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Dies the Fire (Emberverse #1)

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 6,743 ratings · 831 reviews

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 fiv...more

Mass Market Paperback, 573 pages

Published September 6th 2005 by Roc (first published August 3rd 2004)

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Feb 06, 2013 Eric rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Hardcore post-apocolytic sci-fi fans

Recommended to Eric by: Rose

Shelves: post-apocalyptic

I loved the premise of this novel, but had a lot of problems with the execution. Well, mostly one problem -- the middle of the book crawls.

The book starts off in contemporary West Coast America, following two characters (a pilot and a Ren Faire musician) on a normal day, when The Change happens. This shoots the story right into action, as the characters have to immediately adjust and survive in a world where electricity no longer works. The first third of the book is compelling reading, I finish...more

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Apr 20, 2008 Ryan Mishap rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fantasy

One day in March, the world turns white and every person experiences a searing pain. After this brief flash, modern technology no longer works. No electricity, no firearms, not even gun powder works as it used to. Our modern civilization is thrust back to medieval technology, precipitating a catastrophe where most of humanity dies.
The survivors, though, have to figure out how to live in this new world as civilization collapses. We don't get a primitivist's utopia, however, but a competently wri...more One day in March, the world turns white and every person experiences a searing pain. After this brief flash, modern technology no longer works. No electricity, no firearms, not even gun powder works as it used to. Our modern civilization is thrust back to medieval technology, precipitating a catastrophe where most of humanity dies.
The survivors, though, have to figure out how to live in this new world as civilization collapses. We don't get a primitivist's utopia, however, but a competently written account of various groups of people adapting to this new world.
This is genre fiction--fantasy mixed with SF and one might say historical fiction though it occurs in the present--, which is to say that character development isn't too deep and the writing isn't literary quality. But who cares about that stuff when faced with such an intriguing premise!
Juniper is a singer and a Wiccan who uses her Celtic background a a stage prop for her show. Along with her deaf daughter and pal who runs a pub in Corvallis, she realizes what the Change means and sets out for her cabin nestled at the base of the Cascade mountains. Here, with other survivors, including most of her Wiccan group, they attempt to organize to survive the Change and the coming winter by farming and manage to re-create a clan-based society.
Meanwhile, ex-Marine Mike Havel is flying a family of rich Portlanders to their Montana cabin when the Change happens, dropping their plane out of the sky. After they survive this, they make their way west, to the old Larsson homestead north of Corvallis.
And still meanwhile, Norman Arminger declares himself Lord Protector of Portland as he utilizes his knowledge of medieval Europe (he was a professor) to unite various gangs and his old SCA buddies to create a new feudal system in Portland.
I didn't want to stop reading as this is all fascinating stuff: what will happen when civilization collapses? What do we do for food (eat each other? happens), for transportation, to protect ourselves, to survive?
More importantly, with the fall of civilization, we lose our consumeristic belief systems and our civilizational myths. What will replace them? (hint: someone has read too many Tolkein books, and it is a character, not the author).
The second volume, The Protector's War, isn't as gripping as it details survival Change Year 8. Book three, A Meeting at Corvallis, is much better.
Like my friend Jesse said, this wouldn't be as good if it weren't set in Oregon, where we live, but I think it is worthwhile to read. Exciting adventure and fascinating speculation on what stories will guide us when our current reality fails.
My biggest complaint is that Eugene instantly descends into destruction and is given up as loss. This happened in that other post-apocalyptic novel The Postman. What gives with everyone giving up on Eugene so quickly? Like we don't have any fight in us? (less)

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Sep 16, 2008 Sue rated it 2 of 5 stars

I've actually traded this book in without finishing it. I'll keep what review I had read up, though....

I've been reading this book, the first of a series, for a while and, well, we just haven't hit it off. Usually, I'm really interested in post-Apocalyptic, sociological books - The Stand and The Postman are both favorites. The books in the Dresden Files are ones that I can't put down, but Dies the Fire is one of those that it's hard to pick back up. (I've been taking it with me to doctor appoint...more

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Sep 13, 2007 Chris rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book made me hate reading. It took me a month to get over the trauma that this self indulgent arrogant waste paper induced. Sterling’s lack of subtlety is developing his characters was only surpassed by his amazing ability to make me disaccoiate myself with his heroes within two pages. Amazingly convenient “coincidences” occur more often than in the Hitchhiker books, but at least Adams had the good grace to blame it on an improbability drive instead of just passing it off as the norm.

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Jan 07, 2010 Brent rated it 1 of 5 stars

I read this for two reasons. One, because it seemed like the true G David Drake thought well enough of SM Stirling to co-write The General series with him. Since then, I've come to the conclusion that that pairing must have been something the publisher pushed at Drake with a nice deal. Apparently, judging by the reviews here, Stirling's books have a fanatical following reminiscent of Twilight. Except, instead of terrible vampire books, he writes awful speculative historical scifi.

Which brings m...more I read this for two reasons. One, because it seemed like the true G David Drake thought well enough of SM Stirling to co-write The General series with him. Since then, I've come to the conclusion that that pairing must have been something the publisher pushed at Drake with a nice deal. Apparently, judging by the reviews here, Stirling's books have a fanatical following reminiscent of Twilight. Except, instead of terrible vampire books, he writes awful speculative historical scifi.

Which brings me to the second reason I read this book: I've always loved crappy scifi and fantasy. To give you some background, the first actual novel I read as a kid was a Piers Anthony turd. But I think this book is so bad that it has finally made me stop carrying the torch for trashy scifi. Which makes me kind of hate Dies the Fire.

Anyway, here's the book's premise, because that's all it's got going for it:
Imagine you're driving your car around town and suddenly, your engine stops running. Your watch stops. Planes are falling from the sky. Your local steam-driven locomotive can't get enough pressure. You try to shoot an attacking accountant (he's been instantly driven to screaming cannibalism, of course), but your gun won't even fire! But it's cool if all this stuff just happens, and society goes back to the medieval times for whatever unexplained reason. It's not only cool, but great, because you are a dedicated member of the Society for Combat Anachronism (SCA), meaning you swing padded sticks around like in the movie Role Models. You're also great looking and charismatic. And an athlete on the level of LeBron James. In short, you're Sterling's idea of the average SCA member. And you've been dreaming of the day you can take your rightful place!

So you get your trusty hand and a half sword, your targe (you know what these things are!) and full chain mail suit, and you're ready to take your rightful place. With your skills and kit, you can easily take on and kill 4 similarly armed cops simultaneously to impress local gangbangers. You can go on to conquer your local mundanes and remake them in the image of: 1500's France, a medieval Scottish clan of Wiccans, or a group from the Lord of the Rings. I'm not joking. These things are actual events in the book. Sterling actually expects the reader to swallow all this! (less)

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Jul 17, 2007 Darcy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting speculative history/dystopian novel as to what would happen if all electronic devices and firearms were suddenly inoperable. The answer: only the Ren Faire geeks/history reenactor buffs would survive.

I enjoyed this well enough, but I don't see me pursuing the entire series. Fun characters, though, and lots to talk about regarding social structures, canibalism, etc.

But by the Three-Aspect Goddess, I'm so glad that my Wiccan friends don't talk like Lady Juniper! Sheesh!

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Nov 11, 2012 Tom Kepler rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternative-reality

What happens when the lights go out . . . for good?

The Change occurred when an electrical storm centered over the island of Nantucket produced a blinding white flash that rendered all electronic devices and firearms inoperable--and plunged the world into a dark age humanity was unprepared to face . . .

S.M. Stirling has written a trilogy of novels about how humanity adapts to the sudden, catastrophic change in potentialities: where, basically, the technologies of medieval times are all that "w...more

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Sep 15, 2008 Cleverusername2 rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have always been fascinated with the post-apocalyptic fiction genre. After some woolgathering on why, I have decided it is because it makes me appreciate the postmodern world I live in. Every time I eat a banana, buy strawberries or raspberries imported from Equator in the middle of winter, or when I simply turn the hot water on in my sink; it reminds me of how lucky I am. Take tap water for instance! Most people won’t even drink it, but I’m glad I don’t have to drill my own well and stoke up...more I have always been fascinated with the post-apocalyptic fiction genre. After some woolgathering on why, I have decided it is because it makes me appreciate the postmodern world I live in. Every time I eat a banana, buy strawberries or raspberries imported from Equator in the middle of winter, or when I simply turn the hot water on in my sink; it reminds me of how lucky I am. Take tap water for instance! Most people won’t even drink it, but I’m glad I don’t have to drill my own well and stoke up a fire if I want to wash dishes.

Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling brings a new and gripping premise to the post-apocalyptic drama. I read this novel after just having finished The Stand by Stephen King and in many ways it is the pedagogical opposite of King’s work. Much hay is made over how the Superflu in The Stand kills off all but 1% or less of the population on earth but leaves the destructive weapons of the modern age behind, which figures prominently into the plot. In Dies the Fire, something miraculous and terrible happens to the rules of physics causing electrical devices to fail, gunpowder to fizzle rather than explode, and not even steam engines work correctly. The human population of nearly seven billion souls is left intact, though not for long. Without the structure of transportation and the global marketplace the vast majority of humans face mass starvation on an epic scale (hinted at the hundreds of millions, possibly even several billion). Survivors must re-invent farming methods of our ancestors in order to live until the next harvest season. Millions abandon the cities, which have become literal plague grounds. It all makes for great drama. This “Emberverse” world is an unmerciful place, where thuggery and cannibalism and death are all too common.

Most of the action centers around three groups. They become nascent tribal entities really as the novel progresses. Ex-marine Mike Havel leads a family through the Rocky Mountains in Idaho and instills a militaristic discipline in his charges as they take on more and more refugees and form sort of a nomadic band on neo-Turkish mercenaries (numerous references are made to the Mongols, but I think Turkish horse archers of the Crusade period seems more of an apt analogue). In the central Willamette Valley of Oregon, musician and Wicca priestess Juniper McKenzie retreats with her coven to her family’s log cabin. They come to form a neo-Celtic commune and form alliances with farmers from a nearby small town. Further north in Portland a former medieval history and sociology college professor (and Society of Creative Anachronism member) Norman Arminger has far less altruistic plans; using contacts he made while researching street and biker gangs and drug cartels he assembles a mini fiefdom of thuggish “knights”, and generally tries to party like it’s 1066 with him as the supreme monarch. Conflict with the more democratic tribes to the south inevitably progresses.

I love exploring a universe like this and wondering how I would survive if put in their place. I must admit my profession of librarian wouldn’t get me too far, I would most fit in with the community that sprang up around Corvallis, the University Collective, which like Arminger tries to emulate anachronistic technology but does so in a more democratic and humane manner. The Collective was sparsely mentioned in this book, but I am hoping they are more thoroughly explored in the third book in the series: Meeting in Corvallis.

A note on religion: I have read many reviews of this book, many critical of what I like to call the Full-Frontal Paganism content. It has been derogatorily called the Wicca Left Behind series because of its positive and very lengthy treatment of that minority religion. It seems America retains much of its Puritanical knee-jerk fear of all things witchy. Let me say a few things in Stirling's defense. After doing some research I have found that he is in fact atheist, so I don’t think the character of Juniper McKenzie is meant to advocate or draw support for Wicca in any way. He just has a bit of a fetish for using minority character in major roles in his novels, perhaps to make things interesting. In the same vein his Nantucket trilogy has been sardonically called “the greatest black lesbian pirate ninja epic of all time!” because of a so-called alternative lifestyle main character. I used to live in the Pacific Northwest, even in the Willamette valley for a time and there are indeed more Wicca living there than in the general population. You run into them at conventions and Renaissance fairs all the time, some even sporting kilts as they do in the novel. It is not TOO far out there to think that given the skill set of the McKenzie coven and the tools, food, and seeds they brought with them to their hillside retreat they would flourish. It is not TOO far out there to think that the residents of the small town (based on tiny Brownsville, Oregon) would see the witches flourishing and wish to ally with them, no matter how reviled they were in the past. It is not TOO far out there to think that given the great social upheavals after The Change that many of those would convert to a nature worshiping religion like Wicca. Critical reviewers tend to think that Stirling was implying that most of Oregon would become Wicca, when in fact it was just one tiny (by pre-Change standards) community.

Where Stirling goes wrong is in Juniper’s unrelenting spouting of platitudes to her gods (“By the Lord and Lady!” “Goddess forbid it!” etc.) and liberal use of hackneyed Gaelic clichés. I kept putting Juniper up to this litmus test: if she were Catholic or Jewish rather than Wicca would I be as annoyed by her frequent use of Latin or Hebrew sayings? Would I feel my time was wasted by excessive descriptions of liturgical rituals and verbatum recitation of prayers? Yes, I think I would. Wicca is much less exotic to me than the average American so I would rather rituals was edited down a bit. Describe what happened and how the characters felt IF it is important to the story, verbatim descriptions of the ritual are unneeded and vulgar no matter what religion they pertain to.(less)

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Mar 09, 2008 Mike rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one

I didn't finish this one. The story was fairly interesting at the start--a compelling scenario, a number of potentially interesting characters--but it fizzled fairly quickly. It comes off mostly as an adolescent male fantasy where D&D geeks rule with their sword mastery. I actually laughed at the main bad guy, who had assembled gang leaders from across the city, dazzled them by killing four men at once with his awesome sword skills, and had scantily-clad (and very frightened) women serving t...more

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Oct 04, 2008 Troy rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: renaissance re-enactors who are convinced that their weapon skills will be useful in the future.

Shelves: given-up

The moment I realized that 50% of Stirling's characters were frustrated Renaissance Festival "swordswomen" who were finally going to be taken seriously in the post-apocalypse and that he WASN'T doing it for comedy's sake, I had to give up. Two stars for competent writing, but I wish they would have been forthright about the SCA's affiliation on the book jacket. I would have spent my money on an over-sized novelty turkey leg and some mead.

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Jul 02, 2009 Jef Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars

The premise is incredibly intriguing - in a flash, all technology that relies on rapid combustion or electricity (including gun powder, cars, and everything electrical) stops. How the world changes and adapts as a result of this (and people's reactions to it) is the drive behind the story. It's enough.

Of course, I'm not done with the book, and it is the first in a series (which are often stronger than succeeding books), but so far so good. My only major complaint is that a lot of the book is wri...more

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Mar 20, 2012 Melody rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia, favorites

10/11 Reread. As I was reading this I was wondering why I love dystopian fiction so much. Is it the feeling of unsteadiness it gives me in everyday life? Is it that I have a deep and abiding faith in humanity to get it right the second time? Is it that my own life is comfortable? I don't have a solid answer, but this book is one I love. Despite the coincidences, despite the staggering body count complete with graphic descriptions of arrows thumping meatily into flesh & bone, despite the goof...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Emrys rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: unfinished-and-staying-that-way

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It is so very rare that I put a book down mid-read, but I'm doing it with this one. I gave it a healthy shot, I really did...Got to page 229!

But I can't stand this book. It describes a world where everything just stops working...cars, computers, anything electrical...due to some strange electrical/light phenomenon. And that sounded cool! I thought, "Oh! EMP-story that knocks society to its knees! Yay to see it get back up again amidst chaos!"

I love me a good apocolypse!

The problem in this book s...more

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Mar 19, 2009 Andy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Thank the maker... this book took me forever to read because it was much more fantasy then I expected. I thought... SF all the way. I mean, power goes out and everything that we know of is lost, but nay, it was the other way around. Power was out and the next thing I know, the people of the book are now living a life like that of the medieval times... And I should of known it would be like that. When the world ends and there is no power, it only makes sense that life will become like that of Kin...more

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Sep 30, 2008 J.S. rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Really diehard Post-Apocalyptic fans

It's been a really long time since I first picked up this book, enticed by the cover art and plot summary on the back. I don't remember exactly how far I got in relation to how much was left to read (although I do remember what caused me to put the book down for the final time, I'll get to that later) but I'll give my opinion on what I gathered from the way things were going:

The essence of this story is just a catchy premise, stretched painfully to cover an entire novel. I usually see this kind...more It's been a really long time since I first picked up this book, enticed by the cover art and plot summary on the back. I don't remember exactly how far I got in relation to how much was left to read (although I do remember what caused me to put the book down for the final time, I'll get to that later) but I'll give my opinion on what I gathered from the way things were going:

The essence of this story is just a catchy premise, stretched painfully to cover an entire novel. I usually see this kind of thing in terrible comedies or half-baked thrillers, where the director/author has obviously come up with an interesting pitch, but little else. In this case, the premise is that some inexplicable phenomena has rendered two hundred years of technology useless - not an EMP, because even guns and combustion engines no longer work. As I read, I began to get a sinking feeling that this phenomena would never be rationalized or explained, as the only thing that could possibly do so would have to be Divine Intervention (and when you're writing a novel, that's cheating as far as I'm concerned).

So S.M. Stirling has his gimmick - modern people forced to survive with Dark Age technology. And that wouldn't be so bad, whether he reveals the nature of the Change or not. I can deal with an absurd premise if the rest of the story is well-crafted. In short, it's not. If that doesn't convince you, then read on.

The first of two main characters is a bland ex-military dude, indistinguishable from all the other ex-military main characters among countless works of fiction. He's flying a stereotypical yuppie family in a small private plane when the Change happens, and after they crash, the expected bonding occurs between the helpless rich people and their new protector. He teaches the impressionable son manly things like hunting and knife-fighting, and he has a love interest in the spoiled nubile daughter. Nothing to see here.

The second is slightly more interesting, but that's mostly because she's so ridiculous. A Wiccan Renaissance Faire devotee who happens to hang out exclusively with people who own real swords and battle axes, nobody would be better prepared for a return to the dark ages, right? Unfortunately, yes, which brings me to wonder how owning a claymore and sparring for tourists would actually give you the skills necessary to survive something like the Change. Of course, I don't know much about Wiccans, and maybe most of their practices really would help with farming techniques and whatnot, but I doubt real Wiccans feel the need to patronizingly shout corny, lengthy oaths whenever possible. I didn't get much farther on her segment of the story, because I then came upon the final straw in this hard-to-swallow yarn.

If this sounds plausible to you, then I've been wasting your time with my review: "a Portland-based neo-feudal dictatorship created by a sociopathic history professor." This is from Stirling's Wikipedia article, I'm not exaggerating. The main antagonist of the book is a history professor, whose justification for taking over the bloodthirsty criminals of Portland is that he knows more about swords and maces than, say, a burly Hell's Angel with a crowbar. I don't know many history professors personally, but academia doesn't attract the kind of people who can slaughter four attackers at once just by *reading* about it. And yes, this history professor slaughters four attackers at once with a sword. That was the point where I put the book down and never went back.

I could talk about how boring the writing was (I found myself skimming by accident, moving my eyes across the lines without taking any of it in) but this part of the art form is purely subjective, and what I found to be uninspired might interest you. But it's hard to accept the plot's execution, which I've heard described accurately as a Renaissance Faire nerd's fantasy. Without picking up the book again, that's all I can really say about it, and since the mere thought of doing so is unappealing, then that should tell you all you need to know. (less)

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May 05, 2008 Anoolka rated it 1 of 5 stars

The idea presented in this book of a world suddenly without electricity and gunfire seemed interesting enough and I've already read the first book of the Island in the Sea of Time trilogy (and liked it a lot) that is somewhat linked with the universe shown in this book so I thought I'd give it a try. It started somewhat slow but I kept going. It didn't even bother me much when the coincidences of meeting just the right people started piling up, after all without them the book would probably be b...more

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Aug 08, 2007 Natlyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: post-apocalypse

I enjoyed it, but not as much as I expected to. It may be that I have departed my post-apocalypse phase.

In any case, Dies the Fire takes place primarily in Oregon after something resembling an electromagnetic pulse takes out all things electrical (and gunpowder—I said, something like). It follows two bands of survivors: Clan Mackenzie (Wiccans and those who join them) led by Juniper Mackenzie and the Bearkillers led by former Marine Mike Havel. Clan Mackenzie rapidly settles down and begins far...more I enjoyed it, but not as much as I expected to. It may be that I have departed my post-apocalypse phase.

In any case, Dies the Fire takes place primarily in Oregon after something resembling an electromagnetic pulse takes out all things electrical (and gunpowder—I said, something like). It follows two bands of survivors: Clan Mackenzie (Wiccans and those who join them) led by Juniper Mackenzie and the Bearkillers led by former Marine Mike Havel. Clan Mackenzie rapidly settles down and begins farming/creating a fortress. The Bearkillers becomes a band of traveling mercenaries (traveling from Idaho to Oregon, IIRC). Through these two groups, each embodying opposite ends of the spectrum on honest-work survival, Stirling is able to cover most (if not all) of the standard setpieces of the genre: (re)learning agriculture and hunting; making serviceable weapons with available materials; fighting off isolated intolerant opportunists, organized opportunists, and cannibals; incorporating new people into the group; tossing bad seeds out of the group; etc.

Stirling also makes effective use of the idea that the fringes of society are the ones who will survive and thrive when civilization falls. Not only do Wiccans and their beliefs have much to offer but so do members of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Lord of the Rings fans, aficionados of antique weaponry, and so on. I will say that women roles are equally heroic as the men, but there probably aren't as many bad women as bad men.

The unique characteristic of Stirling's Changed world is his examination of what place myth and religious belief systems have in survival. Not only is the Wiccan religion important to Clan Mackenzie, but also symbols of the group (e.g., kilts) and the creation of group mythology (e.g., the story of the Bearkillers journey) are important to Clan Mackenzie and the Bearkillers. There are two more books in this series (The Protector's War and A Meeting at Corvallis). I am slightly interested to see if the complete story that Stirling is telling is about recreating ideologies and political systems to fit this Changed world and, if so, what he comes up with. However, I suspect that the subsequent novels continue along the line of post-apocalyptic derring-do that the genre is known for with a bit more hat-tipping to the Wiccan/SCA audience.

I may be cynical.
(less)

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Feb 25, 2013 Sarah Chase rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wonderful!

All my favorite things! Apocalypse, a little Magic, strong characters, good people. Also I listened to the Audio Book, and the narrator reminds me strongly at times of Tom Hanks!

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Jan 15, 2008 Michael B rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 22, 2010 Benjamin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, science, pacific, northwest, 2006-read, post-apocalypse, first-edition, edition

What a great idea! Setting a story in the Pacific Northwest is nothing new, but then add in a mysterious diasaster that strips humanity of electricity, steam power, working gun powder, and combustion energy. Add some wiccans, some U.S. marines, a couple hundred CSA nerds, OSU, some gangstas, and Tolkien die hards. Shake it all up, what do you get, a plot that satisfies the geek within. Oh how I love Portland. Its such great city, but in Dies the Fire, it becomes the center of evil oppression run...more

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Mar 04, 2009 Trey rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Interesting post-apocalypse concept, technology fails.

However, author wears certain parts out. (ie. real pet peeve of mine - when an author constantly has a character state something in a foriegn language and then repeat what was said in english immeiately thereafter. It is not only unnecessary and distracting, but becomes truly obnoxious later and takes one out of the story. Think about it, if the character's knows what he/she said, then print it in English, if not, then use the language and m...more Interesting post-apocalypse concept, technology fails.

However, author wears certain parts out. (ie. real pet peeve of mine - when an author constantly has a character state something in a foriegn language and then repeat what was said in english immeiately thereafter. It is not only unnecessary and distracting, but becomes truly obnoxious later and takes one out of the story. Think about it, if the character's knows what he/she said, then print it in English, if not, then use the language and make the speaker translate it. Not this subliminal repetition which really has no place except to the reader, who usually would appreciate the phrase in English rather than having to skip through a line or two of italicized words. Tolkien perhaps could get away with it, but he was a linguist.)

One other thing, I appreciate rituals/rites, etc in stories, but cannot abide endless multi-page descriptions of festivals and rites. Cannot keep them straight and they blur, eventually, I found myself skipping sections due to the unrelenting descriptive verbosity about some wiccan ritual. In fact, despite enjoying the action, I found myself dreading return to the home of the wiccans. Especially the "smacking of lips" on several occasions, including for honey mead - ever tasted that stuff? It aint great. But, Stephen King is verbose as well.

A final note, needs to stop with the deus ex machina. A cliffhanger end of the chapter, then just the right people happening along at just the right time just before a sword, arrow or spear is just about to do the work that weapon is so effectively described against the bad guys. Frankly, it is a bit annoying. No matter how much you like a story - Author should take a lesson from George R.R. Martin - unexpected deaths, sometimes at unusual or in less that heroic circumstances, add a little reality and sink a story home.

I do love this type of story, but still have a hard time with the premise that only those with wiccan, SCA, Ren Faire experience or the hard core military types will make it. He does not speak of the hundreds of thousands of martial artists, the hikers/campers, survivalists, etc. THe book is fun and I enjoyed it for what it was, but still I had a bit of a hard time swallowing much of it.(less)

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Feb 04, 2009 Annette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: alternate-history, post-apocalyptic, worth-re-reading

My husband and I have been reading a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction over the last year or so: The Stand, Lucifer's Hammer, A Canticle for Lebowitz, etc. As much as I enjoyed those two, I really Loved "Dies the Fire." Stirling has a real knack for handing you an absolutely ridiculous premise (in this case, something or someone or Someone comes along in the spring of '98 and changes the laws of physics just enough to stop internal combustion engines from combusting, guns from firing, and electric...more My husband and I have been reading a lot of post-apocalyptic fiction over the last year or so: The Stand, Lucifer's Hammer, A Canticle for Lebowitz, etc. As much as I enjoyed those two, I really Loved "Dies the Fire." Stirling has a real knack for handing you an absolutely ridiculous premise (in this case, something or someone or Someone comes along in the spring of '98 and changes the laws of physics just enough to stop internal combustion engines from combusting, guns from firing, and electricity from working at all) and then making you buy it completely by writing really great characters and plots around it. The fact that much of the action takes place in my own home state is just an added bonus - I got a kick out of imaging the "Dark Lord of Portland" (with the lidless eye as his sigil, no less) holding court in the Government Documents room of the downtown Library! Anyway, you find yourself fully immersed in a world in which technology no longer works, and everyone suddenly finds themselves at the very bottom of Maslov's Pyramid of Needs. I appreciated how quickly the characters (at least the ones who survived) quickly found their pet causes such as vegetarianism, organic gardening, and even non-violence far too expensive for such a world.
As mentioned above, this story is in the same vein as The Stand (King) and Lucifer's Hammer (Niven / Pournell), and the even older Earth Abides (Stewart.) It isn't necessarily *better* than any of those, although very different of course. What it is, is longer. It's the first in a 6 part series, that, if I understand my husband, ends at least a couple of generations after "The Change." I was mildly disappointed when aforementioned books ended just a year or two in.
Oh, and the only thing that stops me from giving "Dies the Fire" 5 stars is that, as a Christian, I found the long descriptions of the Wiccan religion practiced by 1/2 the central characters a little grating. The only actual Christians we see are of the sort who like to pound on Bibles and shout for the burning of all witches. I understand in the later books, however, some real genuine Catholics show up in Mt. Angel. I'm sure I'll feel much better about them. :)
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Apr 21, 2013 Kristy Feltenberger Gillespie rated it 4 of 5 stars

“Dies the Fire” is a post-apocalyptic novel by S.M. Stirling that my friends Kristi and Adam recommended. I’m in the research stage of writing a post-apocalyptic/dystopian novel. (Movies that have helped with my research include: “The Book of Eli,” “The Road,” “Equilibrium,” “I Am Legend,” “In Time,” “Children of Men,” “Carriers,” “Perfect Sense,” “Monsters,” “The Hunger Games,” “Life After People,” “Contagion,” etc.)

As for “Dies the Fire,” there were aspects that I enjoyed. The premise is compe...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Steve Mcconnell` rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is my second book by S.M. Stirling, and I have had love/hate relationships with both (the other was Conquistador). I like the alternative universe he constructs in the story after electricity, engines, and gunpowder stop working. He tells an interesting story of the collapse that occurs when that happens, and then a few groups of people who rebuild pretty successfully after that.

But I felt that I was fighting the author through much of the story. The author is a nerd's nerd. He uses the ex...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Joanna rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is my review for the Emberverse *series* (minus the #9 volume still in the works) - Dies the Fire is the book that kicks it all off.

The Emberverse is one of the best post-apocalyptic series I have come across in decades of SF/F reading. The first 3 books can stand alone, and are frankly the most interesting because they deal with the immediate trauma and conflicts that arise when technology suddenly ceases to be. This is the end of the world as we modern day humans might experience it, so...more This is my review for the Emberverse *series* (minus the #9 volume still in the works) - Dies the Fire is the book that kicks it all off.

The Emberverse is one of the best post-apocalyptic series I have come across in decades of SF/F reading. The first 3 books can stand alone, and are frankly the most interesting because they deal with the immediate trauma and conflicts that arise when technology suddenly ceases to be. This is the end of the world as we modern day humans might experience it, so it's a lot easier to relate to the horrors the characters are grappling with. I mean, you have deranged cannibals who are much like zombies roaming the wilds, ghostly deserted cities where disease and plagues left heaps of rotting bodies, merciless SCA assholes who are tearing down the last vestiges of civilization to reconstruct feudal society, super-competent and heroic ex-military, and canny, delightful pagans fighting to revive the Old Ways through hard work, archery, song and art. It's simply a lot of fun to inhabit this dangerous new world where common sense and practical knowledge are king.

After book 3, the story line primarily follows the characters who are born "post-change" and know very little of our world, aside from it being ancient history. In some ways, it reminds me of the fox domestication experiment - how many generations does it take to breed the wild out of a fox and get floppy ears? Only, in reverse: how many generations does it take to forget the past 1000 years ever happened? Like the burning of the Library of Alexandria, where mankind lost 2000 years of science and learning, this is a major setback. But it is a very engineered setback, where the emerging societies are carefully crafted by the surviving modern day humans.

As the series progresses the various cultures and tribes that you are introduced to (unrelated to actual race or lineage) range from the celtic peoples to rancher cowboys to native americans to midwest farmer-barons to norse scandinavians to inner-city-thug-cum-medieval-overlords, and the list goes on. And that is only in North America.

Basically, this is a series with all the toppings. Even some supernatural/magic mixed into the later books. Though no vampires or werewolves, whew.

I recommend the first 3 books for a thoroughly enjoyable read.(less)

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Jan 05, 2013 Jeff rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book is terrible, it might be one of the worst pieces of fantasy writing I have ever come across. The basic plot device seems simple enough, humanity is abruptly forced to live without technology again as unknown forces cause anything more complicated than edged weapons to stop working.

That's all well and good, you can build something interesting around that. What we get from Stirling are one dimensional characters written to satisfy stereotypes. Every character has one defining aspect, for...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Siew Ee rated it 4 of 5 stars

There are many dystopian novels out there and readers are spoilt for choice. I looked around a bit and finally picked Stirling’s “Dies the Fire” because of the high ratings by numerous readers.

I had high expectations for this book which covered events after an electrical storm caused all electronic devices to fail. Even guns, which I thought was very strange…. anyway, that aside, it’s clear that Stirling has done much research on this book. His descriptions of weapons and other aspects of warfar...more

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Sep 06, 2012 LA rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. When I started this book, it seemed kind of familiar. I eventually realized that I'd started reading it before, but had put it down in disgust. The writing is fine, but it reads like I should have found it on the shelves at the Wiccan equivalent of Parables. It's a pro-Wiccan book disguised as post-apocalyptic fiction. It's also very pro-SCA, as the big event that triggers the downfall of humanity also destroys all gunpowder. Quite amazing.

I asked myself if I'd be as disappointed if the main ch...more When I started this book, it seemed kind of familiar. I eventually realized that I'd started reading it before, but had put it down in disgust. The writing is fine, but it reads like I should have found it on the shelves at the Wiccan equivalent of Parables. It's a pro-Wiccan book disguised as post-apocalyptic fiction. It's also very pro-SCA, as the big event that triggers the downfall of humanity also destroys all gunpowder. Quite amazing.

I asked myself if I'd be as disappointed if the main character were Christian. Yes, I would have been, because then the constant quoting of Bible passages and actual acting out of Christian ceremonies would have been a huge part of the book.

All that could be forgiven if only there were ANY character to voice another viewpoint. Instead all the other humans fall into step and convert to Wicca. There is mention of some Christian minister who might object, but he's never brought into any conversation.

There was also a point where the author's fatphobia shows through, when an ex-alcoholic man shows up with his wife who used to be "huge" but now looks like a "deflated balloon". They judge this man as "trash" based on tremors in his hands and on the fact that his wife used to be fat. He turns out to have bow-making skills that they need so they have to grudgingly accept him. Maybe later in the book he turns out to save them all? I highly doubt it.

There is almost no interesting conflict because all the "good" characters get along. There isn't even conflict when two people meet, have a roll in the hay... and then she's pregnant, and later he shows up with his fiancee. Everyone gets along!

Sure, there is a bit of conflict with a few outside elements, but they are dehumanized as "cannibals" and "bandits". In the one case where the good guys end up shooting a "bad guy" in the leg with an arrow, they feel bad and accept the bad guy and her son.... and everything is rainbows and kittens. None of the "good guys" gets so much as a bladder infection. Or was Type 1 diabetic. Or needed glasses and lost them and now has to deal with being nearly blind. The world ends and the Wiccans and SCA members will rule the earth!

If you're a Wiccan SCA member who loves stories where nothing really bad happens, despite this being a post-apocalyptic novel, you'll enjoy it. Everyone else... avoid.(less)

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Aug 28, 2012 Alice rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia-postapocalyptic

I've spent the last three weeks reading all of the books in this series. Each one is extremely long, and clearly I like them or I would not continue reading them, but I can't say I think they're good books, exactly. I love the premise, that there's some sort of electromagnetic pulse/Alien Space Bat that instantly causes all technology to stop working (up to and including steam engines). Stirling has a nice view of the future; yes, it's immensely sympathetic to Ren Faire, SCA, history professors,...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Nathan Miller rated it 5 of 5 stars

Many of us have had fantasies--usually when we were kids--of living under primitive conditions as cave men, Medieval knights, explorers, or what have you. Or we read about the Crusades or the Oregon Trail and wonder what it must have been like to live during or before the Industrial Revolution. Sometimes it seems that pushing some sort of cosmic Reset button is the only way to solve certain difficult global problems. What if we could? More to the point, what if someone else did?

The premise is th...more Many of us have had fantasies--usually when we were kids--of living under primitive conditions as cave men, Medieval knights, explorers, or what have you. Or we read about the Crusades or the Oregon Trail and wonder what it must have been like to live during or before the Industrial Revolution. Sometimes it seems that pushing some sort of cosmic Reset button is the only way to solve certain difficult global problems. What if we could? More to the point, what if someone else did?

The premise is that some such cosmic Reset button is pushed and a powerful energy wave spreads outward from Nantucket Island, encircling the globe. When it passes, all high-energy technology--electricity, high-pressure gas (including steam), explosives--have been rendered inexplicably inoperative. In short, the entire globe is instantly forced back to pre-industrial technology. As one would expect, much pandemonium ensues.

The book follows two small, but growing, groups of survivors in the greater Pacific Northwest as they literally fight to both survive and rebuild something resembling civilization. For those of us with an interest in the Middle Ages, the book and its sequels will have great appeal. Who doesn't love swords, chain maille and trebuchets? There was plenty of tension, as one might expect of a post-apocalyptic story.

Besides being an interesting story, the book has some interesting things to say about how certain types of societies might arise out of a state of chaos, how they might interact with one another, and their comparatives strengths and weaknesses. We also see how such chaos could result in a shift in cultural and religious thinking. As in "World War Z," this book also has some commentary on things like the consequences of over-reliance on technology, imbalance of resource distribution particularly the physical disconnect between food production and population centers, and our perception of wealth and the things that symbolize it.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, there were a few things that threatened to distract me. First, there's Boyle's Law, which has to do with the behavior of gasses under pressure, particularly the correlation between volume and pressure. The premise violates that law, not to mention that apparently weather wouldn't work and we wouldn't be able to inhale. The premise also poses some problems with lightning and with bio-electrical processes like the nervous system. But we the reader can choose to ignore that and treat it as the magic of that universe just like we accept that things like brooms and cars can fly in "Harry Potter." From time to time, though, the author violates his internal rule by mentioning a crackling fire--fires crackle by expanding gasses blowing bits of burning material off a large piece of wood. But I ignore that for the sake of the story and move on. There are some other minor inaccuracies with respect to the flora and geography of the Pacific Northwest, but they're only obvious to me because I'm a native-plant enthusiast and I live in the Willamette Valley.(less)

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Annette In a later book - possibly in the second series, actually - Signe's father figures out that the Ideal Gas laws seem to have changed. (pv=nrt) Instead...more
Jul 20, 2012 11:00pm

Nathan Miller I recall in DTF that Ken Larsson was working on the problem while en-route from Idaho to Larsdalen. That was when he discovered that steam power didn'...more
Jul 22, 2012 07:46pm

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About S.M. Stirling

Stephen Michael Stirling is a French-born Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author. Stirling is probably best known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and the more recent time travel/alternate history Nantucket series and Emberverse series.

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Island in the Sea of Time (Nantucket, Book 1)

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“Now let's move on to the subject of how a real man treats his wife. A real man doesn't slap even a ten-dollar hooker around, if he's got any self respect, much less hurt his own woman. Much less ten times over the mother of his kids. A real man busts his ass to feed his family, fights for them if he has to, dies for them if he has to. And he treats his wife with respect every day of his life, treats her like a queen - the queen of the home she makes for their children.” — 25 people liked it

“And the first king was a lucky soldier.” — 11 people liked it

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Dies the Fire (Emberverse #1)

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