have to do to get to the other side of garden variety apocalypse. Very highly recommended.
Realistically, the answer is nobody can say for sure what the odds of no power are. But that just states the problem another way, or begs the question: should you prepare for it. You can pretty much assume that if you don’t, you and your family will die. Quickly. And not peacefully.
So what is the extent of your responsibility, to yourself and your family? Have a guaranteed source of clean water, uncontaminated food, and safe shelter? Okay. For how long? Probably longer than it would feel like just camping out in your house or somewhere else.
If you’re honest with yourself and really believe you have more than a couple of weeks of everything, you’re better off than most people. Probably better off than the 80%. Remember the eighty twenty rule? You know it won’t get repealed just for the worst of times.
That brings up the tougher questions. How long before they show up at your place to make you share? And, how long can you hold them off?
This book is a very readable answer to these questions. In the form of a thriller, it shows what a group of people much like yourself would have to do to get to the other side of garden variety apocalypse. Very highly recommended.
November 5, 2009
This book should appeal to survivalists and militia-types. Though I found some of the descriptions of weapons and equipment interesting at times, they became tedious as they went on and on. The dialogue was a bit "hokey" and lifeless. I can't remember the last time I used the word "yikes" in a real conversation.
The beginning of the story seemed somewhat plausible but it gradually became less and less believable. The civil war seemed very far-fetched. The characters were a bit too stereotypical and one-dimensional. I like good winning over evil but the only "good" people were depicted as being far beyond the extreme right. I did not like the general lack of respect shown towards most authority figures.
Being a Christian, I was very uncomfortable with the way the characters spouted off Bible verses while also maintaining a strict us-versus-them mentality. I can't say that I necessarily grew to like any of the characters. I'm afraid if I was in the story, I could have wound up being shot or being classified as not being worth enough to keep around. I guess this story had too much of an Old Testament tone for me (eye for an eye). W.W.J.D. was never a consideration for any of the characters. Righteous anger and sterile practicality seemed to take precedence over compassion. That is not the Christian life that I subscribe to.
The beginning of the story seemed somewhat plausible but it gradually became less and less believable. The civil war seemed very far-fetched. The characters were a bit too stereotypical and one-dimensional. I like good winning over evil but the only "good" people were depicted as being far beyond the extreme right. I did not like the general lack of respect shown towards most authority figures.
Being a Christian, I was very uncomfortable with the way the characters spouted off Bible verses while also maintaining a strict us-versus-them mentality. I can't say that I necessarily grew to like any of the characters. I'm afraid if I was in the story, I could have wound up being shot or being classified as not being worth enough to keep around. I guess this story had too much of an Old Testament tone for me (eye for an eye). W.W.J.D. was never a consideration for any of the characters. Righteous anger and sterile practicality seemed to take precedence over compassion. That is not the Christian life that I subscribe to.
December 14, 2022
Here are some highlights from the acknowledgements; Bob the soap maker, Carolyn the chartist gnome, Huff the dynamite shooter, and Cheryl the economatrix. All of whom I would be happy to share a bunker with. Which is what it really comes down to isnt it? With whom do you want to survive the apocalypse? You know what, it doesnt matter, cuz unless you got a wallet like sam jacksons in pulp fiction, and are armed to the gills, you are food for cannibals. I was talking to this guy I work with about food storage. He said that he didn't have any, and he asked me if I had a gun. I said no. He said, "well then, I can take your food storage". The Road was a horrific reading experience that took all the courage I could muster and I wish I hadn't had read it. And I wish I could read this one. But I skimmed it and then threw up in my mouth. Needless to say, books like this make me realize how my moral "hangups", and my hard core poet warrior personality, in addition to literally living in a glass house, will likely make my family victims to the hungry hoards. Please help us.
January 18, 2011
CANNIBAL COMMUNIST LOOTERS!!!!!
October 29, 2024
I strongly recommend this book read by ALL ….the authors knowledge, insightfulness and cast of character’s along with the insight and knowledge of the various members their skill set…
Great read!
Great read!
September 9, 2019
I picked up Patriots at the library. It's a post-apocalyptic novel written by a prepper and looked promising. 'Write what you know', right? And if there's one thing a prepper should know about it's how to survive the breakdown of society that they are gearing up for. Mr. Rawles is very knowledgeable about gearing up, and he definitely writes what he knows.
Unfortunately, it becomes very apparent very quickly that Mr. Rawles is unfamiliar with writing believable characters and dialogue. Patriots has a large cast, and unfortunately, that cast is filled with clones of the same people. The most characterization you get is through exposition. They are so similar that I'd often forget which character belonged to which name.
Our main cast is a group of survivalist who arrive to meet up with our main couple, Todd and Mary Gray, at their retreat. All these people are of one mind and one soul. They all have the same habits of singing their favorite songs (especially right after dispatching looters), giving detailed information dumps about items, and quoting and referencing the same TV shows and movies.
They are doomed to 'proclaim', 'shout', 'breathe', 'remark', 'offer' and 'chime in' almost every line of dialogue. Having the character be occasionally allowed to get out a few words with a plain old 'said' brought about the same sense of relief as finding a life raft in the middle of a choppy ocean.
Our core group is made of up of the before mentioned Grays, Mike and Lisa, Rose and Jeff, Kevin, Dan, and T.K.
There is also a brief couple of chapters cutting away to introduce us to 'The Gun Show Bros'. They are the main reason for this review. Because, boy howdy those Gun Show Bros....
There names are Matt and Chase Keane and they are sovereign citizens. They do not have social security numbers (all the better to spite the federal government), and they sell firearms without a license at gun shows. I know this because when a promoter at a gun show asks after their license, the Gun Show Bros go on a four page rant about it. They do such a good job explaining how the subtle word choices in the law prove they've done nothing wrong that at the end of their speech, the promoter is left red faced... And then the gun show claps! I kid you not! “The crowd that had gathered applauded...” (Page 72)
On their way out of the show, the two brothers are stopped by a horrible no good cop. When awful cop finds out they're sovereign citizens, he decides to kill them. Yep, just like that. Luckily, the brothers are able to lay down cover fire while they speed away. (Don't worry about the intentions of the GS Bros, they shoot to purposely not hit the cops).
The chase leads to a shopping center where the bros are forced to flee on foot, again carefully shooting only where the officers aren't.
If this story sounds familiar, it's because this incident mirrors the 2010 West Memphis Police Shooting perpetrated by a father and son duo named Kane. Very similar to Gun Show Bros named Keane. Unlike in Mr. Rawles book, the Kanes killed two officers and were ultimately neutralized in a shopping center parking lot without further loss of life.
Back to our boys, without a car, they are forced to steal one. And have a moral argument about this. Shooting at cops is one thing... Stealing has them clutching at their pearls. But not to worry. Mr. Rawles provides a car and a back story to show that the car didn't belong to anybody important. No worries! Everybody ends up swell!
The book goes into great detail showing how the media misrepresents the Gun Show Bros. They're not racists. Although when they show up at the end of the book one of them admits to being reformed separatists... So, eh? Have they changed back and forth since the collapse or were they always racists? The reader gets to decide, I guess.
There are a few non-white characters in Patriots. Two of the core group, Dan Fong and Kevin Lendel, are oriental and Jewish respectively. Lendel being Jewish only comes up when he says he doesn't mind the groups' bible study. It does not come up later when the New World Order under the command of the Rothschilds and other banking families invade the US.
Mike, of the core groups' Mike and Lisa, was a cop before the collapse. So you think he'd have a little apprehension about the Gun Show Bros when they are introduced to the group with their real names, But no. He's cool with it, and honored to meet the great militia leaders.
These are a diverse group of people, there is a lot of room for friction and group dynamics. If these characters were written as real people, and the story had more depth than stringing together conspiracy theories, it has the potential to be interesting. But like I said before, all the characters are clones who get along swimmingly... Except with looters.
In the post-apocalyptic world, there are few people worse than looters. Unless they are communist cannibal looters. Or biker gang looters... Or New World Order UN and Federal Government looters... I could go on and on.
Like I said, there was potential here for an interesting and informative story. Instead we get long info dumps about why a certain type of night vision goggles are bad, how to make explosives from the comfort of your own home, how those at Waco were 'good Christians' and why gun licenses need not apply.
(1 out of five stars, and even that is being generous. Adult language, innuendos, and violence)
Unfortunately, it becomes very apparent very quickly that Mr. Rawles is unfamiliar with writing believable characters and dialogue. Patriots has a large cast, and unfortunately, that cast is filled with clones of the same people. The most characterization you get is through exposition. They are so similar that I'd often forget which character belonged to which name.
Our main cast is a group of survivalist who arrive to meet up with our main couple, Todd and Mary Gray, at their retreat. All these people are of one mind and one soul. They all have the same habits of singing their favorite songs (especially right after dispatching looters), giving detailed information dumps about items, and quoting and referencing the same TV shows and movies.
They are doomed to 'proclaim', 'shout', 'breathe', 'remark', 'offer' and 'chime in' almost every line of dialogue. Having the character be occasionally allowed to get out a few words with a plain old 'said' brought about the same sense of relief as finding a life raft in the middle of a choppy ocean.
Our core group is made of up of the before mentioned Grays, Mike and Lisa, Rose and Jeff, Kevin, Dan, and T.K.
There is also a brief couple of chapters cutting away to introduce us to 'The Gun Show Bros'. They are the main reason for this review. Because, boy howdy those Gun Show Bros....
There names are Matt and Chase Keane and they are sovereign citizens. They do not have social security numbers (all the better to spite the federal government), and they sell firearms without a license at gun shows. I know this because when a promoter at a gun show asks after their license, the Gun Show Bros go on a four page rant about it. They do such a good job explaining how the subtle word choices in the law prove they've done nothing wrong that at the end of their speech, the promoter is left red faced... And then the gun show claps! I kid you not! “The crowd that had gathered applauded...” (Page 72)
On their way out of the show, the two brothers are stopped by a horrible no good cop. When awful cop finds out they're sovereign citizens, he decides to kill them. Yep, just like that. Luckily, the brothers are able to lay down cover fire while they speed away. (Don't worry about the intentions of the GS Bros, they shoot to purposely not hit the cops).
The chase leads to a shopping center where the bros are forced to flee on foot, again carefully shooting only where the officers aren't.
If this story sounds familiar, it's because this incident mirrors the 2010 West Memphis Police Shooting perpetrated by a father and son duo named Kane. Very similar to Gun Show Bros named Keane. Unlike in Mr. Rawles book, the Kanes killed two officers and were ultimately neutralized in a shopping center parking lot without further loss of life.
Back to our boys, without a car, they are forced to steal one. And have a moral argument about this. Shooting at cops is one thing... Stealing has them clutching at their pearls. But not to worry. Mr. Rawles provides a car and a back story to show that the car didn't belong to anybody important. No worries! Everybody ends up swell!
The book goes into great detail showing how the media misrepresents the Gun Show Bros. They're not racists. Although when they show up at the end of the book one of them admits to being reformed separatists... So, eh? Have they changed back and forth since the collapse or were they always racists? The reader gets to decide, I guess.
There are a few non-white characters in Patriots. Two of the core group, Dan Fong and Kevin Lendel, are oriental and Jewish respectively. Lendel being Jewish only comes up when he says he doesn't mind the groups' bible study. It does not come up later when the New World Order under the command of the Rothschilds and other banking families invade the US.
Mike, of the core groups' Mike and Lisa, was a cop before the collapse. So you think he'd have a little apprehension about the Gun Show Bros when they are introduced to the group with their real names, But no. He's cool with it, and honored to meet the great militia leaders.
These are a diverse group of people, there is a lot of room for friction and group dynamics. If these characters were written as real people, and the story had more depth than stringing together conspiracy theories, it has the potential to be interesting. But like I said before, all the characters are clones who get along swimmingly... Except with looters.
In the post-apocalyptic world, there are few people worse than looters. Unless they are communist cannibal looters. Or biker gang looters... Or New World Order UN and Federal Government looters... I could go on and on.
Like I said, there was potential here for an interesting and informative story. Instead we get long info dumps about why a certain type of night vision goggles are bad, how to make explosives from the comfort of your own home, how those at Waco were 'good Christians' and why gun licenses need not apply.
(1 out of five stars, and even that is being generous. Adult language, innuendos, and violence)
January 19, 2013
This is a survival/preppers handbook couched around a storyline of a group of people who prepared for disasters.
The story takes us from an economic meltdown and collapse of the US Government and society itself, one of a number of possible scenarios that the protagonists prepared for, all the way to a Civil War to throw off a UN puppet tyrannical government and the eventual reformation of the United States. A plausible scenario given the current state of affairs with the trillions of dollar debt we are in right now.
As we learn how our group formed and prepared, we learn all kinds of survival techniques: training, operations, food storage, weapons, medical information (including giving birth in such a situation), site selection where your group will 'hide out', and so on. The author has some specific information on what equipment to buy and real places to purchase stuff or get certain things done.
The author is a former Army soldier and that comes out with all the military speak and jargon and operations planning.
Also, our group is Faith-based (Christian), but not racist or a hate group. They accept people of other faiths and races into their group as long as they are moral people.
Lots of violence, death and action here. But that would hold true in such a story, no matter how 'good' a Christian one might be.
Definitely stuff to consider here! But I have to say if a guy did all this, he'd have to be pretty wealthy and have the right life circumstances to pull it off. One could argue that anyone could prep in such manner to some degree, but you have to weigh the probability that it could occur. I do believe that this scenario is possible or other catastrophic events that could occur. But to prepare at the level these guys did? That would be an undertaking! And to do the stuff they did? I just don't think I'd have it in me, either physically or mentally.
Interesting read if you are curious...
The story takes us from an economic meltdown and collapse of the US Government and society itself, one of a number of possible scenarios that the protagonists prepared for, all the way to a Civil War to throw off a UN puppet tyrannical government and the eventual reformation of the United States. A plausible scenario given the current state of affairs with the trillions of dollar debt we are in right now.
As we learn how our group formed and prepared, we learn all kinds of survival techniques: training, operations, food storage, weapons, medical information (including giving birth in such a situation), site selection where your group will 'hide out', and so on. The author has some specific information on what equipment to buy and real places to purchase stuff or get certain things done.
The author is a former Army soldier and that comes out with all the military speak and jargon and operations planning.
Also, our group is Faith-based (Christian), but not racist or a hate group. They accept people of other faiths and races into their group as long as they are moral people.
Lots of violence, death and action here. But that would hold true in such a story, no matter how 'good' a Christian one might be.
Definitely stuff to consider here! But I have to say if a guy did all this, he'd have to be pretty wealthy and have the right life circumstances to pull it off. One could argue that anyone could prep in such manner to some degree, but you have to weigh the probability that it could occur. I do believe that this scenario is possible or other catastrophic events that could occur. But to prepare at the level these guys did? That would be an undertaking! And to do the stuff they did? I just don't think I'd have it in me, either physically or mentally.
Interesting read if you are curious...
August 9, 2013
As every other review has stated, this is a DIY prep manual in the guise of a work of fiction. It completes both tasks pretty well. I listened to the audio version and wish I had the paperback as I hear the appendix is chock full of useful data, as the author has obviously done a lot of research to complete the DIY portion of the book. The book is a little creepy at times, making several illogical leaps such as (vague spoilers coming) communism leads to cannibalism, only the religious can be trusted and a belief in the power of the UN outside that given by the US military. As for the fiction, he characters are well developed and the writing is very good. My only detraction is the characters are very Ayn Rand-ian in their black or white character natures which at times makes them less believable but the application is very understandable due to the DIY nature of the book.
So if you do listen to the audio, and are interested in prepping, definitely get a paperback to make notes in as there is tons of interesting detailed information to feed further research.
So if you do listen to the audio, and are interested in prepping, definitely get a paperback to make notes in as there is tons of interesting detailed information to feed further research.
May 7, 2008
One of the absolute best preparedness/survivalist books on the market. After reading dozens of these type books, I keep going back to this one as a resource. Yes, the writing and story development are not the greatest. Further, the book has a bit of a "gun nut" "antigovernment" focus, which may be annoying to many. However, this book is packed with information and references - which is its primary intent. A great starting place for people interested in preparedness or survivalism.
July 21, 2024
Good read, this book has some great prepper and survivalist suggestions. I particularly enjoyed the sections on setting up a farm. The civil war section was interesting and a fun bit of action.
August 5, 2019
An eye opening story of the times that are closer than more people will ever know. Very detailed information and good story of true Patrioits surviving the Crunch.
August 28, 2010
The story behind this book is interesting, but it is not written very well. It's about a group of friends who start preparing for the collapse of American society.
The editing is poor and the time line is messed up. This is most likely do to the fact that this is the third "incarnation" of this basic story, hastily updated to include Obama. For instance, when they met is nebulous because the author says that they met because of 9/11, but also that they met more frequently after 9/11. Both cannot be true...
The "heroes" of the story are morally ambiguous and absurd. I am not suggesting that the author supports their actions, but they are definitely considered the patriots of the book. Some of their actions including accosting citizens on public roads, summarily executing Communist cannibals, stringing up the bodies of looters, and using chemical weapons against an occupying force, but they make sure they pay their property tax in advance and that no one in their militia is sleeping around.
For pages at a time, the book reads like a technical manual. Often, instead often instead of showing what the characters are doing, Rawles just has them show up and talk about their experience, so pages and pages are in quotes as the characters relate their experience to the group.
Overall, I find the actions of the "patriots" in the book reprehensible, if not somewhat understandable. This is a diamond in the rough, and I think Rawles would benefit from a ghost writer. I'll definitely read the next edition of this book, and I hope the author fixes some of the problems.
The editing is poor and the time line is messed up. This is most likely do to the fact that this is the third "incarnation" of this basic story, hastily updated to include Obama. For instance, when they met is nebulous because the author says that they met because of 9/11, but also that they met more frequently after 9/11. Both cannot be true...
The "heroes" of the story are morally ambiguous and absurd. I am not suggesting that the author supports their actions, but they are definitely considered the patriots of the book. Some of their actions including accosting citizens on public roads, summarily executing Communist cannibals, stringing up the bodies of looters, and using chemical weapons against an occupying force, but they make sure they pay their property tax in advance and that no one in their militia is sleeping around.
For pages at a time, the book reads like a technical manual. Often, instead often instead of showing what the characters are doing, Rawles just has them show up and talk about their experience, so pages and pages are in quotes as the characters relate their experience to the group.
Overall, I find the actions of the "patriots" in the book reprehensible, if not somewhat understandable. This is a diamond in the rough, and I think Rawles would benefit from a ghost writer. I'll definitely read the next edition of this book, and I hope the author fixes some of the problems.
June 8, 2017
Not a fan of this book. Issues with spelling, grammar, bad storyline, and mixed up information, which is a huge detraction for me. The concept is a good one (and this is the third book I read recently about apocalyptic events occurring in the US), but the plot and storyline were unrealistic and unbelievable, at times. I was disappointed to see that no major conflicts or trauma truly happened to our "heroes" until well over half-way through the book. Everyone (approximately a dozen people) lived together in one house harmoniously with the exception of one woman who would start a fight occasionally, and they all had everything they needed to make it through the disaster at hand. In the beginning, these people had enough money to personally purchase large amounts of weapons and ammunition, get their cars upgraded, repaired, and ready for impending doom, and they were also able to purchase large amounts of military-grade clothing and body armor. One couple was even able to pay cash for a farm on many acres in Idaho. They also went through many military-style training courses (usually taught by other members who charged their fellow preppers exorbitant amounts of money to attend courses). These people truly had their shit together.
And what's with the comma in the author's name?
It will be very obvious to readers that this book is basically a checklist of the items you must have when impending doom does occur. The author even makes sure to provide name brands at times. Make sure you earn plenty of money because you're going to need it!
And what's with the comma in the author's name?
It will be very obvious to readers that this book is basically a checklist of the items you must have when impending doom does occur. The author even makes sure to provide name brands at times. Make sure you earn plenty of money because you're going to need it!
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