Just finished "Patriots"

It's a fairly cheesy read, generally fair across the board. I read it when it was "triple ought" (and available free on the web), and when it was first released as Patriots - the general premise is interesting, but generally far-fetched in many aspects, it's pretty much fantasy with a few interesting concepts included.

An overall better (in most ways) was Lucifer's Hammer by Niven/Pournelle - a very good read.
 
A couple of things struck me as close to home, like the breakdown in the economy being the catalyst.

The far-fetched part for me was the roving gangs in the midwest and the THOUSANDS that were invested in the house and gear. The sheer number of assault rifles and the degree (McMillian Sniper rifles and dynamite for example)

The one thing that DID get me thinking was this:

If a EOTWAWKI were to happen, or even a serious SHTF deal, my proficiency with weapons is not up to par. I have the tools, I have the skills, but what about the thought/assesment side?

I have hunted my whole life, rifle, shotgun, bow, you name it, and have shot more than a few rounds out of my combat commander, but defense/combat is something diffrent. How many people have experience or training with something that attacks/hunts YOU. The rules and tactics would be very,very different.

Even LEO's don't get training on how to deal with someone who is trying to take your food or rape your loved one.

I think some training would be smart whether I am bugging in OR bugging out.
 
I liked it, it had some flaws, and at times it got bogged down in details, but it was worth the read.
 
I will check it out...Lucifers Hammer was a GREAT novel...one of the best.:thumbup:
Also, "Wolf and Iron"..the first 3 "Survivalist's" (there were somewhere around 30 after...and they got silly fast)
 
I have it. Deels totally with survivalism, not wilderness survival. It follows the same tried and true suvivalist dogma with the evil UN and foreign military troops occupying the US finally overthrown by "preparred" patriots. Ok for a one time read but like Flotsam wrote "cheesy". It does have a kind of Turner Diary cult status among survivalist and anti-govt types.
 
Not a great novel, but chock full of good info. I've read it more than once, but I have to be ready to read things like manuals and such.
 
Read it several years ago. It is a good read but it goes heavy into the militia stuff and that's not really my thing. But I liked the story and of course Trace's knives in there are cool.
 
I just read "The Postman" a couple days ago.
Thought it was pretty good.
Everyone carried knives post-war to not give away their position to bandit "survivalists"
when in the woods and ammo was scarce.

Read "First Blood" also and both books were far different then the movies they were based on.
Rambo used a 30/30 lever action,never had a knife and killed dozens of people.
 
But they did have some lower keyed, more practical scenarios here and there.

I am more of the mind that things will not get that bad, but a bit of civil unrest and in some cases day to day defense could prove very vital.

After all, what good is preperation if some wing nut can stroll in and take it all. I have come to the realization that defending what is yours (incuding your life) is probably an intelligent approach to survival preperation.
 
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