Out of the Ashes

I'm usually a romance book reader, but I was curious & read the back cover & decided to give it a try, something different... I found the storyline & the dialogue to be very easy-to-read & the story rolled as if written by a 'real' person (if a bit preachy, but the guy sure knows what he believes in!). It's a great 'what-if' story of the ever-popular 'end of the world as we know it by nuclear war'. What if some of the people who are left want to band together, rebuild, create a society that enforces law-abiding, the right to defend yourself & your family, & live in peace ? No racism, no sexism, everyone works somehow, no free-loaders, everyone votes on the basic laws & majority is 90%, not 51%. Anyone who doesn't want to live there, can leave. Must leave. The main character hates 'scum, thugs & slime' of humanity, rape & murder are not tolerated, for any reason, justice is swift, & everyone learns, & carries, firearms, everyone from childhood is taught self-defense. Strong emphasis on Education: if your raise children to be productive, law-abiding citizens, they won't grow up to be 'racists' or 'thugs', or will know the consequences in advance. Age-old question: Would you rob someone or try to hurt someone, if you knew that they & all their family are armed ? Parents are required to teach their children clear right from wrong, so that they are not in doubt, anyone who doesn't do that, are kicked out. These people just want to live in peace & rebuild, health care for all, everyone pulls their share, only wants people who WANT to live there, they don't 'recruit' or 'force' citizenship, they just kick out anyone who doesn't want to follow the rules. No crime, no poverty, no slums...interesting concept. & in the end, the 'NEW' government after the 'big bomb' that starts back up can't handle an independant society, living separately, prosperous, & in peace. The other side of humanity: the people who want to dominate & control, destroy for their own purposes.... If you believe in the death penalty for murder, rape & child molestation; the right to bear arms; & that governments usually tend towards corruption, then you will LOVE this book. If you are a bleeding-heart that thinks that violent criminals should be 'rehabilitated' & kept in comfortable prisons with cable & access to law libraries to find a loophole to get out, then you will HATE this book. or you will cheer for the 'bad' guys in it..... The descriptions of the landscape afterwards, the effects of the germ warfare on the survivors, & how the people that are left behind interact are interesting....(it is fiction & what-if, but you never know -- possible) The weapons talk/descriptions was not as 'cumbersome' as I thought it would be, if you LIKE guns, you will like all their talk & comparisons on which is best for which situation, but if you are like me & not very knowledgable about guns in particular, you can still read witho

This is one of the first post-apocalyptic series of books ever published. This book preaches self reliance, common sense government, a unified health care system and I almost forgot the Right to Bear arms. The stories revolve primarily around the adventures of one Ben Raines who I have to admit kicks more [bottom] then Dirty Harry. The series is primarily his own personal Eden The "Tristates"(a cool name). I can agree with enough of what these books are saying(and the action scenes) to enjoy them. If you want to read good pulp fiction go ahead and read these books.

As the author of "Strike Hard", I continually read books that piqued my interest. "Out of the Ashes", the first of the Ashes Series, was one of the most enjoyable that I have ever read. Ben Raines seems to be a reflection of William Johnstone, thus adding a lot of depth to the character. Johnstone manages to put the reader right in the middle of the war, and its aftermath, plunging the reader into a world where chaos exists. However, there is a desire to see things set right, and Ben Raines is the man for the job. From punks to outlaws, Ben manages to strive victoriously to clear the way for the rebirth of the country, in the way it was meant to be. First of a series, "Out of the Ashes" is a terrific stand-alone novel, as well as an enticing beginning to a wonderful series. It is a book that I never tire of reading.

The first 10 of the ashes books with all the side line storys are the best, yet the others stand on their own also. Tri States.. Hell yes, we need that kind of law and order.I dont agree with every thing he says but "William J. Johnstone " sure has some good ideas. All of his Adventure books are good, even the two that he wrote under another name. Check out Eagle Down and Dagger by William Mason and you'll see what i mean..

America after a nuclear apocalypse? What a great idea! Not many writers are brave enough to tackle a subject matter like that, much less do it well. Sounds like an idea too big for one book? Have no fear, this is just book one in an ongoing series with continuing characters (currently 25 books and going strong!) If you don't agree with the author's political stance (an eye for an eye, let me live in complete freedom - the less government, the better), you might get annoyed with it. I rather enjoyed imagining a world where you truly get what you deserve. The book is chock-full of spys, action, twists, sex, humor, and moves very quickly. The simplicity of the writing didn't bother me, allowing me to finish it in 3 days. It also helps move it along. As for the reviewer from Chicago, I'm surprised (and confused) that even though you didn't like the book, you read "seven other books" in the series. I would think that (giving it a rating of 1) would have you staying far away from them... but 7 others !? I guess you are hooked - whether you like it or not - like the thousands of other "Ashes" fans around the world! As for your comments on people not joining the militia if they had problems with the government... it's already (and has been for a while) happening in the south, with certain groups having hundreds of members. Knowing about some of the battles in history, it is not unrealistic for a few thousand people to die on one side and only lose a few hundred on the other... great leaders win great battles. If you are tired of government and big business controlling 90% of everything in society, and would like to see what could happen without them, give this series a try. It's only in theory, of course, but it's a damn good one.