Customer Reviews

Flames from the Ashes

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've read most of WWJ's Ashes series in the past and recently decided to start from the beginning and read them again from book #1 "Out of the Ashes". I am a huge fan of these books and the series was excellent as it was originally written. However, starting with the book "Flames in the Ashes" the whole series goes to pot. It is as if they were written by someone else. Equipment that was never in the other books is suddenly available, the facts on how the war started change, and there's even references to Bill Clinton! Read all the "ashes" books, but stop before you get to "Flames"

Although this book met all the service level agreements it came much later than books from other vendors ive used through amazon

This was my first and last in the "Ashes" series. I had read glowing reviews and gave this one a chance. I don't understand what the attraction is. The storyline appeals to peoples' rage regarding their perceived inequities of society. The writing is manipulative intending to have the reader overlook the sterotypical cardboard characters. There are the white hats and the black hats with no one in between. I enjoy post apocalyptic (after the Great War - apparently any time now) stories but this one is ridiculous. The good guys love freedom and the bad guys are all crazed Nazis. That's it, they're either Rebels (good guys) or Nazis, nothing in between. The Nazi men all enjoy sex with young boys and have frequent temper tantrums. The good guys live in the old United States (Canada seems to have separated itself from the continent), Mexico still appears to exist but the border between the two countries apparently still is recognized although why I can't imagine. The bad guys are combination of Nazis from South (where it is all Nazi) and North America. It seems in previous books there were zombies and other mutant enemies to blow up with delighted zeal. The Rebels must be all shell shocked since they have no compunction about blowing away 30 people each before lunch time.

If you like lots of references to different armament and how many ways they cause carnage (there's lots of that here), you'll love this book. The main characters all lead charmed lives. Bullets hit everyone else and if they ever dare to get near the heroes, body armor deflects any damage.

The main characters live to get into the non-stop battle from Kansas, to Cheyenne to Mexico where the main character is captured and facing a firing squad when the book ends. If that isn't manipulative (buy the next book), I don't know what is.

The main characters drive around in Hummers always getting ahead of their troops but always avoiding injury. They never seem to have to take sanitary breaks, eat or sleep. Their lives are on hold until they conquer the world for the white hats.

Lastly, the endless supply of food, fuel and armament defies reason. Prepare to suspend belief on a major scale.