I work at B&N, and recently saw this new release. While not really interested in TEOTWAWKI, I thought it may make an interesting read. I just finished Lucifer's Hammer, and honestly couldn't finish it. It's the only book I've ever outright thrown away, knowing I will never read it again.
I'd like to read books about survival, and I'm about to start "Adrift".
Seeing this new title, I'd like to know if anyone has read it and if it's worth picking up. If it were a hardcover, I could just use our book loan program and read it, but it's out in paperback. Just interested in survival techniques that work, not long term sustained planting, goat raising, post nuclear stuff.
Any comments....just don't want to waste my time again.
No flaming please.

I have not read the book, but the author runs SurvivalBlog, which is dedicated to all things Survival. This is a new edition of his novel. He has more information on his site:

http://www.rawles.to/patriots.htm

jane b

Not sure, but this thread might belong around the campfire. At any rate, I'm curious what you didn't like about Lucifer's Hammer. I thought it an interesting read (if dated and a touch unrealistic/optimistic). Adrift was a very different book altogether, and certainly holds your attention (except perhaps the lead-up at the beginning).

I wasn't planning on picking up Patriots - it seemed a bit like tin foil survivalist porn to me - but maybe I'll consider it; Amazon has it at 4 stars after 200+ reviews. But I have to think it has many correlations to Lucifer's Hammer: A small group rebuilds society after collapse of civilization, the difference being that the group in LH is not necessarily "survivalist" oriented - quite the opposite in many ways. So that's why I ask why you might like one vs. the other.

Cheers. And can you get ETS a discount @ B&N?

"Lucifer's Hammer"?

Are you refering to the science fiction novel?

It's not a survival manual.

The reason why Amazon has good reviews and the reason why it's going to be high on their list of purchased books is because the author begs his followers thru his website to buy the book thru Amazon specifically to bump up the sales figures.

Not saying that it's wrong for him to promote his book but the folks buying it are James Rawles fans, not the general book reading public. If you enjoy reading about folks are gonna allegedly "survive" in the post-apocalyptic world and you are a devout fundamentalist Christian, you'll probably enjoy the book. And if you think that a novel is gonna help you survive economic collapse.

I find it odd that Mr. Rawles rails against the coming collapse of society while at the same time selling and promoting tons of items and services thru his site that won't be of much use if the bottom should fall out. Anyone remember that movie with Robin Williams and the late great Walter Matthau in which the so-called survival instructor was really more interested in selling his followers time share condos and investment "opportunities" etc.? I also wonder if Mr. Rawles would accept rolls of nickels in exchange for some of his products and services?

I'd recommend that anyone interested in learning how people are profiting from exploiting people's fears read "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein.

For the record, what Doug does is the complete opposite of what Mr. Rawles and his fellow commercial survivalists are doing in my opinion, both in spirit as well as in practice.

JohnE

As a postscript, the only novel I've read that offered any sort of real, practical post-apocalyptic advice was "On the Beach" by Nevil Shute, in which we learn that gold absorbs radiation at a furious rate, making it not only worthless but deadly. Don't know what radiation does to nickels...

JohnE

It's iteresting that JohnE brings up nickles, because there's an interesting blog under "Nickels" at survivalblog.

Wasn't really reading Lucifer's Hammer as a survival manual per se, just reading it for entertainment sakes. I found it dragging for way too long. I would skip entire chapters at points, and seem to pick up where I left off later in the book. Perhaps I found it too outdated? (I probably would have enjoyed it when it first came out. Use to be I read nothing but sci-fi for 15 years...this is one one those books that I never got around to....oh well, better late than never?....)
Just looking for an interesting read that holds my attention while being factual and entertaining, without being out and out TOO apocalyptic. It's also interesting that Patriots has been available for two weeks, while on survialblog it states.... "Please do not place any orders for the new edition until April 8, 2009--the planned "book bomb" day. By forestalling orders, we hope to drive the book's Amazon sales rank into the Top Ten. Thanks"

I'm not trying to start trouble, but thank heavens for level headed people on this site! That's why I joined this site and look forward to meaningful discussions and points of view.

I attended a two year community college that began life as a post WW2 agricultural school.After nearly 4 decades that saw a semi rural and agricultural area become urban, a rather unusual 'problem' came up for the first time in those 4 decades.

A coyote appeared on campus. There were fears hundreds of sheep, dairy,beef cattle,horses and pigs would be decimated.Biology professors were at odds with the ag science department and the maintenance crew noted a sharp drop in the feral cat population.

Two BLM burros were acquired to 'bond' with the sheep and guard against coyotes, a trait promoted by the BLM.
The burros proceeded to kick and kill 9 sheep.
One of the biology professors mentioned to the equestrian instructor burros carried a cronic lung infection that could spread to horses.

The burros went away. A campus police officer shot the lone coyote. The feral cat population exploded.

The ONLY predictable is that the unpredictable will happen.
It can be a TEOTWAWKI novel or a survival manual. When you accept everything as gospel, or a set piece of actions and reaction, Mother Nature will send you a BLM burro.

I read the older 2006 version of the book with the brown cover. Its okay reading, pretty high up there on the tin foil hat scale, but I have read my copy 2-3 times. I personally prefure "lights out" "deep winter" "shatter (deep winter 2)"... the 3rd in the series is on its way "remnant" cant wait, and "cold camp". There are other short stories on frugal forums (winds of change series), THR (the bug out), ARFcom (WAY too many to mention), and others that are available for free from members who post parts of their stories regularly and keeps me entertained.

Yes its true the deep winter and shatter are authorized by the author for distribution via email, just no hosting on a website. Lights out is only available via electronic formats. I however bought both deep winter and shatter from the author signed. Its the least I could do for writing such great books. Even the coworkers I have given PDFs to enjoy reading them.

I find that well written western novels, such as Louis L'Amour, Zane Grey, and Ralph Compton, are full of fairly accurate period based survival information for a time before modern technology. Reading those books, which are often well researched for authenticity, you get a good sense of how people lived off the land in remote and not necessarily comfortable environments with very little to work with. When caprentry consists of little more than slapping boards together with a few nails like a house of cards and the only way to purify water was to add coffee grounds and boil it for an hour over an open fire, well, you start to understand that you don't need a bath every week to get by, and toothpaste in the form of a little baking soda or salt on the tip of a finger if you were fortunate to have either handy and enough to spare.