In an instant, the world changes. The power goes out, planes fall from the sky, and most frightening of all, gunpowder and gasoline stop igniting. Humanity is sent back to the dark ages in an instant. Welcome to The Change.
Dies the Fire by S.M Stirling follow 2 groups of characters in Oregon that spend much of the narrative apart but their stories run parallel. First we meet ex-Marine and private pilot Mike Havel. He is ferrying the wealthy Larsen family to their mountain home outside of Salem when the Change occurs. All instruments on his plane cease to function and he crashes into a river. Mike rallies the Larsens and they make their way across the wilderness to try and reach civilization.
In Corvallis we meet Juniper McKenzie, folk singer and Wiccan, her daughter Eliir, and bar owner Dennis. She is playing a gig when the lights go out and before confusion really sets in, a boom sounds from downtown as a 747 smashes to the ground and sets fire to the town. People quickly learn it’s not just the lights that are out, but all electronic and electric devices have ceased to function, battery operated or not. As looters smash in a nearby electronic store a cop pulls his gun to dissuade them and fires a warning shot only to be met with a dull click. The thugs see this, pull their own guns and fire and theirs fail to go off as well.
Sensing that it’s time to get out of dodge, Juniper, Eliir, and Dennis head for Juniper’s cabin in the woods outside of town, picking up friends and stragglers along the way.
As the story progresses Mike and Juniper’s groups fight for survivival and attempt to adapt to a world where sword and chainmail have once again become cutting edge technology.
Dies the Fire is the first part in a 9 book (and counting) series called The Emberverse. The series is divided into 3 self contained trilogies. It is tied to Sterling ’s previous series “Island in the Sea of Time ” which dealt with the island of Nantucket being enveloped in a mysterious storm and being transported back to the Stone Age. The Emberverse series is about what happened to everyone left behind.
The strength of the novel comes from Stirling’s detailed descriptions and logical progression of events in the post Change world. Apocalyptic fiction is one of my favorite genres and Dies the Fire stands with the best just on premise alone. Whether or not it is ever explained in the series, it is a stroke of genius to eliminate gunpowder, electronics, and explosives from the equation. This alone is enough to set the novel apart from typical apocalyptic stories. Where it really shines is in the recounting of how Mike and Juniper’s groups grow from a handful of scared survivors to hundreds of battle hardened warriors fighting together in alliance.
The story is detailed without being particularly dense but there are times where the action slips out of control from the narrative. In a couple of instances I had to re-read a couple of pages to catch what happened to a secondary character. Also, the ending seems to arrive with little run up as the heroes join forces in a joint assault on a mutual enemy.
Speaking of the enemy, very little text is given to Professor Norman Arminger, the self proclaimed Protector of Portland and the Willamette Valley . When the change occurs he uses his knowledge of medieval warfare and gang society to convince the criminal element of Portland to join forces with him in order to rule this new world. His building of a fort to try and control the Valley where Mike and Juniper’s groups make their home is the impetus for the final battle. The second book in the series is called The Protector’s War so I am guessing it will go into more detail on Arminger and his plans.
As the first in a series Dies the Fire sets the stage for epic battles to come.
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Monday, May 25, 2009
