Dies the Fire

A Novel of the Change

By: S. M. Stirling

Narrated by: Todd McLaren

Length: 22 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Michael Havel was flying over Idaho en route to the holiday home of his passengers when the plane's engines inexplicably died, forcing a less than perfect landing in the wilderness. And, as Michael leads his charges to safety, he begins to realize that the engine failure was not an isolated incident.

Juniper Mackenzie was singing and playing guitar in a pub when her small Oregon town was thrust into darkness. Cars refused to start. Phones were silent. And when an airliner crashed, no sirens sounded and no fire trucks arrived. Now, taking refuge in her family's cabin with her daughter and a growing circle of friends, Juniper is determined to create a farming community to benefit the survivors of this crisis.

But even as people band together to help one another, others are building armies for conquest.

©2004 Stirling (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"The novel's dual themes - myth and technology -should appeal to both fantasy and hard SF readers as well as to techno-thriller fans." ( Publishers Weekly)

Dies the Fire

This book is well written with three stories being told at the same time. The only complaint I had was that the language was pretty bad at times and would be offensive to Christians. Definately is interesting and thought provoking.

Awesome!!!!

I love this book and the entire series, I have read and listened to the books multiple times. Stirling is a fantastic writer I enjoy all of the character development and vivid story lines. My only issues are waiting for the latest installment to be finished and it seems the books are getting shorter. Thanks for the hours of entertainment.

fun concept

Where does Dies the Fire rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the better books i have listened to lately.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the way the author developed the story around the characters journeys

What does Todd McLaren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The voice acting was solid

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

I an from the area of the country that the story revolves around so it was fun for me to follow the journey.

I loved the performance.

I read this book when it first came out. I loved the story. The horrer of the dying times and the joy of the wicaning.

good story

Good story but not as immersive and quality of story as the island in the sea of time series from Sterling. Just seen Lake the timeline in story was rushed and happened so fast but still good story and will continue on to the next 2 books

Good Apocalypse Yarn

I was surprised when this turned out to be an end-of-the-world story--didn't get that from the book description. Lots of action and interesting concepts of what happens next. I got a little tired of the female protagonist, but the rest of the characters were great and the story moved right along.

Post-apocalyptic brain candy!

The first of the Emberverse books by S.M. Stirling.

I'd originally read this novel a few years ago, but I'm re-reading/listening to them not just because of the story, the quality of the books, but because I'm part of the team working on the Emberverse RPG and any review might well be considered biased.


I love the premise of the series, the way all tech, and explosives, cease to work in the blink of an eye. No one knows why this occurs, though there are several stories about Alien Space Bats - where characters discuss possible ideas behind the change and name the power behind it 'Alien Space Bats'.

Trying to survive in a world where everything you relied on suddenly stops working, is a challenge. Some make it, some devolve into cannibals, and others use it as a means to grab power.

If you enjoy post-apocalyptic settings this is a must. It's a well written series with engaging characters. The balance of personality types and the research that has obviously gone into the series, all combine to make the book shine.

Doomsday with a twist

Interesting how a simple thing like electricity being a memory, and gunpowder more of a slow burn powder, means either a new set of physics to make advancements or you just do without.
Thought provoking ideas and great narrative make this long story easy enough to get through.

one of the best

What made the experience of listening to Dies the Fire the most enjoyable?

The detail Stirling goes into to write this series is astonishing. The way he creates the post change world is amazing, It makes you feel like you are there and it has happened.

A fun fiction

When I was able to suspended reality, this story was a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to the next book.

Here's hoping that someone else narrates the next book, though. Mr. McLaren did a wonderful job with the characters, but his interesting pronunciations made some sections almost intolerable.