This is, to date, and without question, the worst novel I've reviewed. It is also likely the worst novel I've ever read. Fans of Mr. Rawles may reflexively assume that I'm just another liberal weenie going after an easy target and that may be true; Mr. Rawles and I have very little in common politically or philosophically. But such differences have never before stopped me from enjoying literature. This leads me to conclude that Patriots is what it is, an enormous, steaming pile of confused, jingoist nonsense which cannot decide if it is a political pamphlet, a survival guide for the end times, or a hymn to the greatness that is Christianity.
In a near-future America in the grip of hyperinflation and economic collapse, a group of friends in the Midwest, who originally met online and devoted time and money to establishing a hideout for the apocalypse in rural Idaho, each journey to this safe location, braving roving bands of the desperate in order to make it to their new home. Once safely ensconced, the friends establish a hierarchy, take an accounting of their seemingly endless supplies, and then brace themselves for the fallout from society's collapse. The band of righteous Americans are, initially, content to defend their territory, but when what's left of the American government sells out to Europe and the United Nations, they rise up to defend their homestead and, more broadly, Idaho from the violent and merciless UN Peacekeepers.
If Patriots is successful in any of its aims, it is surely its survivalism. Long passages are preoccupied with the kind of food, guns and fuel necessary for self-sufficiency when the world falls apart. Though these are tedious, it's clear that a great deal of thought and expertise has gone into their formulation. But the virtue here, to the extent survivalism has a virtue, is wiped out by the narrative which is unspeakably provincial. The objective with any piece of drama, no matter its medium, is to establish an emotional connection with the reader. This is done through the plight of the protagonists who, generally, endure hardship in the achievement of some goal. Mr. Rawles' patriots hardly ever come to any harm. Why? Because they never make mistakes. They are perfect, Christian warriors for the 21st century, men shrouded in the sanctity of Christ and the righteousness of their cause. Their enemies are fodder for their guns. Every non-patriot who does not immediately see the wisdom of the cause? A sellout or a foreigner. But if the structure here is bad, the religious moralizing is even worse. Mr. Rawles is a shill for Christianity which, as the most dominant faith on the planet, certainly doesn't need anyone else justifying its self-righteousness.
I'm always up for a piece of fiction on the end times. I find fiction of this kind both fascinating and scary, akin to a good horror movie. It gives me a thrill and makes me think about the extent to which our modern lives are dependent upon technologies and systems we completely take for granted. But this piece of work just gives the genre a bad name and deflates my hopes of finding a book to match the glory of, say, Lucifer's Hammer. (1/5 Stars)
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