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Dies the Fire A Novel of the Change S M Stirling 9780451460417 Books

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Dies the Fire A Novel of the Change S M Stirling 9780451460417 Books

I bought this book with great hopes. I am always in search of the next great apocalytic or alternative history novel, and I was sure this would be it. What a cool concept - a world where electricity and weapons suddenly stop working! Naturally, from that simple premise, I was expecting a thoughtful examination of how we would all cope if the technological enablers of our modern lives were suddenly pulled out from us. Would we go off into little groups to defend ourselves, recreating the middle ages over time, as these groups evolved into competing power structures? Would we all kill each other? Would we just starve? Would the humanity we've gained since the renaissance prevail, despite the removal of certain technologies? Interesting questions.

Well, don't expect that in the book. This book is just plain tedious and silly - I stopped reading on page 110.

The characters are as one-dimensional as any I've encountered in any book - there is no depth at all, none. The main protagonists have remarkably coincidental skills - despite being bartenders, pilots, etc., they all have exactly the skills and knowledge needed to drive the plot, i.e. live in a technology-less world. You know, start fires, hunt animals, hand-fight bands of roving rapists, and so on. They don't learn, grow, question, stuggle, etc. They are already everything they need to be to drive the story.

The author pounds and pounds on his pet themes that wiccan (witches/pagan) types are kind and just and spiritually sound, whereas everyone else is pretty much evil. Oh, and people who've been role-playing the middle ages in the SCA (society for creative anachronism) are not only better prepared for a technology-less world, they actually would take it over and sort of rule it, and justly. Because they know how to use knives and bows, or something. Meanwhile, the rest of the population - those who aren't pagans and don't go to RenFairs - would become savage, incompetent, and stupid hordes. Sadly, there is just no honest exploration of what REAL people would be faced with, and what they would do, if they lost the technological underpinnings of their lives. What an interesting book THAT would have been. If you're expecting that, you are going to be disappointed.

I hardly ever stop reading a book midstream, but this was one of them.


Tags : Dies the Fire: A Novel of the Change [S. M. Stirling] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b>S. M. Stirling presents his first Novel of the Change, the start of the New York Times</i> bestselling postapocalyptic saga set in a world where all technology has been rendered useless.</b> 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—and plunged the world into a dark age humanity was unprepared to face...    Michael Pound was flying over Idaho en route to the holiday home of his passengers when the plane’s engines inexplicably died,S. M. Stirling,Dies the Fire: A Novel of the Change,Ace,0451460413,Science Fiction - General,Community life,Electric power failures,Farm life,Idaho,Oregon,Regression (Civilization),Science fiction,AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY,FICTION Alternative History,FICTION Fantasy Epic,FICTION Science Fiction Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic,FICTION Science Fiction General,Fiction,Fiction - Science Fiction,Fiction-Science Fiction,MASS MARKET,SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY,sm stirling;emberverse;alternate history;alternate history books;alternate history science fiction;apocalypse;post-apocalyptic;post apocalyptic fiction;post apocalyptic survival fiction;dystopian fiction;dystopian books;action;technology;fantasy;science fiction;science fiction books;speculative fiction;Emberverse series;the change;SM Stirling change series;SM Stirling books;sci fi;sci-fi;epic fantasy;apocalyptic fiction;sci fi books;sci-fi books;fantasy novels;epic fantasy books,Alternate history; Emberverse series; apocalypse; fantasy; science fiction; speculative fiction; action; alternate history books; alternate history science fiction; post-apocalyptic; post apocalyptic fiction; post apocalyptic survival fiction; dystopian fiction; dystopian books; technology; science fiction books; the change; SM Stirling change series; SM Stirling books; sm stirling; emberverse; sci-fi; science fiction and fantasy; apocalyptic fiction; sci-fi books; historical fiction; fiction; fiction books; sci fi books,FICTION Alternative History,FICTION Fantasy Epic,FICTION Science Fiction Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic,FICTION Science Fiction General,Fiction - Science Fiction,American Science Fiction And Fantasy,Science Fiction And Fantasy,Fiction

Dies the Fire A Novel of the Change S M Stirling 9780451460417 Books Reviews

I read the beginning of the book with great interest. But I was unable to force myself to finish it as it wandered off into minute detail on construction and use of obsolete weaponry and a huge number of people who coincidentally happened to be neopagans or Wiccans and/or experts in medieval and primitive weaponry and low-tech farming techniques just "happened" to wander into the frame. There is also no scientific explanation (plausible or otherwise) given for gunpowder and electrical device suddenly stopping working. I was a little taken aback by the caricature of the redneck and the reference to him as "trash," but everyone has their prejudices.

The writing was good, the fight scenes were well-composed, and I'm sure it will appeal to those whose fantasy is to live in the time "before." Not my cup of tea, but obviously it is some people's...
This book has a great deal of potential in plot which gets wobbly with excess words, like the fat had not been properly trimmed. It became cumbersome to wade through despite a solid plot line. Clearly the author favors pagans and harbors complex fantasies of the Wiccans ruling the world, which I actually kind of love. However, the Wiccan clan leaders speak absurdly and it's a step beyond realistic that I consistently struggle to integrate into the rest of the story. I just don't believe that people will talk like that.
I'm waffling on continuing with the series, it seems like. A lot to slog through even though I enjoyed the first of the series well enough.
The book is about the aftermath of an inexplicable change in the laws of physics which rendered almost all technology useless.
It focused on two groups of survivors
1) The group led by one Lady Juniper, primarily consisting of Wiccans
2) A group led by Mike Havel -- an extremely competent and honorable military veteran -- that consisted of a mixed bag of people.
The plot was engaging and the main characters were well-fleshed out.
In my opinion, far too much of the book was about Wiccan rituals and myths. It wasn't interesting and distracted from the plot. Obscure jargon was used -- words that aren't in my online dictionary. The author also was bigoted towards Christian clergy, portraying them as bigots (ironic!).
The two groups struggled to survive against starvation, bandits, cannibals, et. This struggle is what kept me reading to the end of the book.
Post-apocalyptic or post-civilization fiction is my bread and butter and I have been excited for a while to jump into this series. What I did not know, however, as it is not mentioned in the book synopsis or description, was how much of the book was going to be dedicated to that author's obvious fascination with Wicca or Modern Witchcraft, and his incessant need to insert his own beliefs into the book. I don't really mind a little bit of it put in here and there, I find it interesting in an anthropological sort of way, but there are parts that get as preachy as a Baptist minister in here. The story's lead male character is about as boringly perfect, manly, and vanilla as a character can get. Fairly obviously ego projection of the author here. Reminds of a lot of One Second After and that author falling into the same trap. Why do these SHTF scenario stories have to be such glory fantasies for the white male authors to live vicariously through their main characters? A heroic character is typically not interesting and most of the characters in this story are carbon copy heroes. Bad people get what's coming to them quickly and rather unsatisfyingly. Also, if you are interested in pages and pages of discussion of the farming habits of northwestern America, you're in for a treat. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I'll be giving the rest of the series a hard pass.
I bought this book with great hopes. I am always in search of the next great apocalytic or alternative history novel, and I was sure this would be it. What a cool concept - a world where electricity and weapons suddenly stop working! Naturally, from that simple premise, I was expecting a thoughtful examination of how we would all cope if the technological enablers of our modern lives were suddenly pulled out from us. Would we go off into little groups to defend ourselves, recreating the middle ages over time, as these groups evolved into competing power structures? Would we all kill each other? Would we just starve? Would the humanity we've gained since the renaissance prevail, despite the removal of certain technologies? Interesting questions.

Well, don't expect that in the book. This book is just plain tedious and silly - I stopped reading on page 110.

The characters are as one-dimensional as any I've encountered in any book - there is no depth at all, none. The main protagonists have remarkably coincidental skills - despite being bartenders, pilots, etc., they all have exactly the skills and knowledge needed to drive the plot, i.e. live in a technology-less world. You know, start fires, hunt animals, hand-fight bands of roving rapists, and so on. They don't learn, grow, question, stuggle, etc. They are already everything they need to be to drive the story.

The author pounds and pounds on his pet themes that wiccan (witches/pagan) types are kind and just and spiritually sound, whereas everyone else is pretty much evil. Oh, and people who've been role-playing the middle ages in the SCA (society for creative anachronism) are not only better prepared for a technology-less world, they actually would take it over and sort of rule it, and justly. Because they know how to use knives and bows, or something. Meanwhile, the rest of the population - those who aren't pagans and don't go to RenFairs - would become savage, incompetent, and stupid hordes. Sadly, there is just no honest exploration of what REAL people would be faced with, and what they would do, if they lost the technological underpinnings of their lives. What an interesting book THAT would have been. If you're expecting that, you are going to be disappointed.

I hardly ever stop reading a book midstream, but this was one of them.