The Scourge of God (A Novel of the Change)

The Scourge of God (2008) is the fifth SF novel in the Change series, following The Sunrise Lands. In the previous volume, Martin betrayed his father, but Rudi escaped with Frederik. Alex betrayed Odard and the CUT troops captured Mathilda and Odard. Kuttner caused Ingolf to drop his sword and captured him. The other questors escaped, but were followed by the CUT troops. Then Father Ignatius sought the help of Major Hanks and brought salvation from the air. In this novel, Rudi Mackenzie is the son and tanit -- heir -- of the Mackenzie Clan Chief. He is also the son of Mike Havel, former Lord of the Bearkillers. Within the clans, Rudi is known as The Lady's Sword. Now his is traveling east with his companions on a quest for a Sword on Nantucket Island. Edain Aylward Mackenzie is the son of Sam Aylward, a British soldier before the change and now the best bowyer -- and one of the best archers -- among the Mackenzies. Edain has been with Rudi from the beginning of the quest. Mary and Ritva Havel are Rudi's half-sisters. They are daughters of Mike Havel and Signe Larson. Mary and Ritva are also Dunedain Rangers. Mathilda Arminger is the Crown Princess of the Portland Protective Association. Matti is Rudi's anamchara and accompanies him on his quest. Odard Liu is a Baron with the PPA. He is the son of Eddie Liu. Odard believes that his mother has conspired with the Prophet. Knight-Brother Ignatius is a warrior-monk of the Order of Saint Benedict and of the Commonwealth of the Lady of Angels. He and his man Godfrey had escorted Matti and Odard to Rudi and then accompanied them on the quest. Ingolf Vogeler is a warrior from the Midwest. He and his men had traveled to Nantucket, but only Ingolf returned. He had brought word of the Sword across the continent to the Mackenzies. Frederick Thurston is the younger son of the former President-General of Boise. He is accompanied by some Boise troopers that rallied around him after the betrayal. Now Fred is going with Rudi to Nantucket, but he will return. In this story, Rudi, his companions and the Boise troopers rescue Mattie, Odard and Ingolf from a troop of CUT cavalry. Fred sends the Boise troopers home to spread the word of the betrayal, but continues with the quest. Then Rudy and his companions find some New Deseret folks camped at a spring. Rudi, his friends and the Mormon refugees travel together toward a Latter Day Saints town near an unguarded pass. But they find the town occupied by CUT levees preparing to return home with their loot, including many Mormon slave women and children. Rudi, Edain and Ingolf insert themselves into the town as slave traders, with Rebecca Nystrup as their single piece of merchandise. They arrange a purchase of several slave crafters. But they also arrange an ambush of the CUT levees at dawn after the first night on the trail. After the uprising, Rudi leads the survivors toward the east. Then the Mormon contingent splits off to return t

The second entry in this part of the sunrise lands remains fresh despite being many books into the telling of this saga. The characters continue to develop well and I enjoy Mr. Stirling's literary style. I have to admit with each installment I anticipate the next even more. The story, with it's mutiple threads remains intertwined well and it remains easy to follow the characters. The different parts maintain good continuity with each other and the character motivations and actions remain very believable.

I've read all of Stirling's Nantucket and Portland story cycle. After Nantucket came to a (temporary?) ending, I was glad to see what happened to the rest of us. I was kinda wondering where the Portland series was headed, and now it's clear that the story has to embrace the mystic. We have yet to discover what malign influence is driving the Cutters, but it's 'way more than a cult. Stirling is painting a very plausible picture of de-civilization of North America, and has done well so far, balancing the SF with the spiritual. His characters are well constructed, and they're constantly surprising the reader with new facets. I can hardly wait for the next, oh, four or five books that should round out the series...

As the Emberverse,one name for the setting of the five books of this series, develops the fantasy elements become more overt. This book can be read separately but it is much better to start at least with "The Sunrise Lands". The Author continues to develop richly imagined societies and the "Provisional Republic of Iowa" is a good one. The trilogy is a quest modeled somewhat on "The Lord of the Rings". The feel is far different from Tolkien due to Stirling interest in nuts and bolts and his immense though unobtrusive research.

The literary trend these days is series. Series are wonderful for the true fans because they enable the reader to get ever deeper into an alternate world and experience it in all its richness. However they present an entry problem for new readers. Pick up a random volume to start with and either nothing makes sense or there are so many flashbacks the novel is double the length required to actually tell the story. Now to multiply the difficulty this is a middle book in a middle series in an extremely complex multitextured world such as this author excels at. Almost a 'can you top this' trick. Stirling pulls it off. The story works on its own as a stand alone novel. The few flashbacks definitely give the new reader everything they need to follow a complex story with multiple characters all happening near simultaneously. He gives you a vivid and unlikely post-apocalypse world where electricity, steam and gunpowder no longer function and some magic has returned. It sounds bizarre but he makes it work in all its picaresque glory. This book chronicles a pseudo-Ring quest by a party who all know their Tolkein and can argue who is which character. There is fighting, daring do, romance, intrigue and action enough to satisfy everyone. However for those who know the series there is a whole deeper level of high politics, fates and clashing cultures. Enough to make you want to go back and read/reread it all from the beginning. Many creative try for this double level. A few series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer succeed. Add Stirling's Emberverse to that list of successes.