I didn't refer to it first. And I was under the distinct impression that Patriots was also a work of fiction.

"Patriots" is a work of fiction.

JohnE

"Patriots" by James Rawles is not a new book. It first appeared on the web for free under the title TEOTWAWKI and has been updated and expanded on a bit. Its the epitome of the paranoid, gun worshiping, bunker survival style.

It is considered by some to be a survival manual but it might more properly be termed adolescent action hero gun-porn because the focus is clearly on using violence to solve problems.

The secondary characters serve to demonstrate the superiority of the protagonist by acting as victims, object lessons warning of what happens to people who aren't armed to the teeth and paranoid, or predatory vermin to be destroyed. The protagonist shows equal measures of depraved indifference and contempt for both.

Great amounts of text are used to describe the weapons and their effects. Think Mad Max with fewer cars if Max spent half the movie describing his weaponry. The writing lacks both the redeeming social value and subtle character development of Mad Max. It is not high literature but it is a fun read as long as you understand that it is a caricature of conflict and just a step above a comic book. The comic book having an edge because it doesn't pretend to be realistic.

It really doesn't have much to say about actual survival in any realistic sense. If you want to understand survivalism, the caricature of practical real world survival you will at some time need to read Patriots.

But then lay most of what it says aside as childish and understand that violence and firearms as weapons are the smallest, and often the least important part of practical survival. That the vast majority of survival is a boring test of endurance and heroic action is a sign of a lack of planning and preparedness.

7 Samurai- the Magnificient Seven

Star Wars- Battlestar Galactica

The Turner Diaries- Patriots

I withdraw my reconsideration after reading this. It's just what I expected then. Thanks Art.

By-the-by, I found Lucifer's Hammer to drag quite a bit up front. I suppose setting the stage for world cataclysm was the goal (and perhaps less generally understood in the 70's when the Discovery channel wasn't running how the world could end shows every week), but I too had to force myself to keep going. About a third of the way through, things pick up and then really don't stop, so it's one of those books. This is also the reason why I sometimes force myself through a book if I find the idea interesting. Anyway, it's not a bad read overall. A little unrealistic regarding how the weather/climate/natural disasters occur - but I guess we have better computer modeling now.

I just finished 'Patriots' and I guess I didn't like it very much. I found it too religious and political biased for my taste and, while some of the information provided was accurate, I couldn't overcome my disliking for conspiracy theories.

I rather much prefer 'Alas Babylon', 'Earth Abides', 'Hatchet' or 'Day By Day Armageddon'.

Just my two cents worth...

For a very haunting glimpse into the future of post-apocalyptic sci-fi take a look at the Parable of the Sower , followed by Parable of the Talents books by Octavia Butler.

maybe I am off, but I did enjoy the book. I just finished it today. I suppose part of that is that I lived in that area for two years and hunted quite a bit in those areas of the Palouse. Plus it had a little on Arizona.

I first half which is mostly a fictional way to go through how someone(s) prepare with a TEOTWAWKI bent. But really all the decisions made by 'The Group' were all things I have considered, such as weapons, fuels, bartering concepts, gardening, medical and so forth.

The second half of the book detailing the federales was a bit weak but its a dime story novel so I let it go.

I have had Deep Winter and Shatter in my e-mail for over a year now and just realized they are available on amazon... wow, I`m gonna have to support the author and pickup a copy of each and read them.

Patriots to me was "OK". I won't re-read it until years or so have passed and I forgot about it and want to re-read it again then. Lights Out in my opinion was way better, but rushed towards the end. It's so long you want to re-read it again to re-remember things from the start, or maybe I just can't get away to read it so often, ha.

Either way I suggest Lights Out over Patriots ANY DAY.

I read them for entertainment not as a "manual" for collapse... so if you are reading for that your view may be different than mine.

Is "Lights Out" available in a printed book form?