Synopses & Reviews
It’s been eight years since the Change rendered technology inoperable across the globe. Rising from the ashes of the computer and industrial ages is a brave new world. Survivors have banded together in tribal communities, committed to rebuilding society. In Oregon’s Willamette Valley, former pilot Michael Havel’s Bearkillers are warriors of renown. Their closest ally, the mystical Clan Mackenzie, is led by Wiccan folksinger Juniper Mackenzie. Their leadership has saved countless lives.
But not every leader has altruistic aspirations. Norman Arminger, medieval scholar, rules the Protectorate. He has enslaved civilians, built an army, and spread his forces from Portland through most of western Washington State. Now he wants the Willamette Valley farmland, and he’s willing to wage war to conquer it.
And unknown to both factions is the imminent arrival of a ship from Tasmania bearing British soldiers...
Review
“Rousing…a stirring tale.”—
New York Times Bestselling Author John Ringo
“Reminds me of Poul Anderson at his best.”—David Drake
“Absorbing.”—The San Diego Union-Tribune
“Readers who relish a battle between the forces of light and darkness, along with many frissons about what civilization means, are in for a rousing good time.”
—Science Fiction Weekly
Review
“A perfectly splendid story…endlessly fascinating…solidly convincing.”—
Paul Anderson
“A compelling cast of characters…a fine job of conveying both a sense of loss and hope.”—Science Fiction Chronicle
“[Q]ite a good book…definitely a winner.”—Aboriginal Science Fiction
“Meticulous, imaginative….Logical, inventive and full of richly imagined characters, this is Stirlings most deeply realized book yet.”—Susan Shwartz, author of The Grail of Hearts
“Utterly engaging. This is unquestionably Steve Stirlings best work to date, a page-turner that is certain to win the author legions of new readers and fans.”—George R. R. Martin, author of A Game of Thrones
“One of the best time travel/alternative history stories Ive ever read, period. Stirling combines complex, believable characters, meticulous research, and a fascinating setup to produce a book you wont want to—and wont be able to—put down. An outstanding piece of work.”—Harry Turtledove
“The adventure that unfolds, powered by Stirlings impressive stores of knowledge and extraordinary narrative skill, is an enormously entertaining read.”—Virtual North Woods Website
Review
“The emerging kingdom of Montival is a damn cool place to hang out. In this postapocalyptic North America, Stirling has cherry-picked everything a fan might wish for in a high fantasy/apocalypse/alternate history mashup. You’ve got heroes, horses, swordplay, kings, siege engines, and mystics. And all with (somewhat) less patriarchy, because the postmodern world that spawned Montival—our world—has left a big stamp of twentieth-century social progress on the society rising from its ashes.”—Tor.com
“[The] Tears of the Sun engages fans of the saga, who will anxiously await the next Change.”—Genre Go Round Reviews
Synopsis
The Change occurred when an electrical storm centered over the island of Nantucket produced a blinding white flash that rendered all electronic devices and fuels inoperable. What follows is the most terrible global catastrophe in the history of the human race-and a Dark Age more universal and complete than could possibly be imagined.
"Dies the Fire kept me reading till five in the morning so I could finish at one great gulp..."—New York Times bestselling author Harry Turtledove
Synopsis
Rudi McKenzie-now Artos, the High King of Montival-must fulfill his destiny. He wields the sword crafted for him before he was born. He has made friends of his enemies. He has won the heart of the woman he loves.
And now he must defeat the forces of the Church Universal and Triumphant, knowing he may lose his life in the final battle...
Synopsis
Rudi MacKenzie continues his journey toward Nantucket, where he hopes to learn the truth behind The Change that rendered technology across the globe inoperable. But one fanatical officer in the Sword of The Prophet has been dispatched on a mission?to stop Rudi from reaching Nantucket by any means necessary?
Synopsis
Rudi Mackenzie has returned to Montival with the Sword of the Lady, ready to face the legions of the Prophet. To achieve victory, Rudi must assemble a coalition of former enemies and forge an army that will rescue his homeland and tear the heart out of the Church Universal and Triumphant once and for all.
Synopsis
The New York Times bestselling author continues his post- apocalyptic series chronicling a modern world without technology. With The Sword of the Lady, Rudi Mackenzie's destiny was determined. Now he returns to Montival in the Pacific Northwest, where he will face the legions of the Prophet. To achieve victory, Rudi must assemble a coalition of those who had been his enemies a few months before and forge them into an army that will rescue his homeland.
Only then will Rudi be able to come to terms with how the Sword has changed him, as well as the world, and assume his place as Artos, High King of Montival...
Synopsis
Rudi MacKenzie has grown up knowing that he will one day assume leadership over the survivors of the technological disaster known as the Change. But a prophecy made at his birth spoke of an even greater destiny?a destiny that is about to be fulfilled. A mysterious traveler from Nantucket, long rumored to be the source of the Change, arrives on a mission to bring Rudi back with him. And between him and his destiny lies the the cult of a madman determined to stop him?
Synopsis
Rudi Mackenzie's quest to find the source of the world-altering event known as The Change ends in Nantucket, an island overrun with forest and inhabited by a mere 200 people who claim to have been transported there from out of time. Only one odd stone house remains standing. Within it, Rudi finds a beautifully made sword seemingly waiting for him. And once he takes it up, nothing for Rudi or for the world that he knows will ever be the same...
Synopsis
In the tenth year of The Change, the survivors in western Oregon have learned how to live in a world without technology. But a confrontation between the forces of those who would rebuild the world peacefully and the feared Protector, who will use whatever means at his command to extend his power, threatens to plunge the entire region into open warfare.
Synopsis
Ten years ago, inhabitants of the twentieth century and the Bronze Age were tossed together by the Event. But as two worlds converge, only one can be the victor in a battle to lead this strange new world.
Synopsis
Against the Tide of Years continues the adventures of the Nantucket residents who have been transported through time to the Bronze Age. In the years since their arrival, the fledging Republic of Nantucket has striven to better the primitive world in which they now exist. Their prime concerns are establishing a constitution and handling the waves of immigrants from the British Isles. But a renegade time traveler plans his own future by forging an empire for himself based on conquest by modern technology. The Republic has no alternative but to face the inevitable war brought on by one of their own....
Synopsis
It's spring on Nantucket and everything is perfectly normal, until a sudden storm blankets the entire island. When the weather clears, the island's inhabitants find that they are no longer in the late twentieth century...but have been transported instead to the Bronze Age! Now they must learn to survive with suspicious, warlike peoples they can barely understand and deal with impending disaster, in the shape of a would-be conqueror from their own time.
Synopsis
Rudi Mackenzie has traveled from the land where the sun sets to the land where it rises and back. He has found his weapon—the Sword crafted for him before he was born. He has made friends from among his enemies and found enemies where he expected friends. He has won the heart and hand of the woman he has loved his entire life. Now Rudi is Artos, the High King of Montival, and his final destiny awaits him. He must face and defeat the forces of the Church Universal and Triumphant. Everything in the present, everything in the future, depends on the outcome of the conflict. And like his father before him, Rudi knows that in winning the war he might well lose his life...
Synopsis
The New York Times bestselling author continues his post- apocalyptic series chronicling a modern world without technology. With The Sword of the Lady, Rudi Mackenzie's destiny was determined. Now he returns to Montival in the Pacific Northwest, where he will face the legions of the Prophet. To achieve victory, Rudi must assemble a coalition of those who had been his enemies a few months before and forge them into an army that will rescue his homeland.
Only then will Rudi be able to come to terms with how the Sword has changed him, as well as the world, and assume his place as Artos, High King of Montival...
Synopsis
Rudi Mackenzie has traveled from the land where the sun sets to the land where it rises and back. He has found his weapon—the Sword crafted for him before he was born. He has made friends from among his enemies and found enemies where he expected friends. He has won the heart and hand of the woman he has loved his entire life. Now Rudi is Artos, the High King of Montival, and his final destiny awaits him. He must face and defeat the forces of the Church Universal and Triumphant. Everything in the present, everything in the future, depends on the outcome of the conflict. And like his father before him, Rudi knows that in winning the war he might well lose his life...
About the Author
S. M. Stirling is the author of numerous novels, both on his own and in collaboration. A former lawyer and an amateur historian, he lives in the Southwest with his wife, Jan.