'Patriots', the book.
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bulldogeagle
Re: 'Patriots', the book.
have only just started reading "Patriots" so cant comment until i finish it, but on the subject of "Groups" isnt this what Mutual Agreements is for? if you havent met people, havent worked with people, havent spent time with people, then dont trust these people!!
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TomW
Re: 'Patriots', the book.
It's certainly an interesting and worthwhile read. As has been said, an awful lot just isn't UK relevant but there's a lot of useful info that can be used.I think this is what causes the text to appear disjointed. The characters cease talking normally at times as they deliver an impromptu lecture on a survival subject. Useful info but does break the story side down a bit.
It also appears that Mr Rawles feels his role should be that of policeman and get involved with anyone that comes near. While I fully agree that defending yourself is vital, advertising your presence by accosting all that come within sight is just asking for trouble. The moralising can also get a bit much at times, robbing to survive is not my first choice but if it meant eating or starving...
Still a good read and well recomended
It also appears that Mr Rawles feels his role should be that of policeman and get involved with anyone that comes near. While I fully agree that defending yourself is vital, advertising your presence by accosting all that come within sight is just asking for trouble. The moralising can also get a bit much at times, robbing to survive is not my first choice but if it meant eating or starving...
Still a good read and well recomended
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Meyou
Re: 'Patriots', the book.
Half way or so through the Sequel, Survivors. He goes into a lot more depth into the characters this time. I'm not sure yet, but I get the feeling some of these characters are gonna be on the "Other side" in relation to the first book.
Again, it's like a survival manual dressed up as fiction, HOWEVER he's managed to avoid getting all list-ish like in Patriots. At times that book felt like I was reading a list on what to stock up on rather than a novel. This one avoids that, while still teaching me the basics of HAM morse code abbreviations (And then sneaking in a bloody test to make sure I remembered!)
Answers a few questions from the first book too...
Again, it's like a survival manual dressed up as fiction, HOWEVER he's managed to avoid getting all list-ish like in Patriots. At times that book felt like I was reading a list on what to stock up on rather than a novel. This one avoids that, while still teaching me the basics of HAM morse code abbreviations (And then sneaking in a bloody test to make sure I remembered!)
Answers a few questions from the first book too...
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preppingsu
Re: 'Patriots', the book.
Put this one on my christmas list!Meyou wrote:Half way or so through the Sequel, Survivors. He goes into a lot more depth into the characters this time. I'm not sure yet, but I get the feeling some of these characters are gonna be on the "Other side" in relation to the first book.
Again, it's like a survival manual dressed up as fiction, HOWEVER he's managed to avoid getting all list-ish like in Patriots. At times that book felt like I was reading a list on what to stock up on rather than a novel. This one avoids that, while still teaching me the basics of HAM morse code abbreviations (And then sneaking in a bloody test to make sure I remembered!)
Answers a few questions from the first book too...
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Triple_sod
Re: 'Patriots', the book.
336 pages in.
Overall so far so good, glad I bought it.
On the plus side;
It’s got a plausible story line; I won’t ruin it for anyone but sop far theres been nothing to make me go ‘oh f*cking hell as if....’
Equally it doesn’t suffer from that perennial problem of been written for sheep by sheep. That’s really one of my pet hates in this sort of genre; you know they have to pick a group to survive that the general public can relate to. So you usually end up with this rag tag bunch with few skills and nothing but the cloths on their back bumbling though.....
I can understand why people might say a lot of it isn’t relevant to the UK, I think it mostly boils down to land and guns, both of which they’ve got a lot of and we ‘ant. So the divergence there is; have they got it better than us, but we should try and do the best with what we have, or we are somehow different, hence what they have to say is irrelevant, (obviously there are shades of grey in-between). Personally not a debate I’d want to have, especially not on a forum......too divisive. Myself though I am inclined towards the former.
Negatives;
Pretty much entirely revolve around characterization for me;
What does tend to bug me about quite a lot of American ‘survivalist fiction’ (yeah I need to get out more) is that the characters are all too often unrealistically perfect. So in Patriots it’s very hard to find faults in any of them. Everyone pulls their weight, no one tries to play the big leader, they don’t even seem to have an argument throughout the whole book....
Overall so far so good, glad I bought it.
On the plus side;
It’s got a plausible story line; I won’t ruin it for anyone but sop far theres been nothing to make me go ‘oh f*cking hell as if....’
Equally it doesn’t suffer from that perennial problem of been written for sheep by sheep. That’s really one of my pet hates in this sort of genre; you know they have to pick a group to survive that the general public can relate to. So you usually end up with this rag tag bunch with few skills and nothing but the cloths on their back bumbling though.....
I can understand why people might say a lot of it isn’t relevant to the UK, I think it mostly boils down to land and guns, both of which they’ve got a lot of and we ‘ant. So the divergence there is; have they got it better than us, but we should try and do the best with what we have, or we are somehow different, hence what they have to say is irrelevant, (obviously there are shades of grey in-between). Personally not a debate I’d want to have, especially not on a forum......too divisive. Myself though I am inclined towards the former.
Negatives;
Pretty much entirely revolve around characterization for me;
What does tend to bug me about quite a lot of American ‘survivalist fiction’ (yeah I need to get out more) is that the characters are all too often unrealistically perfect. So in Patriots it’s very hard to find faults in any of them. Everyone pulls their weight, no one tries to play the big leader, they don’t even seem to have an argument throughout the whole book....