I appreciate how the main character's life experiences are explained. Too many books start out with the protagonist an assumed bad-ass tactical operator, and you've got no back story to validate it. On the other extreme, some books feature Joe Sixpack who magically rises to the challenge just because the plot needed an underdog hero. Neither is easy to relate to, and neither is instructional for the reader.
I couldn't agree more. I recently quit reading a post-apocalyptic novel (very early on, actually) when the protagonist, who knew he needed to lose weight and quit smoking, out-ran an Army patrol in a HMMWV. If that wasn't the author dreaming that rather than get in shape now, he'd just "rise to the occasion" when the SHTF, I don't know what is. That kind of "I'll fix it later" thinking is going to get a lot of people killed (que Zombieland over-write - Rule Number 1: Cardio).
That Grant goes through the evolution from slug to physically capable I think is very important. People who choose to follow in his footsteps will learn a critical lesson - one I learned personally. You CAN change your life. There is a tendency to accept things the way they are rather than make them as they should be. Eating right and exercising become empowering and WILL lead to other changes (ask me how I know).
Long-winded way of saying I found Grant very believable and the life he was living (i.e. spousal / child issues) equally so. That makes much of the rest of the story more readily digestible.
I feel Grant Matson is a legitimate character. Even someone from the opposite political spectrum should be able to at least understand how/why he became the man he is. I'm guessing this is deliberate by the author to give credibility to this bigger mission these books are focused on.
That's my biggest take away at this point. I'm sure I'll return to nitpick technical stuff as I encounter it. 
Given some of the shenanigans we've seen in government over the past several decades, the corruption depicted there is probably on the light side.
I didn't find any technical issues over which to quibble, just the odd typo here or there. I DID find a kick in the pants about a few areas of my own preps where I'd been procrastinating. In that way it was a little spendy to read the book!
One area where I wonder how I'd handle things compared to Grant is the BOL. I have a very large extended family and a larger group of friends, many of whom know I prep. I have often gotten the "if the SHTF I'm coming to your house!" remark, to which I nervously smirk. Now that I'm actually contemplating a land purchase for BOL / vacation purposes, though, I know it could never be big enough for all those people. Disclosing that purchase (if, God willing it happens), will be a real hurdle for me. I know the character expresses concern about disclosing his and even leads Pow to the BOL in a roundabout way for security reasons. I wonder if I'd go a step further and keep some of the preps hidden on/around the property, even from those invited to visit.
-N
