The Sword of the Lady (2009)

Amazon preorder,Amazon received

12/2011 I was able to read this the second time through with more leisure. The first time was a heedless rush to find out what happened next. This time was more fun, though I did notice Stirling's tendency to mistrust that his reader gets it more. Stop hitting us over the head already. But a lovely conclusion to the second trilogy, and a nice stepping-off point for the third. The which I hope will finish the series for good and for all.

12/2010 Entirely satisfying conclusion to the second Emberverse trilogy. There's a bit more adventure, a bit less navel-gazing than the previous book. The not-quite zombie Cutter villains were a little over-the-top, but I'm so invested in the series by now I'm willing to let Stirling toss in some weirdness.

The biggest problem for me with these books (and this one especially) is that Stirling doesn't trust his readers to ferret out the subtleties so he hits us over the heard with 'em again and again.

Still and all, a rollicking good read. ( )

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the previous novels of the Change. It didn't move as fast, but there were enough twists and turns to make it interesting. I'll still finish the series. ( )

I'm never sure why, but I always enjoy the books in both this series, and the companion series, the Island in the Sea of Time. This is a drastic post-apocalypse series, where the world has undergone a drastic Change in which technology no longer works - at least in this version of the timeline. The world has broken up into small kingdoms, fiefdoms and holdings, some good, some not so good. Old religions have come back too. A small group of heroes has to travel from the West Coast to the East Coast (USA) to get a sword that will enable them to hold off the dark. Along the way they meet allies and clash with evil forces repeatedly. Good action, good personalities, and if you aren't particular to any one religion, you'll find revived versions of many of them in this 'future'. Good stuff. ( )

This book was worth the wait to get. Stirling picks up the pace, while slowing down, something which is hard to do without spoiling the pace. Everything after chapter 16 was a surprise. I expected Rudy and his company to have to battle overland to Nantucket. Instead, well, unexpected allies seems to be a staple in this series, but it still catches you off guard. While the reason for the Change is a cliche, it's still a very well played cliche. I wait the arrival of the next in paperback eagerly. I can figure out what will happen (Stirling gives plenty to work with), but the details are what I wait for. ( )