299 Days: The Community (Book Three) - book discussion [SPOILER ALERT]

[EOTS]

reading this now...FINALLY. Haven't told DH I got it yet so I can read it first... 

[backwoods_engineer]

SPOILER ALERT-------------------------------------------------------

I just read:
"they were witnessing the beginning of the Second Texas Republic."

I wanted to stand up and CHEER!

If Texas really did do that, I would start packing my house RIGHT NOW!

[Heavy G]

 

[markl32]

Dang, I signed up for the email list so I could get notification from the publisher when books 3 and 4 came out and have heard nothing from them.  I spent last night re-re-reading book 2 when I could have been reading book 3!

Ditto.  I guess I'll try to sign up again. 

[Smurf Hunter]

1/3 way through - only reading time I've had was an hour at the tire shop and the bus ride to work this morning.





Thoughts so far:

GOOD

I like the explanation economic/market conditions of the team during the "milk run".  There's a lot of gray area between "normal" and "apocalypse" with regards to retail inventory and prices.

The characters are starting to develop a bit.  More people (besides Nancy) need to lose their sh#t and freak out to add some tension to the plot, but I presume that will happen with time. 


BAD

The food logistics don't seem solid.  How many deer steaks does the neighbor lady have?  If I had 60lbs. of meat in my freezer, I'd feel reasonably stocked for my 4 person family, but feeding 15 hungry people dinner each night, that wouldn't last long.  How is Grant keeping the stash of guns, and to a lesser degree the stash of food preps hidden from the group?  I've personally hosted holiday dinners for 20 people, and basically our entire fridge + garage freezer was dedicated to ingredients for that single meal.  You'd need a secret barn, not just a spider shed to stockpile the quantities in question.

Maybe I didn't track the end of book #2 as well as I could have, but it seems like the government went from a fiscal crisis to LA Riots + Hurricane in barely a week.  I get the angry entitlement mobs, but we jumped from that to NorthCom leadership defecting to the Republic of Texas.  Seems a stretch that people's mindsets could transition so far so quickly.

Would it be possible for you to sketch out a Visio diagram or similar for the Pierce Point layout?  Obviously don't violate OPSEC, but my mental impression from the previous books is wrong.  I mentally pictured a few acres with cabins and out buildings, but given the head count, and geographic features described.  I realize this can't be.

[MTUCache]

Would it be possible for you to sketch out a Visio diagram or similar for the Pierce Point layout?  Obviously don't violate OPSEC, but my mental impression from the previous books is wrong.  I mentally pictured a few acres with cabins and out buildings, but given the head count, and geographic features described.  I realize this can't be.

Ditto... I've got some real Middle-Earth brain warp going on when I read about the developing community, constantly wishing I had a map at the beginning of the book to flip back to and reference.

I started out thinking this was a single peninsula with a couple dozen cottages on it. Now that I'm about half-way through book 4 it's apparent that we're talking about at least a few different roads, plenty of different beaches, a couple hundred households, and even some existing farmland. I expected my scale of this place to be off by a little, but it seems like I mis-judged this by at least a factor of ten.

[backwoods_engineer]

Heavy G, in the third paragraph of Chapter 107, there is a typo.  I think "bid deal" should be "big deal."  Just thought I'd let you know for the next edition.  Thanks!  Loving the books so far.

[JC2]

Here i was reading "The Art of Fermentation" last night when i could have been reading book three. I guess i need to get signed up for email alerts.
"The Art of Fermentation" is a good book with lots of knowledge but it doesnt compare with my doomer porn "299 days"

[Serenity Gulch]

So Grant can shoot three punks in a gun battle but freaks out over having to buy tampons? Men! 

He's obviously never heard of the Tactical Adventure Medical Preparedness Outdoors Necessity (T.A.M.P.O.N.). http://artofmanliness.com/2012/06/05/survival-tampon/

[backwoods_engineer]

I am finding this "mini republic" idea, that gets started late in Book 3 and really gets rolling in Book 4, very interesting indeed.  Given that the Founders wanted to guarantee every state "a Republican form of government", and found that important enough to put in the Constitution, tells me they wanted "mini republics" everywhere.  Oh, how much better our country would be if our Founders' vision held sway today.  I wish to God every community took self-government as seriously as "Pierce Point."

Congrats on a thought-provoking, exciting, funny, enjoyable book series, Heavy G!

[Smurf Hunter]

Regarding Bellevue, WA.

The phone conversation between Steve (auto parts store in Forks) and his boss Todd struck me odd.  The book mentions there are no gun stores in Bellevue due to city zoning, etc.  While Bellevue is certainly yuppie central, and guns are not "common", there are a number of retail gun stores, including West Coast Armory which is a popular AR-15/tactical accessory spot.  I know people at Microsoft and other software companies that participate in the indoor shooting leagues after work.

Personally I don't patronize the Bellevue stores much, as they are over priced and largely cater to mall ninjas. 

As info, I work in the downtown commercial center of Bellevue.  Previously I worked in downtown Seattle for many years and Eastside (Bellevue) is much more conservative - perhaps clueless rich people, but you don't see Ché Guevara tattoos or pot being smoked in public as you might in Seattle.

[Heavy G]

So Grant can shoot three punks in a gun battle but freaks out over having to buy tampons? Men! 

I honestly think it would be easier to shoot three punks than to buy tampons.  The book speaks the truth.  Men are goofy.  *guilty as charged*

[Heavy G]

I am finding this "mini republic" idea, that gets started late in Book 3 and really gets rolling in Book 4, very interesting indeed. 

This is why a friend of mine in the special operations community (who read an advanced copy of all ten books) said that this book is the best description of an American insurgency that he's ever seen. 

Thanks for the kind words, backwoods.

[Smurf Hunter]

That phobia of buying tampons must be for show. 

You want to test your resolve?  Try to muster to courage to buy some Vagisil.  Buying tampons will seems like buying Oreos.

[Heavy G]

You want to test your resolve?  Try to muster to courage to buy some Vagisil.  Buying tampons will seems like buying Oreos.

Ha!  Good one. 

Truth be told: after I wrote that part of the book, I bought a bunch of tampons for the ladies in my family.  I felt like a total weirdo.  There is no rational reason why.  I cannot explain it.

[16onRockandRoll]

Buying a box or two doesn't bother me. Buying a cart or two would make me feel like a weirdo. Definetly something to start putting away now so you can do it a box at a time

[FrugalFannie]

G I have to sy I am a bit disappointed. I was expecting more boom boom!

[Alan Georges]

You want to test your resolve?  Try to muster to courage to buy some Vagisil.  Buying tampons will seems like buying Oreos.

*snerk!*  Been there, done that, got the look.

ps- finished the book this morning.  Outstanding!
pps- bought the Vagisil two towns over.  With cash.  Just in case.

[16onRockandRoll]

Just finished it. I have to say G, great job. I don't know if this will carry over to people who didn't "know you" from the forum before reading the book, but there is a weird dynamic for me. I know from following your stories on the forum, that much of book 1 is based on your life and past experiences. I'm now getting into book 4, and it still almost feels like you are really telling a story of what has happened. The reality injects realism to the fiction parts if that makes sense.

I've only had books 3-4 for a couple days, and I'm already looking forward to the next installment.

[Heavy G]

The reality injects realism to the fiction parts if that makes sense.

It makes a lot of sense.  I was hoping people would feel what I was getting at.  You did.  That makes me happy.

[rogersorders]

Heavy G, not really a big fan of the EROL type of stuff going on in the book. Not because I think it won't happen but because I think it will happen and I don't want to think about it  I work for the military and I could see some difficult decisions in the future should we go down this road 

The way you described the people wandering aimlessly through town during the supply run was very similar to a zombie movie  Military and LE have been "training" to handle a zombie outbreak. I personally think they're being desensitized to handle unruly civilians.

Overall they're great books.

[Heavy G]

Heavy G, not really a big fan of the EROL type of stuff going on in the book. Not because I think it won't happen but because I think it will happen and I don't want to think about it  I work for the military and I could see some difficult decisions in the future should we go down this road 

The way you described the people wandering aimlessly through town during the supply run was very similar to a zombie movie  Military and LE have been "training" to handle a zombie outbreak. I personally think they're being desensitized to handle unruly civilians.

Overall they're great books.

Thanks, rogersorders.  Let's hope we're both wrong.

[PrepperJim]

I'm on book 4, but I must say, building this community is just too damn smooth. Facing down one yuppie fool in a town hall meeting would be the least of Grant's worries. People are far more selfish and a lot less eager to share what they have "for the common good". In my opinion, you would deal a lot more with people wanting to be in control or just having different ideas about everything. This has a whole "Roberts Rules of Order" feel. I just think post-collapse would be far messier and less rational. There would also also be more physical confrontation like fist fights. Just my opinion.

Overall, I like the book, it just needs more common conflict. If I were a prepper caught in that situation and Rich and Grant wanted to run everything, you bet I'd want more say in now things run. There would be those who wanted to run things by committee (hey, let's set up a committee for this that and everything). Those people would drive everyone nuts with their bureaucracy.

But, it is a good read.

[Heavy G]

Overall, I like the book, it just needs more common conflict.

There will be more conflict out at the Grange in Book Five and Book Six.  And the opening chapter of Book Seven is the full of conflict.

[PrepperJim]

There will be more conflict out at the Grange in Book Five and Book Six.  And the opening chapter of Book Seven is the full of conflict.

I want shooting and I want it now. What good are the AK's if they just stay strapped to your chest?? :-)

[Hootie]

just finished book 3...
love the way introduced Grant's sister... I would bet she makes an appearance later on in the series.

[Heavy G]

love the way introduced Grant's sister... I would bet she makes an appearance later on in the series.

Yep.  She's sprinkled in all the way through Book Ten and the Epilogue.  She gives you a really good sense of what the "Lima and lovin' it" people think.  ("Lima and lovin' it"?  What does that mean?  You'll see.  I don't actually use that full phrase, but you'll understand what the Lima are and why Grant's sister is lovin' it.)

[Chemsoldier]

In Chapter 73, Tom is exploring the trashed offices of WAB and pulls his Sig 9mm pistol.  When he does so he makes a point of verifying the safety is off as Grant taught him to do.  I am no Sig expert, but the 226, 228 and 229 models I have handled all have only a decocker on them.  None I have handled have a safety that can be "engaged" or verified to be off.  Is there a 9mm Sig I aint tracking?

It could be that Tom checked to see if the safety was off even though there was no safety, but it seems odd since Grant taught him to check this and Grant gave them limited instruction on their particular and identical Sig pistols.

[Absit]

In Chapter 73, Tom is exploring the trashed offices of WAB and pulls his Sig 9mm pistol.  When he does so he makes a point of verifying the safety is off as Grant taught him to do.  I am no Sig expert, but the 226, 228 and 229 models I have handled all have only a decocker on them.  None I have handled have a safety that can be "engaged" or verified to be off.  Is there a 9mm Sig I aint tracking?

It could be that Tom checked to see if the safety was off even though there was no safety, but it seems odd since Grant taught him to check this and Grant gave them limited instruction on their particular and identical Sig pistols.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that had to think hard on that one.  Without searching, I think the X5 (is that right?) may be single action only and have a safety in 9mm..maybe.  Do the plastic SIGs run a safety?

[Heavy G]

Good point, guys.  I didn't want to blow the flow of the scene by having to explain "decocking" to readers who didn't know what that was.  I try very hard to make the story "jargon-free."  For most readers, "safety" and "decocker" are the same thing.

Besides, from Tom's frame of reference as a new shooter, a decocker would be a "safety."

I'm a Glock guy and don't use manual safeties... or decockers.