Survivalism Books

I loved this book. It was a page turner and made me think. Great for someone who is interested in Earth Changes. And besides that, you can buy it used here for just cents. If you love Mary Summer Rain books, you'll love this one.

This future orientated novel is the first I have read that describes in detail how society would reconstruct itself after severe earth changes. I have found it very helpful in my preparations for the possible effects of the Y2K computer problem.

I read this book by "accident". And now I rank it as one of the most important books one can read if one is thinking about Earth Changes/Y2K/Millenium disasters. Requiring an open mind, this fictional tale (or prediction?) nevertheless grounds itself in scientific fact: that the earth's magnetic polarity has flip-flopped in the past, and will probably do so again. What will the results be? And how should we prepare? It's a riveting, instructive, and beautiful tale. Highly recommended.

"Living is Forever" is a truly inspiring piece of work, that left me wondering about today's societal structures and their chance for survival. It's a story about a group of individuals who have the courage to accept that the present exploitation of the Earth and its resources will eventually cause it to find a new equilibrium which can sustain future life. The cleansing process is a fascinating one; one of courage, love, sacrifice and ultimately the victory of true Human Spirit. I only wish that many more thousands would read this book...

I ordered a copy of this novel after reading the review written by another Amazon reviewer. It is a good first novel written by a younger novelist. While the writing style may not be great literature, the plot is very original, and the writing is very good (the author is a journalist by trade). The hardbound copy is in a somewhat smaller format, with an easy to read type font. The story moves along, and with 209 pages of actual text is easy to read in an evening. It is small enough to easily fit into a carryon bag to take along on an airline flight or to the beach.

The story brings together an interesting group of people, but I do know people like this. Would a band of bikers help out in real life? Well, yes. They might get rowdy at times, but I have found they are trustworthy and will stand behind their friends. The outlaw image is misleading.

Reporters and photographers risking their lives for a story? Sure, they do that somewhere every day, and sometimes they get shot. Some survive and some don't. The government giving tacit support to weapons sales? Well, look at recent history.
Overall a good story. The novel has been largely overlooked by most readers.

Sennet's first novel has all the indications of sequels to come and readers should be glad of that.

Nash Rambler, the protagonist in this page turner of a book, may be a "cub" reporter, but he makes up for inexperience with determination and the courage to trust his intuition. Nash is not intimidated by authority but he also demonstrates an endearing humility and oppeness. He is the kind of guy you will instantly like and root for.

The author, an accomplished journalist, molds his writing style to perfectly reflect the protagonist's character. He walks the knife's edge between hard boiled mystery and light humor and never once gets cut.

This is a refreshing entry into a genre that too often presents similar characters following well worn plot lines. Bravo! And let's have the next Nash Rambler story soon.

Northwestern University journalist major Nashua Hansen obtains an internship at the San Bernardino Ledger. At the beginning of his drive west at the Evanston on ramp, he provides a ride to biker Homer, whose bike went up in flames. In San Bernardino, Nash meets waitress Wendy at a Denny's. They go to a drive in movie where Nash happens upon his first story, a bear trap near the concession stand ripping into the foot of a teenage patron.

Nash sells a follow-up on the posh new drive-in theatres, but angers his editor Lydia Sorenson when he does. Nash visits the Star Time Theater when the manager Mr. Snipes assaults him breaking his wrist. Later, he interviews business mogul Evan Carr, who owns these drive-ins. As he digs deeper, Nash finds himself in trouble with his boss, the police, and a survivalist cult that reaches into the highest levels of the state government all who want him silent and residing in Illinois.

NASH, RAMBLER is an exciting investigative tale that reads somewhat like an amateur sleuth story because the hero is a rookie still learning his trade outside the classroom. The story line emphasizes the craziness of Southern California through the myopic eyes of a beleaguered Midwesterner. Elmore Leonard fans need to make room for another wacky book similar in many ways to Get Shorty.

Harriet Klausner

Nash Hansen, fresh out of journalism school in Chicago, has an internship on the San Bernardino Ledger, a chance to show his stuff. He packs his bags, gets on the road, immediately sees a burning Harley, stops and picks up the biker. They're not on the road ten seconds when the bike blows and now Nash has a new best friend, future roommate and comrade at arms, the chain smoking Homer.

In Berdo they stop at a Denny's where Nash meets waitress Wendy, who becomes his latest flame. Wendy turns the boys onto an apartment in her building. Nash shows up at work, meets Lydia, his Broom Hilda of a boss who wants him to do fluff pieces. Nash stumbles onto the story of a lifetime and talks veteran reporter Curt Escobar into helping him with it . It seems Nazi-like right-wingers have bought a drive-in movie and are doing something sinister and secret underground. However the front man for the sinister, secret show is wealthy and influential and he gets Nash fired.

Homer joins the Hells Angels and gets a lot of new friends. The Nazis kidnap Escobar and are coming after Nash and Wendy. However Homer and the Angels may have something to say about that.

And there is more in the same vein in this gripping story by first-timer Frank Sennett. This is just the kind of book to wile away a weekend with or to read when you're supposed to be doing something else, because I can guarantee you this story is way more fun that just about anything else you could be doing. I loved it.

Review Submitted by Captain Osborne

This is an excellent book for anyone whole is planning on visiting Namibia. It gives an insight to the harshness of the environment and geology of the land. I read it after I had been to Namibia and I wished I'd read it beforehand. The writing style is unbiased and very much "as it was".

Well it appears that this book is not sold in the US via Amazon, but it is easily purchased in South Africa and Namibia, and probalby other southern African countries. It was one of the most interesting and exciting books I have read. Who would have thought that 2 1/2 years in the desert with 2 men and their lovable dog Otto would be so fascinating. There are scenes that are so small - they watch an ant colony one day - that come so to life, and the minutia of what goes on around them becomes their lives. It is one of the best books I have read, and I hope it comes back in print so others can enjoy this revealing journey of 2 pacifists trying to escape an ugly war.

Much has been written about this book, both pro and con, over the years. What it is, is an excellent survival handbook, written in a very readable, fictional format. What it isn't, is a literary classic. I have heard people comment about it's lack of sophistication or White Christian Male view-point. Get over it. The basic knowledge is there for anyone who: a) thinks that the world may see another depression, and b) wants to prepare for it.

My only comment is that it might be in need of up-dating. Most of the tactical and medical SOP is a snap shot from the 90's, before the GWOT, and there have been substantial changes/improvements made since then.

That being said, it is still THE classic survival novel/manual.

This novel is a real page turner, good characters and a great plot. The book is loaded with information on preparing for such a situation. Reading some of the other reviewer's complaints about character development makes me wonder what they were expecting. I found Rawls' writing very well paced and provided adequate character buildup. The story could be easily mistaken for being based on actual events.
The best way to read this novel is to first read through it as you would any other book. Then go through it a second time with a pen and notepad handy to make the information easier to use. A onetime reading of this book wouldn't do it justice.
I am not going to dive into the plot and spoil it for anyone. If you are interested in preparedness manual that you can read cover to cover while relaxing in your recliner then this is the book for you.

What can I say? The price is right and the book is a total gem. Okay, it's not Jane Austen or Victor Hugo; it's never going to be featured in an academic anthology of high literature. But it's long enough to show the shape of the author's scenario, develop the characters and situations and make you feel you are living the events.

Better even than the story is all the indispensable information sprinkled here and there about how to get along without, how to replace common things, how to perform field surgery and where to find out more, etc. It's almost a handbook in that sense.

Will the world fall apart? Sadly, there is probably a very huge risk that our fragile economy could in fact tumble over a precipice into hell just as described by Patriots Surviving the Coming Collapse. This book will press upon you the urgent need to prepare storage in your home of essentials now while you have the leisure to do so. If you think you need to band together with others, you'll start right now and this is the handbook for it.

In short, I loved this book. The second edition is even better than the first with not only two additional chapters, but Rawles has updated a lot of the social and technological context throughout the rest of the book.

This book, which I consider a practical guide disguised as a novel, is overall a good one. The story line is good, the characters are good, and the info is vast and well-researched (the author has a survivalist website, so no surprise there). The main sticking points are: all of the characters speak in the same way, with the same phrasings and the same tortuous grammar which would not normally be used in spoken English except on the lecture circuit. There is also a bit of wishful thinking in terms of the characters' interactions with hostiles; too many lucky breaks which go their way. The author also has a strange habit of writing out names with commas inserted; "John Michael Doe" becomes "John Michael, Doe". This may be some personal preference, but it's consistent and unexplained. But the one burr in the saddle is persistent, overweening injections of Christianity into every aspect of the tale. While the central group of the story may very well have been fundamentalists (apart from a single Jew among them) *every other person* they interact with is as well, which would not be so in the real world. At times it lapses into a morality tale which strays from the story line. Apart from this personal annoyance, the book is a recommended read.

I can't say enough about this book. The literary style in which it was written kept me spellbound for hours, I didn't want to put the book down! More importantly, it gave me a look at one possible future should we ever have an economic collapse, and the hope of recovery through pre-planning, preparation, and survival readiness. As they say in Network Marketing..., "I will do today what others will not do, so I can do tomorrow what others cannot do". Mr. Rawles gives us both the tools and knowledge to do just that through this book and his accompanying website: SurvivalBlog.Com

Rod McGough

I recently discovered Virginia Kantra and have been purchasing back titles to catch up on all I may have missed. Ms. Kantra is on my list of keepers.

Lexie's reason for not telling Jack who her father was plausible - at first - but I soon asked why Lexie couldn't reveal that to Jack early in the story. She could then add that she did not want her father to know about her kidnapping as a Waco-style debacle was likely to follow. Since going along with a plan to save Sally and the other members of the cult was what Lexie did, Jack would have seen she did care about his sister and the other people caught in the cult.

Of course, if Lexie had been forthcoming right at the start, the book would have only been ten pages! Well, maybe fifteen. As it is, it is 300-over pages too long. Jack is also one of the weakest heroes in terms of character development and all I came away with where Lexie is concerned is that she is small and blond. I did not mind that they fell in love after only a few days but closed the book concluding that they will be happily ever after only because both H & H are a rather mediocre couple and unlikely for one to outgrow the other.

Suspense-wise, Close Up was also rather bland with caricaturish villains. In most books, at least one character stands out. Sometimes, it's not even the main protagonists - like Suzanne Brockman's Jules from her Team Sixteemnseries or Gennita Low's Jed McNeil, T and Alex. Or even villains I found myself sympathetic towards like Louis Ronsard from Linda Howard's All The Queen's Men.

No one stands out in Close Up. It isn't a terrible read. Just not a terribly good one either. I have Home Before Midnight but am in no hurry to read it after Close Up.

I picked up this book because of the reviews. I liked it. I liked it a lot. I thought Lexie should have been more up front with her history sooner. But it all took place in a weeks time. A good part was the epilog. The author did a good job letting the two know each other and letting Jack get his life together before stepping into more adventures.

Lexie was believable with her innocence and overbearing parents. The author did a good job writing that for us to see. Over all well written. Jack was cool. I like him.

This was an ok book. I enjoyed the main characters and their personalities. I was expecting a little more action and suspense considering it's labeled as such, but there just didn't seem to be a lot of it. It's a decent read, just don't pay full price for it. Won't be going in my permanent collection.

Virginia Kantra always has edgy characters and scary stories, but now the gloves are off. The religious cult made me feel sick and the situations Lexie and Jack were in always went from bad to worse. As someone who likes a fast paced, suspenseful read, I enjoyed it, but I felt relieved when it was over. This is not a novel for unwinding over after a stressful day.

A remarkably engaging piece of scholarship, ethnograpny, and insight. In a world that is increasingly commodified, time-pressed, confusing, interdependent, and distorted by the orchestrated fears of the moment, one might well ask how sociology (reflecting this sense of urgency) will enter the 21st century? Where is the academic research that is compelling, highly readable, relevant, informative, and challenging? A tall order, indeed.

"Dancing..." qualifies in all these regards. This book is fantastic: a fine example of fastidious scholarship coupled with keen observation. One will never look at the woods in the same way again, nor run to philosophy books to explain a quest that lies deep in the hearts of all modern peoples: the search for meaning in a complex society.

What "survivalists" have to teach us is that they are less alien than most will admit. An understanding of this warrants serious attention. There is also a deeper lession here: urgencies of the moment which create the chaos of the day, e.g., wars, terrorism, inequalities, have deep social roots. Understanding this offers much promise as we take our first tentative steps into the new century. Sociologists have long argued that to understand the social world deep and sustained immersion in the field is a necessary requirement. Perhaps the audience will widen for this type of scholarly research, thanks to Mitchell's accomplishment. Sociology students will also be delighted to discover that the imagination that launched this discipline is still very much alive, and is actively exploring what, at first glance, appear to be very strange and mysterious places. I suspect that this work will become a classic.

Dancing at Armageddon: Survivalism and Chaos in Modern Times
Richard G. Mitchell

Things ain't what they seem to be. The world turns, the media spins, and the author yarns a tale 20 years in the making. Mitchell jimmies open the bomb shelter for a glimpse of its denizens- survivalists who foresee trouble, make dark warnings, and prepare. Foreboding events call for a "creative transcendence of calamitous cultural change," and lead to surprising solutions. Better bury your house, stockpile your pins, and keep your Charmin dry. The truth is as close as your local coffee shop and flea market. On the topic of survivalists, not all readers who wonder are lost, but many are mistaken. Be prepared. You'll find yourself yanked from an armchair into pup tents, pawnshops, and the proper use of the garrote.

Mitchell shares his fears transparently, his gaffes candidly, and the chocolate cake story as with a close friend; seamlessly weaving narrative, observation, and analysis. Don't confuse good reading with poor sociology. The insights and methodology sneak home with you like campfire smoke after a weekend in the woods. Learn about survivalism from a man who teaches survival skills himself; it's a tonic for pulp media depictions. Fear whom you will, but first meet the people who are dancing at Armageddon.

Reviewed by:
Christopher Schmitt

I stumbled upon this book purely by chance but being interested in the subject I decided to give it a try. Based on the title and the summary on the cover I was expecting a serious, in-depth look at the concept of survivalism. What I found was disappointing.

The author spent several years on the inside of what he considers the survivalist movement interviewing and observing what he considers to be epitome of the survivalist mentality. As with most newcomers to the subject of survivalism the author seems to have bought into the stereotype of rubes in camouflage, racists and conspiracy theorists. He spent time with some pseudo militia types who ludicrously played army in the woods, visited a white supremacist camp in Idaho and attended a survival Expo full of hucksters and opportunists, attended some off the wall racist church and spent time with some folks who generally have some serious issues.

Those types are certainly out there but he makes no serious effort that I could discern to objectively define survivalism outside of the boundaries of his very narrow group of subjects. He did not mention the Mormons who have a long tradition of organization and preparedness skills (I am not Mormon) or make any attempt to examine the large number of people who embrace the concepts of survivalism but do not associate with the "lunatic fringe" that are always conveniently stamped as the poster child representatives of the survival mindset. His approach seemed to me to be like an alien coming to earth to study the human animal but spending all of his time in a lunatic asylum. In this example how accurate could the final report be by examining only the deranged and disturbed members of the species?

The book seemed to me to be hazy and unfocused. The few lucid points that were made had to be gleaned from a mass of psycho babble and what seemed to me to be a loosely veiled contempt for the people involved and the subject matter as a whole. It reminded me of a saying I once heard that goes, "Ph.D.s know a lot about very little". The author is not a Ph.D. (yet) but he often writes in a academically dry, pedantic style that just doesn't seem to say anything useful. I found myself skimming over paragraphs where he was going on and on about how pitiful these people's lives were hoping to find something about survivalism.

The author does make some valid points about the subcultures that are associated with survivalism but his focus seemed to be more on how warped these groups' core beliefs were and less about what they had to do with survivalism. Just because somebody is a racist or believes that the New World Order is coming does not invalidate the general concept of being prepared for hardship. He also occasionally comes through with what I felt were valid criticisms of many people involved in survivalism like the fact that "survivalists" focus too much on guns, gadgets and minutia and seem to have no plausible focus on what they are planning to survive, but I really had to work hard to filter through the static to get these points.

In the end it seems to me to be a sad waste of several years of the author's life (and a few hours of my time). I would summarize by paraphrasing the author out of context. In his opinion of the survival Expo he visited he spoke of it as "...commodified caricature, subject without substance, context without content..." That, unfortunately, sums up what I felt about this book. If you are seriously interested in survivalism you would probably be wise to pass this one up because, in my opinion anyway, it is seriously flawed, disappointingly biased and has very little to do with survivalism.

The Reader from Arizona who states that Professor Mitchell does not yet have his PhD is inaccurate. If Reader is so definite and so wrong about such a simple fact, then you might do well to question his review, too. In fact, I read the book, and I know it's terrific. Read it. It's a university press book, so don't be really knocked out surprised that it's occasionally academic, but Mitchell is a raconteur, and the book has some of the best stories I've read in a long time--Michael Moore and TV Nation found it worth their time, and so do the academics.

A fascinating, beautifully written warning of what American social life is and might become-frightening and encouraging. Read this book to the last page! It is almost a novel in places. As the chapters unfold, people and events that seem obvious in the beginning are revealed to be both subtle and complex, at once hilarious, poignant and terrifying. I especially enjoyed the mixture of detailed stories with a sociological critique I found convincing and surprising. Survivalism is not all wrong-headed nonsense for marginal losers. I think many of us may long to be survivalists in our own ways. This is a book of interest to everyone who wonders about our future and the possibilities for evil and good in our society and ourselves. It made me laugh and cry and think. Adele Kubein, San Francisco.

I can't believe I'm the first one to review this book! I've read a lot of books about the far right, and this is by far the best one. What I like best is that Coates quotes many obscure titles and gives detailed information about them in the bibliography. This gives the reader a nice list of books and tracts for further reading. The author also gives the reader a separate section on Christian Identity and he names names. The book ends with a remarkable account of the alternate view of history that those on the right take, beginning with the Illuminati and bringing in the Trilateral Commission and the Council of Foreign Relations. This section alone is worth the price of the book, which Amazon has at a really low price. Get it and read it!

This book does give quite a bit of insight and data about the survivalist-style movement that has blossomed over the past few decades. Strange and often violent, many of these groups are detailed by the author. My biggest problems with the book are: 1) the author allows his leftist leanings to shine through at various points, particularly at the end. He attacks conservatives, he tarnishes Christians who believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible and even (incredibly) attacks those Christians who support Israel. This last item is particularly bizarre because many of the survivalist groups listed in the book are anti-Israel (to say the least), and the author belittles the groups because of it. 2) the author tries to lump in serial killers like Ng and Lake into the far-Right survivalist movement. There is enough material floating about concerning far-Right survivalist groups that tossing in serial murderers isn't necessary.

What a great resource, This is a must for a hiker and avid outdoors person like myself. I have used and have enjoyed this book on many of my outings...Free food God provided right on the trail. Thanks for finally providing an easy to use and informative book.

This book is a valuable educational resource. I have several books on botany and plant identification, but this book puts it all together on wild food plants. God's Free Harvest is a must for anyone interested in taking advantage of nature's free foods.

This book is great! Very easy to read and very practical. It was surprising to find a book with so much humour on such a serious topic. Plus it includes great recipes!

This book reminds me of conversations with friends sitting around the fire at midnight with wine. Things get a little silly, there is some swearing (I believe this is what other reviewers are calling "adolescent language"). Sometimes in the book it works, other times it is tiresome. But most importantly....you come away from the get together knowing that some blatant truths have been revealed. Sometimes in language that is blunter than you like....but truth is truth.

This book is like that. The dark humor? It's VITAL. Without it, you can't be expected to survive long in any situation.

There is a LOT of truth in this book. Not all of it's pretty, and human nature can be pretty ugly at times.

The most important thing I came away with from reading this book, if it looks like cannibalism may be necessary, DON'T WAIT too long! While you waffle over the blackened remains of "morality" and "ethics", your body is engaging in cannibalism ALREADY.....on the LAST person you want to see eaten!

This is an excellent book. If you only want to read one book on the subject, I'd say go with this one. If you are sqeemish, genteel, or want to put your hands over your ears at the thought....why are you looking at this page at all? Accept your morbid curiosity for what it is! Either get the book, or remain content to surf the internet on the subject.

The author obviously experienced severe trauma as a child, because this is one of the most disturbing subjects I have ever had the misfortune to read.

This book is a mostly "tongue in cheek" look at the world of cannibalism for survival. While it is darkly humorous, It's rough and raw and covers topics like "Does it taste like chicken?, What will my friends think? etc...

Shiguro also takes a look at cases where cannibalism actually occured, such as the ill-fated Donner party, the stranded Uruguayan rugby team and several other case histories.

While meant totally as a humorous book, it has some serious undertones.

Okay, my title isn't exactly accurate, but I just had to go for the lowbrow humor. Honestly, though, the book was entertaining at first, and was also fairly informative: it did actually answer most of the morbid questions I had about cannibalism. But I found the book a bit lacking for a couple of different reasons. First, the humor got on my nerves after a while. It's essentially one joke: "I like eating people." Second, the real information (history, facts about cannibalism, etc.) kinda stops 2/3 of the way through the book, and is replaced with more "humor" like recipes and such. Anyway, think of the book as "Cannibalism for Dummies" and you won't go too wrong...

The Introduction, by Larry Niven, is worth the price of this book [IF you are a fan of "Lucifers Hammer" or "the Mote in God's Eye"]!

I had read 1/2 of what's in this Hardbound, in used ING paperbacks. But I was Delighted to get a "Keeper Edition" for Christmas!

This reprint collection collects two novellas and a short novel featuring Harve Rackham, Bay Area PI, bounty hunter and survivalist. "Inside Job" (2001), the most recent, is the earliest in Rackham's timeline -- but his timeline doesn't make sense, as "Inside Job" is a near-future piece, while the last, set about 10 years later in Rackham's life (but written first, in 1980), features a Soviet nuclear attack on the US!

Well, let's call it an incompletely-retconned alternate-history, and move on to the stories themselves, which are all worth reading. "Inside Job" is a pretty routine techno-thriller, featuring an attempted large-scale terrorist attack on San Francisco by dastardly Middle Easterners. The pages turn, and I enjoyed it.

The second novella, "Vital Signs" (1980), has Rackham the bounty-hunter hunting a savage ET hunter-killer, with a sweet twist ending. Slight, but nicely done.

"Pulling Through" (1983) , the only one of these I'd previously read, is a story of surviving a (then) near-future full-scale nuclear attack on the US, by the USSR. It was intended as somewhat of a didactic civil-defense preparedness message, the utility of which has (probably, and fortunately) mostly passed, but it still works pretty well as a story.

Ing is an underrated writer, imo. These aren't among his best works, but they're all competent or better commercial fiction, and well-worth reading if you're a fan of this sort of thing.

Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman