Don't worry, they'll save us-------> As I mentioned in a previous post, I really like post-apocalyptic science fiction. It’s interesting to think about how we would re-build and I sometimes wonder if I would survive. After reading the first two books of a trilogy by S.M. Stirling, I’ve come to the conclusion that I would be one of the first ones eaten. In Dies the Fire and The Protector’s War the people who are most successful are excellent swordspersons, magnificent archers, and also know their way around an anvil and forge. That’s right, you guessed it, they are members of the SCA (Society for Creative Anarchism). For those of you not familiar with SCA, these are the folks who study medieval culture and warfare and reenact in their spare time. I’ve seen SCA folks doing their thing and had no idea they were so talented. Well, this is sci-fi fantasy so anything is possible.
The story is about a mysterious event which could be an EMP, except for the fact that is doesn’t just take out electronics, it also renders explosives useless. How convenient for the SCA—no guns. While many people run nilly-willy for canned goods and still try to use money, other folks figure out that life is going to be different for a long time to come and begin to organize. The novel centers on several groups of people:
1) An ex-marine who is piloting a family to their vacation home when the blast causes them to crash in the mountains. Luckily the kids in the group are experienced on horseback and have had archery lessons. The youngest is so obsessed with Tolkien that she actually knows the steps for making a bow. And luckily again, they eventually find a family of horse trainers/traders that includes a man who knows his way around an anvil and forge. They grow into a large group of valiant and honorable fighters known as the Bearkillers.
2) A Wiccan high priestess who owns a lot of land in an isolated area (not that far from where the ex-marine lands) and is joined by quite a few of her coven members. Many of the folks who end up at Dun Juniper are SCA members who are so knowledgeable about the art of war, making weapons and armor, and just about anything else a fledgling society might need. They join forces with the Bearkillers to protect themselves and other good folk from…
3) A medieval studies professor who creates his own Machiavellian kingdom and controls his people through fear. Knowing as many professors as I do, this one cracks me up.
And while anything is possible in fiction, even a science fiction story needs some plausibility and this is one of the problems I have with this series. There are just too many instances of blind luck in these books. I imagine when I finish the last novel in the series I’ll discover that it isn’t luck or coincidence, but the hand of the “Lord and Lady”. You see, just like the author, most of the characters from one settlement are Wiccans so I’m pretty sure that it will be revealed that the gods have been controlling everything all along.
Despite the annoying number of coincidences (if they are indeed coincidence) I did enjoy these books and plan to read the last one of the series—when it’s out in paperback. So that’s my rating, I like them well-enough to buy the last novel in paperback, but not enough to shell out the extra dough for the hardback. The cat did not like these books because the mysterious blast knocked out the power which means no central air or heat. The dogs could care less, they’re busy following the primaries.
The story is about a mysterious event which could be an EMP, except for the fact that is doesn’t just take out electronics, it also renders explosives useless. How convenient for the SCA—no guns. While many people run nilly-willy for canned goods and still try to use money, other folks figure out that life is going to be different for a long time to come and begin to organize. The novel centers on several groups of people:
1) An ex-marine who is piloting a family to their vacation home when the blast causes them to crash in the mountains. Luckily the kids in the group are experienced on horseback and have had archery lessons. The youngest is so obsessed with Tolkien that she actually knows the steps for making a bow. And luckily again, they eventually find a family of horse trainers/traders that includes a man who knows his way around an anvil and forge. They grow into a large group of valiant and honorable fighters known as the Bearkillers.
2) A Wiccan high priestess who owns a lot of land in an isolated area (not that far from where the ex-marine lands) and is joined by quite a few of her coven members. Many of the folks who end up at Dun Juniper are SCA members who are so knowledgeable about the art of war, making weapons and armor, and just about anything else a fledgling society might need. They join forces with the Bearkillers to protect themselves and other good folk from…
3) A medieval studies professor who creates his own Machiavellian kingdom and controls his people through fear. Knowing as many professors as I do, this one cracks me up.
And while anything is possible in fiction, even a science fiction story needs some plausibility and this is one of the problems I have with this series. There are just too many instances of blind luck in these books. I imagine when I finish the last novel in the series I’ll discover that it isn’t luck or coincidence, but the hand of the “Lord and Lady”. You see, just like the author, most of the characters from one settlement are Wiccans so I’m pretty sure that it will be revealed that the gods have been controlling everything all along.
Despite the annoying number of coincidences (if they are indeed coincidence) I did enjoy these books and plan to read the last one of the series—when it’s out in paperback. So that’s my rating, I like them well-enough to buy the last novel in paperback, but not enough to shell out the extra dough for the hardback. The cat did not like these books because the mysterious blast knocked out the power which means no central air or heat. The dogs could care less, they’re busy following the primaries.
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