Category: Survival Fiction

Seeking Reader Input for “Patriots” Sequels

I recently signed a contract with Atria Books (a division of Simon & Schuster) to write two sequels to my novel “Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse” Unlike traditional sequels, the storylines of these novels will be contemporaneous with the economic collapse and invasion described in the first novel. There will be some overlap of characters, but most of the action will take place in different locales. My goal is to use these two books to write about a lot of different tactics, techniques, and technologies for survival. I’d greatly appreciate getting some tidbits of information from …


Letter Re: Another “Patriots” Book Sighting

Hi Jim, I hope all is well with you and your family. I just want to let you know that I spotted a copy of “Patriots” today in an unexpected place. My April issue of Christianity Today arrived and on page 42 is an article about Pastor Doug Wilson. On that page there is a picture of him standing in front of a large bookshelf filled with books. I noticed right in the middle is a copy of “Patriots” on the bookshelf. – Nick in Indy JWR Replies: You just made my day. I have been a fan of Doug …


Letter Re: Thanks for SurvivalBlog

James, I’d like to thank you personally for maintaining SurvivalBlog. Until last year, I’d always thought of my survival skills as important to have, but didn’t think I’d ever truly need them. Now that the bottom has fallen out of the economy (in exactly the way you predicted!), I believe everything I value is truly at risk. To see the danger that America is in, just turn on the news for ten seconds. To see the danger that the culture of true service to God is in, do a Google search for “De-baptism” or “Santa Muerte.” The world’s situation has …


Letter Re: Getting the Right Training and Preparing Methodically

Dear Mr. Rawles, I wanted to thank you for what you are doing and your work. I think that the reality is that you are saving a lot of people’s lives in addition to helping people to continue to be “in” the world but less and less “of” the world. I have been able, in turn, to pass along to other people a lot of things that I have learned from you and your readers, and I hope help them to focus and remain calm in their preparations. (I have also pointed them all to your web site). Now three …


Sending “Patriots” as a Form of Protest

Dear Jim, I was incensed that one of my state’s US Senators (Kay Hagan of North Carolina) voted for the so-called “Stimulus Bill”. I searched for ways to register my protest in such a way that it would get her attention. Thanks to you and your novel “Patriots”, I have a way. I just sent her a copy with a gift card from Amazon.com. The gift card reads: “This is to thank you for voting for the stimulus bill and making the resulting economic collapse and hyperinflation profiled in this work of fiction a reality.” I just hope she gets …


Letter Re: Some Observations on Finland from a Finnish SurvivalBlog Reader

Dear Mr. Rawles, I’m a long-time lurker of SurvivalBlog, but thought I’d pass on some links of interest. For the record, I’ve read your novel [“Patriots“], and I am coming from a “Peaknik” viewpoint. But still have my original copy of “Life After Doomsday“. Currently I’m living in Finland, which has its pros and cons. “Russian bombers over your home” is not a theoretical concept to Finns and they don’t grow enough food for themselves [for a self-sufficient economy.]. A Nordic socialist government with high taxes and cost of living might not be of interest to many SurvivalBlog readers, but …


Letter Re: Recommendation for the Movie “Defiance”

Hello Mr Rawles, Just a quick comment on the new movie that’s out called “Defiance”. It is rated R since it has killing and some cursing but is based on a true story about three Jewish brothers [named Bielski] who lived in Byelorussia at the start of WWII when the Germans [and their Quisling allies] began to round up and murder entire villages and communities of Jews. They decided to live in the woods that they knew so well and escape and resist the Germans…They met others who had escaped to the woods to hide and began to pool their …


“Little House” Books–A Great Homeschooling and Preparedness Mindset Resource

Sir, I just found a bunch of excellent books, some of which are found on the classics lists for obvious reasons. The Internet dealer Walnut Grove was the only place I could find online that had the entire Laura Ingalls Wilder “Little House on the Prairie” nine-book series in hard cover. They also have the box set in paperback for a reasonable price. I also received an insert with one of my purchases from them for another book listed there titled “The Prairie Girls’ Guide to Life“ that includes “49 pioneer projects for the modern girl.” This should be a …


Two Letters Re: Getting Your Loved Ones on Board with Preparedness

Dear Mr. Rawles, I am new to your blog (a real treasure chest!) and happened to read your post concerning the Pollys in our lives. I have also spent many of my days what seems like shouting out of the bottom of a barrel to raise people’s awareness of the potential issues that surround us. I did note that you mentioned [the television series] Jericho as a means of raising people’s awareness concerning survival, etc. Our family has been able to share our DVDs almost like a lending library all summer and had many, many friends and even acquaintances not …


Letter Re: Comments on “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”

Dear Sir: Recently I acquired a copy of your novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”. I have read a few works of survivalist fiction in my time, your book is one of the few that I could honestly say I would be happy to read again and again. There aren’t many books I could say that about A little background here, I’m a former Royal Marine originally from England and now I live in Northern Ireland. There isn’t much of a survivalist movement here in the UK so I consider myself to be in a minority! I also write survival …


Letter Re: A Suggested Reading List

James: Thank you for all of the work that you put into your web site. I have been reading your site and preparing for the last couple of years. I thought you might be interested in the Bibliography to my [retreat] group’s operations guide. Fiction Adams, John Joseph. Wastelands. San Francisco : Night Shade Books, 2008. Alten, Steve. The Shell Game. Springville , Utah : Sweetwater Books, 2007. Brin, David. The Postman. New York : Bantam Books, 1985. Budrys, Algis. Some Will Not Die. New York : Dell Publishing Co., Inc., 1961. Card, Orson Scott. The Folk of the Fringe. …


Letter Re: Survival Fiction Recommendations

Mr. Rawles; I really enjoyed your novel [“Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”.] It was great, and I was amazed at the quantity of useful facts that you squeezed into a piece of fiction. I’ve read it three time and have given away a copies to a couple of my friends and to my dad. It helped him extract his head from the sand. For that alone, I am very grateful. What other “survival” fiction do you recommend that has any real educational value? (Not just motivational or “what if” situations.) Are there any novels like yours, or perhaps some movies …


Letter Re: The Novel The Road is Now in Movie Production

Mr. Rawles, As you seem to enjoy a bit of fiction with your survival preparedness I thought you would be interested to know that Cormac McCarthy’s best-selling and Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Road”, is being made into a Hollywood movie. While certainly not the world’s greatest survival fiction it isn’t a bad morality play of the mindset required to survive a pervasive society ending disaster. The movie is set to release in November by John Hillcoat and star Viggo Mortenson, Robert Duvall and Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce and 12-year-old Kodi Smit McPhee. It could be good but the sheeple will …


Letter Re: Questions from A Not-Quite Convinced Reader

Hi James, I’m new to reading SurvivalBlog and pages like it. A year ago, I wrote off survivalists, thinking there was no real chance of any kind of collapse. I’ve been changing my mind, though, and would like to know more about why you think such a thing is likely enough to prepare for. I haven’t read “Patriots”, but I’ve added it to my list. I don’t want to believe in a coming collapse. There have been depressions before, and the fall of civilizations, but as far as I can tell, nothing on the scale of what you seem to …


Poll Results: The SurvivalBlog Party Mix

We’ve tallied the 75+ reader responses to our recent poll on your favorite music with a survival or preparedness theme. Based on the responses, I can see that a large number of our readers are rock-‘n-roll fans. The Top 10 tunes mentioned were (in descending order of popularity): 1.) “Silent Running”, by Mike and The Mechanics 2.) “Its The End Of The World As We Know It”, by R.E.M. 3.) “A Country Boy Can Survive” by Hank Williams, Jr. 4.) “Eve of Destruction” by Barry McGuire (Buffalo Springfield ‘s rendition of the same song was also mentioned.) 5.) “Don’t Fear …