The Protector's War

It is unusual for a sequel to be better than the first volume, but this book has better pacing and plot resolution. I was hesitant to recommend this series based on the first book but after finishing the second one I would be more likely to recommend.

S.M. Stirling is a local product here in New Mexico, and I like to support local authors. He’s a prolific cuss, too, with over a dozen different series, some of which overlap somewhat. [The Protector’s War] is a continuation of The Change Series, which follows a watershed moment in the world where combustion and other related scientific processes no longer work. It shifts the world back to feudalism, essentially.

The second in the series picks up about ten years after the Change, giving us a look at Mike Havel and Juniper MacKenzie’s newly forged kingdoms in the Oregon wilderness. Up around Portland, Norman Arminger has also solidified his more brutal state, and is threatening to invade Havel and MacKenzie territory. Though the show more title would lead you to believe that the war gets underway in this installment, the battles herein are smaller skirmishes that will clearly lead to the full conflict in a later book.

There is a penchant in fantasy, particularly the sword and dragon worlds, to be painfully detailed in descriptions, down to the blood spatter from each blow and the rivets in every shield. That level of detail was on display in the first book, [Dies the Fire]. So, I was on notice when I undertook this one. But the reading gets burdensome occasionally. There are flashes of some good story material throughout, but it gets bogged down in the weeds quite frequently. And it seemed that Stirling was itching for a fight, because he looks for ways to pit these people against each other, sometimes without a strong reason or element of plot involved.

Additionally, Stirling brought the outside world into this book, featuring some British folks who must escape their isle and eventually make their way the Oregon Coast. It was interesting to read about how other lands were dealing with the Change, but the connections between these characters and the Oregon group seemed a little too much coincidence.

On balance, I will probably be back for more, but the further the story gets from the Change, the less I feel engaged with the characters. A little more character development and a little less detail would probably solve that disconnect, but it’s doubtful to go that way.

Bottom Line: Good enough to keep turning the pages – maybe even try the next book; flashes of a better story buried under the excruciating detail and jarring contextual shifts.

3 ½ bones!!!!! show less

How is this series, full of blood and the meaty thwacking of bastard sword into bone, one of my favorites? One I like so well I've sought it out on CD and listen to it by the hour? There are bits so repetitive that it makes my teeth hurt, and bits which are so hilarious I howl. It works for me, really well. Especially when I'm too grumpy to read anything else, I can listen to this.

The narration is mostly wonderful, but Oregon place names are HARD.

For me, this was better than the first book. I enjoyed the Wiccan jokes, and I enjoyed the author's grasp of witch jargon. I very much appreciate that the characters recognize that much of what their culture is like today would have been ridiculous before the Change, even to other people into their hobbies. There is still the problem that the Change is not well explained, and that just about every character you meet has some sort of hobby that hearkens back to a pre-industrial age, but I'm willing to forgive the author that as long as I enjoy his world. I enjoy his world, even if it seems like some it is not well thought out. As for characters, Juniper is both a delight and an annoyance. Mike is infinitely practical. His wife is a real show more character, with some serious steel in her spine. I'm fond of her, but have no idea how to spell her name. lol The rangers interest me, and I wish they had more of their own book, but I think the next book skips their generation. As far as the various romances, I'm not really satisfied. The author seems like he doesn't really want to show his readers how things come to be so much as just showing how they end up. He does that a lot, but it bugs me more with some things than others. I'm not sure why he chose to write his books so many years apart, with important happenings going on between them, but he did. It's as annoying as the romances. Not annoying enough to turn me away just yet, but annoying. I do like that he seems to have grown his romances out of friendships, though he does a poor job of showing that. For all this, you would think that I did not like this book, but I really did like it. A lot. I'm annoyed because someone dropped the ball in a world I enjoy visiting. show less

It was interesting to read this immediately after "How to Read Novels Like a Professor." I quickly noticed how Stirling violated convention by sharing several of the main characters' thoughts (written in italics). It worked here because so much of the meaning comes from the interactions between people and the cultural dynamics in this post-Change world. All 486 pages pass quickly through non-stop action in 3 different locations. It's mostly an escapist piece, but I do find this series offers thoughtful contemplation about the factors that drive history.

It is year 8, after The Change. People are trying to survive, relearning how to grow their own food, protect themselves from marauders and warlords. The Bear Killer Clan and Clan Mackenzie are separate but close, with a mutual pact to assist when the self-styled Protector once again sends his forces to conquer them.

Lots of details with regard to primitive survival, and a surprisingly strong emphasis on worship of the Goddess.

Characters are well drawn and strong, and the plot is clear and pointed, with one small exception at the end.

It has cliff hangers though so beware. I'm having to hurry up and read the next book in the series right now!

Still a good story....but it's starting to get a bit hokeyer. We know how smart the good guys are, so why do they watch the bad guys leave the big conference to head for home...and don't send some spies to verify that they actually do go home. Meanwhile, The title was a bit misleading for me, because the actual war doesn't happen until the next book This book merely sets a very complicated plot & sub-plot, in which they capture the most beloved 10 year old daughter of the bad guy and match her up with the heroine's own 10 year old son. Otherwise, it's much the same as book 1.

Just a note here: pay attention to the place/date section headers. The action jumps from place to place as the author tries to fill us in on what's happening in the show more various locations, and to the various people, within the story; the date of the action reminds us that what we're reading may have taken place earlier in the timeline....or concurrently. show less