Probably one of the cheesiest series of SHTF fiction to come out has got to have been the 'Survivalist' by Jerry Ahern, and it's zillion sequels. The first book was "Total War: Survivalist No. 1" (1981) and there were 28 other books in the series written (29 total, 27 numbered and 2 un-numbered).
Now, I thought the 'Survivalist' was kind of interesting when I read it, but even at the age of 14, after having read the first 3 books of the series (ok, I was bored and needed something else to read), I had pretty much figured out the obvious fact that the writer was a hack who didn't know jack sh^t about that which he wrote.
Yes, it took Jerry Ahern to make a series of novels cheesier than Mack Bolan. Ahern, IIRC, also wrote a gun leather and holster column for the gun rags.
American Survival Guide did a review of this series and said, "A series of novels about guns, nuclear war, survival, and shooting, by someone who knows nothing about guns, nuclear war, survival, and shooting."
The hero was John Thomas Rourke: steely jawed ex-CIA agent, absolute know it all 'gun expert' who made his living writing and lecturing about firearms. He was also a trained pilot and a graduate of medical school.
His weapon? A CAR-15, of course. He also carried a pair of custom Deutonics .45's and a Colt Python .357 Mag - all on him plus ammo and mags. He also carried an AG Russel 'Sting A1' dagger which he threw with absolute precision, always (threw it at a guy in the surf once, hit the dude in the chest, killing him instantly, shot some more opponents at the same time, and still managed to recover his 'Sting A1' in the process). He also had, strapped to the back of his Harley, a Steyr SSG sniper rifle.
He was always rapidly 'palming' a mag to reload, never missing a beat. Everyone else was always clumsy and inadequate, while he was just cool and as fast as lightning, seldom, if ever missing (don't need a whole lot of ammo if you don't miss). He was always able to resupply his ammo from the dead, caches, and other scavenged sources.
He never carried much other real gear though, 'survival' was all about guns and shooting and not a lot else. He was always able to 'scrounge' what he needed since so many people had died right off the bat and just conveniently left all of the stuff there for the picking.
The Survivalist series
The Survivalist #1: Total War
The Survivalist #2: The Nightmare Begins
The Survivalist #3: The Quest
The Survivalist #4: The Doomsayer
The Survivalist #5: The Web
The Survivalist #6: The Savage Horde
The Survivalist #7: The Prophet
The Survivalist #8: The End is Coming
The Survivalist #9: Earth Fire
The Survivalist #10: The Awakening
The Survivalist #11: The Reprisal
The Survivalist #12: The Rebellion
The Survivalist #13: Pursuit
The Survivalist #14: The Terror
The Survivalist #15: Overlord
The Survivalist: Mid-Wake
The Survivalist #16: The Arsenal
The Survivalist #17: The Ordeal
The Survivalist #18: The Struggle
The Survivalist #19: Final Rain
The Survivalist #20: Firestorm
The Survivalist #21: ...To End All War
The Survivalist: The Legend
The Survivalist #22: Brutal Conquest
The Survivalist #23: Call to Battle
The Survivalist #24: Blood Assassins
The Survivalist #25: War Mountain
The Survivalist #26: Countdown
The Survivalist #27: Death Watch
Now, I thought the 'Survivalist' was kind of interesting when I read it, but even at the age of 14, after having read the first 3 books of the series (ok, I was bored and needed something else to read), I had pretty much figured out the obvious fact that the writer was a hack who didn't know jack sh^t about that which he wrote.
Yes, it took Jerry Ahern to make a series of novels cheesier than Mack Bolan. Ahern, IIRC, also wrote a gun leather and holster column for the gun rags.
American Survival Guide did a review of this series and said, "A series of novels about guns, nuclear war, survival, and shooting, by someone who knows nothing about guns, nuclear war, survival, and shooting."
The hero was John Thomas Rourke: steely jawed ex-CIA agent, absolute know it all 'gun expert' who made his living writing and lecturing about firearms. He was also a trained pilot and a graduate of medical school.
His weapon? A CAR-15, of course. He also carried a pair of custom Deutonics .45's and a Colt Python .357 Mag - all on him plus ammo and mags. He also carried an AG Russel 'Sting A1' dagger which he threw with absolute precision, always (threw it at a guy in the surf once, hit the dude in the chest, killing him instantly, shot some more opponents at the same time, and still managed to recover his 'Sting A1' in the process). He also had, strapped to the back of his Harley, a Steyr SSG sniper rifle.
He was always rapidly 'palming' a mag to reload, never missing a beat. Everyone else was always clumsy and inadequate, while he was just cool and as fast as lightning, seldom, if ever missing (don't need a whole lot of ammo if you don't miss). He was always able to resupply his ammo from the dead, caches, and other scavenged sources.
He never carried much other real gear though, 'survival' was all about guns and shooting and not a lot else. He was always able to 'scrounge' what he needed since so many people had died right off the bat and just conveniently left all of the stuff there for the picking.
The Survivalist series
The Survivalist #1: Total War
The Survivalist #2: The Nightmare Begins
The Survivalist #3: The Quest
The Survivalist #4: The Doomsayer
The Survivalist #5: The Web
The Survivalist #6: The Savage Horde
The Survivalist #7: The Prophet
The Survivalist #8: The End is Coming
The Survivalist #9: Earth Fire
The Survivalist #10: The Awakening
The Survivalist #11: The Reprisal
The Survivalist #12: The Rebellion
The Survivalist #13: Pursuit
The Survivalist #14: The Terror
The Survivalist #15: Overlord
The Survivalist: Mid-Wake
The Survivalist #16: The Arsenal
The Survivalist #17: The Ordeal
The Survivalist #18: The Struggle
The Survivalist #19: Final Rain
The Survivalist #20: Firestorm
The Survivalist #21: ...To End All War
The Survivalist: The Legend
The Survivalist #22: Brutal Conquest
The Survivalist #23: Call to Battle
The Survivalist #24: Blood Assassins
The Survivalist #25: War Mountain
The Survivalist #26: Countdown
The Survivalist #27: Death Watch