Founders

A Novel of the Coming Collapse (Coming Collapse, Book 3)

By: James Wesley Rawles

Narrated by: Phil Gigante

Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

It’s the near future, and thanks to a perfect storm of reckless banking practices, hyperinflation, a stock market gone mad, and the negligence of our elected officials, the entire social, political, and economic infrastructure of America has collapsed. Chaos reigns in the streets, medical treatment is no longer available, and a silent coup has placed a dangerous group of men at the helm of a false government.

America’s fate is in the hands of those few individuals who have the survival skills, the faith, and the forethought to return this country to the state its founding fathers intended.

©2012 James Wesley, Rawles (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Buy the first two not this one

I wish they would have told me that this was just a crapy version of cliff notes to the first two books. My guess is Mr. Rawles needed an addition to his bunker so he pasted and clipped his way to this novel. Really you could not have any more detail? Why would you re-hash so much from the first two? Because it was already written and easy to do. Mr. Rawles you are better then that.

For the first time reader I will say buy the first two books they were OK, but then just re-read the first two and you have the third. I feel bad for his publisher he got hosed on the thrid book on the contract.

Love Patriots Hate this book HORRIBLE READER

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

First of all Patriots is one of my favorite books, and I read Rawles blog every day. Having said that...Survivors and Founders have been a real disappointment. The writing in this last book Founders was sub-par and the Narrator made it so much worse. His girl voice is laughable and I don't know how Phil Gigante has a job narrating books. By the way I lissen to about 5 books every month and have been for the last 3 years.....I know good narrators and this one sucks. As of right now I am 3/4 through the book and I will finish it because those credits will not be wasted... but yes this was a waste of a credit! I am so sorry to say this James but Really? who is your editor because they need to be fired.
Ok onto the story or lack thereof.....So many wasted pages of non interesting religious topics and half hearted hollow love stories, has made the book tedious to lissen to...and to rehash old stories from other books and use precious pages of your new book is such a waste. I guess what I was expecting from the title "Founders" was that I wanted a continuation of the first book...or at-least the same story from a different perspective. The book is mainly the boring parts of Patriots rehashed.
I am sorry James but I will have to pass on your next book until it is recommended to me by someone else who wants to risk wasting a credit.

Aloha and Mahalo

Copy and paste a thon

What disappointed you about Founders?

This was a book that seemingly used more repetitive story lines (line by line and word for word) from Patriots and Survivors than its own new material, The reading performance was okay if you overlook the mispronouncing of the words.
This was in my opinion a terrible job by Mr. Rawles
Even if this is a stand alone book, the author has to realize that it is going to be read (or listened to) by readers (or listeners) of his previous books.

Would you ever listen to anything by James Wesley, Rawles again?

Yes, but I won't after that if it is as poorly done as this book is

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Phil Gigante?

I would have stuck with Dick Hill, although his voice is a little annoying, he seems to mispronounce fewer words and I guess I just got used to him on the first three titles I listened to.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Founders?

I would have removed almost the entire narrative of the Leyton's as they nearly told their entire story during the debriefing at Todd Grey's house in Patriots.
I would lessen the descriptions of items...no one cares about this frequency or that frequency on a radio transmitter or model numbers for certain pieces of gear.
Nor do we need the street directions through TelAviv Israel that takes us to the beach??

Any additional comments?

I believe this to be an attempt by Mr. Rawles to get out another book out in a hurry, it's sad too, I liked the his first two books on this story line.

Don't waste your Credit!

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the first two books, but this installment was little more then a rehash of the first two. It reminded me of the 'B' Sci-Fi and Fantasy movies from the '80's....it got to the point where directors would just cut in fight scenes from other sci-fi movies they had done in the past.
I find it really irritating when an author builds up your trust on the first two books so that you will buy the third regardless if they put any effort into it or not.
Mr. Rawles, I appreciate everything you have done for the industry up to this point, but Sir, you have done us a disservice with this book.

Buy the first two, don't waste a credit on this one.

A Lesson Learned

Note to Self: First and foremost -- READ the reviews before you spend a credit or hard earned $$. This book is a stinker.

All the words and time spent preaching religion? What's up with that? There is very little story here and what there is is b o r i n g. I'm continuing to listen because - I spent the credit -

Lesson learned - Read the reviews and heed them.

Narration? Terrible - I made better girl voices when I was in High School - Phil, you need to perform on books with NO female voices. I just giggled when I heard your girl voice. Sorry - but you are getting paid to do this - right?

Next read? - Non Fiction or maybe lay back with a little John Sanford and Virgil Flowers.

Rehash of Patriots/Survivors, now with more Jesus.

Absolutely miserable.

Between the performance and the story, this is one of the worst books I have ever tried to listen to. Much of it is copied and pasted from the previous books (including the list of prohibited weapons by the Provisional Government -- which was ever so titillating the first time around).

Rawles has focused in on his target audience: fanatical members of the RPC that want to shoot anything that moves (with or without justification). He pushes his personal, religious, beliefs so far down the throats of his readers/listeners that he has probably committed a venial sin.

Do not, under any circumstance purchase this book. It is far worse than you can imagine. Seriously, the Left Behind series (including the bit where Jesus actually returrns to Earth) was better written and less heavy handed than this crap.

Should have just reread the first two

What disappointed you about Founders?

Nothing really new here. It just rehashed the first two books. I had really hoped for something new. Loved the first two but this one only developed one new character Ben. I just expected more action like Patriots.

Story is lacking. Performance is poor

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I was disappointed by Founders. After what I thought was a so-so book in Patriots, I thought the author knocked it out of the park with Survivors. This I feel is a significant step back. The first issue I have is that the main story throughout the book is of the Layton’s journey to their group’s retreat after an economic collapse. I knew this was the case coming in but the details of the journey just weren’t interesting and didn’t add much to the overall story of the three books. If you are reading this first (or second after Survivors which is the order I would suggest) I think it would be better but if you have already read Patriots it doesn’t seem to offer much to the overall story. Second the Author also seems to revert back to his lists to fill the pages. We get it, the government has banned every conceivable weapon you don’t have to make us read the entire list to get the point across. Same thing with the list of what the Layton’s are carrying or have left in their car. It just doesn’t add anything. Not adding to the story brings my to my last gripe. At the beginning of the book there is a ton of talk about religion. I don’t mind it and I’m not going to penalize the author for putting it in, but I will penalize him for putting it in where it doesn’t add anything to the story. He’ll spend tons of time talking about how their lives are guided by religion then skip over a decade of their life in the story. If you’re going to write a book about religion, write a book about religion. If you’re going to write a book about survivors in an economic collapse, write that. If you’re trying to combine the two please make sure that how you incorporate both, please have it add to the story.

Would you be willing to try another one of Phil Gigante’s performances?

No - every man sounded the same, and all the women sounded the same.

It's a christian book thinly veiled as a thriller.

Would you try another book from James Wesley, Rawles and/or Phil Gigante?

I have heard about this genre of books baed on the biblical interpretation of the coming of judgement day, but I mistook this book as a post-apocalypse novel, and I was stuck listening to stories of peoples prayer sessions, and their battle to be good christians in the face of turmoil.. Actually, during the listen (and I didn't get far) I had the novel feeling of rooting for the antagonists! I was thinking, "yes! the angry mob will get the fundamentalists this time!"

What do you think your next listen will be?

Something against religion.. maybe Freethinkers, by Susan Jacoby, or The End of Faith, by Sam Harris.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I should have been forewarned by looking closer at the author's name. Who puts a comma between their middle and last name? Like they are different thoughts that need separation? His middle and last name are clauses or adverbs, and just confused the reader when they were together? silly christians..

continued story line

Where does Founders rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The reader was better and the story was still good. He simply tells the side stories of other characters from the first book. It is still pleasurable and interesting.

I was concerned by the bad reviews but listened anyways and really liked it.
A

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

not really but its not that kinda story

Which scene was your favorite?

I liked the whole cross the country episode

Who was the most memorable character of Founders and why?

lead