The Sword of the Lady by S.M. Stirling

[cobaltblue]

Hey, I'm currently about 3/4 through Rudi Mackenzie's saga of his quest after this Sword of the Lady with his assembled crew.  As a paganly inclined fellow, I really love the collisions and syntheses of the Christian and pagan elements, together with a vile Wendigo system there-opposed in the CUT people in Montana. 

So far I'm enjoying it, but I do find myself getting restless at points.  There are some things Stirling does well, and I have to admit a guilty pleasure reading about the sword fights and the bows-and-arrows stuff.  He's a bit stock with love relationships though.  I found I was just as put off with J.K. Rowling and some of her rather contrived together-bringings of various characters in the Harry Potter series.  My own personal pet peeve.

My favorite characters are the strong but decidedly not-good women of the Protective Association of Portland.  Tiphaine and Sandra strike me as women who are wise to things much larger than they realize.  While I love the Mackenzies, I'm at a point now where they get to meet some honest-to-god Asatrus.  That I'm looking forward to!  Odin bless!

[mtlouie]

I got over the series about half-way through the third book.  Galt still keeps up on it though.  I just want to know when they finally find out what the hell happened to cause the EMP.   

[gnosis]

I got through the first three books, then stopped. I think I didn't read anymore because he hadn't yet released the other books yet, and I don't live in the US, so it is hard
for me to get books where I am.

That being said, I really don't want to read more of the Dies the Fire series, say... three more books, just to find out what caused the "EMP" and where. I'll be happy reading a
wikipedia summary of the final books instead. 

[pamplemousse]

I get tired of the battle scenes, so damn tedious.  I just don't care, kill them already.  But, I have another Stirling book on the shelf, unread, for when I'm ready to pick up the series again.

The first Dies The Fire is just not to be missed for anyone with doomer tendencies.

[Hendrek]

Yea, the first one is pretty good.  I haven't gone beyond that, myself. 

Stirling's crowd includes George R.R. Martin, whom I highly recommend though.

[cobaltblue]

I'm enjoying the pagan elements, I have to say.  And something I've been expecting (a tie-in back to the Island in the Sea of Time trilogy) comes near the end.  The mystical star-goddess-y Mind elements of the book are what keep me going.  Some of the characters I wasn't sure about have started to grow on me.

And I always like books that incorporate Odin.  Hail your bad One-Eyed Shaman Self!

[pamplemousse]

If you are enjoying the pagan aspect (and I do, it is such a relief from the overbearing Christianity), you might also like Omega, by Stewart Farrar.  Out of print, but used copies show up on amazon.com.

[EWHM]

Stirling is really good at writing religious characters in general that take their various faiths seriously.  His Catholics (e.g. Father Ignatius from the Emberverse books and Sister Marya from the Draka books) are really well done, and interestingly enough, very strongly orthodox.  Ignatius and the Abbot of Mount Angel from the first series in particular appear to channel C.S. Lewis pretty strongly.  You can hear echos of Lewis' Space Trilogy, Weight of Glory, Mere Christianity, and The Abolition of Man if you know what to listen for in when they're 'on screen'.   One big failing of most science fiction authors is their inability to portray well three of the big things that drive actual human beings---those being faith, sex, and sports.  This tends to result in a lot of flat characters.  Stirling doesn't suffer from this, which makes his work considerably better in comparison.

[counselor]

i have enjoyed many of stirling's books...some of his other alternate history are fun..ie, the conquistador
counselor

[OdysseusNTexas]

I just finished TSOTL  .  Damn!  What does it take for him to reach conclusion?  How many more sequels will he drag out of this?  I got rather tired of all the divertissements  You know, we are on the way to Maine, but there is another battle that we will describe in excruciating detail for you.  It let me down that after reading all the stories of the Dies the Fire and the three books after Nantucket goes 3000 years in the past that he would try to milk it for another book.  Damn!  Where is there resolution?
   And talk about the details.  Everyone is eating meat and bread and never suffering from vitamin deficiencies, are there any chronic illnesses?  Does anyone get intestinal parasites from drinking from streams where animals crap?  All the rural communities get on well, no one except Mary or Ritva,  (as if anyone could tell the two apart).. has any disabilities.  Come on!  There are wars going on!  People loose limbs, and have them broken.  This pastoral fascination does not stand the test of reality. 

[luna201]

and the three books after Nantucket goes 3000 years in the past that he would try to milk it for another book.  Damn!  Where is there resolution?
 

Actually, I think he's trying to milk it for another three.