Did the Emberverse series end?

@Allochronian, IMO, it is the hocus pocus unexplainable magic that keeps Emberverse discussions from being discussed with greater frequency. There are ASB's and then there is the Emberverse ASB.

This much is true.

It's something I've noticed a lot. The general consensus seems to be: ASB intervening once is fine. But the ASB continuously intervening...it feels like cheating.
 
This much is true.

It's something I've noticed a lot. The general consensus seems to be: ASB intervening once is fine. But the ASB continuously intervening...it feels like cheating.
It might have worked better if Stirling either stuck to "alternate laws of physics" or pulled from Shannara and had a "return of magic" thing.
 
@Allochronian, IMO, it is the hocus pocus unexplainable magic that keeps Emberverse discussions from being discussed with greater frequency. There are ASB's and then there is the Emberverse ASB.

The ASB lights go out scenario, cool. The plot in the first three books, cool. The scenario itself was pretty darn cool and deserved to be explored, but the story just kinda went in the wrong direction for that I think. Neo-Arthurian legend in North America didn't translate well as a concept. Having it acted out by increasingly flat characters didn't help.

It might have worked better if Stirling either stuck to "alternate laws of physics" or pulled from Shannara and had a "return of magic" thing.

Even the 'return of magic' idea would have worked had that story actually been interesting I think.
 
Is the series not that good?

I may be interested in reading the books
It's an interesting premise/concept but mediocre execution. I incorporated the concept into our ongoing GURPS Infinite Worlds game (along with ISOT, 1632 and The Guns of the South) but a rather different series of eve he after The Change.
 
They're pretty good books at the start but they fall apart as things go on if you start to look at details. A person can do SCA all he wants but training 21st century Americans to stand in a shield wall and hacking apart their neighbors from 20 miles down the road just isn't going to be something you can get people to do in a couple weeks. Our culture just isn't built for it. Everyone is usually fully good or evil. For instance in the Nantucket series every culture they encounter is either totally cool with a lesbian Captain/Leader or abhors the idea. And whether they are good or bad societies is based entirely on our modern values of inclusiveness.

They're fun books with lots of adventure but not really gritty or realistic and the characters usually don't have to make hard choices. If they don't have enough food to share they encounter bandits with extra food who want to enslave them so they defend themselves and loot food but if they have enough food to share they encounter a medieval larp group who's hungry and desperate for friends. And they probably have one guy in their group who studied the construction of period longbows made with wood that grows 20 yards from where they're living now and has his gear with him.
 
I think Conquistador and Peshawar Lancers were quite enjoyable.

You could imagine the What Next but sequels weren't necessary. (Arguably. Potentially fun, sure.)

If Stirling made money on the Dies The Fire series, can't fault him for that, reader beware etc.
 

CalBear

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The Emberverse did not so much end as have its fire slowly die out.
Have to give him credit though, he rode that horse till it dropped. What was a fairly interesting one off from the actual Islands in the Sea of Time trilogy, to its own trilogy, to FIFTEEN hard cover releases in total.

That is maximizing an idea. Unfortunately the 15 book were, at best, 9 too many.
 
Have to give him credit though, he rode that horse till it dropped. What was a fairly interesting one off from the actual Islands in the Sea of Time trilogy, to its own trilogy, to FIFTEEN hard cover releases in total.

That is maximizing an idea. Unfortunately the 15 book were, at best, 9 too many.

If the hocus pocus magic was kept to a minimum and more time spent with the world building, whether written by SMS or by other authorized authors through use of canon material, this series could be extended for far more novels. I personally enjoyed the society development that SMS began to introduce once it got past the Pacific Northwest.
 

Lusitania

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Have to give him credit though, he rode that horse till it dropped. What was a fairly interesting one off from the actual Islands in the Sea of Time trilogy, to its own trilogy, to FIFTEEN hard cover releases in total.

That is maximizing an idea. Unfortunately the 15 book were, at best, 9 too many.

Yes the Islands in Sea Trilogy and the resulting what happen after trilogy would of made the work really good providing a story of what happen on both sides. Liked his other works but could not stomach the remainder of the books and I read all of his previous books and was a huge fan. Trying to read his WWI Mexico/US series.
 
I recently "finished" reading the Nantucket series.

I have finished in quotation marks because I skimmed through most of On The Oceans Of Eternity. I might re-read it again someday.

The first book I consider to be the best. The reason for why everything happened is never given and it apparently remains an eternal mystery.

Some parts of the series I liked, others I didn't like. There were some parts that I felt were just there to act as filler.

I would have liked for Stirling to continue on with the story, but I don't think we'll ever get a complete ending.

Next week, I will have more time to read the first book of the Emberverse series, Dies The Fire.

I hope it is as great as I've heard.
 
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