Monday, March 5, 2018

article 2 of 2 today, book review

book review, article 2 of 2 today

Book Review

“GRID DOWN The New Reality 2” http://amzn.to/2CYlwN7

By Bruce Buckshot Hemming http://www.snare-trap-survive.com/

And by some other gal, but since each book has a different co-author ( dude!  Are you that much of a stud you keep getting different girlfriends in retirement AND get them to help you write the book?  I’m a bit insanely jealous! ), I don’t bother with them.  This is the last book in the grid down series.  It wraps everything up in a nice bow.  If you remember seven years ago or so, the first book in the series was a big ass door stopper.  Heck, I’ll read Atlas Shrugged again even though I don’t agree with a lot of her ideas anymore, just because it is a nice hefty 1200 pages.

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I didn’t like Stephen Kings “Under The Dome” all that much and I’ll read it again just because it was a thousand pages.  I like staying immersed in a fictional world as long as I can.  Anyway, the original was so long even I had a hard time finishing it.  Which is a compliment, by the way.  I think Bruce reconfigured it so it is now three books instead of one.  I’ve always had trouble following the chronological order in the titles.  The first book might even been longer than seven years ago, as far as the original publication.  It sure seems longer than seven years, more like nine.  But what do I know?  I can’t remember what dinner was two nights ago.

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Also, you’ll perhaps remember, this series was one of the first serious self published doomer stories.  He started way back prior to Kindle and before all the quick buck artists started giving authors a bad name ( the current crop is certainly pulp fiction.  But that insults a lot of pulp fiction artists.  They were dedicated professionals, even if poorly paid ones.  Today, 99% of the publishers out there are poorly paid amateurs that are not worth the name.  The worst 90’s ‘zine had better talent.  At least they were passionate rather than lazy, greedy and delusional ).

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Was the series the best writing out there?  Of course not.  But style isn’t what is important.  There is a lot of very well written perfectly plotted stories from college graduates out there I cannot get past the first page on.  Plot and style are not the important parts of a good story.  You need to be drawn in and live in the world.  That makes a story worth reading.  Which is what this series does.  You escape and enjoy.  And that is what 99% of the other doomer pulp fiction lacks.  It is ONLY an instruction manual with no damn story. 

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So, what I am desperately trying to convey to you here is that this story was PRE-Kindle, pre-amateur hour, pre-hack saturated market.  It started when books were books and sheep were nervous.  It is a shame it finished up when you could no longer find it from all the trash out there.  Yes, it is true that the series was for review and sent to me.  I make no secret of the fact this slightly colors my perception.  But I’ve refused books before and others I’ve read and done the publisher the favor of NOT reviewing it since it was trash.  If I’m reviewing a book, you’ll know the good and bad, regardless if I bought it or it was gifted.  Another bonus of not relying on advertisers to support me.

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Okay, having pimped the book ( do you NEED to read the book to finish the series?  No.  Should you?  If you enjoyed the books so far, yes.  I was just as enthralled this time as before, and that is after saying this is one of the weaker ones.  But like I also say, the worst Stephen King is better than the best James Patterson [ talk about helping to kill the traditional book industry, thanks Jim, you twat ].  And, hello, need I remind you, there is the usual survival hacks that make each book a treasure trove of unknown tricks and treats.  Just the fish glue one is worth the price of the book ), I want to have a little fun with it.

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From the back of the book.  “Is the world coming back together?  Or is the West still too wild to tame?”.  A big part of this story was rumors of the grid being partially restored, of a limited recovery.  One family decides to leave the double top secret Nevada valley to try to chase down these rumors.  They are all whiney, oh, we want the power to be back on.  We don’t want to deal with raiders.  How the hell did these jackasses live this far into the apocalypse?  Thankfully, they are dead soon enough.  Take that, hopium addicts!

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What I found funny was the main point of this book was the optimism of a recover, yet the optimistic ones went off and got themselves killed.  Okay, not simply a recovery.  ALL failed systems quickly transition to a restored order in all suitable locations.  Anarchy never prevails unless it is on the frontier.  Areas suitable for agriculture always see restored ORDER.  What they don’t see is restored standards of living.  But the standards are what everyone here is hoping for.  Especially the reader.

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This is why you want to finish up the series, isn’t it?  You want to live vicariously through a recovery.  A recovery of your standard of living.  You can’t handle a solar powered economy.  You want Oil Age living.  You are addicted to luxury.  And yet, those foolishly chasing luxury are quickly dead.  Yet you still root for the recovery!  Foolish rabbits!  Anyway, sorry, I thought that was quite funny.  I am easily amused. 

END

11 comments:

  1. If you want a very good and long book I would suggest Jerry D Young's expedition. He used to sell it as a PDF direct but it is now starting to be on Amazon but in multiple books. At least 3 but probably more.

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    1. You mean "Jerry Ahern"? Terrible writing. Terrible Yuppie Scum Survival strategies. I'll occasionally read, as he is about as harmless and fun as Ahern, but it is just candy. Although I see he is now pricing it as gold rather than sweets.

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  2. Bruce Hemming has great material for dirt cheap survivalists.
    I've got an old non-fiction trapping guide by him (not sure of title, out of print. He's got a newer edition, something like Survival trapping.
    I learned from him snarling. Went from zero experience to being able to trap coyote, wild hogs, bobcat, racoon.
    Purchased my stockpile of snares from him.
    I don't currently trap, but it is a good thing to learn and have supplies for. Hemming calls raccoons, muskrat, opposums, etc. "Small Deer."
    Animals you can eat, but virtually no one is after, unlike deer,come day one of the Apocalypse.
    So Buckshot is a great source. Liked the jumbo first book. Accurate portrayal of an entitled woman at the onset of the collapse.

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  3. Jerry D. Young,

    He writes stories that make Rawles survivalist look like poor hillbilly's!

    Massive underground shelters, huge MAG survival compounds, lots of girrrl power, and always semi's filled with all kinds of goods! SUPER DOPPER BOVs!

    He always admitted he could never write at a poor or even average type survivalists.

    Oh, and he hates the word "Survivalists".

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    1. Well of course he hates the word. We can't just survive, we must thrive! Cough, projectile vomit, cough.

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  4. I completely agree, but keep in mind the dumb asses that believe it, which makes them almost as bad.

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  5. True, very true.

    Back to the topic.

    I do like the book, especially the kid trapper. But it suffered, in this book, of what I call "blue van moments".

    If you remember Lucifer's Hammer, the hero reporter, has his provisions stolen from some punks a few streets over that drove a blue van. He keeps asking people if they have seen it and soon it becomes legend in the minds of people.

    They come to dream about it full of everything in case size lots: food, ammo, booze and everything.

    In Grid Down, they find good looking chicks to rescue, a good militia that aids them, semi filled with hunting clothes and boots, friendly tree people, the perfect house for them all, perfect lost kids, and a neighbor that has more ammo & guns then any National Guard Armory.

    The guy in the city finds the perfect girl, first try that's into survival, perfect kid, and on and on.

    I do like the book, I really do and it is better then any of the new stuff(gag) but gee louze, other than the trapper kid, everyone keeps finding everything they need.

    I would consider "Wolf & Iron" & "First Angel" better books other than FA has why to much combat, but has a lot of good points too.

    "Wolf & Iron, I consider it the top book for survivalists.

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    1. I've read Wolf & Iron at least twice if not three times. It was very good. It's been so long since I read it, like twenty years ago or close, I can't remember why its in the top 20 rather than the top 10. I just remember it being good. Perhaps I was turned off by the super high tech moped? Not sure if I'm remembering correctly. First Angel I don't believe I've run across. I'll check it out. I think we are looking at the books from different angles. I'm world building, atmosphere, entertainment whereas it might be you are out more for the instructional view? Forgive me if I'm presumptuous.

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    2. Can I get the authors name on First Angel? Zero Amazon search results. I'd appreciate it.

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  6. First Angel by Ed Mann. It was part of the book series put out by Soldier of Fortune magazine. Published by TOR.

    As for Wolf & Iron, it had a few mistakes, and a couple small blue van moments: the root cellar, the trader's wagon, and the wolf keeper books.

    The other problem? Well, the solar bike didn't last long, he actually lost it! When does that ever happen in most books?

    The biggest problem for me was the authors need to constantly be about Wolf and wolves.

    I do like how Jeebee has to build his own place, using scrounged materials, make his own tools, knit cold weather clothes, hunt for his food and almost died doing it.

    Much more realistic than the lone guy finding a fully stock secret military outpost, underground government facility, or lodge( It's never just a cabin.)

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    1. And why is the double top secret underground bunker never dark, moist, rusty and full of Sixties hard candy and salt crackers from the last civil defense upgrade? Thanks for the author on Angel.

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