Review of "Enemies Foreign and Domestic"

Enemies Foreign and Domestic | 5 September, 2003 | Marktwain

[marktwain]

Enemies Foreign and Domestic by Matthew Bracken, Steelcutter Publishing, San Diego CA.

www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com

I recieved my copy of Enemies Foreign And Domestic on Tuesday evening this week. By Thursday morning, I had devoured the 568 pages. This book was eagerly awaited, as it belongs to that small but growing genre, the distopic future brought about by civil war over the Constitution of the United States, triggered by ruthless suppression of the 2nd amendment.

Only three books of this genre have recieved prominence. They are: The Turner Diaries, a racist, hate filled account where the "heros" are willing to kill off 75% of the people on earth in order to gain political power; Unintended Consequences, a well written, racy, techno-thriller in the Tom Clancy style that I heartily recommend; and Enemies Foreign and Domestic, or EFAD, as I will refer to it in the rest of this review.

EFAD refers to part of the oath that all U.S. government officials and military personel take upon the assumption of their duties to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. A basic premise of the book is that there still are men and women who actually have honor and integrity, who beleive these words when they speak them, and who actively work to follow their oath. Members of freerepublic will recognize themselves in this work.

EFAD is very well written, well plotted, and has good character development. I felt as if I could name friends and enemies who could have been the characters in the book. This book grabs you. The major premises are easily believable. Matthew Bracken knows his subject, and he uses credible human faults and errors to keep the plot plausible. A major strength is that there are no supermen or superwomen in this book. Matthew teaches us subtly by the things that are not mentioned. An astute reader will realize early on that we are at a crucial cross roads. We can move backward, keep the Assault Weapons ban, enlarge it, outlaw private sales of weapons via the "gun show loophole" and continue the march toward the chilling distopia that the author so clearly sees. Or we can move forward, sunset the Assault Weapon ban in September of 2004, and continue to move forward to a renewed era of Constitutional freedom in America.

Read this book. Pass it on to friends. Distribute it at gun shows. Buy lots of copies. I will.

[El Laton Caliente]

If you want a grin go to:

http://www.gunsnet.net

(hope I got that right, work is a little PC in their internet access so I couldn't check it)

AK-47.net and AR-15.com are two sides of the same coin, but like a lot of families there is a little discent sometimes. ;^)

[Tijeras_Slim]

Future hard cover editions may include some roses twined around the rifle for soccer moms and sensitive souls like yourself.

Just so long as it doesn't descend to the level of Harlequin Super Romance cover-art!

[Travis McGee]

I think you're fine, considering that they are using my picture without my permission either. It would take a lot of chutzpa to go after your site in that situation.

[Travis McGee]

Now I need to register for another gunsite! Look for Travis McGee over there tonight.

[wardaddy]

They are on your book here right now. My little brother who now has a copy called me to tell me. I registered...ashamedly I am not a member I admit.

You might want to check it out.

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=204201

[Travis McGee]

I got a big kick a few days ago seeing a picture of the book posted on AR-15.com!

[Travis McGee]

Did you get your copy yet? I guess "media mail" bulk rate is hit or miss, depending on which trucks they're put on.

[Dan from Michigan]

Looking forward to my copy.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Not yet, but mail is a bit slow to my locale.

As your next work has some ties to New Mexico, feel free to contact me if you need somebody on the ground to assist with research, etc...

[Travis McGee]

Thanks! I will. I think the Nuevo Mexico angle is going to be mainly background, just a locale that the protagonists must pass through. This will be an opportunity to show a Balkanized southwest, with Espanol the official language, open borders and open voting, and ethnic cleansing by intimidation of anglos.

[jmc813]

I hate when reviewers give away the plot of the book/movie/etc. You did not do this. Good review.

[Travis McGee]

I've found that posting 1/3 of the book on the website has been a tremendous way to bring in readers.

[Snake65]

Baen (a big scifi imprint) has done some interesting things with just giving away disks of books...it helps rather than hurts sales.

Great review!

[Travis McGee]

Yes, job one is raising awareness of your book's existance! Without reaching a threshold of awareness, nothing else can or will happen on its own. A lot of folks feel that way about e-books. That is, price them cheaply, and don't worry about being copied or ripped off without a royalty. Eventually, assuming you have a great product (naturally!) many of the e-book readers, both paid and unpaid, will come around to wanting your physical book on their shelf.

[Joe Brower]

I just got my copies of "Enemies Foreign and Domestic", and it is a total HOOT to actually see the book "in the flesh". AWESOME!. That cover art makes it jump out at you -- it will definitely be picked up by browsers checking out the racks. Now we just need to get it there!

I agree with Marktwain -- BUY IT. READ IT. PASS IT ALONG!

WELL DONE, TRAVIS!

[Lurker]

Lurker wants his!!!!

Can't wait Matt.

L

[Noumenon]

My check's in the mail . Looking forward to a great tale. I won't hold my breath for a movie, though - it's too PC for the Hollywood communist crowd.

[PatrioticAmerican]

I just got Travis's book in the mail today. Yes, the cover is simplistic, but I think that adds a distinctive effect all its own. It stands out on the bookshelf and is unmistakable, so simplicity in design may be an excellent factor here. I think it is. It also is a hint at the innards of the book. The flag and the concept of it on the cover, to me, signify the simplistic ideals, yet complex nature, of the subject matter at hand.

The writings style is a familiar one, and one I prefer. Travis does a great job of laying out the details in thoughtful order and stating the obvious, while letting the not-so-obvious being an intrigue. He hints at things that make those readers in the know grin, while giving those with little subject matter knowledge an understandable novel.

Many writers prefer to write to one group or the other, such as writers who use acronyms and fail to give their meaning, or who use military tactics or techniques familiar only to those having been in the military. Travis gives a solid story, but adds a few quips here and there that add character to the writing. Yes, some of his writings are for those that understand the world of law enforcement or the military, and that adds a bit of character, but the novel, itself, may be understood by everyone.

This isn’t a blood-n-guts, I-hate-the-government novel. Not by a long shot, and it really isn’t either. It is a novel that shows the state of affairs in America today and one possible story line that describes an outcome to some of our most troubling issues today. It has its action sequences, its interpersonal relationships, and gives real-world information, but it mostly provides a story of common people doing uncommon things in a scary world. Frankly, knowing the subject matter first hand, reading it made the hairs on my neck stand on end. It really does give a sense of uneasiness reading some of the chapters, because we live in the world Travis writes about.

Most storylines give superhero status to the main characters, or assigns seriously unrealistic actions, but Travis stays away from that and, instead, gives a realistic view of the world. That may sound boring, but it certainly isn’t. A novel doesn’t need a boy swinging on a spider line to be of interest, not when the characters in the novel face real-world nail-biting, life or death situations, real enough that the reader may have been in similar situations and can relate.

This is a good, though provoking story, and will no doubt be the start of some interesting conversations.

[yoe]

"distopia"..."dystopia" I think the latter is correct.....

[in the Arena]

Hey Travis,

To my suprise I found the books in my in-box on Friday...so they're making it to AZ in short order...On first inpection I noticed on the cover that the rattle has 13 beads...by design or not it's a great touch...