Dave Markowitz
Member
Last night I finished reading Enemies Foreign and Domestic by Matthew Bracken (who posts on THR as Travis McGee). This is a novel in a newly-emerging genre: the Second Amendment thriller.
The first Second Amendment thriller to come out was John Ross's Unintended Consequences, several years ago. (John Ross is also a THR member.) EFAD is naturally going to be compared with UC, but is an excellent book in its own right and can stand on its own.
Without giving away too many details, EFAD is about a mass shooting in a stadium and the aftermath: draconian new gun control laws and the responses thereto. The background to EFAD is the War on Terror, and how it gets perverted from the stated goal of protecting the USA against terrorists into a means of repressing the American people. Bracken makes it clear in the book that while many Americans are not willing to roll over and take oppression easily, many "sheeple" who rely on and trust the government will.
The protagonists are ordinary people and very believable. Although they come from a variety of backgrounds, they share one common belief, i.e., that the Second Amendment preserves and individual's right to keep and bear arms as a bulwark against government tyranny.
The bad guys in the book are all too believable as well. It's an unfortunate sign of the times that the deeds and conspiracies committed by the antagonists in EFAD are perfectly believable to any member of the "gun culture."
EFAD mostly takes place in and around the Chesapeake Bay. Much of the book takes place on the water, and as a former SEAL, Bracken knows his way around boats. He also knows his way around firearms, and when he discusses technical features or the aspects of firearms use, he's spot on.
Aside from the gun-related content, Bracken does a good job of highlight serious privacy issues facing Americans today. The ability to locate and track users of cell phones (even when they're off), databases holding personal details about one's financial transaction and consumer purposes, and street pole-mounted facial recognition cameras are all mentioned in this book, and they are all very real.
I read EFAD over the course of two nights. At 568 pages it's no lightweight tome, but it is well-written and reads easily. Bracken gets you to feel for his characters and knows how to drag you into the book. There were several action scenes during which I was so engrossed I
could feel my heart thumping in my chest, something that's rare for me when reading.
EFAD was self-published, so it does have a few rough edges, e.g., "and" in a couple places instead of "an." That being said, they don't overly detract from the book.
As you can probably guess, I highly recommend Matthew Bracken's Enemies Foreign and Domestic. There's more info on how to buy, and sample chapters available online at his website:
http://www.enemiesforeignanddomestic.com/
The first Second Amendment thriller to come out was John Ross's Unintended Consequences, several years ago. (John Ross is also a THR member.) EFAD is naturally going to be compared with UC, but is an excellent book in its own right and can stand on its own.
Without giving away too many details, EFAD is about a mass shooting in a stadium and the aftermath: draconian new gun control laws and the responses thereto. The background to EFAD is the War on Terror, and how it gets perverted from the stated goal of protecting the USA against terrorists into a means of repressing the American people. Bracken makes it clear in the book that while many Americans are not willing to roll over and take oppression easily, many "sheeple" who rely on and trust the government will.
The protagonists are ordinary people and very believable. Although they come from a variety of backgrounds, they share one common belief, i.e., that the Second Amendment preserves and individual's right to keep and bear arms as a bulwark against government tyranny.
The bad guys in the book are all too believable as well. It's an unfortunate sign of the times that the deeds and conspiracies committed by the antagonists in EFAD are perfectly believable to any member of the "gun culture."
EFAD mostly takes place in and around the Chesapeake Bay. Much of the book takes place on the water, and as a former SEAL, Bracken knows his way around boats. He also knows his way around firearms, and when he discusses technical features or the aspects of firearms use, he's spot on.
Aside from the gun-related content, Bracken does a good job of highlight serious privacy issues facing Americans today. The ability to locate and track users of cell phones (even when they're off), databases holding personal details about one's financial transaction and consumer purposes, and street pole-mounted facial recognition cameras are all mentioned in this book, and they are all very real.
I read EFAD over the course of two nights. At 568 pages it's no lightweight tome, but it is well-written and reads easily. Bracken gets you to feel for his characters and knows how to drag you into the book. There were several action scenes during which I was so engrossed I
could feel my heart thumping in my chest, something that's rare for me when reading.
EFAD was self-published, so it does have a few rough edges, e.g., "and" in a couple places instead of "an." That being said, they don't overly detract from the book.
As you can probably guess, I highly recommend Matthew Bracken's Enemies Foreign and Domestic. There's more info on how to buy, and sample chapters available online at his website:
http://www.enemiesforeignanddomestic.com/
Amazon says that Unintended Consequences and Enemies Foreign and Domestic should be here either today or tomorrow. 
She was not pleased to say the least. 
