With Liberty’s Last Stand, Stephen Coonts has delivered the most provocative, politically incorrect book I’ve ever read…and I loved every single page!
When the United States President, Barry Soetoro, decides he doesn’t want to leave office, even though his two terms are up, he takes a play out of Winston Churchill’s playbook, acting upon the famous quote:”Never let a good crisis go to waste.”
After several successful terrorist attacks on American soil, President Soetoro stuns the world by declaring martial law. In a speech made to the American people, the president also announces that he’s sending Congress home and shutting down the court systems.
Additionally, the media, for the time being, will be censored as the FBI works to track down any terrorists and stop any additional attacks. Oh, and the upcoming election, well, forget about it. That’s been suspended as well.
Soetoro, though, is just getting started. He then rounds up all of his political adversaries, along with anyone who speaks out against his actions or questions his methods (namely conservative talk radio hosts, as both Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh are mentioned), and has them all taken to concentration camps. Also rounded up are citizens’ guns, no exceptions.
Suddenly, America is no longer a free country as Soetoro trades in the presidency for a dictatorship, and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Well, at least not until one state rises up and defies Soetoro in every way imaginable.
When the Governor of Texas decides he’s had enough and is thoroughly convinced that his state could thrive on its own, separate from the other forty-nine states, he holds a vote. Turns out the people of the great Lone Star State agree with their governor, and Texas opts to secede from the United States.
A new constitution is written, heavily mirroring the original U.S. Constitution, and the Republic of Texas is born. Soetoro, upon hearing the news, is furious.
As the people of Texas scramble to unify and develop a plan of defense, knowing full well that Soetoro is going to unleash the power of the United States military on them, Tommy Carmellini is frantically trying to figure out how to break his friend and mentor, ex-CIA Director Jake Grafton (who was rounded up with other conservatives), out of one of Soetoro’s maximum security camps.
The two plot lines, which are equally thrilling, are brilliantly woven together and masterfully crafted to make Liberty’s Last Stand certifiably un-put-downable. Coonts isn’t playing around with this politically-charged thriller, and he absolutely crushed it.
Throw out whatever ingredient you crave the most in a thriller, and Coonts nailed it.
Tension? Imagine the newly formed Republic of Texas military preparing themselves psychologically to kill American warriors (and vice versa) who, just days ago, were their fellow countrymen.
Action? It’s nonstop from the first page to the last. From a pissed off rancher who takes on illegal smugglers using his land to bring drugs into America, to an all-out second Civil War, Coonts brings the heat in a big way.
Suspense? Without spoiling anything, the last two hundred pages are especially intense. Trust me, you’ll be racing to see how this one ends.
Basically, whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it here, including some humor sprinkled in throughout. Heck, even the style in which Coonts pieces the chapters together is well done, making the story play out like a movie as the narrative switches between characters and the plot unfolds.
In the end, this is a thought-provoking thriller about a group of heroes who challenge a corrupt government and refuse to blindly follow along as their rights are forcibly stripped away.
When liberty is threatened, few will stand up and fight to keep their freedom. Set in the modern day, America is no stranger to fighting wars–but she’s never been in one quite like this.
My Thoughts
Obviously, this book isn’t going to be for everyone. While the protagonists are all conservative, right-winged individuals, the chief bad guy is a democratic president who’s on a power trip unlike anything America has ever seen. For that reason, I can see people either completely loving this book or absolutely hating it, with little middle ground in between.
I found the plot fascinating, as if Coonts took all of the major, hot-button political issues and threw them all into a blender before hitting the “mix” button. And while the PC crowd will likely suffer an aneurysm reading this, I was captivated by it and didn’t want it to end.
If you’re sensitive to reading stuff that differs from your political beliefs and ideology, then I’d suggest picking up a different book this summer. But if you’re open-minded and on the hunt for a great political thriller, few are better than Liberty’s Last Stand.
Book Details
Note: While both Jake Grafton and Tommy Carmellini, Coonts’ best-known series characters, are present here (Carmellini has more screen time), neither completely steals the show. This was obviously written to highlight a great ensemble cast, and the story is mostly driven by new characters.
Author: Stephen Coonts
Pages: 544 (Hardcover)
Publisher: Regnery Publishing
Release Date: June 12, 2016 (Order now!)