Scout by Octavio Ramos Jr.

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Scout by Octavio Ramos Jr.
pub: Renaissance E Books. ISBN 1-58873-146-4. For information contact: Renaissance E Books, PO Box 1432, Northampton, MA 01060, USA.

check out website: www.renebooks.com

A post-apocalypse novel but removed from the nuclear exchanges of the former east/west conflict, we now have the aftermath of a war between the Middle East and the United States of America.

Set in a future only a few years hence, the scenario is that soldiers from the Middle East (country unspecified) have invaded America, ruining the country with chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

Scout by Octavio Ramos Jr. Three centres of civilisation still exist - New York, Texas and Washington State. It's the job of the Scouts to help people reach these areas.

Miguel Santana is the hero in this novel. An ordinary guy before the hostilities broke out, he now struggles in the New Mexico countryside for survival. Mutant soldiers, zombies, marauders, vicious animals and insects are all there to make sure he doesn't survive.

It's a grim battle. Action scenes are well thought out and precise, almost choreographed, leaving the reader in no doubt as to what is actually happening. This is a good point about the book. Descriptions are very realistic.

Santana meets up with Zozobra, a middle-aged American Indian. This man is wise to the ways of the world and guides the younger man in actions and deeds. We discover the Indian is a Scout. He will help Santana to become a Scout, too, and will also educate him further on survival matters.

Science Fiction is often concerned with the exploration of other worlds but in many cases we don't have to leave the planet to do this. When reading this book, it struck home that an immense culture gap existed between Britain/Europe and some parts of the United States.

This gap relates mainly to gun culture. With the possible exception of those in the armed forces, most people here probably haven't handled a gun at any time in their life. Given a gun, we wouldn't know what to do with it, beyond the obvious point and shoot, of course.

The United States, according to Britain's point of view, is gun crazy. It's not just guns but every other conceivable weapon, too. Why is this the case? Has it something to do with history and the fight for survival?

Is it simply a culture that has developed with time and availability? Are Americans more fearful than the British? These questions, difficult as they are to answer, point to a significant difference in the cultures of America and Europe.

Here are four consecutive paragraphs from 'Scout' which illustrate this point.

‘A twelve-gauge Remington 870 Magnum took center stage, flanked by two .45-caliber handguns, a .22-caliber Beretta, a spear, and a hatchet. These were weapons of survival, Santana thought, although they held more of a fascination to him than he cared to admit. He figured guns were still plentiful in some areas. In fact, he had found weapons in many gullies and canyons, most likely brought in by zombies.

‘Guns were plentiful, but ammunition was not.

‘The shotgun held 10 shells, the .45s three full magazines each, and the .22 one full magazine and one half magazine. In other words, Santana was extremely low on ammo.

He had often searched for ammunition during hunts, and although he found many pistols and rifles, only on several occasions did he find bullets. When he did find them, they were either worthless (wet, rusted, or damaged) or useless (machine-gun rounds or foreign calibers - mostly from the Middle East).

‘He picked up the Detonics first, popped its magazine out, pulled the slide so that the first locking mechanism lined with the release, pushed a gray button on the other side, and unhooked the slide. He brushed then wiped everything clean.

He did the same to the Colt Gold Cup, Series 70. The Beretta was a little different. He pushed the barrel forward, fully cocked the hammer, retracted the slide about one-eighth of an inch, then lifted it above the frame's barrel hinge. He had one bottle of oil left, so he was careful to soak a rag with several drops and oil all the weapons at once.

Often he fantasized about going into Los Alamos and raiding "The Sports Bag" or "Los Alamos Case and Cartridge" for supplies, but the screams that often echoed at the border of the Jemez were enough to keep him from making the journey. Most likely brigands, zombies, or something worse wandered the town. Even if the place was abandoned, there probably was nothing left to pilfer.

‘The cassette clicked to a stop, and rather than listen to other side - a Jim Starlin talk show that dealt with gun control - Santana decided it was time to go outside. He loaded the Beretta with a magazine filled with long-rifle rounds. In the barrel, however, he inserted a precious hollow-point stinger.

‘He loaded the small Detonics with two Hydra Shocks and four silver-tipped hollow points, the Colt with some cheap hardball. He then reached over a small rock and retrieved a double shoulder holster, which he put on his bronze skin. The Beretta went into his right moccasin and the hatchet he strapped to his right thigh.’

This detailed fascination for weapons and guns is continued throughout the novel. Maybe this would be of immense interest to someone with a similar devotion to guns but otherwise there is a tendency here to leave the reader cold.

Is it also the case that there are people in the United States sitting on top of mini-arsenals itching for the chance to use them? Do some secretly wish for an invasion of communists, Middle-Easterners or aliens if only for an opportunity to get shooting?

Gun crime is a big problem in the USA but, given the amount of guns floating about, it should probably be a bigger problem than it is. 'Scout', while about guns and their use, doesn't excessively glorify them and it is only to be hoped that we never end up in such a horrible scenario where their use is essential for survival.

Concerning the scenario given in 'Scout', I have great difficulty in believing it to be even a remote possibility. There is no way for Middle-Eastern countries, even if united, to mount a successful invasion of the United States. Even if they had the desire to do so, the means aren't there and the logistics would be impossible.

Let's just imagine for a moment a few boat loads of fanatics trying to get from the Gulf, across the Atlantic, to land anywhere along the east coast of America. They'd have no air support, no heavy weapons and probably little morale. A watery grave their reward, not one American would have died in destroying the invasion.

Many e-books are available today. While the above wouldn't be suitable for everyone, it has a niche where it may be successful. If you are into post-apocalypse and weapons, this may be for you.

Rod MacDonald

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