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Frontier Justice (2013)

by Arthur T. Bradley(Favorite Author)

3.85 of 5 Votes: 1

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

Amazon Digital Services

series

The Survivalist

review 1: I've read a few of Dr. Bradley's non-fiction works and found them to be concise, informative, and generally very well-written. For a man with his professional pedigree, it should come as no surprise that he would engage such topics as disaster preparedness with a high level of expertise and communicate his vast knowledge in a very approachable manner. Indeed, with his experience as a NASA engineer, he has likely written tomes in the form of research papers and, given his status as an Army veteran, he could likely pen an equal amount regarding his military service.Making the leap from writing non-fiction to fiction can sometimes be a Sisyphean endeavor; the two require very different skill sets and employ a number of writing techniques that do not necessarily overlap. As su... morech, with Dr. Bradley's first fictional work, The Survivalist: Frontier Justice, he bridges the gap with aplomb and has produced an extremely enjoyable novel.The only comparison that I will draw between Dr. Bradley's disaster preparedness manuals and his fiction is this: both bear the hallmarks of a passionate, knowledgeable man eager to share his passion and wisdom and ultimately capable of doing both. Though The Survivalist: Frontier Justice is a work of fiction, some of Dr. Bradley's practical prepping advice sneaks its way in but it does so in a completely unobtrusive fashion. If one were not looking for or attuned to such topics then it would be possible that one would gloss right over the informative aspects of the book.As a first novel, The Survivalist: Frontier Justice is not without its faults. Dr. Bradley is clearly cutting his proverbial teeth here but I found that the negatives rarely interfered with my ability to enjoy the novel and, in a few cases, actually served to enhance my appreciation of it. In the interest of specificity, I'll enumerate what I found to be the sole sour notes for me and provide examples where applicable.Many of the metaphors and similes tend to ruin the flow of the writing with some seeming completely out of place. A few run far too long and wind up being distracting, especially when the pace of the plot has quickened. Here are a few examples:"...stared at the paper with the same horror that a frightened man might study a contract he had just signed in blood with a Crossroads Demon.""The man fell back against the church's massive door, leaving a trail of blood like mucus from a giant banana slug."Some come across as hokey or contrived:"He felt a powerful desire that had been bottled up longer than the fizz in Vernor's ginger ale."There is an occasional surfeit of detail that drags the pace down a bit, particularly when describing certain specific items (like firearms/mechanical devices) or conditions (like decomposition). This, like the similes, is something that will work itself out in future works but for The Survivalist: Frontier Justice, it did detract a bit from my overall enjoyment.To a lesser degree, there is also some repetition either in descriptors or events (rigor mortis is mentioned around a half dozen times or more). In reciting the protagonist's inner monologue, the narrator occasionally provides too many questions that cause the somber reflection of the moment to feel more like a laundry list of inquiries.Finally, the dialogue between two particular characters was very difficult to enjoy. It felt forced and, at times, unbelievable in the sense that most folks simply don't speak the way that these two characters were engaging one another. The short, brisk replies are visibly evident on the page but the truly troubling aspect--or at least the part I had the most difficult time believing--were the responses of the younger character. Precocity aside, eleven year olds simply do not speak or think the way that this particular character does and I found myself reading a little more quickly through these sections so that I could return to the excellent, engrossing story.Now, those negatives pale in comparison to the positives of The Survivalist: Frontier Justice. Despite revealing the hallmarks of a first-time fiction writer, Dr. Bradley belies a powerful grip on the single most important ability an author can have: the capability of crafting a gripping, engaging story. The characters are all extremely likeable and believable, the plot itself is wholly within the realm of possibility, and the pace is nearly perfect. Dr. Bradley segues seamlessly between story archs, serving to build the ever-mounting tension that exists between these plots as the overarching tale presses forward.Some have complained that either the book is too short or that there were loose threads that they felt should have been tied up by the end. On the contrary, I felt that it was perfect in length and the plot germs that were planted in this first book of The Survivalist series will undoubtedly be explored in greater detail and ultimately brought to fruition in later works. I also enjoyed the stellar illustrations that pepper the pages and feel like they were chosen carefully to heighten the emotion of certain scenes.Ultimately, Dr. Bradley writes with an easily approachable, engaging style and has crafted both an excellent cadre of characters and a tension-laden, nail-biting environment for them to interact in. Channeling some of the best works of the respective genres The Survivalist: Frontier Justice represents, it coalesces into one part post-apocalyptic action/horror a la Stephen King's "The Stand," one part spaghetti western like "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly," and, best of all, one part Arthur Bradley. The author's stamp is evident throughout the book whether it is with the technical accuracy of the mechanical/scientific aspects, the military components, or, of course, the survivalist/prepping sections. I highly recommend reading both this novel and any that follow down the road.
review 2: This story-line continued to build throughout the book and abounds with action. It’s easy to tell from the onset that Dr. Bradley understands the intricacies, horrors and ordeals of what it would be like to have to survive in a world on the brink of destruction. Throughout the book he cleverly intertwines action with plausible situations. All of the characters are both believable and very engaging. The main character is one bad hombre who, as I hope you will see by reading the book, carries the plot with grit and determination. And for dog lovers… all I will say is that you’ll fall in love with an adorable yet lethal fellow by the name of Bowie. What I loved most about The Survivalist is that, while it’s set in modern times, it has an old west feel. It pits good against evil and has a message of hope as its keystone. And if you love a well turned phrase you won’t be disappointed. You’ll find gems throughout like my favorite… "The smell of gunpowder and blood mingled like a graveyard aphrodisiac." I haven’t read any other books by Dr. Bradley but I plan on it now. My recommendation is that you should too. less

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