Description
The New York Times bestselling author continues his post- apocalyptic series chronicling a modern world without technology.
With The Sword of the Lady, Rudi Mackenzie's destiny was determined. Now he returns to Montival in the Pacific Northwest, where he will face the legions of the Prophet. To achieve victory, Rudi must assemble a coalition of those who had been his enemies a few months before and forge them into an army that will rescue his homeland.
Only then will Rudi be able to come to terms with how the Sword has changed him, as well as the world, and assume his place as Artos, High King of Montival...
Reviews
A High Adventure for a High King
With book #7 of the colloquially known "Emberverse" history of SM Stirling, we reach the end of the second set.
In Sunrise Lands (#1 or 4), Rudi McKenzie learned of the Sword of the Lady and set out with Ingolf the wanderer, his best friend, Edain, his half twin sisters, Mary and Ritva, and Mathilda, heiress to the Portland Protective Association, and her hanger-on, Baron Odard, and the Priest, Brother Ignatius. They got as far as Boise, Idaho and caught up in President Thurston's attempt to resurrect the United States of America.
Scourge of God (#2 or 5) followed them across the continental USA, harried by the CUT all the way. A brief stop in Des Moines, Iowa turns out to be much longer wait as Rudi is sent on ahead. And finally, in Sword of the Lady (#3 or 6) Rudi manages to achieve the island of Nantucket and the Sword of the Lady.
Time presses now. CUT has made inroads all over the world and Rudi is desperate to get back. But the CUT is also desperate to stop him. In action packed pages Rudi flames across the US, wielding the Sword of the Lady, helping allies and founding alliances. Behind his back, but not out of his knowledge, Lady Sandra has been working the other end of the rope, twisting and tying allies and treaties. In his train are new people, Asgerd of the Bjarni, the men of Jake sunna Jake who will found Dun Jake back in the Willamette, and a few are missing, notably Baron Odard and the same Jake Sunna Jake have met the grim reaper. Also, not so much unwilling as resigned, the CUT major, Graber and his former Seeker, Billy Dalan travel with them.
They help the Bjarnis defeat a CUT induced threat, and use a technology developed by Father Ignatius and masterminded by Fred Thurston to speed their rate of progress. The rails of old America pave the way for the fellowship and all their allies to race north, through the old land of Canada towards the Dominion and through passes to arrive at Montival at last.
The way is not, however so swift and easy as we see the travel on the rails today, and CUT is desperately fighting to stop them. Two major battles take place on the physical realm; and one more subtle for the soul of Major Graber takes place through the long journey... till he makes his final choice before Rudi and company come to the Montival.
And in Montival, what awaits them? More of the same... natch! (And then some.)
Amazing adventure in a fascinating setting
Do not be put off by this being another middle volume in a multivolume series. It stands on its own as a wonderful adventure tale featuring fascinating characters in a cross-continental war of heroes and magics. Stirling manages to give enough backstory for easy entry without boring the long time reader with endless data dumps. His descriptions of travelscapes, new cultures and cuisines could stand on their own as a wonderful read even without the heroes and adventures but the heroes and adventures in turn are worth the time themselves. A fated king, a magic sword, a brilliant warrior-queen as companion in all senses of the word, a horse out of legend...it is everything a fantasy adventure lover would wish for. Now throw into the mix a world in the balance war against chaotic darkness and two elf-ranger half sisters and you have a book you will reread multiple times as each reading will take you a layer deeper into the quest. Finally gear heads will get an amazing kick out of where he takes the technological development of a world deprived of explosives, steam and electricity but still possessing the technological mind frame to push the altered laws of physics to the limit.
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