Kirjahaku

Ten years after all of Earth's technology had been rendered useless by the Change, two thriving communities in Oregon's Willamette Valley are confronted by a dangerous new challenge when the totalitarian Protectorate prepares to seek control over their priceless farmland. Reprint.

S. M. Stirling's Novels of the Change are a "truly original combination of postapocalyptic sci-fi and military-oriented medieval fantasy"* about a future where mysterious Powers removed advanced technology, and humanity rebuilds society. However, this new world is not always a peaceful one.... The spirit of troubadour Prince John, the brother of Crown Princess rlaith, has fallen captive to the power of the Yellow Raja and his servant, the Pallid Mask. Prince John's motley band of friends and followers--headed by Captain Pip of Townsville and Deor Godulfson--must lead a quest through realms of shadow and dreams to rescue Prince John from a threat far worse than death. Meanwhile, across the sea, Japanese Empress Reiko and rlaith, heir to the High Kingdom of Montival, muster their kingdoms for war, making common cause with the reborn Kingdom of Hawaii. But more than weapons or even the dark magic of the sorcerers of Pyongyang threaten them; rlaith's lover, Alan Thurston, might be more than he appears. From the tropical waters off Hilo and Pearl Harbor, to the jungles and lost cities of the Ceram Sea, a game will be played where the fate of the world is at stake. *Kirkus Reviews

The first novel in a brand-new alternate history series where Teddy Roosevelt is president for a second time right before WWI breaks out, and on his side is the Black Chamber, a secret spy network watching Americas back.1916. The Great War rages overseas, and the whole of Europe, Africa, and western Asia is falling to the Central Powers. To win a war that must be won, Teddy Roosevelt, once again the American president, turns to his top secret Black Chamber organizationand its cunning and deadly spy, Luz OMalley Aróstegui.On a transatlantic airship voyage, Luz poses as an anti-American Mexican revolutionary to get closevery closeto a German agent code-named Imperial Sword. Shell need every skill at her disposal to get him to trust her and lead her deep into enemy territory. In the mountains of Saxony, concealed from allied eyes, the German Reichs plans for keeping the U.S. from entering the conflict are revealed: the deployment of a new diabolical weapon upon the shores of America...

The third novel in a World War I alternate history series where America's greatest weapon against Germany is Black Chamber secret agent Luz O'Malley and technical genius Ciara Whelan. Only they can protect America's best hope of winning the war. The Great War is at a stalemate, and the only thing stopping Germany from striking America is the threat of the United States using their own Annihilation Gas against them. But America's supply is quickly decaying and the Central Powers know it. A plant is under construction in the remote highlands of Mexico so that America can make their own supply. President Teddy Roosevelt assigns crack agent Luz O'Malley and her technical genius Ciara Whelan to watch over the plant operating under cover identities. But German agent Horst von Duckler has escaped from the POW camp in El Paso, and he's heading in the same direction--bent on revenge against Luz, and sabotage that will deprive America of its deterrent and kill tens of thousands.

Rudi Mackenize, now Artos the First, High King of Montival, and his allies have won several key battles against the Church Universal and Triumphant. But still the war rages on, taking countless lives, ravaging the land once known as the United States of America. Artos and his Queen, Mathilda, must unite the realms into a single kingdom to ensure a lasting peace. If the leaders of the Changed world are to accept Artos as their ruler, he will need to undertake a quest to the Lake at the Heart of the Mountains, and take part in a crowning ceremony--a ceremony binding him to his people, his ancestors, and his land. Then, once he has secured his place and allegiances, Artos can go forward, and lead his forces to the heart of the enemy's territory....

Rudi Mackenzie has won the battle that expelled the enemy from the new High Kingdom of Montival. Now he must free the people who live in the state once known as Idaho from occupation by the legions of the Church Universal and Triumphant and pursue them to their lair over the mountains. There he will finally confront the forces behind the Church--the Powers of the Void. Yet even a victory will not end the conflict forever. The Powers of the Void are malevolent and infinitely patient, and the struggle is one that involves the entire world. They threaten not only Rudi in the present, but also the future represented by his children, rlaith and John. Rudi knows this. And as his heir Princess rlaith grows up in the shadow of her famous father, she also realizes that the enemy will do anything to see that she does not live to fulfill her parents' dream....

"Utterly engaging...a page-turner that is certain to win the author legions of new readers and fans."--George R. R. Martin, author of A Game of Thrones It's spring on Nantucket and everything is perfectly normal, until a sudden storm blankets the entire island. When the weather clears, the island's inhabitants find that they are no longer in the late twentieth century...but have been transported instead to the Bronze Age Now they must learn to survive with suspicious, warlike peoples they can barely understand and deal with impending disaster, in the shape of a would-be conqueror from their own time.

Harry Turtledove hailed Island in the Sea of Time as "one of the best time travel/alternative history stories I've ever read," and Jane Lindskold called Against the Tide of Years "another exciting and explosive tale." Now the adventures of the Nantucket islanders lost in the time of the Bronze Age continues with On the Oceans of Eternity. Ten years ago, the twentieth century and the Bronze Age were tossed together by a mysterious Event. In the decade since, the Republic of Nantucket has worked hard to create a new future for itself, using the technological know-how retained from modern times to explore and improve conditions for the inhabitants of the past. Some of these peoples have become allies. Some have turned instead to the renegade Coast Guard officer William Walker. And for ten years, the two sides have tested each other, feinting and parrying, to decide who will be the ones to lead this brave new world into the future. Now the official battle lines have been drawn. And only one side can emerge the victor...

On an alternate Earth irrevocably transformed by a violent spray of comets in the 1870s, the planet is controlled by two superpowers--the British Empire and Russia--who appear to be heading for a deadly showdown, unless superspy Captain Alfred King can stop it. Reprint.

S. M. Stirling presents his first Novel of the Change, the start of the New York Times bestselling postapocalyptic saga set in a world where all technology has been rendered useless. The Change occurred when an electrical storm centered over the island of Nantucket produced a blinding white flash that rendered all electronic devices and fuels inoperable--and plunged the world into a dark age humanity was unprepared to face... Michael Pound was flying over Idaho en route to the holiday home of his passengers when the plane's engines inexplicably died, forcing a less than perfect landing in the wilderness. And as Michael leads his charges to safety, he begins to realize that the engine failure was not an isolated incident. Juniper McKenzie was singing and playing guitar in a pub when her small Oregon town was thrust into darkness. Now, taking refuge in her family's cabin with her daughter and a growing circle of friends, Juniper is determined to create a farming community to benefit the survivors of this crisis. But even as people band together to help one another, others are building armies for conquest...

"A major work by an authentic master of alternate history." - Booklist (Starred Review) In the tenth year of the Change, the survivors in western Oregon live in a world without technology. Michael Havel's Bearkillers hold the lands west of Salem in peace and order. To the east, the Clan Mackenzie flourishes under the leadership of Juniper Mackenzie, bard and High Priestess. Together, they have held Norman Arminger--the warlord of Portland--at bay. With his dark fantasies of a neofeudal empire, Arminger rules much of the Pacific Northwest, spreading fear with his knights, castles, and holy inquisition. Even more dangerous, and perhaps Arminger's most powerful weapon of all, is his ruthlessly cunning consort, Lady Sandra. These factions haven't met in battle because Arminger's daughter has fallen into Clan Mackenzie's hands. But Lady Sandra has a plan to retrieve her--even if it means plunging the entire region into open warfare...

Young Rudi Mackenzie has grown up knowing that he will one day assume leadership over the Western Oregon survivors of the technological disaster called the Change. But a prophecy made at his birth spoke of an even greater destiny--a destiny that is about to be fulfilled. A mysterious traveler has arrived in the Willamette Valley. He brings news from the East, from Nantucket Island, long rumored to be the source of the Change. He has been sent on a mission to bring back with him the Sword of the Lady from the sunset oceans. As son of the High Priestess, Rudi is the Sword of the Lady. Now, guided by the traveler, he sets out on a quest across the Changed land that was once America. But between Rudi and his destiny lies the Valley of Paradise...and the cult of a madman determined to stop him.

"Vivid...Stirling eloquently describes a devastated, mystical world that will appeal to fans of traditional fantasy as well as postapocalyptic SF." - Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Rudi Mackenzie--son and heir of the High Priestess Juniper Mackenzie and the Bear Lord Michael Havel--continues his trek across the land that was once the United States of America. His destination: Nantucket, where he hopes to learn the truth behind the Change, which rendered technology across the globe inoperable. During his travels, Rudi forges ties with new allies in the continuing war against the Prophet. Presiding over his flock, the Prophet teaches his followers that God has punished humanity by destroying technological civilization, and that they must continue to destroy any technology they come across--along with those who dare use it. But one fanatical officer in the Sword of the Prophet has an even greater mission: to stop Rudi from reaching Nantucket by any means necessary.

"This new novel of the Change is quite probably the finest by an author who has been growing in skill and imagination for more than twenty-five years." - Booklist (Starred Review) Rudi Mackenzie has journeyed long and far across the land that was once the United States of America, seeking the shore where the sun rises, hoping to find the source of the world-altering event that has come to be known as the Change. His quest ends in Nantucket, an island overrun with forest, inhabited by a mere two hundred people, who claim to have been transported there from out of time. Only one odd stone house remains standing. Within it, Rudi finds a beautifully made sword seemingly waiting for him. And once he takes it up, nothing for Rudi--or for the world that he knows--will ever be the same...

From S. M. Stirling, the "master of speculative fiction" (Library Journal) and the author of the New York Times bestselling Novels of the Change, comes a new vision, as a man battles the dark forces of the world--including those in his own blood... Aeons ago, Homo nocturnus ruled the Earth. Possessing extraordinary powers, they were the source of all manner of myths and legends. Though their numbers have been greatly reduced, they exist still--though not as purebreds. Adrian Br z is one such being. Wealthy and reclusive, he is more Shadowspawn than human. He rebelled against his own kind, choosing to live as an ordinary man, fighting against his darker nature. But Adrian's sister is determined to bring back the reign of the Shadowspawn, and now she has struck him at his weakest point by kidnapping his human lover, Ellen. To save Ellen--and perhaps all of humanity--Adrian must rejoin a battle he swore he would never fight again.

S. M. Stirling--the New York Times bestselling author of the Novels of the Change--continues his "exciting new Urban Fantasy trilogy"* in which the fate of humanity rests in the bloody hands of those who are far from human... Adrian Breze has long defied his pure-bred Shadowspawn heritage as part of an ancient race of shapeshifters who once reigned supreme. But when his ruthless sister Adrienne kidnapped his human lover Ellen, he emerged from seclusion to rescue her. Before her defeat, Adrienne revealed that the Council of Shadows was marshalling its strength to rule the world once again. To stop them, Adrian and Ellen must ally with the Brotherhood, a resistance group dedicated to breaking the Council's hold on humankind.In the coming confrontation, Adrian must fight not only the members of the Council but also his own nature...and, he will come to suspect, traitors within the Brotherhood itself...

Rudi Mackenzie has traveled from the land where the sun sets to the land where it rises and back. He has found his weapon--the Sword crafted for him before he was born. He has made friends from among his enemies and found enemies where he expected friends. He has won the heart and hand of the woman he has loved his entire life.Now Rudi is Artos, the High King of Montival, and his final destiny awaits him. He must face and defeat the forces of the Church Universal and Triumphant. Everything in the present, everything in the future, depends on the outcome of the conflict.And like his father before him, Rudi knows that in winning the war he might well lose his life...

" A] vivid portrait of a world gone insane,"* S. M. Stirling's New York Times bestselling Novels of the Change have depicted a vivid, utterly persuasive, and absorbingly unpredictable postapocalyptic wasteland in which all modern technology has been left in ashes, forcing humankind to rebuild an unknowable new world in the wake of unimaginable--and deliberate--chaos. In The Change: Tales of Downfall and Rebirth, S. M. Stirling invites the most fertile minds in science fiction to join him in expanding his rich Emberverse canvas. Here are inventive new perspectives on the cultures, the survivors, and the battles arising across the years and across the globe following the Change--from the ruins of Sydney to the Republic of Fargo and Northern Alberta to Venetian and Greek galleys clashing in the Mediterranean. These adventures revisit beloved people and places from Stirling's fantastic universe, introduce us to new ones, and deliver endlessly fascinating challenges to conquer. *Statesman Journal (Salem, OR)

The Lords of Creation, the eagerly anticipated finale in S.M. Stirling's acclaimed The Lords of Creation series, promises to be a masterful conclusion to a saga that has captivated readers worldwide. Following the remarkable adventures in The Sky People and In the Courts of the Crimson Kings, this third installment is set to weave the intricate tales of alternate Venus and Mars into a climactic narrative. In this series conclusion, the richly imagined worlds of a habitable Venus and Mars, each with their own unique civilizations and ecosystems, come alive again. Stirling, known for his meticulous world-building and deep character development, is set to intertwine the fates of characters from both planets, exploring the culmination of their struggles and triumphs. As is common of all of this award winning author's works, readers can expect an extremely well narrated version of science fiction adventure, political intrigue, and speculative history, all while providing a satisfying resolution to the overarching narrative. Lords of Creation promises to be the epic conclusion of the journey through Stirling's imaginative and richly detailed versions of Venus and Mars. It is a must-read for fans of the series and science fiction in general.

“Rollicking first of an alternate history series.... Readers will eagerly anticipate a trip to Mars in the sequel.”—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Early probes to Venus and Mars found both to be teeming with life in this alternate universe. Marc is stationed at Jamestown, a US-Commonwealth base on this alternate Venus rife with life, including sabertooths and dinosaurs. This base is not just a scientific outpost; it’s a frontier of American and allied adventurers and scientists navigating a world as perilous as it is mysterious. Cynthia is a newly arrived scientist from Earth tasked with studying some strange geological formations. She teams up with Marc, and during their investigation, they stumble across trouble brewing in the alien wilderness. The scientists are baffled by Venus’s Earth-like life forms, which stir scientific and political tensions. The EastBloc’s nearby base, Cosmograd, adds to the chilly diplomatic climate. In a parallel struggle, Teesa of the Cloud Mountain People native to Venus is locked in a fierce battle with Neanderthal-like beastmen over sacred caves. An EastBloc shuttle crash escalates the conflict, arming the beastmen with modern weaponry. Jamestown’s mission to rescue the EastBloc cosmonauts spirals into a journey of discovery. The protagonists face tribal warfare and unearth secrets that could redefine their understanding of science and history. Amidst all this, a hidden enemy lurks on their own airship. Events come to a head when Marc and Cynthia uncover evidence that may hold the key not only to the mystery of Venusian life, but of life on Earth, too. “Stirling offers an easygoing, atmospheric tale airbrushed with fuzzy political overtones, along with a good bit of humor and lively characterization.”—Kirkus Reviews