ISIS: William Forstchen Writes ‘Day Of Wrath’ As Warning Of Terror Attack In America
ISIS is the wealthiest and most violent terrorist group on the planet – but the jihadists are just a Middle East problem, right? The militant Islamic group promised to one day come to America and embark a wave of terror that will make Osama bin Laden’s airplane attacks look like child’s play. ISIS, or ISIL as they were formerly called, has done nothing so far to indicate that the group does not make good on its threats.
The Muslim terrorist group has proven very adept at utilizing social media to share with the world the depths of their depravity. Texas Governor Rick Perry and the U.S. Border Patrol have warned that the unsecure border with Mexico has allowed not just “unaccompanied children” to come across, but individuals from the Middle East as well. For every person captured by the dedicated men and women attempting to monitor the border, at least one potential terrorist could have simply walked onto American soil and disappeared.
Ironically, while writing this article, a newscast playing in the background announced new concerns about young men from terror states walking across the Texas border. The Border Patrol officials interviewed noted that Korans and other Islamic items have been found dropped in the brush as individuals fled from the agents. The breaking news segment which followed the first ISIS announcement featured Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and a Pentagon official echoing basically the same warnings as Rick Perry – America needs to understand and prepare for the ISIS threats.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr, multiple Senators released excerpts from a government report which revealed that approximately 100 ISIS members have been tracked into the United States and Europe. The pain and anguish 100 men armed with machetes could inflict upon unsuspecting Americans at “soft targets” is nearly upsetting to ponder. But, bestselling author Dr. William R. Forstchen did more than ponder the idea of an ISIS attack in the United States, he wrote an ebook novella to serve as both a warning and a call to action for his fellow citizens and elected officials. Forstchen, who has testified before Congress in the past, published his book several days prior to the beheading of American journalist James Foley. It took the horrific tragedy for Obama administration officials to finally address the very real dangers the terrorist group poses to citizens both at home and abroad.
Day of Wrath is not only perhaps the best political fiction book I have ever opened, but the most difficult read. Readers will want to hide their eyes behind a blanket to avoid learning what happens next – just like we all did as children when watching a scary movie. What makes Dies Irae: Day of Wrath far more terrifying than a Halloween or Texas Chainsaw Massacre flick, is how quickly you realize that the horrors depicted on the page could become breaking news alerts.
The writing is superb. Forstchen used exactly the right amount of detail to make the words leap from the page and paint an image in your mind. Just as photos I saw when searching a Twitter feed for an ISIS image to use in an article about captive Yazidi women are permanently seared in my memory, you will never be able to “un-see” the images your mind will store as you maneuver through the pages of Day of Wrath.
Dr. Forstchen warns readers about what to expect if they choose to venture beyond the foreword. As with Forstchen’s past best sellers, the fiction is based upon facts and steeped in cold, hard reality. When talking with William Forstchen, he had voiced hopes for a relaxing summer after finishing a much awaited sequel to his bestseller, One Second After. But a conversation about current events with friends turned into a prodding to write about the threats posed by ISIS – and to do it quickly.
Day of Wrath was published only in the ebook format for the sake of expediency. The intelligent and kind-hearted professor did not want to dally and have a book designed to serve as a warning lingering on an editor’s desk while the tragic events described in the book come to pass. While speaking with William Forstchen about Day of Wrath, he said it was as difficult for him to write as it was for me (and surely everyone else who spent $3.99 for the ebook) to read.
What pushed Forstchen onward appears to be a deeply-felt sense of responsibility and duty. “I was afraid that if I did not write this book, and choose the ebook format so it was available quickly, what was intended as a warning, would quite simply, come too late,” the renowned researcher and author said. “I had to take a break when writing Day of Wrath several times, it was a deeply emotional experience for me as well. It was difficult to complete, but was too important of a project not to finish,” Forstchen also said.
Those of us who worked somewhere with a television or were at home when the 9/11 attacks occurred can surely still recall in great detail both what we saw and felt that tragic day. While reading Bill Forstchen’s Day of Wrath, those same visceral reactions occur – perhaps felt even a bit more intensely. Before 9/11, the idea of a terrorism attack on American soil seemed like crazy talk, we were living blissfully unaware of how our nation could be changed forever in just a few short hours. We were in shock during the morning hours that September day, but now we have a point of reference. We felt the emotional pain of that day collectively as a nation, regardless of how far away we lived form New York, Pennsylvania, or Washington. In Forstchen’s Day of Wrath scenario, the ISIS terrorist successfully inflicts pain a lot closer to home for millions of Americans.
The soft targets the ISIS terrorists choose are schools and highways. A small group of well-armed and well-trained terrorists eager to reach paradise, fan out across the country away from major cities before unleashing their fury. The timed attacks put the entire nation in a panic. Not everyone flies, but nearly all Americans are parents, grandparents, or travel along the roadway everyday for work. Once news of the ISIS attacks begin in Day of Wrath, a sense of paralyzation quickly evolves for all those who are not running in a blind panic to the local school.
The anxiety and excruciating fear parents experience as they rush to their child’s school, hoping their building is not a part of the coordinated attack, nearly rips the heart out of the reader’s chest. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the back patting some school officials have done after deciding campus officers can keep AR-15s in their trunks, would do no good against an ISIS attack as described by Forstchen. The terrorists are very internet savvy and likely know exactly which school have semi-automatic weapons, and where they are kept. An ISIS fighter could simply take out the campus officers as they heroically run to grab the rifles, leaving the students and staff entirely at their mercy.
As a woman who does not watch chick flicks, does not enjoy sappy songs, and has never been prone to shedding tears, except at a funeral where a lip is firmly bitten to try an avoid such a public display – I feel confident in stating that if you can read this book without having a deep emotional reaction, you have no soul.
When I began reading Chapter 7, I had to walk away, take a couple of deep breaths, and pour a stiff drink before continuing. Part of the response readers will experience is due to William Forstchen’s incredible talent, but knowing that the fictional scenario could easy become a non-fiction after action report is responsible for the rest of the hand trembling as you reach to wipe an eye or to cover your mouth in shock.
President Obama recently deemed ISIS as strictly a “JV” threat. The terrorist group has long since passed the varsity level and is preparing to “go pro” in America. What do you think the United States should do to protect citizens from the terrorist threat? William Forstchen can be heard speaking about ISIS and a other topics while appearing as the keynote speaker at Prepper Camp in North Carolina September 12-14.
[Images Via: Bing, William Forstchen, and Amazon]
