anyone else read Stirling's latest novel about the Emberverse yet? The ending is positively... bizarre....
The Sword of the Lady
- Thread starter Dave Howery
- Start date
I have read the ending twice, and I am sure I am still missing something. There seems to be a partial explanation for the displacement of Nantucket. But if this is all we get for an explanation of why things happened, I would have preferred mystery.
I was taken aback by that ending as well...My question is as soon as Rudy picks up the sword......is he still alive as a man....or does become more than a man.......like the Profit and his seekers that have powers that most men do not.
I had to read the ending twice and I'm still confused and slightly dis-satisfied. There where hints of things in "Into the Sunrise Lands" when Ingolf discribes his experiences on Nantucket. Hopefully the last book clears things up some more. Personally I always thought the Event/Change would be a side effect of something like the Large Haydon Collider that was located on one TL's Nantucket
Spoiler Space
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The ending is fascinating. I was actually more taken by the interaction of Ignatius with the Abbot in what looked to be a lot like Heaven.
The ending seems to indicate that the ISOT & The Change are part of: 1. An effort to prevent the human species from literally rendering itself extinct as it seems to have done in many other Timelines & 2. A battle between not as much good and evil as a battle between hope and despair.
Both of these reveals also cast all the events from Islands in the Sea of Time in a different light, one that is itself rather remarkable. It now seems that the ISOT is a parallel effort, one based on the rational, scientific side of humanity. This itself is remarkable since it casts what is generally acknowledged to be Stirling's best work in a completely different light.
As far as Rudy himself and his taking the Sword I am reminded of a couple of movie characters; Heston's Moses when he comes off Mt. Sinai and Neo at the end of The Matrix. He has become "The Champion" for Hope.
His statements to Matti are also in line with the Chosen Champion theme. As the representative of that much power he will be "more" and sees already that he will need someone to keep him tethered to the man he once was.
In all Stirling has built up a major event for The High King. One can only hope he does a better job in the payoff than he achieved in A Meeting in Corvallis.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The ending is fascinating. I was actually more taken by the interaction of Ignatius with the Abbot in what looked to be a lot like Heaven.
The ending seems to indicate that the ISOT & The Change are part of: 1. An effort to prevent the human species from literally rendering itself extinct as it seems to have done in many other Timelines & 2. A battle between not as much good and evil as a battle between hope and despair.
Both of these reveals also cast all the events from Islands in the Sea of Time in a different light, one that is itself rather remarkable. It now seems that the ISOT is a parallel effort, one based on the rational, scientific side of humanity. This itself is remarkable since it casts what is generally acknowledged to be Stirling's best work in a completely different light.
As far as Rudy himself and his taking the Sword I am reminded of a couple of movie characters; Heston's Moses when he comes off Mt. Sinai and Neo at the end of The Matrix. He has become "The Champion" for Hope.
His statements to Matti are also in line with the Chosen Champion theme. As the representative of that much power he will be "more" and sees already that he will need someone to keep him tethered to the man he once was.
In all Stirling has built up a major event for The High King. One can only hope he does a better job in the payoff than he achieved in A Meeting in Corvallis.
It actually reminded me a little bit of the first book in Baxter's Manifold series-the setting of the book is created, more or less, by post-humanity as a way to preserve and propagate life. The 'gods' are various aspects of some sort of Singularity uberbeing, and judging by what the CUT priest said while being taken over-bits about quantum entanglement, and what Rudy was told, it's rival aspects are screwing around the fabric of the multiverse, trying to change each successive Big Bang/Big Crunch cycle for their own ends.
Twas totally unexpected, and compared to the copout that was the end of nBSG, somewhat welcome from my standpoint.
As for the rest of the book, I enjoyed it, but there really seems to be a growing trend of 'hurry up and wait' that's starting to creep into Stirling's writing. It's not bad, yet, but it could go there.
Twas totally unexpected, and compared to the copout that was the end of nBSG, somewhat welcome from my standpoint.
As for the rest of the book, I enjoyed it, but there really seems to be a growing trend of 'hurry up and wait' that's starting to creep into Stirling's writing. It's not bad, yet, but it could go there.
Found that to be the most fascinating parts of the book. Where the concept of everyone is right but at the same time everyone is wrong in regards to religion. This concept has been used before but not terribly often(at least in my reading). The one example that comes to mind is in the game Mage, they believed the gods of the nephandi to be nothing more than dreams of an even more titanic creature since they vanished as it stirred in its sleep.
Still a bit of a pagan/rennie wank, but it is done in the Stirling B movie fashion so it remains enjoyable. Most people I know who've read the series in Seattle and Portland are amused at the fact that most of it is based in the NW.
Curious what the finale will be in the next novel that we will likely have to wait another year or more for.
Still a bit of a pagan/rennie wank, but it is done in the Stirling B movie fashion so it remains enjoyable. Most people I know who've read the series in Seattle and Portland are amused at the fact that most of it is based in the NW.
Curious what the finale will be in the next novel that we will likely have to wait another year or more for.
one amusing bit... apparently, whatever it is that is possessing the High Seeker is a Robert E. Howard fan.... the whole 'your belt is a snake/screw with your mind' trick was stolen (word for word, in part of it) from a Conan story...
I went back and am re-reading "Dies the Fire". Around page 215 (hardcover) Juniper makes a statement that maybe the powers from the Otherworld did it so that we woulodn't destroy ourselves. Which is the goal IMO of the Cutters
Burton K Wheeler
Moderator
Stirling is fond of lifting passages and characters wholesale from whatever sources inspired him, like the scene for scene retelling of Zulu with Zulus replaced by Hittites. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, mind.
Yes I always find the Pop Culture referances to be quite good and amusing, it shows that despite the fact things have gone all Medevial in America their are still those who remember the pop culture scene.
Also quite a few plenty historical re-dos. Like if you take during "The Meeting At Corvallis" after the PPA is defeated by the Mackenzies because the Knights charged up a hill to alot of long bows......Battle of Crecy.....and Conrad The PPA's main general shouted at the guy who lost the battle because of the charge "Pitor Give me back my Knights" is reminiscent of Augustus shouting for his Legions after the battle of Teutoberg Forrest, 'Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions!" Its these fun tidbits that make his books more enjoyable.
Also quite a few plenty historical re-dos. Like if you take during "The Meeting At Corvallis" after the PPA is defeated by the Mackenzies because the Knights charged up a hill to alot of long bows......Battle of Crecy.....and Conrad The PPA's main general shouted at the guy who lost the battle because of the charge "Pitor Give me back my Knights" is reminiscent of Augustus shouting for his Legions after the battle of Teutoberg Forrest, 'Quintilius Varus, give me back my legions!" Its these fun tidbits that make his books more enjoyable.
Last edited:
The last chapter made my brain itch. I wonder what it would be like to read it on acid? 
All kidding aside, I thought TSOTL was the best emberverse novel yet; action packed, thought provoking, and the story actually moves forward both geographicly and plot-wise.
SPOILERS!!!!!
A case could be made that The other-dimentional entites, both good/pro-life and evil/anti-life, are genuine ASBs. But an equally strong case might be put forward that they are angels/demons. So on the question of who caused the Change, the Pagans and Christians are simultaneously both right and wrong, as are the UFO/ASB theorists.
I was intriuged with the Idea that Life creates Mind, which in turn creates Thought, which then creates God, who then goes back to the begining and creates Life....Like a great wheel of Space and Time and Consciousness that turns eternally.
END SPOILERS.
BTW did anyone else grok that the character of Heidhveig is based on the Real -Life author Diana L. Paxson?
All kidding aside, I thought TSOTL was the best emberverse novel yet; action packed, thought provoking, and the story actually moves forward both geographicly and plot-wise.
SPOILERS!!!!!
A case could be made that The other-dimentional entites, both good/pro-life and evil/anti-life, are genuine ASBs. But an equally strong case might be put forward that they are angels/demons. So on the question of who caused the Change, the Pagans and Christians are simultaneously both right and wrong, as are the UFO/ASB theorists.
I was intriuged with the Idea that Life creates Mind, which in turn creates Thought, which then creates God, who then goes back to the begining and creates Life....Like a great wheel of Space and Time and Consciousness that turns eternally.
END SPOILERS.
BTW did anyone else grok that the character of Heidhveig is based on the Real -Life author Diana L. Paxson?
Last edited:
Hah! I think it is! I looked her up and went to the site Asatru religous site The Troth http://www.thetroth.org/welcome-trothand the
"Would you Know More...?" seems to be a dead give-away if you read the book....
Just read it. Fascinating interpretation of the Cosmic Struggle trope. IMO it really calls for a continuation of the Nantucket series, especially now that the Emberverse is shown to be the myths and legend half of the dual timeline, and the ISOTverse is the science and logic half of it.
Maybe the next Nantucket installment could be a Foundation style collection of interconnected stories where each section of the book is spaced a couple of generations later than the last, in order to illustrate the progression of Nantucket and its world?
Maybe the next Nantucket installment could be a Foundation style collection of interconnected stories where each section of the book is spaced a couple of generations later than the last, in order to illustrate the progression of Nantucket and its world?
Excellent Idea!
At his Yahoo group Stirling has often mentioned that more Emberverse novels are forthcoming. His Editors and Publishers are pushing for more, as the whole Emberverse series are (in Stirling's own words) the most comercially successfull writing he has ever done. Apparently outselling the ISOT novels by a huge margin.