Holding Their Own, by ‘Joe Nobody’ was a fun survivalist/prepper, post-SHTF book to read. Written in 2011, and set in 2015, it is very timely. There are many situations, in the book, that aren’t far from things that could happen in our own very near future.
The book begins as the nation is entering it’s second Great Depression. Iran, seeing the weakness and, finally, an opportunity to crush the “infidel beast”, activates sleeper agents in the United States. They unleash a series of murderous terrorist attacks against the population and the nation’s infrastructure. The U.S. government responds by closing down highways and bridges, declaring martial law and inadvertently pushing the nation toward collapse.
Our protagonist, Bishop (named by his chess loving father), is a former Army peace-time administrative officer. After his discharge he was unable to find work as a chemical engineer and is recruited by an old friend to work for a civilian security corporation (think Blackwater). Bishop had been a competitive shooter prior to working for the company; that, and the additional security training, weapons and equipment he was issued from the company, made him exceptionally well prepared when things began to deteriorate.
As the local troubles in the Houston-area worsen Bishop, and his wife Terri, suddenly find life as they knew it seems to be gone, possibly forever. At first the couple assumes (hopes) that it’s just a short-term situation and they band together with the neighbors to keep their homes safe. But soon the severity becomes undeniable and they must make a decision: Should they stay where they are and hope for the best; report to the established military checkpoints for “temporary housing and duties”; or attempt to drive 600 miles to Bishop’s old family ranch where they use to go to get away from it all–and where he’d established his bug-out location (BOL)?
They leave, after struggling between loyalty to their neighbors and their own self-preservation instincts. They know they don’t have enough fuel, any longer, to make the trip and are planning to be able to barter or scavenge resources along the way. The book describes their trip west across Texas; doing their best to keep their heads down and keep moving; occasionally being forced to stop and do what they believe is the right thing and helping others when they are able. Early on, the book establishes that Bishop doesn’t tolerate ”personal injustice . . .[it] started in elementary school with playground bullies, and I just have always been that way. It gets me into, um, well, uncomfortable situations now and then.” Those “uncomfortable situations” almost always turn out worse for the “bullies”.
The story moves along well and is very readable. Some of the dialogue was corny, and the few attempts at sexual innuendos were almost painful. The characters were mostly cardboardish, either good guys or bad. As a former medical professional I found the medical treatments, and recovery, inaccurate. Bishop–though not invincible because he gets hurt several times–recovers way too quickly; he is always ready, despite serious injuries, to charge forward. And while I think there’s a lot to be learned from the author about equipment and tactics, very little advice should be taken from the first aid described.
But I really enjoyed it overall. Because of it I have added night vision equipment and ballistic body armor to my ‘security wants list’. It also has provided me with my favorite new quote, “I will personally tie your body into knots, dip it in salt, and eat it like a pretzel while enjoying a beer.”
It is definitely as good or better than any of the post-apocalyptic books that I’ve read. I plan to give copies to a couple of my prepper friends, and as soon as I finished reading it I ordered the sequel, Holding Their Own II: The Independents.
(Wednesday: Sarah’s View)