A Novel of the Change (Island Book 2) - Against the Tide of Years

Not quite as good as the first book, but definitely enjoyable still. At times I felt bogged down a bit by the extreme amount of military and nautical detail. It didn't ruin the story, but did slow me down a bit more than normal. I'm looking forward to reading book 3 still and seeing if Walker is finally dealt with and how badly everyone suffers doing it.

In the second book of Stirling's projected trilogy, the struggle between the Islanders and their enemies, both of their own time and of the time they're now in, continues. Starting several years after the end of the first book, we find that the chief villain is not only still alive, but up to more mischief than ever before. Meanwhile, the Islanders are exploring their new world, with some unexpected consequences (Moas do NOT necessarily make good domesticated fowl!) and making alliances against the oncoming onslaught. Buy it! Read it! Buy twenty copies and give them to all your friends!

I couldn't wait to finish this morass of explanations and descriptions - of battles, of how-tos, how to build weapons, how to build ships, stuff that the author feels compelled to pad a very slight story with. Nothing much happens, a few new good characters were introduced, but I just got so sick of reading 400 pages of technical descriptions. Will not read the third one. I don't care anymore.

I suppose the author was concerned that too many folks liked the bad guys in the last volume of this set so this outing he converted them from interesting people to monsters. Given no other heros than some weak kneed but immensely intellectual folks and the almost psychotic lesbian martial arts ship captain as heros, they do look better by comparision than in the first story. I mean, really folks, the intellectuals figure out how to speak Bronze Age middle east (whatever) in a few days, instantly become a major force and organize the civilization against the bad guys who also manage to do the same for another group in another area of the world. Like the Bronze Age folks are a bunch of directionless children hoping to be led somewhere. I found the constant political correctness being shoved down my throat disgusting, but the writing is terrific and the general imagination of the author a decent counter to his politics. BTW, the only Asian is a throwback to the 1930's S.F. depiction of Asians as being smart, cunning and very cruel. In this, the only Asian, a woman, is so cruel that she is the effective threat against Bronze Age warriors. Now that's cruel. I'm surprised this book hasn't gotten the attention of some anti-defamation group.

Jugding from previous reviews, the people who read it either loved it or hated it.
The book wasn't really that bad at all. The charecters are believable, the descriptions are vivid, and the locations are very invocative. Also, look for clever tributes to everything from Monty Python to MacGyuver.
A previous reviewer made a comparison between Mr. Stirling and Marion Zimmer Bradley. It would be quite difficult to find writers in the same genre who would be more unlike. Not to slight Ms. Bradley, but her approach to the realities of all series is so unreal as to be whimsical. She often violates her own chronologies, and contradicts herself quite often when dealing with the parasciences she herself creates. Mr Stirling's timekeeping is so rigid, it makes a book authored by him so distinctive, it is often the only way one could tell it was written by him, if one dosent bother to read the cover or the title page.
That is not to say that this volume doesn't have ANY faults. The emphasis on the Japanese sword arts of Kenjutsu, Kendo, and Iaido is excessive, (Indeed, Iaido is only useful in duels)and the Katanna has all the drawbacks of being a curved and single edged weapon. But the reviewer before me overstates his case. Against armored opponents, the Franco-Spanish rapier and the techniques that have grown up around it would be much more useless. It is true, though, that it is beter to be focused on the battle and on your opponent than being at one with one's sword. But on the bright side, we don't see any Zen target shooting.
Finally, Fiernan society as depicted in the book(s) is realitively pluasible given the archeological evidence of the period. There are similar societies that come to mind. The one that comes off hand the most quickly is the Tlingit Indians.
All in all, it is a verry good book. Not perfect, but far from the trash the previous reviewer made it out to be.

I was waiting in eager anticipation for this sequel but I must confess I was disappointed. The real fascination in the first book was the people of Nantucket working to survive and adapt to the new world they found themselves. This was combined with the glimpse of new lands lost in time such as the Olmec and the British Isles. What I found in the second book was far to much concentration on military campaigns and warfare. I had hoped the military part started in the initial book would be continued as a sidebar to the continued work in surviving in the past and exploring the world. I was really hoping to see some real effort in showing the New World as it existed at that time, with incipient horticultual peoples of the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, Formative Cultures of Mexico and some glimpses of the Old World gradually introduced. What we got was largely a military campaign. I really hope that the next book in the series can move more to a real look at the world of the past, reeinventing civiliation (not guns, machine guns, grenades, dive bombing), spreading knowledge etc.

This second installment of the Nantucket trilogy provides readers with breathtaking battles, surprising plot twists, phenomenal characterization, and irresistable historical insight. In my opinion, the Nantucket trilogy is turning out to be the most fascinating time travel/alternate history series of all time! I am already very anxious for the third installment -- entitled ON THE OCEANS OF ETERNITY -- to be released next year.

I agree with the many favorable comments that have been made to date (unfortunately, I must agree that there were an excessive number of typos, but that is hardly the authors fault). In addition to enjoying the book, I really like the community of fans. It is great to be able to discuss the book with people who have read and enjoyed it, and it is a special treat when the author joins the discussion.

This was entertaining, the research was extensive, the antagonists were exhausting and the protagonists were ethical to a fault (can ethics be a fault?). Like all second children this one had issues. There were lots of loose ends to be resolved in the next book, a "filler" feel to some of it as story lines were beefed up for the climax and that wonderful middle book introspection by the main characters as some of them got to take a breathe and consider their future. That said, there were some great battles, some exciting new plot lines and bunches and bunches of reasons to grab the next book and see what happens. My only suggestion... PROVIDE A MAP. Holy cow, we're all over the world here and I get confused easily.

I enjoyed reading this book because I like different subjects and this was about martians and Mars. The book was a serious book. The kids in the book were serious about what they thought which was that the new nurse was a martian from Mars.

This is the second of SM Stirling's sweeping Nantucket saga. While it lacks a little of the appeal of the first part "Island in the Sea of Time" it is nonetheless a solid and enjoyable novel. What can I say but that I went to great trouble to secure the entire set in Hardcover, which is a rare compliment.

     Mr. Stirling is one of my favorite authors, all of his books have ranged from good to great. Against the Tide of Years is one of his best, and I can't wait for the next in this series.jj

Every so often we get a "Kalvan of Otherwhen" style novel that is worth reading. "Island in the Sea of Time" was one of them. "Against the Tide of Years." suffers a bit from sequelitis.
I'm not really qualified to address the male/female skill/brute strength martial arts question.
My big question is whether Nantucket's Secretary of State is going to crack up in the third novel, or did S. M. Stirling get too tired to tighten up his first draft?

A fun read for those who are interested in History of Civilization. It reminded me of the old Saturday Night Live skit, "What if Sparticus had an airplane". The writer obviously did his research, especially into indo-earopean languages.

Stirling does it again! Despite the shrieking of people that are unfathomably distraught about lesbianism, mysticism, "political Correctnes", etc. Stirling has delivered another well written novel. Some reviewers have gone on at length to tell us why THIS style of martial art wouldn't work or why THAT kind of political worldview is wrong. To those I say LIGHTEN UP. This is a novel and a damned good one at that. Sit back, enjoy the story and relax. I look forward to Stirlings next offering.