Customer Reviews

The Modern Survival Retreat

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

 

 

I agree with those who would have liked more details in some areas, but still found the book helpful. It's designed as a starting point rather than as an encyclopedic work. It's really a must-read for anyone considering setting up a retreat, because it covers all the major areas.

After some attention to each of the major areas, you'll want to start going into more depth. There are other resources available to assist with that. Joel Skousen comes to mind.

I have I library full of Ragnar Benson, this is unquestionably his worst. The book is very short, and only barely touches on a range of subjects. It reads like the table of contents of a much better book! Don't discount Ragnar though, he has a lot of great books out, this just isn't one of them.

The book is interesting but too basic. The book could possibly be of use for someone who is new to the subject. Benson only touches on material in a overview. The book would have been a better value, if he expanded on the subjects that were addressed. Benson has written many other books that are worth buying, this is not one of them. Read Benson's other books to better understand the subject material, they covered their respective subjects in much more detail.

The book was much too vague. I expected lists and concrete ideas, not statements like "I think it would probably work to:" or "Some people have told me they have". I would not buy it again. Not enough information for the price.

This is a newer written version of the survival retreat,I personaly find the older version to be of more help to me.Not that the new book doesnt have alot of updated info in it but i still find my roots in the older book.

This popped up as a book that Amazon thought I'd be interested in. I've been fooled by those reccommendations before, so I got it at the local library first. It was a big letdown.

As other reviewers have written, there were no concrete techniques; no take-away's from this book. There was a paragraph or so on "disappearing", but it primarily served as a teaser for another Paladin Press Book on hiding your idenity. There was nothing on the design, selection or provisioning of the survival retreat (since "that information was covered in other books").

I read it in a couple of hours; many pages are little more than full page, stock-image photos. I could have read it in even less time had I decided to skip over the screed about black helicopters, Waco, etc.

The title has potential to be a good book, but this fails in the execution.

Ragnar Benson is at his best when giving practical advise mixed with pragmatic philosophy. This book unfortunately has little in the way of practical advise or thought provoking ideas. Much is a rehash of earlier work.

Again, just another okay book. Most of the information can be gotten for free if you were to just join one of the many like-minded yahoo groups. The information would be more up to date and you would have the direct interaction of people trying to accomplish the same goals. In the books defense though, when it was written, yahoo groups wasn't even a concept.

Moderately useful. The greatest danger in this book is considered to be repressive government. The actual construction and stocking of a retreat is given short shrift. The chapter on finding fellow retreaters is worthless. Also not as readable or entertaining as many of Benson's books I've read.

Ragnar Benson is a prolific writer. A complete collection of his survival works would nearly fill a bookshelf. If you haven't read any of his books, this would be a good place to start. Whether you are thinking of a place to serve as a "bug out" destination, or are contemplating a move to a rural setting, this is a handy guide. Benson takes you through the various aspects of choosing a retreat, and discusses the nuances of a survival retreat that people may overlook in the furor of finding land and making the decisions surrounding the purchase of the property. Well worth reading before you "jump."