Phoenix Rising: Firebase Freedom by William W. Johnstone
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I went from the first of the series to the second book, this one. The first was disappointing and hoped the second would get the story’s act together and get some teeth in it. It didn’t.

This one really stumbles in the inability of the writer(s) to put a good story together. There was clearly an end and a continuation of the series in mind. What wasn’t focused on was a feeling of care for characters or a depth of story to make the novel worth the time of the reader. Most of the writing just goes through the motions of getting the book done.

Before I started reading any Johnstone book the first of this year, i approached in fear this kind of book would be what I would run into. It very much wasn’t the case. Almost all of the other eleven books I’ve read this year by the Johnstone clan excel in character development and a want to read more about them. This book is the first that meets my fear. I really am surprised it took so long to find a Johnstone book so bad, but I figured I might eventually come across one.

The major problem is that so many characters wear the lone hero label and succeed at their task without hardly an obstacle. None even get hurt in their efforts. Where are those great scenes in the Mountain Man series or Home Invasion where not everyone survives or breaks a leg or takes a bullet?

The most unbelievable scene in all of the Johnstone books I’ve read so far involves a character that goes in to rescue someone in a top government area and runs into about as much trouble as breaking into an unlocked candy store in a desert.

The series goal is to show how Americans can get their country back. Basically this series treats the world as two islands: The ones who took over and the ones who want to bring the country back. It’s easy to ignore the rest of the world, but intellectually dishonest to believe there would be no repercussions to the actions of those who took over. There’s also the issue of how so many were enlisted to become soldiers of those who took over. Where did they come from? Why are they so prevalent in some areas and missing in others? None of this makes sense.

The overall writing is subpar. This book is written more in mind of a comic book than a novel. That’s not all that unusual in a Johnstone book, but it usually fits well into a strong story that’s also present. The writing also goes off on tangents in some areas, specifically of descriptions, then pulls back, such as the rescue scene mentioned above which could have been a real nail biter.

On a side note, i love the patriotic theme. There’s a ribbon of realization that comes over the characters that hey have something to fight for. I love that, but a writer could just as well written a treatise about patriotism.

I certainly am not giving up on the Johnstone clan based on a series book. Since January I’ve acquired more than fifty books of various series. I might even visit the third in this series down the road sometime. There are certainly better books ahead and I look forward to those.

Bottom line: I do not recommend this book.

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