The idea of this novel (the re-preindustrialization of the world) is fantastic, as is the writing style and characterization -- what lacks is the sustainability of the premise that in two decades a handful of knowledgable historians, craftspeople and hobbyists manage to turn a devastated country into smooth-running microcosms of a former age. The absurdity of, say, Tolkein's Elvish language and the Silmarillon becoming an entire new dialect and culture in twenty years are things that detract from the overall success of the series. I enjoyed the action and thoroughly loved the characters, but I think Stirling forgets one of the marks of the best science fiction: that it appears plausible and teases the reader to accept the most far-reaching possible ideas.