S.A.’s Book Review: The Bunker

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A Review of The Bunker: Surviving an Economic Collapse by Wayne Bosak

MORE REALISTIC THAN MOST

Finally, an apocalyptic book that shows a truer picture of human nature than any other that I’ve read. My belief is that the world is full of good people, and not everyone with a can of Mountain House is a bloodthirsty gunslinger.

In the novel The Bunker: Surviving an Economic Collapse, by Wayne Bosak, the main characters are, of course, trying to get home. They encounter many normal people who give them shelter and aid. Sure, there are the usual gangs, looters, and murderers who get put down. But rural people are correctly portrayed, at least where I live, as open and generous.

I like end-of-the-world books, but often most other ones  are unreadable due to poor editing. While only finding a few errors in this one, it was not to the point of being distracting.

Some Suggestions

Now, a couple of suggestions: The names of the small towns are unbelievably corny. When writing, get a good reference book and find interesting names of towns, not bland Centerville or Cookeville. For example, Muleshoe, Tulia, Gate, Seminole, Marathon, Balmorhea, Buda, Goldthwaite, or Odessa. These are more likely town names.

Second, for so many family members trying to make their way home over many days with only a backpack and a tarp, it’s surprising that the book doesn’t delve into the night terrors of sleeping on the ground out in the country. Even though it’s winter and freezing, snow, ice, and rain don’t really much enter the story. Not to mention insects and spiders, poisonous plants, domestic livestock, rabid and feral animals or just plain inquisitive critters. In my experience, a lot of people are afraid of the dark at night under the expanse of vast sky. Just walking out the front door scares them, not to mention jumping fences to sleep in a copse.

An Enjoyable Read

All in all, the story flowed and was enjoyable. But every novel written is not “Gone With The Wind,” “War And Peace” or some other great novel. The writing style is fairly juvenile, but definitely readable.

I read this genre for two reasons, entertainment and to learn. Thanks to the author for a few hours of reading pleasure.

My take away from this book? I need a backhoe.

There will be a lot of bodies to bury.

Editor’s Note: This is an honest, independent review. Coincidentally, this book is part of the same series as The Survival Compound which is currently advertised in SurvivalBlog. None of the staff editors nor S.A. received any compensation for writing or posting this review. I did not direct or even request that S.A. write this review. It came from S.A.’s own initiative.


27 Comments

    1. It’s funny you mention Spur Texas, that’s where my father was born. HUH.
      Or how about Menard, the town he grew up in.

      Ok It’s rare to read and prepper or survivalist book the when the people who are stuck a long way from home, never seem to incorporate the use of a bicycle, and bike trailer. I think the only one or two the I have ever read were James Rawles books.
      One was a discharged soldier who was also a HAM radio operator who used one to go from Landstuhl Germany to the coast to hitch a ride on a sail boat. Other that that I really enjoyed reading the BUNKER, and THE COMPOUND.

      1. I have thought a good bit about the prospects of utilizing bicycles, but it always circles back to one good reason not to… too slow to get away from someone who wants it. I could also throw out the issue with generally being constrained to roads.

        A while back I read a decent book about ‘getting home’ where the protagonist sees a bicyclist riding and gets all jealous until he sees the guy get shawacked over the mode of transportation.

        The idea isn’t without merit, but timing would have to be critical to the use of a bike, and the ability to leave it behind at a moments notice would have to exist.

      2. Once upon an Apocalypse used a bike. Also 77 days in September talks about bikes, and also talks about why they probably won’t work for a very long haul.

  7. The story is based in the small town of Centerville in Hickman County Tennessee which is a real place. Other communities in the county are Spot, Only, Littlelot Grinders Switch, Upper Sinking to name a few

    1. Hello Wayne, nice to see you are actually responding too. I love your stories, and I hadn’t read a book in about a year, I picked up both and read the until my rear was sore from my old kitchen chair. My dear wife was happy to see me reading again, but complained I wasn’t stacking wood or taking out the trash. I’m always glad to see real places depicted in books. When mentioned I usaually go to google earth and have a map and photo map look at the regions just to get a good Idea of the region. I did the same with One Second After It really opens up my imagination better.
      Thanks.

    2. Hello Wayne, I really enjoyed your books, I hope you have some more in you. If you ever need a good ham, or military radio consultant for any of your stories, I would love to conspire with you. James knows how to contact me.

  8. When I am reading a book and see a city or towns’ name the first thing I do is look it up to see if it is a real place.

    I live in West Texas. Beautiful country. Best sunsets too.

  9. I have just finished reading the book, “No Mercy: True Stories of Disaster, Survival and Brutality”, by Eleanor Learmonth and Jenny Tabakoff. This book portrays the actions of small groups surviving disaster situations with limited resources (mainly ship wrecks). It also discusses some of the psychological aspects of group interactions during survival situations. Severe resource limitations could turn a person’s community of friends and neighbors into violent competitors for survival.

    I don’t recall if I got the link to the book here at SurvivalBlog or elsewhere.

  10. I agree with ‘Mike in Georgia’.
    In a true survival situation, decent normal people can become very confrontational and violent. That is when a Strong Leader is necessary to control a group.
    I’ve been there !
    Nobody REALLY knows their neighbors.

  11. Not only do I look at a map, I actually traveled from rural northern New England to the Redoubt and drove through Montana to Coeur D’Alene and down through Moscow, Troy, Deary, Bovill, Kendrick and Juliaetta (fantastic Huckleberry ice cream!) just to better get the feel for “Patriots”. Of course I had other reasons to go to the Redoubt, but I did have to schedule the excursion.

  16. I’m reading the Wayne’s Survival Compound right now. I usually listen to audio books on my commute and at work but i am enjoying this book. it is more to the point than some books with way too much unrealistic dialog.

    don’t forget Gun Barrel City, Tx.

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