Customer Reviews

Survivalist 1 Total War

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

 

 

I read this book after reading the WWJ's Ashes series and have to say that "The Survivor" main character is the pick of the crop. He is a doctor, a weapons specialist, a pilot, a survivalist, married, two kids, got himself a retreat in the mountains with everything planned and ready. In the book, everything works out for him; he kills drug smugglers, saves woman from heart attack with an electrical cord, lands the plane, has a cache of weapons on the plane, kills a 40 member gang of evil moorcyclists almost by himself, finds everything he needs right away, gets the perfect car, the best motorcycle, the best weapons, .... he is just one lucky survivalist. Whatever happened to everyday working Joe who is gotta learn everything from scratch?

I read this book when it came out many years ago and was pleased by the content. At the time I was in the military and a firearms dealer. It was a pleasure to see a writer who knew his subject. Mr. Ahern knew his firearms. But like any book of this type the hero never dies and will save the world. In a way it was like reading a James Bond or "The Executioner" book with a dooms day twist. Fun, light, and fast reading. The first 10 books are the best of the series.

I began reading the series while on active duty with the USN. The mood of the country, especially the military at that time is reflected in the first 10 books. I thought the descriptions of the firearms were a bit heavy, but the author is obviously a gun collector and loves guns. The story line is outstanding for an 80's book. The USSR was our potential enemy and the possibility of a attack was very real. This is not a book for someone looking to be intellectually challenged, but it is entertaining. One must recognize this type of book is like a James Bond movie; it must be taken in it's intended context. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting some good 80's escapism.

A fantastic book which starts the series off with a bang.A must rea

I read the whole series years ago, and remember not being able to wait until the next installments came out! I even named on of my 6 children after the Russian ex-KGB agent of John Thomas Rourke, sidekick, etc. Natalia Anastasia. My whole family has read the series over the years. I'd highly recommend them. They are probably showing their age a bit, but this kind of writing usually holds up well. They are the kind of books that one can read very quickly, and doesn't want to put down after starting. I remember many times reading them cover to cover, in just a setting, staying up all night, etc. HIGHLY Recommended, as well as most of Jerry Ahern's stuff!

This is the best dooms day book I have read in a long time.. The way J. Ahern uses words to tell a story is great. He can make you think that you are there with him. For those of you that have not read this book you are in for a ride. As you can tell this is a W.W. III story. Its about a simple man thurst into a life not of his making. He is away from his family when W.W. III starts. Now he has to cross the country to find his wife and kids. Along the way he stops to help people with their own problems. This has everything, the start of a war, a plane crash, looters, burned out cities, street gangs, and a friend ship that lasts a life time. If you read this one, you'll have to get them all. JUST LIKE I DID..

if u can find the series anywhere but imedeitly!, favorite books of all time!

I read the entire Survivalist series when I was about 12 years old (at which time there were probably around 10 or so of them out). I would comb the used book store near where I lived for them, being too cash poor to spent the 2 bucks for a new copy.

I can remember having a feeling that these books were really cool. There was a lot of quick action, fighting, intrigue, etc. The books never got too wordy (except maybe when the action centered around the Russian Henchmen) and everything was easily understandable by my 12 year old didn't know diddly brain.

So when I recently found books number 1,2, and 3 at a rummage sale for about 50 cents a peice I decided to pick them up and see if I would still enjoy them, some 15 years later. I was disappointed to say the least.

Jerry Ahern is quite simply fascinated with Guns and combat. When he talks of guns (nearly every page) the imagery he brings up is decidedly homoerotic in nature. He sees weapons as sexual objects, and! makes this quite obvious. It is almost sickening to read his loving descriptions of 'a metallified .357 colt python with a 6 inch barrel (Jerry's personal size?) and rubber Pachmayer grips' every time the revolver in question comes into play. At times it is like reading a catalog of items for sale, you almost expect to see a price and an address where you can order one at the end of the sentence.

The scenarios and storyline leave much to be desired also. The main character always has the right answer to any problem, and never catches a round when the bullets are flying. Anyone who has been in the 'real world' for very long knows that people like this do not exist. A cool leather jacket and aviator sunglasses, which the main character wears, are not bullet repellant. Also, the characters are entirely two dimensional, without any depth. Bad guys do bad things, good guys do good things (like kill bad guys). Awful writing.

So my review is this- Kids or extremely juvenille ! adults, you will probably like the series. Adults- forget i! t, they aren't worth the time.

John Rourke, CIA operative, survival and firearms expert, family man. I couldn't stop laughing at the homoerotic undertones that this book constantly spews forth. Guns are described in loving detail whenever the author gets a chance. The shootouts are orgasmic in their imagery, and the deaths are the climatic endings. In short this is the product of an individual who has transposed much of his sexual desire into violent acts. But is this not entertaining? I found myself laughing outloud at times as I read this book, which I picked up for 25 cents at a rummage sale. It is so utterly silly that you wonder if the author is actually trying to parody the whole 1980's 'survivalist' movement. But, sadly enough, the author was serious.