I really liked Emergence though the writing is a bit hard for the first page or so.  Its written in shot hand as a diary of a super smart girl surviving TEOTWAWKI.  Pretty good, fun read.

Originally Posted By GySgtD: I've been reading the Deathlands series for the past year and a half or so.  Not sure of the count, but have read perhaps twenty thus far.  Being a series, none of the individual books would rate the term  "classic".  Be that as it may, I think that it is the best series since the horribly written "Ashes" series by Johnstone, as well as The Survivalist by Ahern.

Any idea what happened to Jerry Ahern and his book writing (I seem to recall he also wrote a couple with his wife)?  He had several series as I recall in addition to the Survivalist.  He also did  the Mercenary series writing as Axel Kilgore.


I know William Johnstone died, but they are still publishing books under his name and I think  they have just begun to reprint the Ashes series again.

Last I heard, he was still in the gun business.  I suppose that's about it.

Something interesting about Ahern

Recently finished Empire
First half was great and very believable...second half made you go WTH? Author introduced too many sci-fi devices too late for a book based on literally today.

Recently finished When the Almond Tree Blossoms
Slightly dated premise but something similar could happen given the right political winds. Political thriller with little action but a good description of how American Socialists would govern.

Recently finished The Last Town on Earth
Biological catastrophe. Premise based on a socialist colony closing its doors to a plague. A little slow in parts but a good reflection of how many would deal with a community quarantine.

Currently reading The Rift

Just ordered Vandenberg and The Land of Empty Houses

Originally Posted By GunLogic: Alas Babylon - Pat Frank (1959) Earth Abides - George R. Stewart (1949) Into the Forest - Jean Hegland Lucifer's Hammer - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle On the Beach - Nevil Shute (1957) Patriots - James Wesley, Rawles The Plague - Albert Camus The Stand - Stephen King That's what I've read from the list. The three that I give dates for I read just last week. Of the three, Alas, Babylon is most like a survivalist style story. A book not on the list is, I think, very very good: My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George amazon link. It's from 1959. A boy lives off nature for a year in the Catskill Mountain wilderness. I read this last week. GL

I read My Side of the Mountain and Alas,Babylon back in middle school, both several times.  Great books, I should go read them both again, probably get a better appreciation now.

The Alcohol Fuel Handbook / by Lynn Ellen Doxon.
by Doxon, Lynn Ellen

Art of Nothing
An excellent series of DVD's showcasing primitive skills:
http://www.hopspress.com/Videos/Art_of_Nothing.htm

Barnyard In Your Backyard
edited by Gail Damerow

Basic Essentials. Edible Wild Plants & Useful Herbs
by Meuninck, Jim

The Biodiesel Handbook
by Gerhard Knothe

The Bread Builders:hearth loaves and masonry ovens
by Wing, Daniel

Breathe No Evil
Safe-Tek Publishers

Brown's Second Alcohol Fuel Cookbook.
by Brown, Michael Halsey

Build a Root Cellar & Storm Shelter
by Hobson, Phyllis

Bushcraft
by Mors Kochanski
Great reference on primitive wood skills.

The Can Opener Gourmet
by Karr, Laura

The Citizen-Powered Energy Handbook: community solutions to a global crisis
by Greg Pahl
http://www.chelseagreen.com/2007/items/citizenpowered

The Coming Economic Collapse - how you can thrive when oil costs $200 a barrel
by Leeb, Stephen

The Complete Book of Dutch Oven Cooking
by Fears, J. Wayne

The Complete Book of Fire: building campfires for warmth, light, cooking, and survival
by Tilton, Buck

The Complete Book of Survival  
by Stahlberg, Rainer
An outstanding all encompassing guide to the philosophy of surviving - Highly Recommended.

The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants
by Lyle, Katie Letcher

Country Wisdom & Know-how
Numerous authors and publishers...all contain worthwhile information.
http://www.amazon.com/Country-Wisdom-Know-How-Editors-Publishings/dp/1579123686

Dancing at Armageddon: Survivalism and Chaos in Modern Times
by Richard G. Mitchell Jr

Edible Wild plants
by Meuninck, James

Edible Wild Plants of Pennsylvania and Neighboring states
by Medve, Richard J.

Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West
Gregory L. Tilford
http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Medicinal-Plants-Gregory-Tilford/dp/0878423591

Emergency Preparedness. Awareness & Survival
DVD Apogee Communication, 2006 - Highly Recommended.
http://www.apogeevideo.com/emergency/emergency.htm

Farming for Self-sufficiency
by John and Sally Seymour

Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants of Eastern and Central North America
by Peterson, Lee.

First Aid for Dogs.
Various authors under related titles...First Aid for Cats...Horses...Pets....even Insects!

Four-Season Harvest:organic vegetables from your home garden all year long.
by Eliot Coleman

Going Local: creating self-reliant communities in a global age
by Shuman, Michael

Grit Magazine
http://www.grit.com/

Guns and Ammo Magazine

How to Dry Foods
by DeLong, Deanna.

Life after doomsday
by Bruce D. Clayton

Magic of Wheat Cookery
by Tyler, Lorraine Dilworth

Making Your Own Motor Fuel
by Fred Stetson

Master list of survival books:
http://www.survivalcenter.com/bookbs.html

Mother Earth Magazine
Al back issues available on CD ROM for nominal cost from:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/

Natural Home Heating: the complete guide to renewable energy options
by Pahl, Greg

Nutrition and well-being A to Z
Delores C.S. James editor

The Omnivore's Dilemma
www.michaelpollan.com/omnivore.php

Pantry Cooking : quick and easy food storage recipes
by Robins, Laura

PDR for Herbal Medicines
by Medical Economics

Peak Oil Survival: preparation for life after gridcrash
by McBay, Aric

Powerdown: options and actions for a post-carbon world
by Heinberg, Richard

Primitive Living, Self-sufficiency, and Survival Skills : a field guide to primitive living skills
by Elpel, Thomas J.

The Renewable Energy Handbook:a guide to rural independence, off-grid and sustainable living
by William H. Kemp

Root Cellaring : the simple no-processing way to store fruits and vegetables
by Bubel, Nancy./Bubel, Mike

Seed to Seed: seed saving techniques for the vegetable gardener
by Ashworth, Suzanne

Shelters, Shacks, and shanties: the classic guide to building wilderness shelters
by Beard, Daniel Carter

U.S. Army combat skills handbook / Department of the Army.
Lyon's Press

Zips, Pipes, And Pens: Arsenal Of Improvised Weapons
by J. David Truby



V

I love the list!  I am a prolific reader, and I intend to read a bunch from the list, and acquire a bunch from the technical list posted above.

If you download, you can find a lot of books as .pdf or microsoft reader files.

I have the first 43 DeathLand novels downloaded, and all of Heinlein's works.

All in all my ebook collection is over 40 GB.

If you look around, you can find it and download it.

Steve

Just finished "The Road" {and no, not because it's on Oprah's Book Club list) and "Dying to Live" and put "A canticle for Leibowitz" and "Wastelands : stories of the Apocalypse" on hold at the local library.

The Road was cool. Kind of less about survival in terms of being a resource.. more about the  journey.

Dying to Live was cool. Had a few interesting elements to it. Certain things probably could have been explored a little deeper while others not explored enough... it was a pretty short and easy read... most people could probably knock it out in a few sittings in the bathroom. I'm a slow reader and I knocked it out in about a week or so (not entirely in the bathroom though)

Want something a bit different?

The Walking Dead - a black and white graphic novel about zombies taking over the world.

The story follows several survivors and their travels.

Action, sex, murder, rape, revenge, and zombies!

Easy reads, well drawn and well written.

Av.

Originally Posted By Avalon01: Want something a bit different? The Walking Dead - a black and white graphic novel about zombies taking over the world.

Considered it. Have it on my Amazon Wishlist. Just haven't pushed myself to buy it. I actually kind of prefer books without pictures in this case so my imagination has full reign on how the post-apocalyptic world would look.

The Walking Dead was actually a comic done about 17+ years ago by another comic company called Aircel. Not sure if there's any connection at all to the current one or not. I still have a few of those old issues. Not sure if the art was better of worse than he current Image series. I always loved the cover art from this issue though.

Here's another link to the old series

I'm about halfway through Lucifer's Hammer. I am enjoying it a lot.

Swan Song by Robert McCammon; survival in a post-nuclear war United States with a bit of the supernatural mixed in.  Kinda like the The Stand.

www.robertmccammon.com/novels/swan_song.html

I've been meaning to read Louis Lamour's "Last of the Breed."  I hear it's very good.

I got A Canticle for Liebowitz from the library. I'm not too far into it yet. Can't seem to get into it yet.


By the reviews it sounds more sci-fi'ish than survival fiction. I didn't realize how long of a period the story spans... which is kind of a turn off. I'll give it a little longer before I decide if it's going back or not.

Yay.... The Road by Cormac McCarthy "OPRAH'S Book Club" endorsed...

Originally Posted By dramsey2k4: Yay.... The Road by Cormac McCarthy "OPRAH'S Book Club" endorsed...

good read but very depressing also

Originally Posted By ops144: Originally Posted By dramsey2k4: Yay.... The Road by Cormac McCarthy "OPRAH'S Book Club" endorsed... good read but very depressing also

It had some good parts and it's always cool to read about what people do to survive... but a lot of it had a pretty blah pace to it. The dialogs between the father and son were kind of bland... as much as the father loved the boy there wasn't a whole lot of feeling in their conversations.

I just finished Latitude Zero by Axler last night.  Not too bad.  I was surprised to see that it was one of the highest rated of the entire Deathlands Series.



WELCOME TO THE NIGHTMARE
Generations after a near nuclear annihilation, America is a radiation-ravaged wasteland swarming with a thousand horrifically mutated life forms.

Ryan Cawdor and his band of post-holocaust survivors barely escape a self-destructing redoubt in the new southwest and embark on a journey overland to find the nearest gateway. But without an adequate supply of food and water, their quest is doomed.

Ryan strikes a deal with the leader of a wagon train heading west: protection against all attackers in exchange for food and water.

It is a deal that pits the one-eyed warrior against his oldest enemy -- a sadistic, ruthless man who would stop at nothing to get his hands on Ryan Cawdor.

In the Deathlands, everyone and everything is fair game, but only the strongest survive.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
I really enjoyed it--three day read


I thought about buying --Dying to live -By Kim Paffenroth.  unsure if it would be a good read??

Originally Posted By 556fiend: Recently finished Empire First half was great and very believable...second half made you go WTH? Author introduced too many sci-fi devices too late for a book based on literally today.

Just finished it myself.  I thought it was a good book personally.  Though the battle mechs and hover bikes were a bit much for the type of book it started out as.  Though the man is a Sci-Fi writer so I guess its understandable.  I just transfered the battle mechs and hover bikes for some mundane military toy in my head.

One of the best parts of the book was the afterward by Orson.  Here is a link:Link to afterwords

tag

Found the original Ashes book (Out of the Ashes) the other day, and have been reading it.

Quite a bit better than some of the others in the series (which sucked really bad), but the authors in-your-face, double-minded political opinions are very annoying.

Tag
Power PLay as I remember reading it a few years ago was a really good read.M

Just finished Zero City by Axler.  Was pretty good.



A FUTURE CONDEMNED
The nuclear Armageddon of 2001 put the world on an odyssey of savage rebirth. Now, little more than a hundred years after the blast, the quest for power is viciously embraced by America's new masters, barons commanding fortresses called villes, policed by stonehearts called sec men. But even in this dark new world, heroes and legends are emerging. One of them is a warrior survivalist named Ryan Cawdor, believed to possess pre-apocalyptic knowledge that holds hope for a beleaguered future.

A PAST FORSAKEN
Hungry and exhausted, Ryan and his band emerge from a redoubt into a remarkably untouched predark city, and uncover a cache of weapons and food. But the group is not alone. Among other interlopers, the city is guarded by huge winged creatures, protecting the grisly secrets of a nearby barony. Holed up inside an old government building, where Ryan's son, Dean, lies near death, Ryan and Krysty must raid the treacherous ville across the desert where a local baron uses human flesh as fertilizer.

In the Deathlands, evil is unstopable.

Add Footfall also by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

Not completely end of the world but an interesting read about an alien invasion of earth....

Lucifer's Hammer was a bit better, IMHO

I'm about 2/3 of the way through L'amour's 'Last of the Breed,' and it's really good.  Not an EOTWAWKI book, but definitely a SHTF book.

Originally Posted By COZ_45: Add Footfall also by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle Not completely end of the world but an interesting read about an alien invasion of earth.... Lucifer's Hammer was a bit better, IMHO

I thought Footfall was BORING.

Lucifer's Hammer was good, but it had it's slow times. Footfall dragged through most of the book.

Av.

Originally Posted By Avalon01: Originally Posted By COZ_45: Add Footfall also by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle Not completely end of the world but an interesting read about an alien invasion of earth.... Lucifer's Hammer was a bit better, IMHO I thought Footfall was BORING. Lucifer's Hammer was good, but it had it's slow times. Footfall dragged through most of the book. Av.

Footfall got its start as part of the notes for Lucifer's Hammer.  Lucifer's Hammer was going to either be a HUGE book or a trilogy about an alien invasion, which was started with a comet strike directed by the aliens at Earth.  Niven and Pournelle got so wrapped up in the survival story aspect they dropped the invasion angle, and STILL had a book about 30% larger than the one you have read.  After trimming sections dealing with Kansas and a missile base, and some stuff about the East Coast, the remaining story still kicked butt.

Then, years later they got re-interested in the invasion angle, which still had a large asteroid strike as part of the plot.

Emergence was good, though its been years since I've read it.
+1 for The Patriot.

Not quite EOTW but good... Kildar by John Ringo- Actually read the whole series is good. Kinda like Tom Clancy but X rated. Kildar is about 'Jenkins' equipping his private army and defending his lands in Georgia (country not state)  from the Chechens.

I have finished Patriots, Alas Babylon and I am currently reading Lucifer's Hammer.

IMHO, the best book is Patriots by far.  I liked Alas, Babylon, but it was dated.

Finished up Cold Asylum by James Axler last week:



FUTURE SHOCK
Generations after global annihilation, Kansas is a mutated landscape of dense, deciduous forest. Gone are the amber waves of grain, another hideous result of nuclear devastation that changed the face of the Earth forever. Now it's survival of the freakish.

Following rumors that might lead them to the long-lost Trader, Ryan Cawdor and his band of warrior survivalists find themselves the unwilling house guests of the wealthiest barons in all of Deathlands. At Baron Mandeville's opulent homestead, a glittering ornate fortress called Sun Crest, a secret and perverted game continues: gladiator contests among the guests. The winners get to play the ultimate life-and-death game -- a hunt in which they are the quarry.

Hope died in the Deathlands, but the will to live goes on.

Cold Asylum by James Axler


It,s it worth buying---Was it a Good read ?

It was so-so.  I wouldn't go out of your way to pick up a copy.



This one is better, but not exactly a blockbuster either; finished it a couple nights ago:


LIFE GONE WRONG
The global apocalypse of 2001 did not destroy the world - only a way of life. Now, three generations after the blast, the indomitable human spirit struggles against the devastation and hopelessness. For one band of survivors, hope lies in hidden gateways, portals to uncertain places of salvation or doom. BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HELL The Amazon Basin remains a land of primordial beauty and primitive people. Ryan Cawdor and his band of warrior survivalists emerge from a gateway into an abandoned U.S. military complex, now a native shrine to the white gods of pre-blast days. Here the group is given royal treatment, only to discover that privilege has a blood price.

In the Deathlands, you're always too far from home.

Does anyone know the name of the following book?

Future after WWIII, US has gone back to tribal/native type of society.

One group (Dog Warriors?) is the main character, he is chiefs son and has a bodyguard/mentor that has a tattoo on his cheeks covering scars from when he was captured by a rival tribe.

City type people with a all female church that controls the society by banning all technology.

And then a group of pre-WWIII (with technology) wake up from their cryogenic sleep when there bunker is damaged by a earthquake. If I remember correctly they were meant to wake up alot sooner but instead they were a couple of hundred years late.

Hopefully someone will have read it and remember what it was called.

I just finished another book I've added to my post-apocalyptic fiction list. It's The Black Death, by Gwyneth Cravens and John S. Marr. It's about the Black Plague striking New York City(Manhattan mostly), and what happens after. They block off all the tunnels and bridges and try to quarantine the place. Pretty interesting book.

Patriots, My Side of the Mountain, and my favorite Lights Out.  As far as short stories go I've read alot of Jerry D Young stories.

height=8

Originally Posted By Aussie_E: Does anyone know the name of the following book? Future after WWIII, US has gone back to tribal/native type of society. One group (Dog Warriors?) is the main character, he is chiefs son and has a bodyguard/mentor that has a tattoo on his cheeks covering scars from when he was captured by a rival tribe. City type people with a all female church that controls the society by banning all technology. And then a group of pre-WWIII (with technology) wake up from their cryogenic sleep when there bunker is damaged by a earthquake. If I remember correctly they were meant to wake up alot sooner but instead they were a couple of hundred years late. Hopefully someone will have read it and remember what it was called.

I have it at home and can picture the cover in my mind.  I'll check this evening when I get home and post it.

I want to say it was called "Warrior" something, but that doesn't help without remembering the author.

I'm currently on book #4 of Johnstone's Ashes series.  I read one title in the series ten years ago, and thought it was garbage.

Since there isn't a whole lot of post-apocalyptic fiction out there, well.... beggers can't be choosers.  This time around, I'm not going to jump in the middle of the saga.  Started at book #1 and then continue on in order.

The protagonist is quite the nazi, while at the same time denouncing naziism .  Kinda makes you wonder if the author had his head screwed on tight...

Review of the series

and another review

Originally Posted By TAP: Originally Posted By Aussie_E: Does anyone know the name of the following book? Future after WWIII, US has gone back to tribal/native type of society. One group (Dog Warriors?) is the main character, he is chiefs son and has a bodyguard/mentor that has a tattoo on his cheeks covering scars from when he was captured by a rival tribe. City type people with a all female church that controls the society by banning all technology. And then a group of pre-WWIII (with technology) wake up from their cryogenic sleep when there bunker is damaged by a earthquake. If I remember correctly they were meant to wake up alot sooner but instead they were a couple of hundred years late. Hopefully someone will have read it and remember what it was called. I have it at home and can picture the cover in my mind.  I'll check this evening when I get home and post it. I want to say it was called "Warrior" something, but that doesn't help without remembering the author.

Doomsday Warrior, maybe?

height=8

Originally Posted By FourDeuce: height=8 Originally Posted By TAP: height=8 Originally Posted By Aussie_E: Does anyone know the name of the following book? Future after WWIII, US has gone back to tribal/native type of society. One group (Dog Warriors?) is the main character, he is chiefs son and has a bodyguard/mentor that has a tattoo on his cheeks covering scars from when he was captured by a rival tribe. City type people with a all female church that controls the society by banning all technology. And then a group of pre-WWIII (with technology) wake up from their cryogenic sleep when there bunker is damaged by a earthquake. If I remember correctly they were meant to wake up alot sooner but instead they were a couple of hundred years late. Hopefully someone will have read it and remember what it was called. I have it at home and can picture the cover in my mind.  I'll check this evening when I get home and post it. I want to say it was called "Warrior" something, but that doesn't help without remembering the author. Doomsday Warrior, maybe?hink "Warrior" by Donald E. McQuinn

That would be it. Thanks guys!

Johnstone's 'Ashes' series is back into print.  I bought books 4, 5, and 6 at Wal-Mart the other day.

Originally Posted By Aussie_E: Does anyone know the name of the following book? ..........

I've got that series at home. The original book was ok, but the sequels didn't live up to the original.

Originally Posted By DanishM1Garand: The Road

I just finished it in two days... couldn't put it down...

Fantastic book.

There is a movie being made, but so far I can't find the trailer...

Originally Posted By PUBBOY: Originally Posted By DanishM1Garand: The Road I just finished it in two days... couldn't put it down... Fantastic book. There is a movie being made, but so far I can't find the trailer...

Down in North Carolina on vacation and just rolled through this book in 2 days as well.  Excellent read.

ETA: I was also wondering "WTF?" with the Oprah book club endorsement.

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King are my second favorite books of all time!!! (second to cannery row by steinbeck) Never ever liked anything else by King but these are great!!

I was telling a friend about "Earth Abides" by George Stewart today and started thinking about it...  to me, it's more of an academic look at what could happen, focusing on how nature would react and rebound without man around.  On the other hand, I found it awfully unrealistic, even naive maybe, when it came to how people interacted with each other.  The first part of "The Stand" by Stephen King (which was inspired partly by "Earth Abides") is more accurate for today's world, in my opinion.

I can't decide if "Earth Abides" strikes me this way because it was written in 1949 and people were different (more friendly?!? community minded?!?) back then or because it wanted to focus on other things without the drama of the bad aspects of human nature.  Maybe I'm the naive one.

I'll cast my votes for "The Road" (book) and "Time of the Wolf" (movie) here.

I'm now on book nine of William Johnstone's post-TEOTWAWKI Ashes series.

They aren't too shabby, if you start from the beginning.  Wal-Mart, of all places, carries them.

If you ever wondered what all those references to "Tri-States philosophy" meant in those old issues of American Survival Guide, this is where it came from.

I'm in the middle of Parable of the sower by Octavia Butler. There are some scifi elements, but not many, and the main character is starting a new religion, but it does not become obtrusive (so far).

Basically, it is the story of the US after an economic collapse that pretty much does in the middle class.

One of the newer Deathlands titles, Desert Kings, is pretty good.  About a quarter of the way through it.



Desert Kings

More than a century past the fiery dawn of post-nuclear America, Ryan Cawdor and his companions journey across a land lost yet reborn, where lawless violence and human perseverance clash, and unsolved mysteries hint at redemption. Though hope lingers under the blood and the dust, looking blindly toward the future is the surest way to get killed. Staying hard and cold for today is the only way to survive....


Traversing the terrain of Utah, Ryan Cawdor and his warrior survivalists find new evidence that the past is alive and dangerous--with a score to settle. Once before they'd battled and destroyed the brilliant and cunning cyborg known as Delphi, but he's reborn and ready to continue his drive for domination. His vast understanding of preDark tech, his cadre of well-armed cutthroats and his legions of worshippers make him monstrous in his quest for power. And he's eager for the keys to the kingdom that only the legendary Deathlands survivors--and their secrets--can help him attain.