Against the Tide of Years

By: S. M. Stirling

Narrated by: Todd McLaren

In the years since the Event, the Republic of Nantucket has done its best to re-create the better ideas of the modern age. But the evils of its time resurface in the person of William Walker, renegade Coast Guard officer, who is busy building an empire for himself based on conquest by technology.

When Walker reaches Greece and recruits several of their greater kinglets to his cause, the people of Nantucket have no choice. If they are to save the primitive world from being plunged into bloodshed on a 20th-century scale, they must defeat Walker at his own game: war.

©1999 S. M. Stirling (P)2008 Tantor

I've Finished the entire series

and I am richer for the experience. These travels back through time somewhat reminiscent of Weber's Safehold series are such an enlightening mix of history and science fiction. Nantucket citizens of the present are cast back 30 centuries into the past privileged to forge a brave new world. The characters are unexpected time travelers. Who would conceive of a black woman admiral in command of the Nantucket navy doing battle with the ancient Greeks and Egyptians led by one of the most evil characters ever brought to life in literature? I cheered her victories out loud. 75 hours of relentless interest. What a great series. Buy this and you won't be disappointed if you would love to change the past.
This third installment got quite a bit more tedious than the first two installments covering too much territory and too many battles as the characters got lost in the action. But I suppose it was difficult to avoid. I loved the first two books and merely enjoyed most of the third.

Great Story... WHO got picked to read it?

What did you love best about Against the Tide of Years?

2/3 of the way through the book. So far, pretty engrossed in this trilogy. Very intriguing and attention holding.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The blacksmith that was kidnapped. What do ya do?! Realistic.

What didn’t you like about Todd McLaren’s performance?

Todd... if the book is rather military, you need to know military pronunciation! Corpsman is pronounced 'COR'man'.... not 'CORPSman'. And the 'Mogollon Rim' is the 'MOH'ghi-ahn' Rim.

OH! And that 'Asian' concept of 'indebtedness'... is 'GIRI'... like 'GHI-ri'... not 'JIRI'.

Sorry pal... but you took the job to read this kind of story - need to get it right. Your voice grates on my ears now!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The whole story is moving. Many different facets developing simultaneously.

Any additional comments?

Nah.

narrator frequently, mispronounces words

Danoob for Dan-yoob. Has mispronounced dozens of words in every one of the Stirling novels he has narrated

great storytelling but needs an editor

these are all gripping stories. My only complaint is that some judicious editing would keep the action going - I do sometimes tune out under the weight of all of the lovingly detailed descriptions. still well worth a listen, though!

Fan-tastic

A story that a daydreamer of what if’s can really get into. Great characters and great story line.