# Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse



## HozayBuck (Jan 27, 2010)

Has anybody read this book yet? By James Wesley, Rawles

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1439172803/ref=pe_113430_21251940_pd_re_dt_dt2


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## ComputerGuy (Dec 10, 2010)

HozayBuck said:


> Has anybody read this book yet? By James Wesley, Rawles
> 
> Amazon.com: Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse (9781439172803): James Wesley Rawles: Books


Don't you mean Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse?


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

ComputerGuy said:


> Don't you mean Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse?


CG survivors is the sequil to patriots. Comes out next week. I pre- ordered for kindle.


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## Vertigo (Aug 6, 2009)

HozayBuck said:


> Has anybody read this book yet? By James Wesley, Rawles


Let me know how it reads, I read the previous one, so I might just order this one as well. The previous one was not to be held as great fiction, but it does give a few good ideas, presented in an easy to digest format.

greetz,

V.


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

Vertigo said:


> Let me know how it reads, I read the previous one, so I might just order this one as well. The previous one was not to be held as great fiction, but it does give a few good ideas, presented in an easy to digest format.
> 
> greetz,
> 
> V.


Agree But that's his way of writing. Using a "action adventure" format with some good survival tips mixed in makes teaching easier.


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## Vertigo (Aug 6, 2009)

oldsoldier said:


> Agree But that's his way of writing. Using a "action adventure" format with some good survival tips mixed in makes teaching easier.


Oh I am not critisizing him at all, I do believe he can be an amazing teacher to those willing to listen, he is just not the greatest writer in all honesty. Allthough I must admit I would not be able to find the patience in myself to write something of similar lenght but greater quality.

I see it as a text book, a manual, dipped in a sauce of romantic fiction 

V.


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## ComputerGuy (Dec 10, 2010)

oldsoldier said:


> CG survivors is the sequil to patriots. Comes out next week. I pre- ordered for kindle.


OH OK!! Sorry. Let me know how it goes


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## Magus (Dec 1, 2008)

Ah crap,its 404 now.


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## geoffreys7 (Jan 11, 2011)

Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse [Hardcover]

This title will be released on October 4, 2011.

Amazon.com: Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse (9781439172803): James Wesley Rawles: Books


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## Turtle (Dec 10, 2009)

Oh, crap. Who let him write more fiction? 

I can't imagine that his writing talent has developed exponentially since the last book. The first book makes Dr. Seuss look like Tolstoy.


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## rextex (Sep 14, 2011)

I enjoyed the material of the first book but thought his writing skills were a little on the immature side.


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## tac803 (Nov 21, 2010)

I took the book patriots for a decent time killer that had some very good how to advice, and a pretty accurate description of how society could melt down. The threats described had a sense of realism, and helped to reinforce the concepts of preparedness and situational awareness. Yeah, it wasn't War and Peace, but I only got through one chapter of Tolstoy before returning the book.


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

Vertigo said:


> Oh I am not critisizing him at all, I do believe he can be an amazing teacher to those willing to listen, he is just not the greatest writer in all honesty. Allthough I must admit I would not be able to find the patience in myself to write something of similar lenght but greater quality.
> 
> I see it as a text book, a manual, dipped in a sauce of romantic fiction
> 
> V.


I know your not critisizing at all. Agreed he's no Johnstone or Louis L' Amour. Heck he's not even a medium level on good. I'm with you about writing myself. +1 on the text book.:2thumb:


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

ComputerGuy said:


> OH OK!! Sorry. Let me know how it goes


Be happy to share my view on the book.


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## HozayBuck (Jan 27, 2010)

*Everybody seems to bash"patriots"*

*But actually it is a good book in MHO..I read it in several forms online then bought it when he first published it...that copy was loaned out so many times it fell apart, I bought another and it's been around too...

The book is a good training manual, and everything he speaks of in the way of tool and preps he names and tells where it's made...

I agreed with almost everything he had to say about building his home place... where I did disagree was in small ways..I think he went over board on the bible thumping... he needs to stop preaching.. just let folks find their own way to the light...

I never quite got the ambush points out on the road.. I figger if they are passing on the road leave them alone.. maybe watch them as long as possible that they keep going..

I didn't get the part where 3 trucks drive down the road ad somebody gets out and cuts the lock and they roar in guns blazing... but they had time to set up their ambush of passerby's? I would have figured the guard would have started shooting while the guy was cutting the lock.. just picking a nit or two...all in all it was well done...

All in all, I won't put the book down until I write a better one and it's published and sells more then his...*


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## Ponce (May 3, 2009)

Vertigo? I am with you on that and for one thinks that it sucks.......it was really a lot about nothing, more about weapons than anything else.

This guy, Rawles, think of himself as the next Jesus and salvation for the US, a very dangerous guy.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

I'm not afraid to say that I'm not impressed with Rawles, didn't like "Patriots" all that much, though it did have some merits. I don't see it as a realistic prep book for real people. And mostly, I can't stand the cult following that's grown up around it, and the people who come to this part of the country now (I'm in MW Montana) all starry-eyed and Rawles-wannabe, yet they know almost nothing about how to live or survive here. It was bad enough when we kept getting clueless west coast transplants, now we're getting all these people who "read patriots"... Sigh...

Nope, not gonna buy his new book.


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## gatorglockman (Sep 9, 2011)

Turtle said:


> Oh, crap. Who let him write more fiction?
> 
> I can't imagine that his writing talent has developed exponentially since the last book. The first book makes Dr. Seuss look like Tolstoy.


LMAO brotha'.....think I spit my drink out or it came out of my nose or something. My bulldog is looking at me sideways.


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## gatorglockman (Sep 9, 2011)

gypsysue said:


> I'm not afraid to say that I'm not impressed with Rawles, didn't like "Patriots" all that much, though it did have some merits. I don't see it as a realistic prep book for real people. And mostly, I can't stand the cult following that's grown up around it, and the people who come to this part of the country now (I'm in MW Montana) all starry-eyed and Rawles-wannabe, yet they know almost nothing about how to live or survive here. It was bad enough when we kept getting clueless west coast transplants, now we're getting all these people who "read patriots"... Sigh...
> 
> Nope, not gonna buy his new book.


G.,

Really? Are you actually seeing that much influx into your area?


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## flayer (Jan 15, 2011)

Well, he is reaching people and getting them to think...
People will I believe react to severest adversity in a manner dependent on their personality, some people will fade away and perservere, some will wail and gnash their teeth, and some will fight to survive, some will simply take what they need...
Getting people to think, the outreach as it were, may be his greatest achievement, not the quality of his writing eh?


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## Turtle (Dec 10, 2009)

gatorglockman said:


> LMAO brotha'.....think I spit my drink out or it came out of my nose or something. My bulldog is looking at me sideways.


Happy to be of service! 

And that could just be the way your bulldog looks naturally; my mom had a couple of those pudgy little fatsos when I was a kid. Good dogs, but dumb as a box of rocks.


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## Turtle (Dec 10, 2009)

gypsysue said:


> I'm not afraid to say that I'm not impressed with Rawles, didn't like "Patriots" all that much, though it did have some merits. I don't see it as a realistic prep book for real people. And mostly, I can't stand the cult following that's grown up around it, and the people who come to this part of the country now (I'm in MW Montana) all starry-eyed and Rawles-wannabe, yet they know almost nothing about how to live or survive here. It was bad enough when we kept getting clueless west coast transplants, now we're getting all these people who "read patriots"... Sigh...
> 
> Nope, not gonna buy his new book.


I am with you, 100%, Sue.

Rawles and his ilk scare me, quite frankly. It's going to be him and his disciples who fire the first shots when the grid goes down, and that isn't necessarily what we need. When the only tool that you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail... and to him and his type, their AR is the only tool they have.

Patriots was basically his fantasy of how he plans to carve out a little kingdom for himself when the SHTF; it had some great points in it, and would be a great roadmap for the same, if your goal is to form a hard-core Christian military nation. Otherwise, it's not very well grounded in reality, and could have been boiled down to several very short chapters:

Chapter 1: Trust no one who doesn't own 47 guns and 19 billion rounds of ammo and is not a born-again, bible-thumping Christian
Chapter 2: Shoot anyone who does not fit into the above category
Chapter 3: Build a fortified house from which to shoot anyone who does not fit into chapter 1.
Chapter 4: GUNS! BIBLE! GUNS GUNS GUNS! BIBLE GUNS BIBLE EXPLOSIVES! BIBLE BIBLE BIBLE! GUNS BIBLE GUNS!


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## Wags (Dec 29, 2008)

Turtle said:


> I am with you, 100%, Sue.
> 
> Rawles and his ilk scare me, quite frankly. It's going to be him and his disciples who fire the first shots when the grid goes down, and that isn't necessarily what we need. When the only tool that you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail... and to him and his type, their AR is the only tool they have.
> 
> ...


Well except for the (token?) Jewish guy that is part of the group.


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## Momturtle (Nov 2, 2009)

While agreeing with most everyone's view of Patriots as poorly written gun manual, it did get my DH on board with prepping . . . go figure. Did enjoy reading it as a fantasy. Have no problem with guns but you can't eat 'em or grow things with 'em. Have no problem with the Bible but I have known plenty who carry them and are not the kind of folks I want at my house. My biggest beef with this and a lot of other "prepper" fiction is the unlimited funds these folks seem to have. Good grief! Must be nice to not have to budget anything and just set up however you want. Not very realistic in my opinion. I imagine a collapse with scattered bunkered in rich folk living in multi-million dollar retreats (which you can buy from survival realty) and all afraid to come out and deal with regular folks (but talking amongst each other on their special super high whatever radios).


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

In response to the last few people to post...

Yes, we're getting quite a few "Rawles wanna-be's" in NW Montana. Problem is they're all charged up but don't know how to do any of that stuff in real life, and life going on in a normal fashion around here seems to confuse them and leave them in a holding pattern of "Oh! What now?".

AND...most of these people have almost no money. few supplies and little actual knowledge of what they need to have and do. They're disappointed that although we're prepping and planning for self-sufficiency, for the most part people really aren't militia-oriented around here and they're not making fortified homes or communities, and most of us don't have the kind of money for Rawles-type stuff, nor the time to spare doing it. 

They're less 'teachable' now, since they read Rawles and think they know everything, though they can't explain why they...actually...don't... know... ? ? ?

I definitely agree that I get tired of the stories and books and websites geared toward having lots of money and resources. That's why the fiction stories I wrote for this site feature real people who DON'T have much money, in real situations that could happen to real people. Sure, it's nice to dream about what we wish we could have, but survival is serious business. People without all that money need to know that there are lots of options and ways to do things without spending much, if any, money. Us financially-challenged people learn to wing-it and we can survive! Don't doubt it.


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## HozayBuck (Jan 27, 2010)

*I guess Imissed something*

*in the Book... I saw a few young people who gathered together after seeing a "what if " movie... all were in collage, all were learning how to earn a living.. all agreed that there was strength in numbers and they all agreed for the most part, on what kind of camo..what kind of weapons.. what kind of vehicles..etc etc ..thinking in terms of parts interchangeability.. one couple decided they wanted to move to Idaho and bought an acreage with an older home and out buildings and started planting fruit and nut trees... have a garden.. stored extra fuel...offered the others a place to store their preps.. so...we have trusted long term friends pooling together to survive whatever comes.. all working stiffs... maybe making a bit more money then you and I..but I didn't go to collage...

When TSHTF each is pretty much on their on the reach Idaho... so... how many people here in this thread wouldn't like to have a place set up with long term, proven friends ?? really now?... Out side of the family here and my 92 yo Mom I'm alone.. I'm very happy to be in a place where we have the ability to "maybe" survive.. out of us all I'm the only real Gun Dog here..I am teaching the rest... but..

I too have many friends I would love to have watching my 6..but not all...well really almost none think about it... I've tried..but..little luck...

And yes I have guns, lots of guns..and ammo, lots of ammo... but I got it the old fashion way...I worked for it.. are we well prepped? hell no.. we need so much more and Lord willing we still have time to get at least some of it...

And I can see maybe having to fight off some predators..and if after things settle down and some AH decides he's now President God and is going to whip the survivors into line...well I'll fight, I'll work to organize , won't you???

Now...having said all this, where is Rawles so wrong? maybe he's not a Hemingway but the message comes thru loud and clear..

Now I really don't have an issue with the fact a lot of yawl don't like the book....or the man... I do have a problem with the fact that you all claim to be preppers and planners and do'ers so where is the wrong? I stated I thought the book had to much bible pounding in it.. but that's just me... I have my faith, my beliefs... he has his..

I guess I see the book as a thought provoking tool , and while I claim to have been a "prepper since the early 60's but if so where is my well thought out farmstead / compound / fort ?.. so.. I read it , many times, and learned something every time... and for those of you who don't or didn't learn or need to learn from it..I envy you...

So... to sum it up..we have a book about people working, saving their money spending wisely , and long term planning for something that may never happen...which part is it that you don't do yourself?...

I don't have a dog in the fight I get nothing out of saying Rawles book is a good read..hell I hated "one second after"...everybody else rants about how wonderful it was.. If you took two sheets of TP you could write down the things the guy knew.. and a paper factory to write down what he didn't 
but that's just me...

Again I'd love to have a group of loyal, good and decent friends I knew I could count on... but..wish in one hand and chit in the other and see which fills the fastest..

There I'm done...lol.. and I will buy his new book and after I read it I'll offer it to anybody who wants to read it...as per usual.. *


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## Ponce (May 3, 2009)

I started with Castro in Cuba when I was 18 and from there I participated in 6 more wars for five countries.....because all this started over 50 years ago nothing that what he is talking about is like what is was in the old days, weapons are different, radios are different, and the same goes for most vehicles.......the only thing that I was interested in while reading his book was military tactics and movements and I learned nothing..............maybe because most of what I did was bush warfare and not in the open like he wrote, and that's one one of the reasons as to why I live in the woods of Oregon, the forest will be a good place to hide and seek.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Ponce, you'd be a great guy to have in our backyard! I think back in these thickly forested mountains we'll have more bush warfare than open warfare. Depends how the scenario plays out and who's involved (military vs. non).

My opinions about Rawles have more to do with the people who have "Oprah worship" syndrome of Mr. Rawles and DON'T take the time to learn anything or save money to set up a place. They come here and think it'll all fall into place and come together. There are actually some who come here in a S has HTF mode, in their minds, and are disturbed that it's business as usual in every day life. This isn't some kind of Theme park up here. I'll take the back-to-the land people and even the California liberals who move here over this kind of people.

But no, I don't think Patriots had much to offer the average person, realistically, as far as a plan. Sorry to disagree with you, Hozay. From a personal perspective, for who I am, how I live, and how I prep, Rawles isn't my thing. It's cool that you like him, and I hope you enjoy his new book.


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## Jezcruzen (Oct 21, 2008)

I read an on-line story a few years ago that I think might have been "Patriots". The characters mostly lived in Chicago at the beginning, but had a bug out location out west that they traveled to once the collapse began. It wasn't a bad read. 

I downloaded "Lights Out" yesterday and read the first 11 chapters last night. It seems vaguely familiar, like I read some of it on-line, maybe as a teaser to buy the book. Anyway, interesting so far.


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## HozayBuck (Jan 27, 2010)

Jezcruzen said:


> I read an on-line story a few years ago that I think might have been "Patriots". The characters mostly lived in Chicago at the beginning, but had a bug out location out west that they traveled to once the collapse began. It wasn't a bad read.
> 
> I downloaded "Lights Out" yesterday and read the first 11 chapters last night. It seems vaguely familiar, like I read some of it on-line, maybe as a teaser to buy the book. Anyway, interesting so far.


Patriots was a share ware book on line for several years.. as he added to it the name changed from " The gray Nineties" to "Triple ought" then was published under Patriots...

Lights out is a super read!! and has been published...

also a real good prepper book ( books) are "Winter , Remnant and Shatter" 3 books in one event ... by TC Sherry... I think he's getting them published so not sure if he wants them passed around on line anymore.. But... e mail him at [email protected] <[email protected]> and he will I believe send them to you... long and well done and covers just about everything under the sun...or clouds..


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## Ezmerelda (Oct 17, 2010)

I can't remember how/why I got my copy of Patriots...

I think it might have been a logical outgrowth of finding and reading Government by Emergency. Apparently, Rawles and North are linked somehow?

Those books were what got me seriously prepping, so that's good. Is Patriots a great book? Heck naw. It was better than that other book, the title escapes me, the cover art was a half-nude woman dressed up as Lady Justice, being held at gunpoint by some guy in riot gear. Rawles mentions it in Patriots...anybody remember it?

All I remember from that book was the explanation for that FBI woman's name. Her crackhead mama thought Gah-NOR-ee-a was a loverly name, and the doc even helped her spell it, G-o-n-o-r-r-h-e-a.


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## Wags (Dec 29, 2008)

The Deep Winter series is in print - and a very good read. You can purchase it from Amazon or directly from him for less.

He has a 4th book, based on the same events but it takes place in the midwest that is going up (slowly) on his blog: Deep Winter


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## JonnyGrunt (Oct 29, 2011)

Ezmerelda said:


> I can't remember how/why I got my copy of Patriots...
> 
> I think it might have been a logical outgrowth of finding and reading Government by Emergency. Apparently, Rawles and North are linked somehow?
> 
> ...


Unintended Consequences by John Ross


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