In the tenth year of the Change, the survivors in western Oregon have learned how to live in a world without technology. The city-state of Corvallis has preserved its university, and trade flourishes via riverboats and horse-drawn railways. Under the strong hand of Michael Havel, the Bearkillers hold the lands west of Salem in peace and order. And in the eastern half of the Willamette Valley, the Clan Mackenzie flourishes under the charismatic leadership of Juniper Mackenzie, bard and High Priestess.
Together, they have held the Lord Protector, Norman Arminger—the warlord of Portland—at bay. With his dark fantasies of a neofeudal empire, Arminger has extended his power over much of the Pacific Northwest, spreading fear with his knights, castles, and holy inquisition. Even more dangerous, and perhaps Arminger's most powerful weapon of all, is the ruthlessly cunning mind of his consort, Lady Sandra.
The tensions between these factions have been building for some time, and the only reason they haven't confronted one another on the battlefield is because Arminger's daughter has fallen into Clan Mackenzie's hands. But Lady Sandra has a plan to retrieve her—a plan that threatens to plunge the entire region into open warfare.
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"Unless you are just really into this series, which I happen to be, you could stop with this installment. I really enjoyed the characters, so I have read the whole series published to date (2010). "
— Rebecca (5 out of 5 stars)
Comes up to Stirling's highest standards for pacing, world building, action, and strong characterizations, particularly of women.
— Booklist Starred Review“Comes up to Stirling’s highest standards for pacing, world building, action, and strong characterizations, particularly of women.”
— Booklist (starred review)“Gorgeous, stirring, and gathering such earth-pounding momentum that it’s difficult to resist.”
— Publishers Weekly" The ending was rather abrupt, but a necessary and believable conclusion. "
— Lafcadio, 5/22/2011" HE KILLED OFF MIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >.< i nearly stopped reading for that one single reason lmao "
— Gabriel, 3/2/2011" I've read all of this series that has been published. Highly recommend them all. Definitely a "Goodread"! "
— Deana, 3/2/2011" See my review of the first book 'Dies the Fire'. "
— Rafe, 1/30/2011" Brilliant... you're left at the end feeling you've lost some dear friends.... "
— Mieczyslaw, 1/11/2011" Wasn't bad. I could have done with a bit more character focus and less spread on so many, but such is the issue with many series. "
— Paul, 12/7/2010" Much better than the second book in the series. "
— Delight, 7/14/2010S. M. Stirling is the author of science fiction and fantasy fiction, including three stand-alone novels and many novels in eight series, as well as novels in five more series in which he collaborated with Anne McCaffrey, Jerry Pournell, and David Drake, among others.
Todd McLaren, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, was involved in radio for more than twenty years in cities on both coasts, including Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. He left broadcasting for a full-time career in voice acting, where he has been heard on more than five thousand television and radio commercials, as well as television promos; narrations for documentaries on such networks as A&E, Discovery, and the History Channel; and films, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit?