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Reading the Sword of Truth let’s read has inspired me to tackle one of the worst, most popular, least covered series out there. Out of the Ashes is a conservative protomeme spread out over thirty-seven books. I am not going to cover them all. The author is William W Johnston. In total he’s written some two hundred books. I’ve only read most of the Ashes books, and a few of the one offs. He wrote a lot of westerns, and if they are anything like the Ashes books he wrote the same three or four books and just changed the name slightly for each one. He published the first Ashes book in 1984 and then consistently shoveled the rest out at the rate of one every eighteen months. He was consistently shoveling the rest of his series at the same time. If I had to guess he was putting out about three books a year. Like I said I’m not going to cover them all, but that’s ok because he only really wrote four or so books. They all center around our protagonist and Mary Sue Ben Raines, an ex soldier-of-fortune turned writer turned nuclear war survivor. At which point he goes on to fight a wide array of liberals, gangs, cultists, cannibals, Russians, more liberals and maybe Africa. I'm not sure I stopped reading after a while. The books fall into a couple of general categories. Ben is on his own fighting bad guys. Ben is building a Utopian conservative state, and Ben fighting bad guys with his armies. He also lectures a lot. The target audience for these books is Freep. If you wanted to find people who have read these books, that would be the best place to start. Other then that tidbit the series has kind of disappeared. No wiki, or detailed summaries. Just the books quietly being republished for kindle. These books were overshadowed by Tom Clancy who published Red October the same year that Ashes started.  These books contain rape, torture, and a staggering amount of horrible stereotypes. I'm going to dwell on these because I'm far more interested in the politics, but they will come up. Book 2. Fire in the Ashes. Book 2 Fire in the Ashes Throwing Turtles fucked around with this message at 18:21 on Jan 13, 2017 |
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Dec 20, 2016 20:14
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Out of the Ashes  Prologue Out of the Ashes posted:Louisiana, 1984 “Are you nuts?” Ben Raines asked, fighting back an urge to laugh in the man’s face. “I mean, honest to God, fellow, have you got both oars in the water?” The sarcastic slur and intellectual insult was lost on the visitor. “I assure you, Mr. Raines, I am in full command of all my faculties. You came highly recommended to me. To us. Couple of guys are trying to get our Hero to overthrow the government. This is to show how much Ben loves his country by not overthrowing it. Also he’s good at military stuff. quote:“The FBI knows damned well I was a mercenary back in ‘69 and ’70. So does the State Department. I made that very clear in several of my novels. Blackmail won’t work with me.” And that he’s successful so he doesn’t really care about overthrowing the government. quote:Ben shook his head in disagreement. “No, you didn’t. If you had approached me just a few years ago, back in ‘80, or even ’82, I probably would have gone along with you. But now . . . no.” “May I ask why not?” “Because for the past few years I’ve been very comfortable. And getting fatter all the time. My books are selling well; no bill collectors calling every night; everything you see around you—including the house—is paid for. I have no reason to rock the They tell him that if he changes his mind he should put an ad in the paper that he would like to buy a Russian Wolfhound. Chapter 1 We jump ahead to 1988. The whitehouse. Let’s meet the president. quote:“Maybe historians will treat me in a more humane fashion then the press has for the past eight years.” President Fayers remarked to his wife. “But sometimes I wonder.” This was written in 1984 so I kind of assume that this is a Reagan stand in. We know he got SALT 5 passed and he didn’t sign gun control legislation. quote:“Yes, it does, honey. Ever since that gun-control bill went through, the unrest in this country has been building. Baby, citizens of this country—not criminals—have been beaten, jailed, and killed, simply because they clung to the belief—a correct belief, I might add—that they had a right to own a gun. drat that Hilton Logan for the son of a bitch he is! He and that pack of liberal bastards really stirred it up with that gun-control bill.” “You didn’t sign it, Ed. Don’t forget that.” “It still became law.” “The law of the land, Ed,” she reminded him. “But,” the president stared hard at his wife of fifty years—more than his wife: his friend, his confidante. “Is it really the law of the land? Of the people, for the people? Is it constitutional?” “The supreme court says it is.” “Five to four,” President Fayers grunted. Yes gun control is a running theme. Some guy got shot by the feds for keeping a .38. The president is cranky. quote:After all the social blunders of the 60’s and 70’s … Ill be goddamned if we’re not heading down the same old road. Just look at that new pack of liberals in congress. Less old than Reagan but close. We go back to Ben Rains sitting on the front porch of his house in Louisiana, thinking about the good times he had in Vietnam with his buddies, international politics, and arms treaties. quote:He wondered, now that SALT 5 was two years old and the nuclear weapons around the world had been greatly reduced, at least for the major countries, if there would ever be another war. He thinks about Col.Bull Dean listening to the troops debate politics. Sometimes at the weirdest times. Like getting ready for a HALO jump. quote:”We’re losing the war, son,” Bull had said “And there is nothing that guys like you and me can do about it.--we can only prolong it. Back home, now, it’s gonna get worse--much worse. Patriotism is gonna take a nosedive, sinking to new depths of dishonor. There is no discipline in schools; the courts have seen to that. America is going to take a pasting for a decade, maybe longer, losing ground, losing face, losing faith. That’s when the military will be forced to step in and take over. And God help us all when they do that.” Then he thinks about how his friends died, maybe, he’s not positive, they could have faked their deaths. He was sad about protesters. quote:He had been sent home to a land of hairy, profane young men who sewed the American flag on the seats of their dirty jeans and marched up and down the street, shouting ugly words, all in the name of freedom--their concept of freedom. So he went to Africa signing on with anybody who needed a mercenary, spending two years fighting dozens of little no-name wars. Some people call him and use the super secret phrase “Bold Strike” which means be ready to bug out, except everyone who knew about it is supposed to be dead. And last we have Senator Hilton. quote:“It’s firm, Hilton” the senator’s chief aide told him. “The military is up to something. Lots of moving around and quiet talk. And I can’t even get in the front door at Langley. Certain units of the military are on some kind of low alert.” Opposing politicians in these books tend to fall into one of two categories. Well meaning but dumb because they disagree with Ben, and cartoonishly evil. Throwing Turtles fucked around with this message at 20:22 on Dec 20, 2016 |
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Dec 20, 2016 20:15
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Chapter 2. Most of these early chapters are building up to the end of the world. This is done by explaining how different groups find out the same information. quote:The banquet hall of the lodge had been cleared of all furniture not essential to the meeting. The building had been electronically swept for listening devices. Long tables had been placed end to end, side to side, forming a huge square capable of accommodating fifty people in comfort. Pitchers of water drinking glasses, pads and pencils, and briefing books were placed on the dark blue cloth, the items neatly arranged before each chair. A shredding machine stood silent in the corner. If nothing else Johnstone does a pretty good setting a scene. quote:Tension, heavy and ominous hung in the huge room as the room filled with men in groups of two or three. Although no nametag designated individual place, there was no confusion; each man seemed to know exactly where to sit. There was no unnecessary chatter, few social amenities were exchanged. The men looked at each other, nodded, then sat down. This is the top brass, no that’s not right. This is the middle brass, line officer's, combat experienced sergeants and chiefs, a few generals and colonels. Everyone of them special forces. Plus one little bit that I really like. quote:The Coast Guard men are all career; they have all seen combat. Their all gathered for to talk about the low alert that’s been issued. And to figure out what the hell is going on. I’m not sure that’s what a group of sergeants, colonels, and generals would do, they come to the conclusion that subversive members of the U.S. are planning to start world war three. But first a joke. quote:“You got something on your mind, Sergeant Major,” the admiral said, “say it. We’re all equal here.” quote:Well you’d better zip ‘em up, Pete,” a SEAL laughed at him. “You don’t have that much to brag about.” They settle on The Bull and Adams as the instigators. They’ve managed to recruit and hide six thousand men. quote:“How have they managed to keep that many people secret for so long?” More talking, they decide that the Joint Chief’s have at least one mole among them. And they can’t figure out which one the same way they are going to do to themselves. quote:..as if on cue, wheeled in a cart with a machine on it. They are all taking lie detector tests. One of them fails. An Air Force colonel. He doesn’t know anything about the plot. Except this. quote:That means our computers have concluded that no one can beat Hilton Logan in the fall elections. It--they--have concluded that even if it’s to close, too close, no clear majority, it’ll be thrown into the house. Logan will come out on top, and that liberal son of a bitch will find out we’ve built new nukes and order them destroyed.” This is something of a theme in Johnstone’s books. Logan the liberal who would be president is the bad guy. He’s pushed the real patriots to far, so far they have to react. Which they do by destroying the world. But it’s not really their fault it’s Logan’s. See what you made me do. In any case the plan to start a war using treaty banned missiles that nobody in congress and above knows about. Time for more humor. quote:”What about him?”
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Dec 20, 2016 22:50
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I was going to post a thing about how if killing people for money is no big deal, but you get seriously upset at how hairy some people are, then your moral compass must be screwed all to hell, but then you posted that next part! Silly liberal me for thinking the people using stolen nuclear weapons to destroy the world would be the bad guys!
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Dec 20, 2016 23:08
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It's ok he get's a hairy friend later, in his quest to get a full collection of tokens.
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Dec 21, 2016 00:57
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I read one of the books back in High School and, while I couldn't remember the title or the series, I haven't forgot how insane and offensive some parts of it was. So thanks for this. Now I can assure friends that I'm not insane and this actually exists. I'm eager to see just how bad it gets.
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Dec 21, 2016 02:29
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Chickenhawk wankfest meets the postman/fallout?
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Dec 21, 2016 03:27
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Klaus88 posted:Chickenhawk wankfest meets the postman/fallout? Yes. Punctuated with the political tirades, which are what I'm most interested in. Unfortunately if memory serves, he doesn't really get rolling on those till the second book. Edit. Forgot gun porn, eventually moving up to artillery porn. Throwing Turtles fucked around with this message at 04:32 on Dec 21, 2016 |
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Dec 21, 2016 04:29
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Chapter 3 This chapter is mostly counting down to doomsday. Important people call each other and tell each other unimportant plot points that we already know. Bottom line, nobody knows who gave a low level order to mobilise thousands of troops. But we do get to spend some time with the doomed president, Reagan stand in, President Fayers. quote:“Hilton Logan is privately saying he is unbeatable; he is our next president. God help us all, for he’s probably correct. The unions are bitching and striking--as usual. Every minority group in this nation is complaining-loudly-that I am discriminating against them. And my wife has had a heache for three weeks. At night. Calls me a horney old goat.” President Fayers smiled. “And you think you’ve got troubles.” This is just stuck in the middle of all the doom and gloom. The president issues orders that some Admiral is to go count every single one of the super missles that he just now learned about. And get whatever’s left ready for launch.
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Dec 21, 2016 04:31
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Cobra did nothing wrong
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Dec 21, 2016 04:51
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Chapter Four It’s Monday. Three days before launch. We join the Russians. quote:“The Chinese have developed a low-level missile, capable of sliding through our defenses undetected.” It never explains who these guys are. Or even where they are. Presumably America since that’s where the sample missile is. quote:“Message coming in, sir, “ an aide informed the president. General Travee, notices that most of the middle management had a meeting in Missouri. So he calls his friend General Fowler, head of Army Intelligence, and invites him to lunch. He suspects that he’s a traitor for reasons not given in the book. quote:“Your picking at your food, C.H.,” General Fowler noted. Don’t you feel well? Have something on your mind.?” Here were told that somebody said something, then we’re told the reaction to it. I’m glad for the shorthand, because it would just repeat a bunch of things we’ve already read. But it kind of drives home the fact that nobody, not the characters, not us, not the author really knows what’s going on. It’s all very vague and hush hush. Johnston is trying to write an espionage thriller, as a lead up to a survivalist story. He’s failing. Most of these characters die in the firestorm. Maybe two of them are in anyway important, and they get near zero screen time. quote:Travee finished by saying, “Don’t tell me you haven’t heard the rumors, Monk. Don’t insult my intelligence by saying you haven’t seen bits and pieces of this crop up in reports. And don’t tell me you haven’t put it all together-- or your not a part of it. Talk, Monk. And make it good.” At which point General Travee threatens Flower for a few more paragraphs than marches him to the Whitehouse. Where the president sits in on the interrogation. quote:“And that’s all you know?” Fayers asked, speaking through the roaring pain in his head. They rough Fowler up a bit, put him under guard. Then somebody brings in the nuclear codes. Then this. quote:“Don’t hurt me, C.H. You know I have a low pain tolerance.” Monday afternoon. The Russian agents are looking at a missle. quote:
We then get a few paragraphs of missile porn. Followed up with a sticker that says Destination: Mainland China. Then he gets kicked out. Probably about the same time that Fowler’s gets executed off screen. The President is having a nervous breakdown. Order must be restored. quote:Did anyone see or hear you waste Captain Bingham?” Tavee asked Divico. No I don’t know how you blow somebodies head off in an office environment without anybody hearing. Let’s pick up with the President’s nervous breakdown. quote:The aide, James Benning, came to a sliding halt on the carpet, his eyes wide as he looked at the body of General Fowler. The man’s fingers were all broken, twisted into grotesque shapes. He looked at the president. Fayers returned his gaze, but it was an empty look void of understanding. I like this aide, he seems a decent chap, against torture and everything. Probably never see him again. The rest of the chapter is spent cleaning out Secret Service traitors. I like this scene at the end. quote:”Blue Tango sir?” the rustle of paper. “Blue Tango! That’s. . . hell, that’s insurrection within our borders, sir.”
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Dec 21, 2016 19:08
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Chapter 5 It’s Monday, just a couple of days till the end of the world. The Russians catch us up. quote:“I can’t believe the American’s are doing this,” the Russian ambassador said. “Unless … Unless those rumors within our own country have some validity to them. Yes. That must be it.” The Russian agent sat before him in the embassy. They decide it’s probably not a coincidence. To the Chinese. quote:Premier Su listened to the colonel from Chinese Intelligence. His face remained impassive as the colonel talked . . . and talked. Finally , Su interrupted. I get the feeling that we’re going to get this joke a lot. Somebody gives very precise information, only to be mocked for giving precise information. quote:… This goes on for some time, they decide the Russians are going to attack so they need to attack first. We join the White House. quote:The press was screaming for information-- receiving very little. Travee had recieved word that the Speaker of the House, upon hearing of the tragedy in America, had suffered a mild heart attack and relinquished his succession to the presidency to Secretary of State Rees. This goes on President died in surgery, VP’s plane along with the press plane were shot down in the middle east. Nobody is taking credit, everybody is glad it happened. Let’s get to our villian. quote:“Mr. President,” Sen. Hilton Logan said to the harried rees, “I believe we should do something, immediately.” The acting president has the general shut him up. They find out that China and Russia are getting ready for war. quote:… “I have ordered ours to do the same.” gently caress the press for wanting to inform people. In any case the rebellion is starting. Logan is still being the bad guy. quote:“General Dowling? Did I understand you to say you ordered your people to shoot any marine involved in this uprising?” The guy who hates the military wants to see them get due process. The news leaks to the public, panic in the streets. We join our hero. quote:Ben Raines sat in his den and watched the TV news. Regular programming had been abandoned. Ben drank his whiskey and was sourly amused at the panic building within the U.S. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HujjNQPv2U Now we switch to probably the most two important characters in these chapters. Needless to say we haven’t really met them. quote:The pistol in Bull Dean’s hand never wavered. The hammer was jacked back to full cock, the muzzle pointed at Adam’s belly. “I should have put it together months ago, Carl.” he said to his longtime friend. “You’ve been playing me for a fool. Worse than that, Cart--you’ve been playing God.” So it was Carl, not Bull who started this thing. Bull just wanted to rebel because quote:“They’ll follow my orders!” Carl screamed. quote:“Out of the Ashes, Bull. This nation will be stronger than it’s ever been in its history. The survivors will be tough. They’ll never let it go left again; never again go soft on criminals and punks. Discipline will be restored, and citizens will once more be armed--and they’ll never--never give up their guns again.” This is the mantra repeated all through the books. From the mouth of the man who ended the world. Bull shoots Carl, muses about how it had been a good plan, then calls the White House. We get a montage of survivalists bugging out hours before the press release the happened a couple of pages ago. They just up and left, nobody knows why, maybe to return to their home world. Chapter six. Bull calls up General Travee. Also everybody dies. quote:“It sounded to me, General,” Logan said, “as though you were genuinely glad to speak with that traitor.”
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Dec 21, 2016 20:31
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Part 2 The zombie problem. Zombie movies tend to start after the outbreak is in full swing because it’s really hard explain how a nation of people with guns managed to fall to what is basically rabies. So it’s skipped. Here Johnstone tries to explain why world war three happened, and he probably should have skipped it. What follows is a group of conversations between random pairs of allies, enemies, and generals. Cuba-Russia quote:“How much of the world will survive?” This is the best question anybody in the book asks. quote:The Russian laughed. “Because it is time, that’s why. When the missiles fly, saul, just close your eyes and pray to whatever god you believe in. You will have approximately eighteen minutes to tremble and wet your drawers. There probably isn’t a good answer to the question, but we will see a lot of competition for the worst answer. We join the Joint Chiefs lingering over coffee and cigarettes talking about the last things they want to do. quote:“Well, boys,” he said, “what about it?” Let’s look at looting and rioting in Americs. quote:Automobiles became useless; death became indiscriminate. The elderly became the first casualties--most had no place to go, and others could not get where they wanted to go. The old could not move swiftly enough, so they were trampled upon and left to be robbed, assaulted, and killed. One of the agreed upon assumptions in the later books is there are no women who haven’t been raped, or at least subjected to the attempt. I’m not going to spend too much time on the topic, but this worldview is pretty terrifying. We are just one second from become an entire civilization of rape machines. Also human animals. quote:The Emergency Action Notification system--ENS--was ordered activated. It is an expensive and bothersome mess that has never worked, and many (if not most) DJs did not have the vaguest idea of what to do when the bells started clanging and the buzzers began buzzing and the tones began howling and whistling. Johnstone hates the Emergency Broadcast system. I don’t know why, I always remember it working, having regular tests so that everybody knows what to listen for, and on the rare occasion an actual alert. The first missiles are launched by India and Pakistan against each other. I guess the assumption is that while they are not in on the whole conspiracy, they are eager to join the fun. A last conversation between General Travee and Premier Malelov. The prime minister of Canada was listening in. quote:“Perhaps it is time. Yes I believe it is, and I think you do, too, Travee.” The idea that the leaders of America and Russia can be having a friendly conversation and just decide that there is no point to stopping nuclear war is terrifying. Anyway back to the Joint Chiefs. quote:Admiral Divico’s voice rang through the room, clear and loud from his flagship. “It’s still a beautiful sight, Charlie--launching these jets. Last time I’ll get to see it, that’s for sure.” Had a chance to stop the end of the world, but didn’t because it was to hard. You’re forgiven, it’s not like you touched a penis.
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Dec 22, 2016 21:28
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Throwing Turtles posted:This is the mantra repeated all through the books. From the mouth of the man who ended the world. "But, how did you manage to pull it all off??" "NANOMACHINES, SON!!" Seriously that is literally senator armstrong. OwlFancier fucked around with this message at 21:49 on Dec 22, 2016 |
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Dec 22, 2016 21:46
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You know, sometimes it's a fun exercise when reading a book or watching a movie to flip around the perspectives. To assume that the narrator is biased, and that in actual fact the protagonists are the bad guys loving everything up, while the antagonists have perfectly fine reasons for doing whatever they're doing. This may be the first book I've seen that actually does that thing for me. 
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Dec 22, 2016 22:41
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Chapter 2quote:Ben awoke a few minutes before noon, his mouth cotton-dry. He stumbled into the kitchen, drank a glass of water, and took two aspirin. He looked out the window and grinned. Not a bad way to miss the end of the world. Knocking Raines out lets us discover the world thru new eyes. Also the first paragraph is important. It’s what Johnstone calls writing a well rounded flawed character. Later on he’ll talk about how he used to drink too much and that was bad. quote:The United states fared well in the nuclear aspect of missiles landing on her soil. Most of the enemy missiles did not make it through our penetration screens. But several did. Washington D.C took the first hit, turning the residents into dust. Several more cities met the same fate. Everybody had developed clean nukes by this point, so fall out wasn’t a problem. But they also used bacteria based bioweapons that had a relatively short lifespan. The destroyed cities include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Omaha, Boston, and fifty other states. The target list looks a lot like the blue spots on an election map. quote:The island of Cuba still floated, but most of her people, including the naval contingent and marines at Gitmo, were reduced to very small piles of dust. So the marine guy had to know Cuba would be reduced to slag, we would have been the ones attacking, yet he decided to go there anyway. He also took more troops with him that could have been sent out into the country to have more people ready to rebuild. We then get a long list of cities worldwide that are destroyed. This will never be relevant. Back to Ben quote:Ben did not know how long he was out; he had been lying on the floor of his den, but it was full dark when he awoke. He looked at his hands: they were swollen grotesquely. He could not open one eye, and putting his hands to his face, he felt a mass of welts and swollen flesh. He tried to crawl to the bathroom where he kept his benadryl--he was allergic to any kind of wasp or bee sting-- but strength left him and he collapsed back to the floor. He has nightmares about Nam, wakes up at dawn and takes his Benadryl. Tries to call a doctor and passes out. quote:Twenty-four hours after the first wave of bombings, many citizens of America still did not really know what had happened to them. They did not know what to do or where to go. They wandered about in a daze. This was America, they thought, and things like this just don’t happen in America. Do they? Didn’t Big Brother promise to take care of us? What happened? quote:There were those who lived on the fringe areas of the hot blasts; they were horribly burned, waiting to die— wanting to die. There were those close to the blasts who had instinctively turned their heads to look at the brilliant flashes and had felt their eyeballs turn to liquid and roll down their cheeks, leaving only empty sockets and unbelievable pain. Those people died; they were killed by others who panicked and trampled them wantonly. quote:Women of all ages were raped, tortured, and left to suffer and die in empty houses or barns or alleys or gutters. Children, raped, molested, hurt, wandered about, screaming their misery, alone and frightened; many of them were finally brought down by roaming packs of dogs. This is a law of nature in this world. Doesn't matter what's happening every woman is constantly in danger of being raped, or actually being raped. Nuclear holocaust you say? No time for that, there's raping to be done. quote:In the prisons and jails, men and women, locked in their cells, were forgotten, left to die from exposure and starvation. Those roaming the walkways and runarounds would commit unspeakable acts on their fellow prisoners and then, in one final moment of desperation, they would hang themselves, hack open their wrists, or beat their brains out against steel bars or cell walls. quote:In the nursing homes and mental institutions, the insane and the old died without knowing why or how this was happening to them, left alone when the first panic struck the nation; actually, for many this was the second time they had been abandoned, the first having been when their children decided they didn’t want old people around, messing up their social lives. quote:It was a seemingly brutal, senseless act that most civilians would not understand. But military men and women who had served their respective countries lifelong understood it all too well. I got nothing. There's no rational way to respond to this. quote:The former world, in which people were capable of producing constructive results, no longer existed.
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Dec 23, 2016 03:41
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 So basically everyone that's not Cpt. Whiteguy, USMC, is either a victim or an evil, animalistic brute. Huh. Of course it looks like Cpt. Whiteguy and friends love inflicting death and misery as much as anyone else but it's OK because Honor, and Patriotism.
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Dec 23, 2016 04:07
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So far the yellowjackets are my favorite characters.
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Dec 23, 2016 04:09
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Sharkie posted:So far the yellowjackets are my favorite characters. They probably wouldn't rank number 1, because there's a few dogs in the books, but definitely top 3.
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Dec 23, 2016 04:36
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So the world was destroyed because the Republicans really, really didn't want to lose the next election?
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Dec 23, 2016 05:19
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Skellybones posted:So the world was destroyed because the Republicans really, really didn't want to lose the next election? Seems accurate.
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Dec 23, 2016 09:36
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Also America devolving into Rape Max seems rather fast. I mean the very day the bombs fell?
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Dec 23, 2016 14:21
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Man this is some seriously schlocky poo poo. I've laughed 4-5 times over the past day remembering how ridiculous the conversation between General American and General Russian is written. "We don't need to destroy the world." "I know. But it might be better if we did." "You're right. Goodbye Ivan." "This is not insane at all, Steve. Let us destroy the world." "Perhaps the next world won't have liberals." "We can only hope. Fire the nukes." "FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!"
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Dec 23, 2016 14:36
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Eimi posted:Also America devolving into Rape Max seems rather fast. I mean the very day the bombs fell? You mean you aren't constantly thinking about wanting to rape everything 24/7 and are only held back by drat liberal society?
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Dec 23, 2016 16:10
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It hardly warrants mentioning but my god was this sequence poorly constructed:quote:“World’s still in one piece,” he muttered. “Guess it was a false alarm.” He opened the back door and stepped out on the porch, letting the screen door bang behind him. An angry buzzing followed the slamming of the screen door. Nothing about this feels right. Whether it's choosing the adjective "charging" to describe the behaviour of a flying insect, or the very implausible sequence of events in which he sees the wasps before he either hears them or feels the first one sting him, down to the word choices that make it sound like they're shooting him rather than stinging him. I've admitedly never been swarmed by an entire nest but I've been stung by wasps more than once and nothing about this rings true. Even just the fact that he somehow didn't notice there was a fully sized and aggressive nest of wasps next to his door until this moment in time feels off -- i get that the guy's supposed to be out of it and not paying much attention to his surroundings, but wouldn't he have noticed before now that there's a lot of buzzing stinging insects hanging out immediately outside his door? Looking forward to seeing how this guy writes up a moment of violence between two humans!
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Dec 23, 2016 19:35
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JonathonSpectre posted:Man this is some seriously schlocky poo poo. I've laughed 4-5 times over the past day remembering how ridiculous the conversation between General American and General Russian is written. I can't laugh. Honestly, reading these excerpts makes me feel mildly ill.
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Dec 23, 2016 19:41
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OwlFancier posted:You mean you aren't constantly thinking about wanting to rape everything 24/7 and are only held back by drat liberal society? Given I'm a likely victim for a rape that turns into a lynching I can't say I am. I'm also not consumed by the fear of that. Guess I'm just like that "weak" Cuban Commie. Also assuming that him making the only likeable character thus far a Cuban was entirely unintentional. E: though thinking did he make Fidel the sole good guy? Eimi fucked around with this message at 19:56 on Dec 23, 2016 |
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Dec 23, 2016 19:52
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Chapter 3 Takes ten days for Ben to recover from the yellowjackets. We learn that he’s very allergic and was stung thirty to fifty times. So he should be dead. We also cover his routine in fine detail, breakfast, shower, shave. He enjoys the day. And gets to his job. quote:Monday through Saturday, Ben usually rose at five-thirty. On Sundays he tried to sleep late. But unless he had been up late, which was unusual for him, his eyes almost always popped open at five-thirty, with or without the clock radio. So this is William W Johnstone, I mean Ben Rains. I have a feeling this is the best researched paragraph in the entire series. We learn the rest of his likes and dislikes. He’s a country boy who likes salt-meat sandwiches, but also fine cuisine, the kind you eat with wine. He’s a music snob, and only likes classical, so far Wagner. Also he loved the south. quote:But Ben liked the people in the Delta--for the most part. He had friends here, good friends. There were some real poo poo-heads on both sides of the color line, but there had never been any real trouble in this part of the state. I think Johnstone has managed to pen the most racist statement by somebody who thinks he’s not racist. Johnstone actually adjusts his views on race a bit here and there, as if deep down he realizes he might be racist so he tweaks his world view a bit to salve his conscious. He never reaches not racist, or even less offensive most of the time, just differently offensive. quote:Never married, Ben had experienced several intense love affairs that had ultimately soured, leaving him with a jaundiced eye toward everlasting love. He really didn’t trust women; and his being a hopeless romantic didn’t help matters. Also proto MRA. He can’t work, so he heads out to meet with his friend as he does every Sunday morning. Get’s dressed and quote:The date finally hit him. Johnstone was born in October 28 of 1938, he was forty-four when he published this book. So I’m just going to assume that the war started on October 18th. We don’t get this information specifically but there is no reason to assume I’m wrong. Ben doesn’t like church. quote:Sunday morning radio programing in most parts of the rural South is, at best, dismal— alternating (depending upon the stations one chose) between hillbillies yodeling praise to the Lord, black gospel groups shouting and stomping praise to the Lord, and nasal preachers hem-hawing and gulping praise to, or from, the Lord. Some of them speaking in tongues. But oddly enough does like public radio. quote:Ben lived out in the country, literally. About ten miles outside of Morriston, a small town located at the bottom of the Delta of Louisiana. The town had a population of eight thousand: fifty percent black, fifty percent white. No industry. Lots of bars, black and white; never the twain shall meet. Music in the bars was soul or country. That was it. So, Pavarotti, do not waste your time coming to the Delta, unless you first appear on “Barbed-Wire Hoedown,” yodeling; or on “Boogie Funky Wagon,” beating on a drum and shaking your tushie. More casual racism, plus Ben hates country music. Also I would watch Barbed-Wire Hoedown and Boogie Funky Wagon. Back to back if possible. quote:Ben cut his eyes to the ditch by the side of the road and his thoughts were abruptly returned to the present. He jammed on the brakes, sliding to a halt. He thinks about the threat of nuclear war, decides he’s being silly and heads into town. quote:...take out the .38 special he always carried. Ben had blatantly ignored the government order to turn in all handguns, as, he suspected, had several million others. Ben despised Sen. Hilton Logan and everything he stood for. Logan was a liberal--Ben was a conservative. He continues his drive, notices that poo poo has gone sideways, and that there is no human presence. No clue where people went. quote:Then the words of that grizzled sergeant drifted back to Ben as he stood in the doorway, looking out at the mute gas pumps. “Survive is the name of this game, men. gently caress a bunch of candy-assed civilians. When the balloon goes up— and it will go up, believe that— most civilians won’t make it, ‘cause they don’t know their rear end from peanut butter about stayin’ alive. And what is so sickenin’ is, they don’t wanna know. They’re content. They’ve got their pretty little houses, two cars in the garage, membership in the country club, and they think being tough means playing football. As far as they’re concerned, everything is aces up. But they don’t know the meaning of tough. They’ll be the victims in any holocaust. But I’m gonna teach you men what tough is— mentally and physically. And when I’m through with you, you’ll survive. If you men make it through the first wave, if you don’t take one nose-on, most of you will survive.” Ben decides to survive. We're starting to get into the normal format of the series. A big part of these books is guns, names of guns, specifics of guns, using guns, putting them together, taking them apart. Eventually Ben Rains gets the expansion pack and it contains artillery. I'm not really a gun person and my knowledge of guns is limited to generic gaming poo poo. If you see something wrong, it's either in the books, or I've introduced a typo. Both are equally likely. If it matters feel free to ask and I'll double check.
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Dec 23, 2016 20:33
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I'm not sure how I feel about Hotline Miami having an EU.
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Dec 23, 2016 20:37
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How exactly was he living for 10 days without power? No light, heat, running water? Or EMP effects for that matter that killed his car and CB radio?
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Dec 23, 2016 22:58
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Comstar posted:How exactly was he living for 10 days without power? No light, heat, running water? Or EMP effects for that matter that killed his car and CB radio? He still has power based on the fact that he made breakfast and coffee. There's also a digital clock mentioned when he wakes up. I'm not sure how power is provide in 1988 Louisiana, I'm assuming coal, so maybe there are a couple of survivors at the coal plant keeping it running out of a patriotic Conservative duty. EMP is never mentioned. Later on we find out that this area was attacked by biological weapons. So it's possible there were no hits in the area. But that wouldn't have been intentional. EMP just wasn't in popular conscious in the early eighties. It didn't appear as a plot device in movies and TV. As far as these books are concerned EMP just doesn't exist. With the caveat that he may retcon it in later. Johnstone is either willing to overlook or just doesn't know a great deal about science to drive the plot. Most of the time it's concerning things the readers wouldn't know about. Like an EMP. Also did you know gas has no expiration date?
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Dec 23, 2016 23:28
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Throwing Turtles posted:He still has power based on the fact that he made breakfast and coffee. There's also a digital clock mentioned when he wakes up. I'm not sure how power is provide in 1988 Louisiana, I'm assuming coal, so maybe there are a couple of survivors at the coal plant keeping it running out of a patriotic Conservative duty. Does radiation or fallout ever come up as a serious problem for the characters in this novel and its sequels or is the nuclear was just treated as a plot device producing the rapid social collapse that will showcase the heroism of our brave protagonist?
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Dec 24, 2016 00:45
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I think that's why everyone has "clean nukes"
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Dec 24, 2016 01:19
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OwlFancier posted:I think that's why everyone has "clean nukes" Yeah this, but it can change depending on the needs of the story. For example all the major cities are considered super radioactive until he wants to set a couple of books about fighting in the cities. The world is never really going to make sense. And not just little things like gas going bad or the power staying on. It works a little like an MMO, no matter how many bad guys you kill, more will spawn. It isn't really apparent early in the books, but after armies of bikers, gangbangers, and cannibals are wiped out, the fact that more armies keep showing up is pretty weird.
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Dec 24, 2016 02:52
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God this poo poo is just embarrasing. I love it. Its such a prototypical American conservative fantasy. It gets me thinking, based on the fundamentals of both the story and how it relates to American conservatism, is there a liberal equivalent to this fantasy and line of thinking, on par in terms of prevalence in liberal belief and ridiculous fantasy? The closest thing I can think of is "history", which isnt exactly a good analouge for this drivel (since history and fantasy are pretty much opposites).
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Dec 24, 2016 04:24
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^^^Have you tried looking at the HuffPo comments section?Throwing Turtles posted:Yeah this, but it can change depending on the needs of the story. For example all the major cities are considered super radioactive until he wants to set a couple of books about fighting in the cities. Technically, a 90%+ fusion explosion won't really disperse radiation far and wide outside of its immediate target. Maybe. Depending. Anyway, this should be mandatory reading for this thread: https://westernrifleshooters.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/bracken-when-the-music-stops-how-americas-cities-may-explode-in-violence/
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Dec 24, 2016 05:09
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Phyein posted:God this poo poo is just embarrasing. I love it. Its such a prototypical American conservative fantasy. It gets me thinking, based on the fundamentals of both the story and how it relates to American conservatism, is there a liberal equivalent to this fantasy and line of thinking, on par in terms of prevalence in liberal belief and ridiculous fantasy? The closest thing I can think of is "history", which isnt exactly a good analouge for this drivel (since history and fantasy are pretty much opposites). In my experience left wing fiction is more likely to have the protagonist win in a way that doesn't change the setting. The best example I can think of is Jennifer Government, where at the end of the day society hasn't changed a bit. Shadowrun is like this as well, for everything bad in the world there isn't a good guy looking to collapse the whole system and shut it down. Illuminatus is a direct parody of Atlas Shrugged, but at the end of the day life just goes on.
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Dec 24, 2016 05:29
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DeusExMachinima posted:^^^Have you tried looking at the HuffPo comments section? Most cities would either be flattened like Hiroshima, with little standing structures save reinforced concrete structures like parking structures, or burnt rubble due to firestorms. Anything like a skyscraper or office building would likely be completely demolished except for the first few floors. Throwing Turtles posted:In my experience left wing fiction is more likely to have the protagonist win in a way that doesn't change the setting. The best example I can think of is Jennifer Government, where at the end of the day society hasn't changed a bit. Shadowrun is like this as well, for everything bad in the world there isn't a good guy looking to collapse the whole system and shut it down. Illuminatus is a direct parody of Atlas Shrugged, but at the end of the day life just goes on. You did have stuff like Southland Tales, which ends with the anarcho-libertarian revolution against the neocons happening while time-space begins destabilizing. Nine Inch Nail's "Year Zero" ends similarly, with the conservative world meeting it's maker, literally.
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Dec 24, 2016 06:01
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Chapter fourquote:He pulled his truck up to the pumps and filled his tanks, topping off his reserve tank. He found four five-gallon gas cans and filled them, placing them in the bed of his truck. He looked back at Mr. Harnack, nodded his head, and drove off, heading for the police station, only a few blocks away. From this point on Ben will be doing survival stuff, like filling extra gas cans, and checking his weapons. It’s gonna eat up a lot of words. Also Mr. Harnack is dead. quote:The dispatcher was dead, not a mark on him. On the note pad on the table was scribbled: “I’m the last one alive. Getting weak. No help. Atomic bombs hit some cities. Some type of germ stuff got the rest of us. God have—” The dispatcher gave his last breath to catch Ben up on the situation. quote:It really happened! He thought. I slept through a goddamned war! Skip to the sheriff’s office. quote:Ben opened the windows and then prowled the office until he found what he was searching for: the gun room. He selected two .45-caliber pistols, checked them carefully, then found leather for them and extra clips. He calmly filled two extra clips for each pistol. He smashed the glass of a locked gun cabinet and picked up an old Thompson submachine gun. It was in almost mint condition; he had heard the sheriff was, or had been, a gun collector. He checked the SMG, found it in bad need of oiling, then prowled around until he found a can of oil. The bolt worked effortlessly when he had finished and the wood gleamed. He found a drum for the weapon and three clips, boxes of .45 ammunition, and a canvas clip pouch. In a lot of fantasy stories the hero gets a magic weapon, it could be a light saber, excalibur, or in this case a Thompson submachine gun. This will be with him forever. quote:He drove to the sporting goods store. He stops to check himself out in the mirror, he has blue eyes, 6’1”, 180 lbs. quote:He drove past several liquor stores and laughed at their condition: They were the worst looted of the stores. “Party time,” he said with no mirth in his voice. “Eat, drink, and be merry. For tomorrow we die.” He goes home, reflects on the fact that he’s a looter, searches for radio stations, has dinner, couple drinks and goes to bed. The next day he showers, notices that the wildlife hadn’t been killed. Called a bunch of people, family mostly, no answer. So the phones and electricity are still going. Heads into town to find an unlooted Radio Shack where he buys a big radio with a world wide reciever. quote:The voice spoke in French for a time, then switched to German, finally to English. “We pieced together the whole story.” The voice spoke slowly. “Finally. Russian pilot told us this is what happened— from his side of the pond, that is. They— the Russians— had developed some sort of virus that would kill humans, but not harm animals or plant life or water. Did this about three years ago. Were going to use it against us this fall. Easy to figure why. Then they learned of the double cross. The Stealth-equipped sub. That shot their plans of an easy takeover all to hell. Everything became all confused. If So somebody made a recording in four languages, giving weirdly specific details about the war. I have question. Like who is this Russian pilot who knows all this top secret information. Where did they find him? Anyways, that clunky exposition device done with, Ben shoots some dogs, which apparently have gone completely feral in 10 days. Then he drives around town looking in people's houses. Heads back to get a gas mask from the police station. He continues to drive around lost in thought going over a bunch of poo poo we already know. When quote:
Ben’s goes out of his way to be a dick. Also he sounds like GlaDOS here. quote:Even under the present circumstances, the look he received was one of intense dislike. I’m just gonna gloss over how tremendous a dick Rains is being and instead talk about Fran and her place in the books. Like the Doctor Ben picks up companions from time to time. Unlike Doctor Who where they serve as somebody for the audience to relate to, the Ben’s companions exist solely to be lectured to. Generally falling into the categories of liberal he has to lay the smack down on or youngster he can pontificate about how bad things were. Also he usually sleeps with them. Let’s find out why they hate each other. quote:her. “You bastard!” Their mutual hatred went back more than a decade. Midwesterners are difficult people to impress, and so inherited money does not impress most rural midwesterners— not those with any sense. Fran Lantier Piper had piles of money stacked all around her... from both sides of her family, and the family she had married into, but in the past hundred years neither she nor any one related to her had worked for a penny of it. Ben’s fifth novel— and he had received a little movie money from that one— had been about spoiled southern brats and inherited money and arrogance. Fran had told him— at a chance meeting at the public library (it came as a shock to Ben to discover she even knew how to read)— that she thought he should be run out of town for writing such nasty filthy lies about good decent gentle people. Ben had laughed at her. Furious, she had raced home and told her big brother, Lance, a local football hero, all about her encounter with that Yankee ruffian, embellishing the story substantially, with much batting of eyes and no small amount of tears and posturing. Lance had telephoned Ben, telling him he should be prepared to fight. Ben had broken up with laughter. You’re really going to defend her honor?” So they bicker a bit, he tells her he’s going to leave her quote:Tears began rolling down her cheeks. Weather they were real or staged for his benefit, Ben wasn’t sure. But he closed the door to the pickup and waited, figuring the next few moments should be interesting. Fran doesn’t really know what happened. But she expects the government will be along to fix everything up. Ben plays the radio recording and lays some cold math on her. He figures that 125 out of 1000000 survived. She passes out. The U.S. had a population in the area of 250,000,000 leaving us with somewhere in the area of 37,500 survivors. Also the thing about the old people dying. Ben lays that guilt trip on her because she wasn't charitable, he is absolved by ignorance. It seems like the kind of situation that could be avoided with some sort of centralized system.
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Dec 24, 2016 06:36
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The hardest thing to explain in all of these stories is how the world hasn't gone up like a tinderbox with how many strawmen are in all of them.
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Dec 24, 2016 06:43
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