The Sunrise Lands (A Novel of the Change)

I began reading this series with Dies the Fire and was hooked from the first novel. However, I have found that as the series goes on that Stirling gets wrapped up more and more with details of some bogus Wiccan religion which I think the story can do without. In Sunrise Lands I feel as if there's going to be a test later.

Still, lots of alternate universe/sci-fi type action in this novel and the adventure tale it portrays is well worth reading. Fortunately this book also provides a map, which gives the reader a better idea of what is going on where.

Once again, great story telling from Stirling. Really only one complaint -- dial it back a bit with all the inserted Wiccan lifestyle, blessings, devotions, and prayers and such. We get it ... these people are devout practitioners. It's not that I've any objection to the sects per se, it's that it detracts from the story. Stirling is SO conscious of all the icons and practices and such that these people practice that he goes into obsessive detail with it - even to the point of becoming boring in otherwise rich background and scene setting passages. This has become something that's picked up speed over time ... the more he explores this post-Change universe, the worse he gets.

Other than that, good stuff and definitely worth picking up a copy...

...bloated passages on witch practices, page after page of exposition about nothing, and so on. I love the action, I love when the story moves forward, but too often the book meanders in overly detailed descriptions of things that could be better summed up in a couple of paragraphs.

I get that Stirling wants to create a rich and detailed world, for some readers I am sure this is very enjoyable...but I find myself skimming ahead several pages at a time.

It IS a great story, with enjoyable moments, but some of the excess needs trimmed.

I read reviews & websites advising this was the 1st in the series and could be read without prequils. WRONG. I was miserable with all the characters, locations, cults, jumping from one to another, confusing, so I finally read the "to be continued" ending. Glad I didn't read the whole book. The sequel has very bad reviews so be warned. Island in the Sea of Time series was great, but this 20 years later series about the rest of US is just fan fodder. Sterling's off my author's list now.

This book was a fitting transition from "Meeting at Corvalis". I got a little bogged down in Corvalis. The book is a nice beginning to your typical go destroy the big bad guy story. Well worn but still interesting. The only problem I had with this book was that the author took several hundred pages to cover only about a hundred miles or so of a transcontinental journey.

I came off reading the first trilogy wanting more. What would the future be like for the Bearkillers, the Mackenzies, and the Association? In this continuing series set a generation after the third book we find new and old characters and a glimpse into a world of paganism, military dictatorships, and influencial cults.

This series takes a LOTR turn in the fact of the quest that the company starts out on towards Nantucket. There is also mysticism and prophecy that gives this new series a different edge and more violence and action for those (including me) who wanted more out of the past series.

All the twists and turns and unexpected events make this an excellent start to what will be a fantastic series.

Well-written with lots of action and intrigue. I don't believe that such religious/cultural diversity would occur so quickly in such a changed world, but other than that, quite plausible. Unfortunately, this is an adult book with lots of profanity. There is lots of violence (and some mild sexual innuendo) also, which doesn't bother me as much as the profanity. I wish modern science fiction authors would keep the rising generation in mind. There are too few well-written and thought-provoking science fiction novels these days that I'd recommend to teenagers, simply because of the extreme profanity.

The Sunrise Lands, the first book in the second trilogy of the "Dies The Fire" series begins with quite a stirring backstory. The newcomer from the East allows us our first real glimpse into the the rest of the remnants of the USA. I am not going to give away many plot points here so let me just say, if you liked the first three books, you'll like this one.

The book ends in a cliffhanger and leaves you wanting more. In a year, we'll see what unfolds in the next book. Rudi has quite a quest ahead of him and this book ends with us quite a way off from his goal. I look forward to the rest of the story....

The fourth novel in the Change series is surprisingly refreshing. I just began reading the series last year and read most of it straight through. I was dismayed at the anti-climactic ending of the original Change series. But the Sunrise Lands breathes new life into the land by aging characters and introducing new protagnosits and antagonists that fit, and an actual quest that makes sense. Stirling did what many authors fail to do in a series, he was able to start again and create a new generation by building on, and not losing, what has already happened before. I cannot wait for The Surge of God to find out what happens next.

The original premise if the series was what kept me reading throughout the first three books. But Stirling has continued to impress! Anyone who wanted more literary merit in his work got what they were looking for and those that wanted the same fantastic attention to detail got it! (his renditions of hand to hand fighting and blades are breathtaking and, as a old short sword and buckler practitioner myself,spot on perfect) The CUT and all the new stuff, as well as a ton of the old, is all there in every page turning event!

A worthy beginning to the second trilogy in the McKenzie/Bearkiller/Protectorate saga; the only bad thing is having to wait for the next book. The "Cutters" are marvelous villians (although they may "CUT" a little too close to home for the hyper-religious right).

I mostly enjoyed the Lord Protector trilogy as I am interested in how people would react to the collapse of civilization. I liked the series enough to overlook the blatant slavery, rape, killing and other mayhem that Sterling feels is necessary to his books. I am mature enough to know that the events related in the book would not be resolved without such. As a Viet Nam era Marine I am no stranger to death and suffering.

However, when I was introduced to the new enemy in "The Sunrise Lands" I had an inkling of what was going to transpire. I skipped ahead a little after reading about 1/4 of the book and was dismayed to find that death and torture were being dished out for the apparent joy of it.

If you like reading about the SS death squads in Eastern Europe during WW II, or are glued to your TV when so-called journalists give the details about the latest terrorism acts against civilians (especially children), then you will enjoy this novel.

Otherwise I suggest you read some sci-fi that is more intellectually stimulating. As for me, I stopped reading the book and took it back to the library.

I have read the entire series and was actually mildly distraught when I came to the end of the currently-published books. A great series can become like a friend or companion and I was sad to see this one go. I normally would never even consider re-reading a series (because there are always so many books out there waiting to be read!!) but I am genuinely tempted by this one. I will gladly come back and read any subsequent books the author might add, and will definitely be recommending this series highly to my book worm peers <3

The first in the second series of the Emberverse. This is book #4, but you don't necessarily need to have read the first three books as there is a large time jump between books 3 and this one, and the POV character is new (rather, he was a little kid in books 2/3). I like how this part of the series ramps up some of the crazy elements of the story and the fantastic elements get more and more fantastic as you go on. So, be ready for that. If you liked the first three books for the apocalypse element and thought the fantasy stuff was too much, then you can stop reading and not miss anything. If you like the Juniper magic stuff and want to see that be validated and grow, then the rest of the series will be really fun for you. I was a little more the former to start with, but the fantastic elements are woven in expertly and they invoke the source material (Tolkien, Howard, Burroughs) as often as possible, without calling too much attention to the reference itself.