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.

[Squantos]

Congrats Sir.........I'm proud of ya !...........Stay Safe !

[marktwain]

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

Thanks. I appreciate the feedback. Now, if I can just tame a good spell checker!

[Travis McGee]

I could never write the Jack Ryan/Dirk Pitt infallible super duper hero kind of character. I'm only interested in characters who doubt, worry, flinch, and still decide in the end that the mission is worth the sacrifice, and carry on, sometimes stumbling along the way. To me, it's their human-ness that I love.

[Blood of Tyrants]

I guess that theis is my next bookd to read!

[Double Tap]

Hey Travis,

Congratulations on the completed book. How long before the hardback version? And will there be a chance of an autographed copy of the hardback?

[SLB]

Sent you an email - do you accept PayPal? If so, send me your email address and we will get a transfer made ASAP.

I know, many FReepers have anything but kind words for PayPal, but we have used it for several years with no problems.

[Badray]

BTTT

[PatrioticAmerican]

"To me, it's their human-ness that I love."

And there's 550 pages of human in that book. Good job.

[glock rocks]

Oh, my eyes!!!

Well, I can take off the progressive specs and read close and dear under the 15W bed lamp.

Dang, this book's hearty. I'm enjoyin life right about now... thanks for the great read, Matt !!

[CholeraJoe]

Eagerly awaiting the arrival of my copy. Travis I'm probably the only guy from Montana who ordered it.

[PhilDragoo]

Have you checked in with Craig Roberts [One Shot One Kill] at http://www.riflewarrior.com ?

His two emails are on the site.

[river rat]

"......infallible super duper hero kind of character."

Hollywood and most writers wouldn't know a real "heroic" figure if one bit them in the ass. Too many times, their world is one of fantasy and make believe...

Real heroes aren't "cool" under stress --- they sweat like pigs.
Real heroes aren't "fearless" --- they have nightmares of being killed in some rotten god forsaken place, but rise to the occassion and fight the good fight.
Real heroes are simply young men who perform heroically when duty and honor requires.......
Real heroes cry like children at the loss of a brother...whose ghosts haunt them throughout eternity.

Reading the reviews of your book, is tempting me to start reading earlier than my plan... I wanted to wait until the wife had left to visit the children/grandchildren in Georgia -- but I may not be able to wait that long...

Semper Fi

[Travis McGee]

"Doc Zox" AKA "gun-fucious" on "The High Road.com" (formerly The Firing Line.com) created the snake/rifle Gadsden. I don't think the 13 rattles was an accident!

[Tijeras_Slim]

Morning Travis,
My copy arrived yesterday, and I didn't get started on it until after dinner (Mrs. Slim had other ideas how I should spend the afternoon, and I've got enough "domestic enemies" without gettin' her riled.)

I'm about a hundred pages in, and all I can say is WHEW! I read a lot of thrillers in my time, some recommended by you, and I've never gotten my hands on one this well crafted from the get-go. Nary a false note.

Thanks for writing this, I hope it achieves the success it deserves.

[Travis McGee]

Thanks Squantos, it's been a long time coming.

[Travis McGee]

If the demand is there, I'll make the 2nd edition hardback. Hardback will increase the price from $20 to about $27. If folks prefer that, I'll do it that way.

[Travis McGee]

"Oh my eyes!"

Sorry! I had to go with pretty small type, and 43 lines per page (instead of 36 or 37) to keep the book under 600 pages in the final printed version. It could easily have gone to 800 pages in a larger font and wider line spacing. It's a LOT of words!

[Travis McGee]

Actually I have sent two to Montana. Phillipsburg, and Helena.

Without a doubt, Texas is way in the lead, and regionally, the south is dominating.

[Travis McGee]

I tried very hard to bring those feelings into the books. Fear and doubt balanced by duty in an uncertain fight.

[Travis McGee]

I'd love to hear your thoughts as you go through the book.