John Gilstrap

Blue Fire by John Gilstrap
Victoria Emmerson #2

Apocalyptic dystopian world book two reminded me that human beings are really just animals…some animals are much nicer than others and so are some humans. In book one the world changed drastically. Some people ended up in a bunker set up by the government, some ended up dying almost immediately, and some ended up doing their best to survive. Some humans became opportunists and predators, some became the prey, and some worked together to try to show more stay safe and create communities that would sustain and survive. This book continues the tale of the Emmerson family with snippets about how those in the bunker are faring…and it kept my interest from first page to last.

What I liked:
* Returning to Ortho to see how Victoria Emmerson, two of her sons, and the rest of the community were doing
* Finding out how Adam Emmerson and his partner, Emma, were doing
* Thinking about what it would be like to be in the shoes of various people in the story
* Wondering what I could contribute to a group trying to survive…which work detail I would be able to assist (there would probably be more than one)
* Watching how the group in Ortho began to create a sense of community and how capitalism came into play
* The real feel and believability of the story
* Thinking about why some would prefer to work together while others would feel the opposite
* Comparing this story to those of the same genre that I read decades ago…the first few books written by Wyndham were in my father’s library and made a huge impact
* That even those who were “good” sometimes had to do “bad” things
* Thinking about how government, community, laws and such would change
* Considering what skills would be essential in a world so changed
* Thinking about the impact such a situation would have on people – all ages and societal levels of people
* Thinking about what would and would not have “value” in a world changed so much
* The plot, writing, character development, and continuation of the story
* Wondering how many books there will be in the series – there is at least one more – White Smoke – have to wait a year for it to be published, though.

What I didn’t like:
* Exactly who and what I was meant not to like
* Knowing I have to wait a year to read what happens next

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars show less

Crimson Phoenix by John Gilstrap
Victoria Emerson #1

I started reading and could not stop and after reading the first few pages I contacted my sister by email telling her to look for this book in her lending library, sent her the book description, and since it was not listed, she requested they purchase it. I read her email response and kept reading until the wee hours of the morning and then tried to sleep although I first looked to see how soon book two in the series might be coming out. I show more never did find that information but know I will be reading it when it is published.

What I liked:
* Victoria “Vicky” Emerson: strong, independent, resourceful, tough, leader, intelligent, mother, and more. I am eager to see what she will do in book two.
* Vicky’s sons: Adam, Caleb, and Luke. Need to know more about this trio of intriguing young men.
* Major Joe McCrae: professional, dedicated, loyal, strong, capable, interesting.
* 1st Lieutenant Paul Copley
* The three threads of the story: The political group in the bunker, Adam and his girlfriend, and Vicky with her two younger sons and the two military men.
* The dystopian world created by a scenario I hope never occurs in real time.
* The plot and writing
* The pace and action.
* The character development
* That I felt I was there, and all senses were engaged.
* Thinking about what I would do if in a similar situation.
* Being reminded of books by Wyndham, Shute, and others borrowed long ago from my father’s library.
* The gritty feel of it – no sugar coating – tough decisions made.
* The concentric circles theory and how it applied to the situation.
* The Vicky had prepared her sons so well.
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:
* The Grubbs Gang
* More than one of the politicians
* The group overseeing the bunker
* Having to wait for the next book.

Did I like this book? Definitely!
Would I read more in this series? As soon as possible!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars show less

Usual John Gilstrap frenetic pace which leaves no time to pick holes in the plotting. A new terrorist group appears on the scene in the US which appears to be the "standard" middle-eastern or Asian religious fundamentalists. Jonathan Grave gets dragged into their fight when he sees one of them shooting innocent drivers on a Washington Bridge and almost kills them, then discovers one of his former military buddies has had his wife and son kidnapped by them during their escape. show more

***Spoiler***
Shows what a powerful combination US religious fundamentalism and lax gun controls can produce, as we've seen with Waco and similar incidents... show less

I love books that have anything to do with man versus nature, survival stories. Therefore it was not surprise that I really enjoyed Scott Free by John Gilstrap. The story revolves around Scott, a sixteen year old boy who survives the crash of a small plane in the wilderness. It is winter, during a storm in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah.

So I settled down to enjoy the story of the boy who build himself a shelter in the freezing cold, fought off wolves and eventually realized that the search show more planes were too far away to find him and then he would have to try and walk out of the wilderness if he wanted to survive.

But this story is more than just a survival story. It turned into a genuine thriller with the introduction of side stories involving the President of the USA, hired killers and murder. Tension builds as Scott finds a cabin but falls into the hands of a man that we are not sure is a good guy or a bad one.

Good story, interesting characters, excellent suspense building, for me this was a book that fired on all cylinders and I enjoyed it immensely. show less