Out of the Ashes (Ashes, #1) by William W. Johnstone

Out of the Ashes (Ashes, #1) Reviews

• 
  Dale

  Out of the Ashes is about 2% post-apocalyptic men's adventure and 98% half-baked political utopian babbling.
  
  A secret army of rogue elements of the US military start a war between China and Russia. These are the good guys, the ones that kill billions of people. Ends up that they were somehow having their strings pulled by presidential candidate Logan Hilton, who is for some reason the bad guy for doing the same thing.
  
  Most of America is wiped out by nuclear and germ warfare. Veteran and genre fiction writer Ben Raines, an obvious stand-in for Johnstone, proceeds to travel around the country interviewing survivors to preserve the oral history of the nation. But mostly, he bangs liberal college girls less than half his age when he isn't patronizing them.
  
  He occasionally stops to toss a grenade at redneck militias, but there's a lot more sex than violence in the first part of the book, and way more Andy Rooney-ing. For a character that came of age in the 60s, Raines comes across a bitter old man, whining about rock music, the IRS, the FCC, and other trivialities that one would think would be overshadowed by having some 90% of the worlds population killed off.
  
  There is a smattering of action as Raines butts heads with KKK and neo-nazi groups, but these are just introduced so that Raines' normal level of 80s conservative racism seem acceptable in comparison. Raines is no bigot after all. He recognizes that not all black people spend their welfare money on defense lawyers so they can stay out of prison while raping white women, only a sizable percentage. Some are decent, well educated, and don't listen to black music (known in the US as "music"). Well, one is. And some of the mixed race women are actually attractive enough to sleep with, provided they don't look or act black. This is going to have to pass for open mindedness here.
  
  Back to the plot, eventually, and President Logan Hilton is trying to rebuild the country, forcing people to relocate and taking their guns. The deep south becomes New Africa, the KKK run portions of the midwest, and Raines heads off to start the tri-state empire of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming with the Rebels. You know, the ones that killed off most of the planet.
  
  I know I have to put up with a little political soapboxing with these things, but Out of the Ashes is almost 500 pages of naive drivel, with maybe twenty devoted to action. More baffling, there's like 34 more volumes in the series over the next twenty years.
  
  More reviews at
  Trash Menace.
• 
  W

  This counts more as a re-read than the first time, but essentially I am much older, wiser, more literate and hopefully more discerning than when I first read this, probably in late middle school shortly after it was originally published. I remember reading this and perhaps the first ten books before I moved on to other things in the years following.
  
  I hadn't thought much about it other then an occasional fond memory, nor had I known the series went on to 36 books so far. In addition, my interests have shifted back to post-apocalyptic stories to a degree, so I decided to pick it up and refresh my memory.
  
  The first comment I have to make, is my rating is based upon the premise of what the book is, which is a serial, rapidly written, old-style pulp fiction. 2-3 books released a year in some instances, combined with the fact that the author was also writing books in other genres. Anybody that expects this book to be literary genius is out of their own gourd.
  
  That said, it's amusing, its a quick read, and its fun. To some degree it is an analysis of 1970s and 1980s society, certainly from a conservative political perspective, and with a lot of utopian idealism thrown into the mix.
  
  This first book just sets the overall background for what is going to be the larger series, so if you read it alone, you are going to be left with a lot of questions, which should not be surprising since the author and publisher wants you to buy more books.
  
  The end of the modern world due to nuclear and biological warfare, followed by the attempt of groups within the United States to re-build their own society's, some based on cooperation, some on thuggery and brutality and anywhere in between.
  
  I think the book does speak to the fear that many people have about their government, about "the other" even within our own society, greed, lawlessness, and much more. It addresses, in short spurts anyway, the problems of a society that is split fairly evenly across pretty radical lines, and spouts anger at a society or system that allows 51% to dominate 49%, the growth of bureaucracy and massive government, debt, social ills, and much more.
  
  It is food for thought, even if you disagree with the "Solutions" inherent in the idealistic society that is built at the end of the work.
  
  All that said, keep reading, from memory, the other books will outrage most readers as well. In my opinion, a little outrage and confrontation of our own beliefs is a good thing.
• 
  Benjamin Thomas

  William W. Johnstone is best known for numerous western series as well as a brand name for his estate’s fiction factory. But he also wrote in several other genres in the 1980’s and 90’s including the 35 book post-apocalyptic “Ashes” series.
  
  “Out of the Ashes”, the first novel in the series, was released by Zebra in 1983. Ben Raines is a Vietnam veteran and mercenary now turned men’s adventure novelist. When a cadre of Washington politicians and generals decide the world needs to hit the reset button, they trick Russia and China into a nuclear war, which, of course spreads to the rest of the world. The world as we know it is gone but there are many survivors, including about 5,000 US militia that were in hiding waiting for these events to happen. Collectively, they are known as The Rebels and they want Ben Raines as their leader. Ben resists, preferring to tour the US, recording his findings in an attempt to chronicle what he finds for future generations, as well as hook up with women. But his voyage of discovery leads him to commit to leading The Rebels after all. They carve out what amounts to a new nation in the three-state region of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Ultimately, the new United States can’t stand the success of the new Tri-State and launches a full-out, and incredibly violent assault on them.
  
  I suspect that a reader’s enjoyment of this novel will be directly proportional to their political beliefs. Large portions of the book are devoted to pushing right-wing philosophies and, indeed, the Tri-State region is built as a sort of conservative socialist utopia that has no crime, no racism, no income inequality, etc. All liberals are bad guys, property rights are paramount, unions are outlawed, guns solve all problems…you get the idea. I can usually handle this in a novel, no matter what political agendas are being pushed, as long as it’s done logically and consistently. But here it was such a deluge, it really got in the way of the story. But even if all the political diatribes were peeled away, the novel would still suffer from inconsistent pacing, caricatures instead of characters, and a remarkably unbelievable plot. It’s like watching a movie that’s so bad, it’s fun.
• 
  Eric Compton

  William W. Johnstone was mired in a variety of genres in the 80's and 90's. While known mostly for multiple western series' the author created a long line of post-apocalyptic books called "Out of the Ashes". The series ran 35 books and was spun-off into one additional series called "The Last Rebel" that only managed one book release before Johnstone's passing. His son, J.A. Johnstone, doesn't seem to have any interest in continuing the series so for now it seems like it has come to a definitive end. Hallelujah!
  
  The first book of the series, aptly titled "Out of the Ashes", was released in 1983 by Zebra. I know, I know...the series does have its fans. I am not one of them. About halfway through this crock of shit I questioned my own sanity. I'm as right as rain when it comes to politics but this stuff is extremely right winged to the point of...well Hell I don't even know how it got published.
  
  Essentially this one doesn't fit the typical mold of barrel chested bravado with big guns and even bigger egos. Instead this is more politically driven and sees the end of the world as more of a "Risk" styled board game than the action vehicles like "The Last Ranger" or "Endworld". There is certainly nothing wrong with this and I'm glad it coaches from the sidelines, but I was hoping for more on the field play. Johnstone apparently felt that was not the intention or goal of the series so here we are. Bored to tears as some guy named Ben Raines manipulates North America. Let's discuss...
  
  The end of the world begins with a treacherous double-cross (or a triple cross?) that leads to a fun game of "you can't triple stamp a double stamp" played by a bunch of fearless Washington brass. The end comes with a series of dirty bomb nukes that wipes out most of the US cities. About 5,000 US militia were in hiding waiting for this move to come and they are known as "The Rebels" (so original). They want to see America become a sturdy right-winged government that throws out liberalism in favor of less government and more "lets pee off the front porch" freedom. That's cool. Whatever. But these rebels find that this was really just a trick by the new default president Logan, who wants military socialism in a nutshell. So they sort of quit and just await orders from an action author/alcoholic named Ben Raines. Huh? Something stinks in the backseat.
  
  Raines is a Vietnam veteran who was apparently really good at this combat stuff. He later went on to be a mercenary in Africa and did a lot of bang 'em. Afterwards he retired to Louisiana where he slouched on Scotch and wrote a bunch of pulp fiction. On launch day Raines ends up getting stung by yellow jackets and falls down with an allergic reaction. This saves him somehow from the dirty bomb attack on the US. When he wakes up several days later he realizes the end has arrived. What's he do next? He drives all over the country making notes and recording the end so future generations can read all about it. In his spare time...he chases female seat meat. I mean this dude gets hordes of leg. Like throwing rod with at least four to five different women. What does all this lead to? Ben finally decides to lead the rebels against the new government led by Logan. The last ten to fifteen pages has the most action as Ben's "Tri-States" region of resistance is decimated by the new US.
  
  Unlike Johnstone's western series', "Out of the Ashes" is extremely graphic. Think of David Alexander's porno streak and add torture. That's Johnstone throughout this book. Often it seems like the baddies are literally just running around with their dicks in their hand raping everything. I don't know how many gang rapes Johnstone throws at the reader but after pages and pages of it I was really unsettled. I can handle bits and pieces of that stuff if it contributes to character development or pushes the story. In this instance I think it was just there for shock value. I'm not a fan.
  
  "Out of the Ashes" or out of ideas. Johnstone misses badly.
• 
  Noodle The Naughty Night Owl

  "It has been written that there is nothing in the world more savage than the American fighting man."
  
  William W. Johnstone's Out of the Ashes was one very brutal and long diatribe. I picked this book up on impulse as I passed it on the shelf at the library. It seemed like a potentially good Dystopian Story - my latest craze.
  
  The world is completely and utterly destroyed by nuclear warfare and one man, Ben Raines, has what it takes to unite the people and fight for freedom in it's aftermath.
  
  Sounds good huh? And it did deliver on several levels, but not where it counted and it was totally pulled asunder by the lengthy and preachy right-wing underscore to the story itself.
  
  The first part of the book is taken up with the build up to the actual nuclear war which sees all the main players on the nuclear battlefield loose their heads completely and fire off every single nuclear warhead at every possible target and then some. Could this happen? I'd like to think not. At least not to this extraordinary length. It seemed like a bunch of toddlers spitting their dummies in unison. Hmmm.
  
  It was OK, but lengthy, and unfortunately an indication of what was to come. We only get to see Ben, our protagonist, briefly in this first part of the book. I just didn't get the feeling that this set up the story adequately, or maybe it did and I just lost the message in all of the copious pages of twaddle.
  
  The middle part of the book is the war and immediate aftermath. This is where your Dystopia fans will be happiest. Life is harsh and lonely and devastating. Gangs and looters abound and the baddies seem to make up most of the survivors. Cockroaches always survive a nuclear fall-out and all that.
  
  Ben survives, of course, but missed the actually war, waking up to an altered world and loneliness. This was nicely done, and perhaps the saving grace of the whole book. This and this alone, is why I bothered to read the book to fruition. If this hadn't have been so well put together, I don't think I would have bothered to wade through the rest of the lengthy and tedious spiel.
  
  Part three is where Ben unites his rebel army and builds a type of utopia, albeit a strictly controlled and intensely law abiding one. They have a period of peace and well being, having made it through the worst world war in mankind's history, they then have to battle a civil one against the newly formed American Government. This is where it turns unbelievably brutal.
  
  That's Brutal with a capital "B".
  
  Now I know war is not pretty, blah, blah, blah. But when so much effort is put in to describing it the way Johnstone has, I can't help feeling this author has an axe to grind. Everything about this book feels that way. From beginning to end I get the distinct impression that Johnstone wants us to listen and learn - or else.
  
  I recently reviewed a book that left me wanting more. More of my principles challenged, more of my beliefs tested and more of my world changed. I think I may have got that in spades with Out of the Ashes. Too much so.
  
  So, it's back to little old Fantasies and mildly Dystopic novels for me, but I will say one thing. If a book makes you think, really think for good or for bad, about what has been written, then it can't be all lacking, can it?
  
  What do I give this lengthy and often at times, over the top description of a post apocalyptic life in America?
  
  4/10: "Finished the book and it was OK" on the NBRS. I'm sorry, but even if this book did make me think, it was just too darn wordy and went on a round-a-bout speech-trip to Preachville for me.
• 
  Jim

  This is an apocalyptic novel set in the late 1980's. Instead of the Soviets fading away, the button is pushed & our hero roams post-apocalyptic America doing good. The only reason I give the book 2 stars is because I happen to believe most of the conservative philosophy behind the novel. Unfortunately, the plot & writing are atrocious. I got about halfway through (page 276 of the MMP edition) before I couldn't take it any more.
  
  I hadn't realized this was a series when I started reading it or I would have looked at it closer. It reminds me of the Executioner or Axler's novels. If you like that sort of thing, this would probably be right up your alley. I had my fill over 30 years ago, though.
• 
  Bryan457

  In a post apocalyptic world, Ben Raines helps put a "utopian" society together.
  
  I enjoyed this story. It had a lot of interesting ideas. Definitely a "men's adventure" though.
  
  Warning strong language, violence and sex.
• 
  Todd Sullivan

  Compelling terrible? Terribly compelling? It's hard to say exactly how I feel about this book except that it's bad. Bad bad bad bad bad. But, thankfully, entertainingly so.
  
  The end of the world is just the beginning for Ben Raines, former military man and now clearly the most famous writer in the world (seriously, everywhere he goes he runs into someone who's read some if not all of his books). Raines is not only the hero, but also a pretty spectacular author stand-up, which means that he's an ass-kicking baddass who gets all the ladies wet in the britches. Oh, and did I mention he was a great writer? Because he totally is.
  
  Unfortunately, after the war the world doesn't need a great writer. The world needs someone to step in and right all the wrongs that were made by those damn liberals. And those other government types too. So Ben, after finding himself in charge of a nation-wide army of rebels, pulls his forces to the west to create a utopia called The Tri-States where he manages to eradicate crime, poverty, hunger, sickness, lawyers, and anything else that displeases him. Strangely, there isn't much time spent discussing how this is accomplished, beyond a dependence on a return to good old fashioned family values.
  
  Unfortunately for Ben and the citizens of the Tri-States, the rest of the country (mostly those damn liberals) aren't too keen on how he's set up shop and after a bloody, costly battle, Raines and his handful of survivors are forced to abandon the Tri-States. But they will never abandon their dreams. Or something like that.
• 
  Ron Davis

  A classic post apocalypse America novel from a conservative POV. I enjoyed as a youth and reading it again 20 years later it was interesting. Still pretty much a modern pulp novel, but some of the early 80s fears seem strange. Maybe its just me, but I don't see a race war on the horizon.
  
  Also looking at the Tri-states as presented here I realized just how non-liberatarian it was. Actually a little totalitarian in its own way.
  
  So not as cool as it was an adolescent, but still an interesting book.
• 
  John Karr

  enjoyed it
• 
  Brian

  Exceptional
• 
  Daniel Vassily

  An interesting Conservative/Libertarian end of the world series.
• 
  Rocco

  I bought the entire series at a library sale for $10. I read the reviews before reading book 1 and was a bit worried going into the series. I must say, I found the book to be very enjoyable. I'm surprised to see how many people get offended by the language in the book! The book is not "racist" as many people try and portray this book. In fact, it's quite the opposite. The main character Ben Raines, is fighting to create a United States that does not see color. I think many readers are who are reviewing this book poorly, do not agree politically with the author, and therefore are becoming tainted in their review.
  
  The book is VERY enjoyable in the beginning. The story starts before the nuclear fallout, and the twist and turns to start the book off was exciting. Then you move into the wasteland and the search for survivors. Then ultimately the climax and ending. Where I will agree with the negative reviews of this book for being "preachy"to a degree. Near the end of the book, we are welcomed into Ben Raines new America or "The Tri States" as they call it.
  
  The Tri States have their own laws and beliefs (this is where many readers tend to get upset and let their political beliefs interfere with their review) and the book spends A LOT of time telling us about them. I honestly wasn't bother in the slightest about their new laws, and I thought the concept was very interesting. HOWEVER; it drags on way longer than it needs to. Johnstone could have eased up here and probably cut the book down about 50-75 pages.
  
  SLIGHT SPOILER:
  Besides this one section of the book, the only other complaint I have with the story would be the death of some main villains. We are introduced to a few different villains, and Johnstone builds us up to believe there is going to be a large shootout and some action. Instead, we hear of their demise in passing.
  
  Other than that, I really enjoyed the book. The ending is great and plays out like an action movie. In fact, I was hoping for more action in this series, similar to other books of this time and gerne, i.e. the Rat Bastard. I'm curious to see where storyline goes from here. There are 34 or 35 books, so the story must have some wild twist and turns!
• 
  Michael Malver

  When men were chauvinists and women who have degrees quickly disappeared from the page shortly after stating their bona fides (perhaps they appear in later books.)
  I was looking for something to read that wouldn’t take much thought, and this book fit the bill. It is interesting how consistent Republican philosophy seems to have stayed over the past 40 years. I like the grittiness of the book, but the characters feel shallow compared to something like one second after.
  I like the way the book loosely basis itself on a Travelog, and look forward to seeing what happens as the series progressives. I don’t think I will have the patients to make it through all 30 some books, but on a day when I am not particularly feeling well, and I’m waxing nostalgic for the sort of apocalyptic fiction I occasionally enjoy (1 second after, alas Babylon, The stand, Canticle for Leibowitz, and the passage, this book scratches in itch.
  
  
• 
  Terri Pray

  More of a 3.5 than a 4. Story is decent, but it is a product of its time, with more than a few characters I wanted to kill, but thankfully they weren't on the side of the 'hero'. It does show, clearly, how when the world crumbles (be it on a small or large scale) those who hate others based on gender, skin color, and sexuality, waste no time in claiming their spot in the world.
  
  Which did make for some uncomfortable moments during the read.
  
  Fans of gun rights might enjoy this book, and likely the series as a whole.
  As a PA fan, I'll dig out the rest and work my way through the series.
• 
  Jimmy Avid reader of all things entertaining and insight

  I don’t have much experience reading William W. Johnstone, but if this book is any indication of his writing style, I think I’ll take a pass on his other books. Too much needless profanity, graphic sex, and not enough ACTION! The action that was presented in this book was too much “tell” and not enough “show”. I don’t want to hear about what happened. I want to see it played out and not in generic summaries that make room for endless explanations on how the “new government” is going to be set up. If you’re going to write an action mens adventure novel, then you darn well better make it actipn packed. This dreck of a novel was definitely not that.
• 
  Nancy

  DNF at 37%
  
  I’m a huge dystopian/apocalypse fan, but the main character is too one-dimensional, flat. The author’s conservatism didn’t bother me. His racist POV did.
  
  The writing was painful to read. Dialogue was not tight — rather than using it to reveal character, the author rambled without advancing the story. Action scenes were far briefer and overly spare on detail than they should have been.
  
  I was surprised to learn this is not the author’s first novel. Through that lens, I would be more forgiving of the book’s shortcomings. But I would expect more of a seasoned writer.
• 
  Jon S Haas

  Excellent Read, Great Story. Could it be prescient?
  
  I am, admittedly, a reader of dystopian fiction and I enjoy it. Not that I'm looking forward to the SHTF, but am expecting it eventually. Our current political climate begs to be taken down and built from scratch. This book is a very practical view of potential future events. It is also very readable fiction that involves you in the characters and storyline immediately and throughout such that it's difficult to put the book down. I highly recommend this whole series.
• 
  Henry Brown

  I like the post-apocalyptic genre. Like reading, watching, and writing in it. Unfortunately, a lot of it is pap. After hearing much word-of-mouth about Johnstone and his "tri-states philosophy," I hoped this would be one of the better flagships for the genre.
  
  The nuclear war is triggered by a coup-gone-wrong involving rogue military hawks (think Jack T. Ripper with scads of accomplices). Ben Raines survives the dirty bomb holocaust, as do many others...inexplicably. He begins touring the ravaged southeastern region, intending to document the nuclear devastation for a memoir, but is unwittingly crowned the leader of a new resistance movement. Idaho, Montana and Wyoming become his empire. But he and his followers are headed for a showdown with the other 47 states.
  
  The opening act was rather tedious to wade through. I suppose the convoluted, improbable conspiracy plot was supposed to rivet me to the pages with suspenseful intrigue as it unfolded, but I really wanted to just skim. Once the missiles struck home, and we got into Ben Raines' point-of-view, it was smoother going.
  
  If Johnstone ever explained why some people survived the radiation and some didn't, I missed it. I thought it rather unrealistic that electricity was still on for so long after a nuclear strike, and that Raines never had trouble finding gas for his vehicles. There is some mention of looting, I think, but our hero never had any trouble finding weapons, ammo, gear, food or clean water. Also, just like Captain Kirk, women threw themselves at him pretty much everywhere he went. Nubile, supermodel-looking women, of course who "didn't like sleeping alone." All but twice, though, Raines and his current squeeze intuitively sensed that their affair would only be casual and temporary...and that was just okie-dokie with both parties. Such is to be expected from the genre, I suppose.
  
  I can go on nit-picking for a while, but I'll try to limit my exclamations of disbelief to just two more elements:
  
  1) His dialog is just outright painful in many places. I have come to expect this problem with inexperienced/immature (yet passionate) writers, but am REALLY annoyed when I see a successful, traditionally published author...of a popular series, no less...getting away with it. How did this ever get published as is?
  
  2) Raines is a Vietnam veteran from a super-secret elite unit which, I guess, would supposedly surpass Delta Force. But at the story's inception he is an alcoholic novelist. Almost everyone he encounters has heard of him, and read his books. And everyone is convinced he is destined to be the savior who unites freedom-loving folks and builds a utopia out of the ashes. Evidently his greatness is plain for everyone to see--everyone but his humble self. He ignores the pleas for his elevation to leadership, but is finally drug to his destiny, kicking and screaming (OK, perhaps I exagerate a wee bit). His greatness is so powerful as to inspire slavish, blind devotion in all the good guys he encounters. Apparently his alcohol-heavy diet and lethargic lifestyle have kept him in supreme fighting condition, too. I don't have a PHD in Group Dynamics or anything like that, but I've studied history, observed the surrounding culture, and worked in/with conglomerations of human beings both in military and civilian contexts. Unless God himself elevated someone like Ben Raines to power (as He did with King Saul and David), that person would never reach the peak of any leadership ladder. People who rise to power...even in regulated structures...are shameless self-promoters; supremely confident in their own abilities (no matter how undeserved that confidence is); "type A" personalities; charismatic; ambitious; control freaks; opportunistic; remorseless; proactive and outgoing. They usually aren't the best choice for leadership, and many times are the worst. But they will beat somebody like Ben Raines in an election, mob takeover or popularity contest (which is what such things turn out to be, beneath the surface, anyway) every single time. It doesn't matter how many dead military officers have endorsed you, or even if the majority of the mob thinks you're the smartest guy with the perfect plan. The guy with the magic mouth and the zealous conviction that he is the best possible man for the job will climb higher and faster. I've taken pains so far not to be harsh or personally insulting to Mr. Johnstone, but this reluctant savior routine reeks of a misfit writer's closet egomania.
  
  Up to now, I've also avoided commenting on the author's political ideas, which he unabashedly rams down the reader's throat throughout the novel. I won't discuss them in detail, because they're at least as convoluted as his expository chapters. But even while preaching racial equality, Johnstone strikes me as a bigot. He also takes periodic jabs at his Religious Right Boogeymen, denouncing the cult of personality embraced by their respective sycophants (kinda like what I touched on above). Meanwhile, his own cult of personality is the driving force behind the Tri-States kingdom. Hypocritical IMO. And while pontificating on his love of freedom, Johnstone/Raines build a utopia which is, in most respects, a totalitarian regime. So while I see all the problems in the USA that Johnstone saw, our viewpoint on feasible solutions are often radically different.
  
  Plot, character(s), dialog, realism and (IMO) political savvy in Out of the Ashes is seriously flawed.
• 
  Michael A.Blackford

  Enjoyed it!
  
  A friend at work mentioned this series to me in passing so I decided to give it a read. Yes it's dated and gets a bit preachy now and again, but holy cow what a punchline. I give it a solid 4 stars based on the previous statement. It was a fun ride and if you enjoy post apocalyptic, rebuild the world, kick some bad guy butt kind of tales then you might dig this one. I'm on to book 2.