Prince of Outcasts (A Novel of the Change)

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A review of the latest entry in a long-running series is probably one of the hardest to write. There is a lot of summarizing of the entire series, and even if you want to recommend the individual novel, you usually have to warn people they may want to start at the beginning of the series rather than with this specific book. Luckily, Prince of Outcasts by SM Stirling gave us something that is able to stand on its own somewhat and has taken the Emberverse series (which has already evolved from post-apocalyptic to epic fantasy) in a completely different direction.

Prince of Outcasts is the thirteenth book (not counting the various short stories and The Change anthology) in the Emberverse series, where high technology catastrophically failed in 1998 and our heroes (and villains) fought to survive in the changed world. Our story takes place shortly after the events of The Desert and the Blade. Our primary point of view character has switched from Órlaith, Crown Princess of Montival, to her younger brother, John Arminger MacKenzie. He was on the Tarshish Queen when Reiko, the newly-minted Empress of Japan, used the "Grass Cutting Sword" to call a kamikaze to drive a Korean fleet (crewed by the mad descendants of what was once North Korea) away from the shores of Westria (f.k.a. California).

John did survive the divine wind, but his ship is being driven southeast across the Pacific by the surviving Koreans. His luck changes when a forty-foot long saltwater crocodile (whose Wikipedia article convinced me that I probably won't be visiting Southeast Asia or Australia anytime soon) takes out one of the Korean ships and helps even the odds. Still the Tarshish Queen barely escapes the enraged reptile and has to find dry land fast or else it's to the bottom of Davy Jones' locker for the crew. They stumble upon an island of the former Indonesia where two city states are locked in a war of survival. One is a colony of Balinese people, known as Baru Denpasar, who were forced to leave their starving homeland. The other is a colony of pirates who call their city "Carcosa" and are ruled by the "Yellow Raja", pirates who found something very disturbing in the interior of the island.

Because the Carcosan navy would catch them if they tried to leave, John and his allies need the help of the Baru Denpasar, but they will only help if the foreigners (and, more importantly, their catapults) help destroy a Carcosan fort that is sitting on their main water source and threatening them with famine. With the additional help of an Australian princess/adventurer (who dresses like a character from A Clockwork Orange) and her crew of scoundrels, John will lead an army into the interior to face the dangers that await them there. Meanwhile, Órlaith and Reiko deal with the aftermath of their adventure to reclaim the Grass Cutting Sword and prepare for the coming war against Korea.

If all this sounds confusing...it is if you haven't read the first books, but stick with me to the end of this review and I may give you a reason to start reading some of them if you haven't already. I now firmly believe you can probably get away with starting with The Golden Princess (book 11) instead of beginning all the way at Dies the Fire. Why? Because Stirling has decided to mess with our minds by taking this epic fantasy and pushing it into the realm of weird fiction.

You see in the Emberverse series, the question of whether magic exists was left ambiguous in the beginning, but became increasingly more real...and complicated. I will not try to spoil anything, but it was strongly implied that every religion (even atheism) was correct. Additionally, Stirling loves to reference other works. For example, Lord of the Rings references abound in the Emberverse and they are not the only references that Stirling makes. We even see two characters who died in John Birmingham's Without Warning series (another set of awesome high concept books) actually live much longer and wealthier lives in a Darwin, Australia ruled by Birmingham himself. I'm sure there are many other references I missed, but there is a more important reference that we need to talk about.

Speaking of Lord of the Rings, in the Rudi/Artos story arc that precedes Órlaith's arc, the main antagonist appears to be influenced/possessed by a dark entity that reminded me strongly of Sauron. As Órlaith's arc began it appeared at first that the Sauron entity would continue to be the main malevolent force which her father, Rudi, opposed. Which was...disappointing. I didn't want to admit it at first because I have been so invested in the Emberverse series from the beginning, but even with new human agents, the same evil god just didn't do much for me even if I continued to enjoy Stirling's world-building and food porn (which is still strongly present in this book).

Then Prince of Outcasts came along. Some of you who were reading my plot summary carefully may have noticed terms that could be found in Robert W. Chambers' The King in Yellow. Admittedly, I have never read the book, but I know its an esteemed piece of supernatural fiction and inspired the first season of True Detective. I kind of wish I had read the book earlier because it appears that "King in Yellow" or whomever he represents, will be a major force in the upcoming books. Aspects like a recurring mark, the masked sorcerer, a fortress built of coral, a ship that can't be named and the fact that no one can really look straight on at the city of Carcosa without going insane had a strong Lovecraftian vibe, and the ending of Prince of Outcasts was (without spoiling it) creepy and disturbing...and I desperately want to read more.

You see the Emberverse is like reading your favorite book over and over again. You still enjoy it, but each successive reading isn't as good as when you first read it. Prince of Outcasts is what happens when an eldritch beast grabs the hero and spirits him away right before he is supposed to save the world and get the girl. You know that wasn't supposed to happen, but you really want to see where this is going. If you haven't started reading the Emberverse yet, I think you really should check it out because it appears Stirling is taking our heroes down a dark and disturbing road and I think the series will be better for it.

Stirling has gotten back on track with the next generation in the emberverse. Great dialouge, crisp action scenes and a big bad thats bigger and badder. If you quit on Stirling, give him another try. If you never read him, this version of the series is a good place to start. Just enough fantasy to be interesting, thorough research, extremely detailed combat scenes and a likeable, diverse cast of characters

Love this series, I have actually bought the hard cover books on all of them . I love the storyline and the development of the characters especially the family lines. You really feel like you know these people. I read a lot and very few books have I kept and read more than once . These I have . I will admit I do live in the Pacific NW and find the geographical descriptions of the area very accurate , so I have no trouble picturing it all. Great job on research Mr Sterling

As the series continues we see the the second generation of after the Change deal with their original nemesis while a new player enters on the side of darkness with its own agenda. New I'm hanging in suspense waiting for the next book...

S.M. Stirling continues to blend elements from classical adventure books (ranging from Jules Verne and Emilio Salgari to Robert E. Howard) with a richly-detailed setting, two generations after the Change that erased modern technology and forced the survivors to adopt old ways (and develop new ways) to deal with the new realities. After several books focusing mainly on North America (and glimpses of Europe), this latest series touches on the situation in Asia and Oceania. We have characters from a Japan beset by the demon-worshiping descendants of North Korea's dictatorship, a hilarious Australian kingdom ruled by (in our reality) science fiction author John Birmingham and an island city-state with positively Lovecraftian and darkest horror elements. I read the book in two sittings and greatly enjoyed it.

Another in the novels of the Change that have captured my attention for a number of years. This one advances the plots considerably and ties up a number of stories going forward. Of course it also open the door to another new adventure that will probably take several more books to get through. As always, the writing is good, the story is interesting and the characters well drawn so that you are invested in them. Because of the amazing amount of story that has gone before this book should only be read by persons that have absorbed the information outlined in the earlier books. I am still waiting for Mr. Stirling to add another novel or two to the "Island in the Sea of Time" story as I hate to think about all of those people stranded in various places around the world awaiting the continuation of the story.

This novel continues the saga of the post change world after the ability to have engines and gun powder has been eliminated. It ends with a cliff hanger so that the reader will be more than willing to read the next book in the saga.

If you enjoy post apocalyptic fiction, this is the series for you. Sterling has the master's touch. A world unbelievable yet feels so realistic it's like a punch in the gut. Characters you will love and hate.

The latest installment of Stirling's post-apocalyptic epic explores the world outside North America in depth for the first time as the titular prince and his companions find themselves in the Far East. New characters and settings are introduced in the vivid detail that has become a hallmark of the series.

The new generation of Changelings is in many ways similar to their parents, whose exploits were explored in the previous segment of the series. However, these new characters seem better fleshed out. They are capable of making mistakes, which not only makes them more relatable but also pushes the plot along in believable ways. We see Prince John, hero of this story, evolve from a young man trying to avoid his destiny into a leader of men and women becoming more confident in his abilities--but still very fallible. The ending definitely leaves the reader wanting more!

This is a great read and continuation of the series. Stirling's characters and world building are exceptional in the alternate history genre. This might not be the best entry to this series, but it's a wonderful next step in the story.

At several times during this series I have been happy to be at the ending. Then happily surprised at the continuance with new characters and old.
This book continues, leaving Westria at length and involving the world in it's continuing struggle to heal and adapt to the change.
The tale is consistent in the resulting cacophany of social structures and interplays of human attempts to survive and overcome challenges.

I especially enjoy the frank treatment of the range of inter relations.

Stirling takes the long Changeverse series in a new direction with the oceanic adventures of Prince John. This is a VERY good entry novel for people who have not read the series from the beginning as it takes several secondary characters to a whole new geographic and mystical area to start an adventure that Is not directly and immediately linked to the story of the Kingdom and dynasty. It’s a rollicking adventure in the style of Mutiny on the Bounty only with high magicks, monsters and zestfull young royalty. Without the uber Sword or his sister’s giant fates, John is just a talented young royal coming of age in a world much wider and wilder than anything he ever imagined. How and how much he copes with battle, near death encounters and two high octane designing females makes it a growing up adventure you will love.

This is a great read and continuation of the series. Stirling's characters and world building are exceptional in the alternate history genre. This might not be the best entry to this series, but it's a wonderful next step in the story.

At several times during this series I have been happy to be at the ending. Then happily surprised at the continuance with new characters and old.
This book continues, leaving Westria at length and involving the world in it's continuing struggle to heal and adapt to the change.
The tale is consistent in the resulting cacophany of social structures and interplays of human attempts to survive and overcome challenges.

I especially enjoy the frank treatment of the range of inter relations.

Stirling takes the long Changeverse series in a new direction with the oceanic adventures of Prince John. This is a VERY good entry novel for people who have not read the series from the beginning as it takes several secondary characters to a whole new geographic and mystical area to start an adventure that Is not directly and immediately linked to the story of the Kingdom and dynasty. It’s a rollicking adventure in the style of Mutiny on the Bounty only with high magicks, monsters and zestfull young royalty. Without the uber Sword or his sister’s giant fates, John is just a talented young royal coming of age in a world much wider and wilder than anything he ever imagined. How and how much he copes with battle, near death encounters and two high octane designing females makes it a growing up adventure you will love.

After the Desert and Blade book, which I still have not been able to read in total, ( boring and long winded), I had little hopes for the Next book. Still, I bought it out of my love for "Dies the Fire", and the first books in series. I actually liked this book. I liked the characters of John. Ditto Theora and her sort of consort, & Pip, and Tao. I felt like S.M. Sterling actually wrote those pages of the book. ( Desert and Blade,..never felt like Sterling was writing it to me. Know he did. Just felt that way.) When book went back to Reiko and Future Queen and her Chief Knight.......boring. They are boring people. They use trite words like "Mom One" and " Mom Two". Too cute by half. If they are not gay, they should be. If they are straight they should be that. I skipped chapters about them......flipped through them.
So........the parts of the book about John. I really liked. The parts about the Future Queen, the old "Valley Girl" type of speech they use...the shallowness of their characters ..do not like.
Will I buy the next book? You bet. Who is that guy with the Yellow mask that is not a Mask? You know that is not going to work out well. HOPING Sterling does not kill off the ONE really likable character he has going.....(comparable to Rudi.), Which is John. ... I would suggest sacrificing the future Queen and her entourage. Let JOHN own that Sword.
I loved the references to Juniper. And to older families. Wonder what the Old BearKiller's wife is doing? Her child with Bjorn? Wish he had more about the people we love, even if they are only characters in a fiction novel, we love them. Eric? Little Mike? The Elves? the Boy scouts?
Glad to see Sterling back in the saddle.......or part ways there..............

The Story So Far: The Emberverse started with an SF bang - changing the laws of the universe! Two trilogies later, the next generation [tm] was straight up high fantasy, complete with a prince on a quest for a sword. OK, next generation recycled the quest for a new sword and opened up the Emberverse to distant continents.

The story Here: Golden Princess Orry has been naughty, running off to help a foreign Empress quest for the Grass-Cutting Sword without getting permission from her own Sovereign: Queen Mom. This book, Orry gets her wrist slapped and off she goes to rusticate. Meanwhile, Prince John's boat gets swept out to sea in a storm, is followed by The Bad Guys on 2 boats. The Bad Guys are offed (after many, many, many pages) by Not Exactly A Sea Dragon in what seems to be a deux ex machina, but is actually a plot point. (um. OK.) The ship makes it to an island, we meet a new group of people, and help them fight their enemies.

Recycled plots are OK, because kids gotta follow in their parents' footsteps.
Boring characters are not OK, because yawning through a book is ridiculous.

The back cover says Prince John has always been the spare, and wants to be a bard. Now he has got to live up to his leadership potential. Can we have some leadership before page 300? and for more than a chapter? Incidentally, cheating on your girlfriend is not leadership, even if neither of you intended to keep the relationship going forever, and even if old girlfriend and new girlfriend eventually decide to be friends - despite the idiot boyfriend.

Excessive focus on non-local food that the royal family eats is excessive - we know that they can afford to import the best, we don't need multiple multi-course meals, complete with sauce and gravy.
At least the excessive focus on how hot it is to fight in full armor, and how someone fast and light might choose to wear minimal armor, is plot relevant.

This book would have been a lot more interesting at 150 pages shorter.

Stirling's writing is always consistent - entertaining and very concise. The continued development of the "emberverse" is interesting. As a conservative Christian I sometimes find the overt paganism a little over-the-top. In this volume there are even hints that he is moving away from an implied dualism between good and evil, to a more chaotic understanding of the changes in the emberverse. As fantasy, I enjoy the series. However, readers should be aware that if they are easily offended by such things, this is not a series you'll enjoy.

There is obviously another volume coming after this one, since the book ends on a clear cliff-hanger. I won't say anything more since I try to avoid giving away spoilers.

Oh come on!

Another cliffhanger?

Perhaps if there were fewer descriptions of meals and outfits, there would have been room to actually bring this book to a satisfying conclusion, but no. Pad, pad, pad, make page count, submit. Gotta stretch this series out for another eleventy-seven books. Why bother actually having anything happen.

Stirling has developed a very bad case of David Weber Disease. I love the world-building both authors bring to the table, but criminy! The philosophy seems to be that at this level of success, there is no need to actually have an editor, just a proofreader. No starting novelist would be allowed to get away with this kind of lazy, sloppy pacing and abrupt ending.

I'm re-reading An Island in the Sea of Time to remind myself how good Stirling can be when he actually bothers to be.

While trhere was not the usual boring pages and pages of singing, witchy stuff, there were endless descriptions of everything they ate; the food, how it was prepared...obviously the author has a food problem/fixation.
But what really hacked me off was that I feel I was ripped of; this was a short story and a serialized installment. It left you hanging at the end; each "novel" should have an ending, even if it is a series of books.
This is obviously a lazy attempt by the aurthor to sneak some extra money into his pocket and hope his readers are already too hooked on the story to get really mad....and it worked...for now.
Because of the endless boring chanting, songs, singing and food obsessions I almost din't buy this book; my sister stropped reading them two novels ago for the same reason.

Another excellent chapter in this outstanding series John Mackenzie, an erstwhile troubadour, becomes entangled in his princely duties for the Kingdom of Montivale. Unlike his sister, he lacks a magic sword but slides nicely, if not willingly, into his expected role as a war leader. Demonic Koreans, yes even then, ship killing crocodiles and troll-like creatures led by a masked man provide many challenges still to be overcome. Looking forward to the next episode.

I absolutely love this series, however this book was good. I found myself skipping over the endless descriptions of immaterial things. It felt like one third story and two thirds stuffing. Very disappointed as I was looking forward to it. I have seen so many authors forgetting things that were in pervious books, in this book it is Fred Thuston's wife's name being wrong, it is Virginia, not Victoria. If I can remember that you would think he should. Now have to wait a year to find out anything more! The plot should have been much further along, has he run out of ideas?

The latest installment in Stirling's Change series. This book has both the virtues and the defects of prior books in this series. The quality of writing is solid. Stirling continues to explore and articulate this novel fantasy world in engaging ways. The negative aspects are that Stirling continues to copy himself in terms of basic plot elements and this book appears to be an effort to squeeze an extra volume out of this particularly story arc.

Once again Stirling delivers in the latest installment of the the Emberverse. We learn far more on Prince John and the post-Change world of the South Pacific. I loved the new characters introduced including the promise of a possible love interest for John. The aftermath of finding and using the Grass Cutting Sword was everything I could've hoped for. My only complaint is thus: did you have to end the book on such a crazy cliff hanger????