Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner
![[5 stars]](../images/spots/1_splat_50.gif)
The Protector's War
Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
S. M. Stirling
Class/Genre: Science Fiction
Roc, Sept 2005, $24.95, 496 pp.
It has been nine years since the Change has rendered technology obsolete. There is no more electricity, guns are obsolete and the world has devolved into a feudal society. In the Wilmette Valley in Oregon Michael Havel’s Bear Killers, a tribal community, and Clan McKenzie led by Juniper McKenzie have organized the people into a farming community, giving land and livestock in return for loyalty to the leaders.
Norman Arminger is their greatest enemy who loathes what they have built. He is a former medieval historian who has formed a society based on Norman culture which includes the building of castles that will protect his people in the coming war. In a stroke of luck, Arminger’s daughter is taken by clan McKenzie. Sir Nigel, who helped King Charles bring England back from the brink of extinction, had to leave his country in a hurry because he dared to question his liege’s decisions. He makes his home with Clan McKenzie who the beautiful leader believes will play an important role in the upcoming war.
It’s hard to imagine a world where something destroyed Earth’s technology which resulted in the deaths of billions of people due to famine, fire and plague. Yet S.M. Stirling places such an apocalyptical event on human scale so readers get a picture of what such a world be like. This is a dark gritty world yet the people are determined to rebuild and cooperate to ensure their survival. The villain in this exciting and well constructed work of speculative fiction is the type of that emerges whenever a crisis allows him to seize control of events. Readers will eagerly await the next work in the stunning series.
Harriet Klausner
Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner
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