Today is Book Bomb Day!

This is the release day for my novel “Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse”. (October 4th, 2011.) Thank you for waiting to order your copies until today. Keep an eye on the book’s Amazon Sales Rank, as the day progresses. This should be fun!

Here is some information on the novel, without any spoilers: Much of the novel is set in the Four Corners Region of the American Southwest. “Survivors” is unusual for a novel sequel. Unlike most sequels, instead of extending the “Patriots” saga further into the future, it is contemporaneous with the action in the first book. But it is set in different locales, with mostly different characters, with vastly different levels of preparedness. The novel begins from the perspective of a U.S. Army officer deployed in Afghanistan, just as “The Crunch” unfolds.

Unlike the protagonists in “Patriots”, most of the characters in “Survivors” don’t have a deep larder, so they are forced to scramble and improvise. There are just a few crossover characters between the two novels, such as Ian and Blanca Doyle (whom you will remember from “Patriots” as the husband and wife Laron Light Experimental airplane owners living near Luke Air Force Base.)

The cover art for the book was masterfully rendered by mixed-media artist Tony Mauro, Jr. of New York. He took my vague one-minute verbal description of what I had in mind for the art, and he nailed it. I am very happy with his design and his choice of color palette. It really captures the essence of the novel. (The lead character, Andy Laine, is depicted on horseback in Texas, in the midst of The Crunch. You’ll see how closely Tony matched the storyline when you read the novel.

“Survivors” is being published by Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. This first released is in hardback. It retails for $24, but Amazon sells it at the deeply discounted price of $14.40.) It will be followed sometime in 2012 by a trade paperback. (The latter is the same binding format that was used with “Patriots”.)

The publisher tells me that the first print run of hardbacks was 35,000 copies. This big initial printing was in part based upon Amazon’s strong pre-order of 15,000 copies. I’d prefer that readers in the U.S., Canada, and the UK order through Amazon. (If your order is at least $25, you can qualify for Amazon’s free “Super Saver” shipping. See our Catalog Page for ideas on other items that you might want to order, to bring your total over $25.)

I should also mention that Kindle, Nook, and iBook e-books as well as the audio book are also now orderable. The award-winning Dick Hill narrated the audio book. (He also narrated “Patriots”.)

The hardback will also soon be available to U.S. armed forces servicemembers, through the All Services Exchange Catalog.

If you’ve already read it, succinct, positive reviews at the Amazon and Barnes & Noble web sites are greatly appreciated. For example, here is one that was just posted:

“I was fortunate enough to get an advance copy of Survivors and truly enjoyed reading it. If you liked Patriots you will love Survivors! While Patriots was about 50% technical manual and 50% novel, Survivors is much more a story but still has enough “technical” in it to keep a true Rawles fan happy. Survivors is a wide-ranging book that takes place with different groups in many locations who are much less prepared than the groups in Patriots. That makes it very interesting, coupled with the fact that Rawles dosen’t mind killing off a character you like once in a while to keep you guessing. I especially like the “Kentucky Seed Lady”, Sheila Randall, who shows that you just don’t lay down and take it when things go bad but get to work instead. Also, who wouldn’t like Andy Laine and his story of sacrifice and scrappiness to get home from Afganiston when things go bad. The world and timeline that Rawles has created will continue to support many new books in the future. Survivors (unlike Patriots) leaves you with some unfinished business which, I assume, will be tied up when [the second sequel] Deo volente comes out.

I also have to mention that even though I have read Survivors I ordered a new copy so I can get the great cover art on my bookshelf (the advance copy has a plain cover). The art fits the theme of Rawles world and the story itself perfectly. Great story, great read, educational, interesting and timely – just what you want in a book. Nice work James Wesley Rawles!” – Robert A. Jacobsen

Thanks for your help in making the Book Bomb Day a success!