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)

My favorite overall series

I have listened to the change series more times than I can count. SM Stirling manages to very much encapsulate the thought process of a modern military man in a believable fashion and the fantasy/sci-fi elements work perfectly with the cast of characters. If you are a fan of post apocalyptic fiction, general fantasy epic or just a well told story I highly recommend this series. Todd mclarren is among my favorite audible narrators and is the perfect person to portray mike Havel.

Mind Twisting!!!

I really enjoyed the book! Not only did my mind race while reading, it really got going when I wasn't! It is so fun to think what you and your family would do in a situation like this! I look foward to the rest of the series!

I loved this book - The victory of Wikens and SCA

What did you love best about Dies the Fire?

This fast paced post apocalypse story keeps you engaged as your heros build a new society without modern technology

Awesome series.

Would you consider the audio edition of Dies the Fire to be better than the print version?

Yes

What was one of the most memorable moments of Dies the Fire?

when the world ended as we knew it. The change was very real

Have you listened to any of Todd McLaren’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

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

the entire book

Eh

What did you like best about Dies the Fire? What did you like least?

As a post-apocalyptic cheap thrill, it works fine. But the Wiccan/Renfaire trappings got quite tedious in comparison to what they added to the story. All of the characters are conveniently super knowledgeable of their ancient familial warcries and obscure national military traditions? Okay. Sure. If you're looking for a story with a modicum of believability and a minimum of eye-rolling and groaning, this isn't it. If you're looking for a story to hold your attention during the morning commute, this one will work fine. I was hoping to get a lot of mileage out of the Emberverse Series, especially being located in Portland, but I think I'll cut my losses after this enjoyable but dime store novel-quality story.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

It's interesting to think what modern humans with the advantages of historical knowledge would do if returned to medieval conditions.

Which scene was your favorite?

Some of the Bearkiller battle scenes were pretty well done.

Did Dies the Fire inspire you to do anything?

Find a new series.

An adventure in classic style.

if you enjoy reading about, brave deeds, depraved villany, evil villans, stalwart heroes, swords and sorcery, this book is for you.

One of my favorite series but...

The downright odd pronunciations of several words and names in a story I am very familiar with made it hard to listen or suspended disbelief. Some were understandable if you don't know Gaelic but some not uncommon English words were pronounced very strangely.

A review of the Change

I have nothing critical to say of the performance given by Todd McLaren in the rendition of the story; this review's opinion towards flaws is specifically of a story perspective. Todd McLaren does a solid job in his performance.

That being said Stirling is as a wordsmith good at what he does. The writing of this book is solid work, and hence a solid three stars despite certain flaws. Dies the Fire, the book being reviewed, is book one in a series and I'm loath to grade for flaws that became more pronounced in the latter novels. However it is also true that bluntly put Stirling's world building suffers some, but more than that his 'wicca fetish', and that such treatment overshadows the dealings of the MacKenzies in the novel detracts from what is otherwise a good opener to a world turned upside down.

It is in my opinion that this book is best taken by itself. That it is a solid story, and should not be weakened by the mishaps and silly prophetic things and railroading of the Change that occur in the latter books of the series.

Great Story

I really enjoyed this story. I found myself sitting in the car just to hear more. When i finished this book I raced online to buy the second title.

I felt like I was there. A Good Book

No more electricity? I can see it. Can we survive if suddenly were are thrown back in time to where we have to plant food by hand and fight off the gangs and thugs with swards and crossbows? I found myself in the struggle with them fighting off evil people and protecting the good ones. I enjoyed this and look forward to the next one.