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Posted: 3/21/2017 12:17:52 PM EDT
[#1]
It's a masturbatory anti-gov fantasy that read like mediocre fan-fiction to me. That didn't make it unreadable or unenjoyable - but it's certainly not great literature.
More strawmen in that book than all the cornfields in Iowa. |
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Posted: 3/21/2017 1:01:35 PM EDT
[#2]
I knew we'd just done this!
Prior thread |
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Posted: 3/21/2017 1:03:23 PM EDT
[#3]
Great book. Ignore the Feds that show up in these threads.
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Posted: 3/21/2017 1:17:30 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Great book. Ignore the Feds that show up in these threads. |
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Posted: 3/21/2017 3:00:37 PM EDT
[#5]
This is a bit like the chain restaurant threads, except that here folks show how sophisticated they are by shitting on what other people read, instead of what and where they eat.
(just my opinion) |
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Posted: 3/21/2017 3:13:46 PM EDT
[#6]
I don't care what the haters say, I enjoyed the book. I really liked the historical aspect that showed how being a gun enthusiast went from no big deal in the past, to being a what is now considered by the media and the left, as something only bad people would be involved in. It also lays out the history of the gun control movement well. All in all, a good read.
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Posted: 3/21/2017 4:22:55 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
This is a bit like the chain restaurant threads, except that here folks show how sophisticated they are by shitting on what other people read, instead of what and where they eat. (just my opinion) 
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Posted: 3/21/2017 10:33:26 PM EDT
[#8]
I will admit there were parts in the book that rubbed me the wrong way due to grammatical error, or the lack of detail in a scene. Heck, even some of the scenes may have been contrived or coincidental. But a masturbatory fantasy? Considering the majority of the book is about history of gun culture, I wouldn't call that masturbatory. Though I'm sure you were referring to when Click To View Spoiler That could be a bit more along the lines of what you were referring to, but as the author said, the book is a treatise on what could happen when you push the citizens down too much, try to steal too many freedoms. Besides, who doesn't think the federal government has been getting a bit too big? I prefer my government small, not sticking its fingers in all my food.
But if you didn't like it, that's okay. If you have read a book you enjoyed recently, if you'd care to share what it was I will take a look at it. Maybe then we can find a book to talk about more amicably.
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Posted: 3/22/2017 12:04:30 AM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
But if you didn't like it, that's okay. If you have read a book you enjoyed recently, if you'd care to share what it was I will take a look at it. Maybe then we can find a book to talk about more amicably. It's a simplistic story with one-dimensional heroes and villains, draped with a background of historic gun law minutiae, wrapped up in a starry-eyed anti-government fantasy tale of righteous resistance. Hell, many westerns and romance novels are just as simplistic and formulaic, and as escapist stories, they sell well and are liked, even treasured - but they're not realistic, or (for me) thought-provoking. My most recent read that I really enjoyed was "Slow Train To Arcturus" by Eric Flint, and before that, some of the "Daniel Leary/RCN" novels by David Drake. Recently read "The Forgotten Soldier" by Brad Taylor on a plane ride, which was more of a simplistic war book/thriller that was readable, but not very deep. "One Second After" by William R. Forstchen was well done, and kinda deep and thought-provoking for me. |
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Posted: 3/23/2017 10:02:03 AM EDT
[#10]
I enjoyed Unintended Consquences, but the book has a thousand side plots that mostly seem unconnected. It was all over the place. I really liked some of the characters, like Uncle Max, but he disappears half way through the book with no explanation, and never comes back.
I don't mind long books, but this one could've been edited a little to better connect the story. I feel like the plot started halfway through the book and other parts read like, Henry does this, Henry does this, Henry knows this person, Henry also does this. But, the person, this, this, and this, turn out to have nothing to do with the story. It was well worth the read though, and I can't say I didn't enjoy it. Perhaps we're a little spoiled with writers like Tom Clancy and Hemingway, and we become too critical of books like this. The fact it pissed off so many Feds and free speech haters makes it worth reading and owning. The commentary on gun culture throughout the 20th century was very entertaining. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. I haven't heard anything about John Ross either. I remember the ATF hassled him and contacted his ex wife to be an informant back in the 90's. |
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Posted: 3/23/2017 10:18:15 AM EDT
[#11]
It was an interesting book and worth a read. Government-worshippers will tell you the book is up there with Turner Diaries and the Satanic Bible.
When you read it, keep in mind the time it was written: 1996. Hillary & Bill were in the White House. AG Janet Reno. After Waco. After Ruby Ridge. After the Assault Weapons Ban. Things were not looking good for liberty loving people back then. The future was grim for people who just wanted to live their lives and be free of government interference. Sound familiar? |
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Posted: 3/23/2017 2:02:59 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
It was an interesting book and worth a read. Government-worshippers will tell you the book is up there with Turner Diaries and the Satanic Bible. When you read it, keep in mind the time it was written: 1996. Hillary & Bill were in the White House. AG Janet Reno. After Waco. After Ruby Ridge. After the Assault Weapons Ban. Things were not looking good for liberty loving people back then. The future was grim for people who just wanted to live their lives and be free of government interference. Sound familiar? |
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Posted: 3/23/2017 6:09:11 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
It was an interesting book and worth a read. Government-worshippers will tell you the book is up there with Turner Diaries and the Satanic Bible. When you read it, keep in mind the time it was written: 1996. Hillary & Bill were in the White House. AG Janet Reno. After Waco. After Ruby Ridge. After the Assault Weapons Ban. Things were not looking good for liberty loving people back then. The future was grim for people who just wanted to live their lives and be free of government interference. Sound familiar? But the characters are wooden if not cardboard, the sex is shoehorned in, apparently to keep people interested. The contrived guy A is a stock genius, guy B had that one huge legal case waltz into his office, etc, to set up a bunch of guys with no jobs or monetary needs was silly. You want good literature? Try Cormac McCarthy, start with The Road. |
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Posted: 3/23/2017 10:55:27 PM EDT
[#14]
Many of the characters are based on real people int he MG community at the time. If you have been in that crowd you would connect the book characters to them.
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Posted: 3/23/2017 11:10:20 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Many of the characters are based on real people int he MG community at the time. If you have been in that crowd you would connect the book characters to them. |
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Posted: 3/23/2017 11:23:04 PM EDT
[#16]
I liked and read it a couple times.
It used to be available to borrow from the LA county library. Great background stories on the American gun culture. |
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Posted: 4/2/2017 9:46:38 AM EDT
[#17]
I read it, I thought it was a horrible book. on the level of Battlefield Earth bad. Good thing it was a loaner or I would have thrown it away.
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Posted: 4/14/2017 8:24:59 AM EDT
[#18]
It's a must read for gun owners and patriots.
Fuck you FBI and ATF agents. *waves* |
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Posted: 4/14/2017 8:50:32 AM EDT
[#19]
I would love to read it but I can't find it for under $50, anybody know where I can get it for reasonable?
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Posted: 4/14/2017 9:08:45 AM EDT
[#20]
John Ross lived in St. Louis last time I talked to him. I wonder if he passed? He is also a member here.
@captainpooby |
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Posted: 4/14/2017 9:23:23 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
John Ross lived in St. Louis last time I talked to him. I wonder if he passed? He is also a member here. @captainpooby |
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Posted: 4/17/2017 12:35:24 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
John Ross lived in St. Louis last time I talked to him. I wonder if he passed? He is also a member here. @captainpooby ETA: Looks like he's still in the St. Louis area, since he posted asking about some kind of creeping crud going around there not long ago. |
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Posted: 4/17/2017 12:41:02 AM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I would love to read it but I can't find it for under $50, anybody know where I can get it for reasonable? |
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Posted: 4/17/2017 4:20:13 PM EDT
[#24]
I liked it.
I'm sure it pisses of a bunch of .gov types and their boot lickers. |
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Posted: 4/17/2017 5:42:37 PM EDT
[#25]
I started reading and kept falling asleep.
I will have to try again and get past the mundane boring part of character development |
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Posted: 4/18/2017 7:42:22 PM EDT
[#26]
Here is where I purchased my copy from. It's 30 for the book and 10 for shipping. Lowest I could find. Shipping was fast but it was almost a year ago.
accuratepress |
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Posted: 4/30/2017 10:26:25 AM EDT
[#27]
I enjoyed it. Not classic literature by any stretch, but very entertaining.
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Posted: 6/19/2017 3:12:50 PM EDT
[#28]
I couldn't get into it.
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Posted: 8/3/2017 6:03:44 AM EDT
[#29]
I didn't love it. Ross put in a lot of work to set the historical backdrop for the story, and then the story itself was just disappointing: wooden characters, Walter Mitty plot, sex scenes that didn't advance the story.
It wasn't "Patriots: Surviving the Coming Stolen Valor Clusterfuck" bad, but I wouldn't pay thirty bucks for it. |
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Posted: 8/3/2017 7:02:22 AM EDT
[#30]
I read it years ago. I enjoyed it. I might read it again one of these days.
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Posted: 8/16/2017 5:10:41 PM EDT
[#31]
I ended up with a pdf of it a few years ago. One of these days I'll start it but it's certainly a thick book.
Found the book at a garage sale this summer for $1.00 |
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