Dies The Fire

I just finished reading “Dies the Fire” by S. M. Stirling. I was given the book by a friend (to barrow) who thought I’d enjoy it. After taking what my friend thought was much too long to finish it, I finally did this last Friday morning (at 2am). “Dies the Fire” is the first book in a trilogy, the sequels being “The Protector’s War”, and “A Meeting at Corvallis”. “Dies the Fire” is set in 1998, an unknown event, later called “The Change,” alters the laws of physics to the point that explosives, electronics, and modern forms of energy no longer function. It’s so bad that steam engines don’t even work. The book follows two leaders - Michael Havel, Juniper Mackenzie and their followers as they deal with the resulting breakdown of modern civilization, chaos and mass death following “The Change.” as people struggle to survive in a world plunged into the dark ages, skills like farming, and being able to fight with a sword are skills that keep you alive.

I really enjoyed “Dies the Fire,” S. M. Stirling does a wonderful job of placing you in the world of Michael Havel and Juniper Mackenzie as they struggle to keep themselves and their followers alive. I really enjoyed the character of Michael Havel, a former Marine tuned charter pilot who leads his group, named the Bearkillers (after Michael killed a bear). Michael Havel is a no-nonsense guy who does what he has to in order to protect his group and others. Juniper Mackenzie’s character, leader of Clan Mackenzie is a bit strange as she is a Wiccan priestess who models her group of survivors after a Celtic clan. I enjoyed Michael Havel’s character far more, but all the characters are well defined and enjoyable to follow.

I’m looking forward to reading the other two in the trilogy. The whole time I found myself thinking how messed up it was that NOTHING worked and wondering how we as a society would react and survive if something like that were to happen in real life. S. M. Stirling does a fantastic job of describing one possible (dare I say likely) scenario in a world where the lights have gone out for good.

Before I start the other two books in the “Dies the Fire” trilogy I’m going to read “The Golden Compass” “His Dark Materials” trilogy. My Grandma would kill me if she knew I was reading it. Ironically, if it wasn’t for all the controversy surrounding the release of the movie, I would have never been inclined to read it. That’s the problem with boycotts and such, they usually backfire.

Tagged as: book, review, sci-fi, whatever