The Protector's War: The Emberverse 02 by S. M. Stirling

From The Week of January 10, 2010

Though The Protector's War inherits the flaws of its progenitor -- see my review of Dies The Fire for a rumination on this series' two-dimensional characters --, it has just enough blood-thumping action to paper over the cookie-cutter nature of most of its heroes and villains. In a wish to write about a modern world stripped of both modern technology and the rule of law, Mr. Stirling has neatly amalgamated medieval Europe with a 21st century landscape of starving cities and successful communes. But while we can credit him for originality of premise, something here feels just a bit too lifted from the pages of some Dungeons and Dragons campaign: the evil overlord who seeks to impose his cruel will upon a desperate public, the brave witch who stands up to him, the honorable mercenaries who defy him, and the poor serfs who get caught in the crossfire. Perhaps it's too much to ask for nuance from a story premised on the notion that the fundamental laws of the universe have inexplicably changed overnight -- this does seem like suspend-your-sense-of-disbelief territory --, but I needed more.

You can supercharge your story with heart-stopping action all you like. If the plot is cartoonish, and if I can't be made to care about the players involved in this contest of wills and political systems, then the theatrical battles, the hostages, the negotiations, and the blood oaths of vengeance are reduced to a soap opera.

For all of this, I will read on, but only because the next installment appears to thrust this saga towards something of a satisfying conclusion. Mr. Stirling has all the ingredients here, but they just don't quite brew together into something more than palatable. I was hoping for an evolution from Dies The Fire. It never materialized. (2/5 Stars)