Borrowed World Books In Order

Publication Order of Borrowed World Books

Note: Locker Nine, The Borrowed World and The Mad Mick all take place within the same universe.

The author has noted on his website that the first time Mad Mick appears, is in Grace Under Fire. So prior to reading Mad Mick, be sure to read up to the 2nd book in Locker Nine so that you can get the back story.

The book Ultraviolet in the Mad Mick series, has characters from The Borrowed World and takes place between Blood and Banjos and Resurgent. So it’s recommended to read that between those two.

You can see our Franklin Horton page for full book listings.

Borrowed World is a series of action-adventure novels written by Franklin Horton. The books take readers to a world where the United States’ social, economic and cultural fabric has collapsed in the wake of a terrorist attack.

+The Story

Borrowed World attempts to bring to life a lot of people’s worst nightmares. It tries to show readers what life would become if contemporary threats succeeded and the world was thrown back into the dark ages.

Jim Powell takes center stage. The hero of the story, Jim always thought that America’s future balanced on a knife’s edge. He knew that the world was chockfull of elements who wished to see his country burn.

And he knew that a time would come when those elements would succeed. So Jim prepared. He hoped for the best. But he prepared, none the less, stocking piling food and guns and every other resource one might need to survive.

Jim did this not only for his sake but to also ensure the survival of his wife and children. However, even with all his planning, Jim is still caught off guard when the worst finally happens.

It begins with ISIS operatives infiltrating the United States and unleashing a coordinated attack that cripples the nation’s infrastructure. Practically overnight, the country grinds to a halt. The electricity grid has been destroyed. Communication lines are down and even the fuel refineries have been decimated.

The government reacts to this crisis by immediately stopping fuel sales to the public. This strands a multitude of car owners on the road with no easy access to transport back home.

Jim was in a meeting at work when all hell broke loose. The protagonist had prepared for such an eventuality. He knew what to do. However, all his tools and resources were back home with his family and public transport had all but halted, which meant that there were no immediate means for him to get back home.

The Borrowed World Series initially follows the efforts of Jim as he tries to get to his family. However, there are more obstacles standing in Jim’s way than just a long walk. It only takes a few hours after the terrorist attacks for the United States to fall to lawlessness.

Man turns against man as violence becomes commonplace. Every criminal element in every dark corner of the country takes to the streets, killing, maiming, stealing and expressing every depraved desire they had been hiding.

Jim has to literally fight his way across streets, blocks, and towns to reach his family before it is too late. Along the way, his determination to survive is tested as he realizes that he might have to sink down to levels of depravity polite society would frown upon to achieve his objectives.

Jim is joined on his journey by his co-workers, some of whom contradict his commands and suggestions every step of the way, pushing his desire to help them get home to the limit.

Jim’s wife Ellen is also highlighted. She makes it her goal to ensure that their home is still standing when her husband gets back. This means finding and getting acquainted with the manual he left behind for such situations.

It also means taking up arms and showing a willingness to maim and even kill to keep her kids safe. Ellen’s convictions and beliefs are tested when her community goes rabid in their determination to survive and she realizes just how far she will have to go to keep her family safe.

Over time, the Borrowed World series shifts gears as it becomes clear that the government has no immediate means of rectifying the nation-wide crisis, in which case Jim and Ellen have to identify a long-term solution to a worsening situation.

Most of the Borrowed World books take place over a period of a few days. Events happen very rapidly and Jim and Ellen must react just as quickly to survive from moment to moment.

Franklin Horton writes his novels as though they are a guide for beginners looking to engage in the prepper culture. The author delves into the details of what it might take to survive an apocalyptic scenario like the one that unfolds in Borrowed World.

He also tries to explore the manner in which the human psyche tends to change when it is exposed to extremely stressful conditions. None of Franklin Horton’s characters stay the same. Their attempts to survive leave them greatly transformed.

+The Author

Franklin Horton went to Virginia Intermont College. He also attended Virginia Commonwealth University. An adventurer who loves the outdoors, Horton’s hobbies include backpacking and kayaking, not to mention shooting.

Horton is a prepper. He understands the prepper culture. He also thinks that it is necessary to use fiction like the Borrowed World series to educate people about the importance of preparing for the worst.

+The Borrowed World

The Worst has happened. ISIS Operatives have attacked the United States, decimating its transport, communication and electricity systems. With most major fuel refineries all but destroyed, the government cracks down on fuel sales to the public, choosing to keep as much fuel as possible to themselves for potential emergencies down the line.

Jim Powell knew that America was vulnerable to a terrorist threat and he prepared for such an eventuality. However, he did not think he would be so far away from his family when the worst happened.

Presently five hundred miles away from home, with his co-workers his only company, Jim must put his prepper training to good use. Even as the United States crumbles and its people take a savage turn, Jim must overcome all the violence and the scheming and the desperation on the streets to get to his family before it’s too late.

+Ashes of the Unspeakable

The United States was brought to its knees by an ISIS attack. Now Jim and his friends are on the road, still trying to get back home. It has only been a few days since the first attack. But the landscape before Jim has taken a vicious turn.

People are starting to realize that they can do what they want and no one will stop them. Jim must do the unspeakable if he wants to get home. This is as his wife takes up arms and tries to stop a new violent presence in their community from wreaking havoc.