Two great reads...

[Zombie Axe]

http://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/bo...p?bookid=35549 JWR's "Patriots

PDF file of "Lights Out" by Halfast: http://www.survivalmonkey.com/SF%20b...ut-Current.pdf

Interesting reads:cool:

[Ronald_THM]

"lights out" is great. If anyone has not read this, you should try to make a little time and do so. just my 2 cents.

[das]

"Lights Out" was annoying. The crazy number of breaks the two protagonist catch took my sense of belief away. At first they are hardly prepared but they IMMEDIATELY sense the danger and just happen to have one of the only non-electrical vehicles to save themselves and evacuate their families.

Then they magically fall into a group of wealthy survivalist who stock him up with money, supplies and a large cache of 90% silver coins that allows them to purchase supplies when everyone else is left without money. Later when they visit the compound where the suvivalist have everything INCLUDING anti-tank weapons they take umbrage at the old man who has provided all the preparations and is willing to let them stay on because as ACCOUNTANTS they have such special skills they must be essential (did I mention they can bring their entire families and live in a house with solar power and running water?).

Instead they decide to survive on their own because they don't want to knuckle under to the MAN THEY HAVE BOTH BEEN WORKING UNDER FOR YEARS. Naturally the women agree because they see the other women folk being forced to eat together commune style and wash clothing for the boss man and his flunkies. Oh' the horror!

Then he manages to hook up with an ex-Marine survivalist who points him in the right direction so that he can move out into the country with his survivalist buddy who has everything short of anti-tank weapons. Then the suburb that they live in just happens to have (an electrician and master welder, an ex-Army supply officer with enough ammo and MRE's for the entire community and various other skills such as a fully trained ER nurse.) Oh, did I mention the aging father who can grow food for the entire community using a single hand tiller on undeveloped ground and his can do attitude while teaching the youth of the community?

Then his buddy the gun dealer just happens to have a few hundred SKS's hidden in his house to equip the good guy community. They are on a major highway yet 99% of the people evacuating out of San Antonio (the water is turned off) pass peacefully because they put up a gate and two armed guards at the front of the suburbs.

I'm exaggerating naturally but once they get into the two protagonists knowing small arms tactics and ambush protocols I was just glossing to the happy Libertarian, self-sufficient technology, savior ending. Did I mention the hero become the county sheriff and knocks up his wife in the process while blazing away with his assault weapon and being the lust object of the neighborhood ladies?

Wow, I didn't realize untill I wrote this how down I was on this story. Considering it was free and it was eye opening to a few people I shared it with I think it is worth reading but as a serious piece of preparedness literature I have my doubts.

In my opinion most survival situations are going to be a combination of deadly horror punctuated by long, backbreaking labor. Praying for the health of your family and worrying yourself sick about the millions of things you suddenly have no control over.

Taking a whole population of people who expect the water the flow when they turn the tap, the lights to work, their cars to start and the paychecks to be directly deposited into their plastic wonder cards and throwing them into a hand to mouth existence is going to be TRAUMATIC in ways that LOST or Survivor don't even come close to demonstrating.

People have charged guns for bread more times than I care to imagine. Starving, hurt, unhinged people are not going to function as this book presents. The good guys are not going to sit on a strategically defensible hill growing their gardens and manning emplacements and command/observation towers with automatic weapons and high powered sniper rifles.

Bad guys are not only going to be gang-bangers and bikers (Mutant Zombie Bikers as they are cleverly called). It will be people whom describe themselves as families and good citizens desperate to feed their families or some shade of grey in between. Black and white is convenient in fiction but hard to find in life.

The over simplification was for entertainment affect I'm sure.

[Zombie Axe]

das, I agree with your premise on both stories. I have told several folks, " I only hope I am that lucky wtshtf!" That being said, they are basically good stories written by folks 'in the know', vs. some commiefied version of it!

I also would rather be in my community, than at some fantasy retreat run by a dude with 'control issues' so I cannot fault them for opting out.

As for the MZB's I think that biker type gangs or gangs on bikes will be a serious threat wtshtf. I do agree that decent folks can turn rabid under the right circumstances and those situations should be addressed as well zombie bikers from Hades.

The part in "Lights Out" where they get all the weapons and ammo easily was a fantasy piece, but I enjoyed it just like I enjoyed the gunshop in the mall in the origional "Dawn of the Dead". I think the idea in both "Patriots" and "Lights Out" was not to dwell EXCLUSIVELY on the doom and gloom to give readers some hope, some ideas of how to prepare, but mainly to entertain :)

I don't have that kinda luck, so I prepare... :D

[kenno]

The gunshop in Dawn of the Dead was no less real than Burt Gummer's rec room!

[Zombie Axe]

The gunshop in Dawn of the Dead was no less real than Burt Gummer's rec room!

Burt Gummer had better options:eek:

[kenno]

OK first off; in the 1970's shopping malls actually had gunstores.
Secondly; How much fire power do you need for a Zombie anyway?
I would think that a HV 22LR HP would do the job!
Thirdly; Why am I even talking about this BS fantasy?

[das]

ZA,
You are right on all accounts. The one area I must disagree with though is certainly MZB's will be a HUGE problem but keep in mind that they could rape/pillage/steal themselves silly before they touched half the population. The idea in "Lights Out" that they would go from suburbs to suburb with multiple trailers holding EVERY valuable possession made me go, "Wow, aren't THEY a huge target?"

Then again I loved the over the hill pincher roadblock that followed so I can take the good with the bad.

[Halffast]

Das is right that LO has a lot of "Manna from Heaven" in it. That is something that is being corrected as I slowly rewrite the book.

I'm glad that you all more or less enjoyed it and thanks a million for recommending it to others.

David

[Diesel]

welcome to the site Halffast, glad to have you aboard

[Zombie Axe]

Dang! Halffast is here :) It is a pleasure and honor sir!! Remember you from the old Frugal Squirrel days...

Welcome aboard!

[Halffast]

Thanks for the welcome, guys.

[Oddball]

Hey, Halfast! Welcome to Xcolony. I became familiar with (and loved) "Lights Out" on Arfcom. I just posted a link to it on another thread here. Guess I shoulda checked the Media forum first! Oh well. Welcome and thanks again for writing!