Customer Reviews

A State of Disobedience

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

What happens when the USA is almost evenly divided between the two political parties and then an election throws all of the power to one of them?

What happens when the party in power decides to consolidate a permanent hold on power by criminalizing opposing political speech and does so with the full support of the media?

What happens when the Constitution becomes a meaningless rag while the federal government moves to centralize everything?

What happens when the governor of one state decides she just cannot take the abuses emanating from her own party any more?

A plausible answer to these questions is the story of this book. It can sometimes be infuriating when recent events are recognized. It is almost always horrifying when plausibilities are realized. It is terrifying when the call to resistance is gratified. It is chilling throughout.

This book may serve merely as a story to some. To others it will be a wakeup call. To the former, it does provide for interesting reading. To the latter, it provides for interesting nightmares.

Tom Kratman spins an interesting tail that looks at what it would take to ignite a second American Revolution. The story is Heinlein-like combing a strong focus on politics with an espousal of libertarian values.

However, the story does have some problems. The setup and back story are a bit forced, strain credibility and detract from the first third of the novel. Once the story is setup the pace picks up for the remaining two thirds of the novel.

Funny, it seems to me, that if this had been a book about a revolution against a right wing take over of the US this would have been called "prophetic" "inspirational" "a warning" or possibly, "satire" (there's a lot of that in here folks).

A right winger who leans libertarian puts the shoe on the other foot, and it turns into hate speech

Which is why I simply say to all the haters, lighten up.

Or is Kratman right after all?

I don't ask much from the books I read. Give me a couple characters I like, make some things happen that interest me, throw in a little suspense or tension, and I will probably like it. This book has all of these, plus a very interesting idea. I don't read books to analyze the prose, I read to be told a good story. As long as the author's writing doesn't get in the way of the narrative, I don't care how he writes, nor do I care how literarily acceptable his writing is. As for this book, I can't tell you how good the writing was or was not, as I didn't pay attention because I don't care. All I can say is that it didn't bother me, or in other words, it didn't get in the way of the story.

However, if you are a liberal or perhaps even just a moderate democrat, you probably won't like the protagonists, hence you probably won't like the book. If you are more conservative, and you like the military genre, and you are more interested in hearing a good story rather than reading perfect prose, then you probably will like this book, and I highly recommend it. I, at least, thought it was a pretty fun read.

Tom Kratman is a good writer; he creates interesting characters, he writes very well about military encounters, he keeps the action going and balances many story threads easily. That said, this story of a near-future alternate US history is an undisguised political/philosophical rant. The bad guys are evil, the good guys are saints. The situation is wrung for pathos and to make innumerable points. A lighter touch would have rescued this effort and made it a much more interesting novel.

A State of Disobedience (2003) is a standalone near future SF novel. The USA had become steadily more polarized between the two national parties until a balance of sorts was reached. Yet this equilibrium was very unstable, threatening to collapse at any time. Then a Democratic Presidential candidate won the election.

In this novel, Wilhelmina Rottemeyer, President-Elect of the United States of America, glories in the Democratic control of the White House and Congress. Now the rich individuals and corporations will be taxed to the limit to provide for the poor. Medical care, education and most other services will be taken away from state control and provided to all through the federal government. Federal police forces will be greatly expanded and charged with the elimination of organized and disorganized crime.

Juanita Montoya-Serasin de Seguin is the Democratic governor of the state of Texas. Although in the same party as Willy Rottemeyer, Juanita is rather more conservative than the President. As the mother of four strong boys, she had been elected, at least partly, on her image of maternal warmth.

John Lewis Schmidt is a Major General in the Texas National Guard. As Adjutant-General, he is the commander of all Army National Guard units within the state. His commander is the state governor, Juanita Seguin.

Father Jorge Montoya is priest of the Dei Gloria Mission in Waco, Texas. He is also the older brother of the governor of Texas and a very close friend of Jack Schmidt. During the Vietnam War, Sergeant Montoya had saved the life of Lieutenant Schmidt.

When an anti-abortion group torches a clinic in Dallas, federal agents assault the main offices of Catholics for Children and kill the staff. Father Flores witnesses the attack on his organization and flees to the Dei Gloria Mission. He is not very welcome these, but Father Jorge cannot send him back to the federal killers.

When the shooting starts at Father Jorge's Mission, all the dead are federal agents, shot by young Elpida and Julio after the SAC starts to draw his sidearm. Unfortunately, one special agent gets away and the mission is soon surrounded with federal police and armored vehicles. Happily, the US Army is sitting this one out, but FBI, BATF and even the Surgeon General's Police are waiting to assault the facility. The Hostage Rescue Team has snipers ready to take out any armed perps.

In this story, Jack Schmidt sends a National Guard helicopter with a double load of arms and ammunition into the mission courtyard. The HRT snipers shoot several of Father Jorge's older kids. Finally, Army attack choppers blanket the compound with rockets and gatling gun rounds.

The Feds kill everybody in the mission except for Elpida, the mother of Pedro. The death toll includes twenty-five young children and the baby Pedro. These children all burn to death in the fire set by incendiary rockets, so their funeral is closed casket.

The state of Texas secedes from the Union. This time, the secession is fully covered on the internet. The funeral is witnessed by everyone in the world who cares to watch. So are the actions of the Texas State Legislature as they vote to secede.

This story follows the military and political maneuvering of both the USA and Texas. For the most part, the US Army sits out the initial assaults, but soon become involved after Texas forces secure the Western Currency Facility in Dallas. Many of the US forces are federal police units, including most of those who had been at the Dei Gloria Mission.

The story reads much like a prequel to Piper and McGuire's A Planet for Texans. Yet the state of Texas does not migrate to another planet in this tale. Texas has one of the biggest space industries in the world, but this story takes place in the near future and thus does not include interstellar flight. Still, the internal dissension is strong enough in Texas to send most of the population offplanet if only sufficient spaceflight capabilities were available. Maybe future political disputes will provide another opportunity.

What Texas does have in this timeframe is military bases and personnel (both active duty and retired). Since the US military is offended by the political posturing and ploys of the Liberal wing of the Democratic party, several military decisions are weighted in favor of the Texans. When Third Corps withdraws from Fort Hood, they leave behind tons of ammunition and equipment that should have been transported out or destroyed. Eventually, the party hacks in Washington totally alienate the US military, including the newly selected Chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Highly recommended for Kratman fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of political stratagems, military strategy and personal relationships.

-Arthur W. Jordin

This is NOT a hardcore science fiction book.

Let's get that out of the way right off the bat.

In 'Empire', Orson Scott Card (who, by the way, is a self-professed member of the Democratic Party) wrote a novel about a Second American Civil War that has MUCH more science fiction in it than 'A State of Disobedience'. Having said that, these two books have something very much in common.

In both books, the authors postulate what might be enough to bring about a 'Second American Civil War.' Kratman uses political figures that are easily seen in today's politics to bring about 'change' in the American Federal Government. He uses them in plausible ways as well, with the new American President attempting to consolidate her power and form an effective police state.

The only problem I have with this book is, quite simply, that I cannot see that Texas would be the only state to rebel. (Okay, eventually New Mexico joins in as well, but still...) In this, Kratman misses the heartland of the country. I think there would have been more Americans flocking to take the side of Texas in this conflict than he realizes.

Also like Card, Kratman is being criticized in these reviews for being assumptive that the liberal point of view would be bad for the country in the long run. What has been missed by these reviewers is that Card IS a liberal who feels that now (and has stated that publicly) - and Kratman is like John Ringo in being correct in that respect.

Two different books by two different authors with different political backgrounds on effectively the same subject - and they both reach the same conclusion. Maybe there is something to think about here.

(Oh, and I was fired up and ready to run to the border to help Texas as well - I'd like to think that my relatives in Oklahoma would also join in as well.)

What we have here is a right wing extremist trying to portray left wing extremists, so naturally all his left wingers act like right wingers. In the event that left wing extremists did take over the U.S. (Highly unlikely with the political spectrum moved so far to the right), they would not immediately hire masses of police and use the army to crack down on those who oppose abortion (a conservative hot button issue and a conservative tactic). Only right wingers immediately choose the police and army as the solution to all problems.

Liberal extremists on the other 0ther hand (read extreme socialist or communist) do things for "the people". These folks would indoctrinate a large number of non-police, non-army idealists, union members and fellow travelers and have the mob kill off ALL middle and upper class people, including army officers, teachers, businessmen, clergy, etc. Then, having disposed of the most capable people in the nation, they would put everyone remaining to work for doctrinally correct idiots. This was the pattern in Russia, China, Cambodia, and (perhaps to a lesser degree) Cuba.

Extreme conservatives, being more selective, are the ones who use the police and army to kill those who offend their mixed bag of sometimes self-contradictory, emotional, and often impractical political positions. But it is easy to write enemies who are just like you, so the book makes abundantly clear the political persuasion of the author, then deteriorates into a typical paean to death with the detailed descriptions of blood and guts that are so dear to conservative writers. One can almost feel the author having orgasm after orgasm while describing in extreme detail the characteristics of various armaments and their (equally detailed) effect on human flesh.

That the liberal black hats (U.S. President and close advisors) are arrogant and overbearing, and the conservative white hats (Texas governor and friends) are kind and sensitive souls trapped in a battle they really don't want is standard propaganda technique. Anyone who thinks conservative Republicans will stand up for individual rights was comatose during the "W" regime. Anyone who thinks the Democrats could organize and implement the kind of dictatorial government described in the book was comatose during the Obamarama.

Given the political and intellectual shortcomings of this novel, its only remaining appeal in 2011 would be for those who get off on lots of blood and guts. Those folks probably need a head check.

While I agree with some of the ideals in this book, it's barely readable. Poorly written. Childish. About as deep as cardboard, and about as exciting. The characters are about as profound as a puddle after a summer drizzle. Everyone on the left is scum. Everyone on the right is saintly. Leftist extremism is bad. Right-wing extremism is good. Condemns the left for government tyranny, but promotes right-wing tyranny without acknowledging that tyranny - in any form - is not acceptable.

In other words, complete drek.

Added in edit to clarify and to reply to above:

I believe everyone has the right to own any weapon, including machineguns.
I believe the liberal police state is a threat to human existence.
I believe in conservative ideals.
I can't stand Clinton - either one of them.
I believe taxation is theft.
I believe Tom Kratman not only can't write worth a damn, but is an embarrassment to the conservative movement.

As another reviewer noted, this is a voice those of us on the real right wish would go away. He's a loon. He wants to fix what's wrong with the government's intrusiveness by giving it different and "better" intrusiveness.

As to the challenge to find "one bad sentence," here we go, assuming Amazon doesn't filter it:

"To Ms. Wilhelmina Rottemeyer, President-Elect of the United States of America, the sound was orgasm. Never in her life had a thrusting man entering her body given her such a glorious feeling."

Yes, you can't get higher literature than that.

"The People howled their outrage and their triumph until quelled again by their leader's gentle pats."

Aw, how sweet.

Mr. Kratman may be the best proof anywhere that lawyers have no business in government. The constitution, as the left has forgotten, is a limitation ON the government. Kratman's novel would fix this by using the constitution to restrict my actions, for my own good. Were his revolution to take place, I think I'd be seceding myself, and shooting at both groups of nutcases, the commies and the fascists.

Despite not empathizing much with the protagonists (initially pro-life Texan Catholic arsonists), the book was well written enough that I finished quickly. It should be noted that nothing in it can be considered science fiction as there is no new technology (social or otherwise) nor is it set in the future.

Also, the primary antagonist is very obviously based on a real-world active political figure, which I consider more than a bit rude considering her treatment in the book and the lack of humor or fictional time to make it less a serious personal attack rather than criticism of public policy of even personality types. She isn't that bad, sheesh.