2009
I am a big fan of S.M. Stirling’s “Emberverse” series, which is part of the “Change” series (though I do not much care for the related Nantucket subset). There are (currently) six books recording the events of the survivors (and their descendants) of a sudden and catastrophic failure of technology (at 6:15 PM PST, March 17, 1998). This includes electricity, gunpowder, steam-power and all the other manifestations of modern technology we deal with (almost without thought sometimes) on a daily basis in our own lives. It is a profoundly powerful story, not your average post-apocalyptic tale where guns and cars often figure prominently (though the source of the ammunition and gasoline do not – think “Mad Max” or “Waterworld”). No, this is a world where nothing works and for once, the catastrophe is not of human kind’s making. The survivors, if they are to continue to survive, must not only come to grips with nature (something many people today have only a passing familiarity with), but also with methods of survival more familiar to Bronze Age peoples, or even hunter-gatherer societies, than with the people of the 20th century. The question becomes not “what do I do eat?” but “do I eat?” and “If I’m going to eat, where am I going to get the food? How am I going to build a fire?” It is easy to relate to the story: just close you eyes and imagine if all our technology permanently failed, what you’d do to survive, and how you’d go about it.
One of the biggest attractions of the story for me personally and speaking as a modern day Heathen, besides the fact that it is heroic fiction on a grand scale and exceedingly well-written, is that Paganism figures prominently in its telling. It is a modern form of Paganism to be sure, despite it being called the “Old Religion.” I remember some complaints when Dies the Fire was first published that only “Pagans” were apparently going to survive the catastrophe. Obviously, some Christian readers didn’t like having Pagan protagonists (and never mind the fact that Christians obviously survived too), let alone Pagans who prospered! It’s one thing to have polytheists in invented worlds but I suppose it hits closer to home when that world is Earth. Even so, happy as I was to see Pagan protagonists, the choice of Wicca as the religion to be portrayed left room for some dissatisfaction even for me (in chapter 8 of Dies the Fire, the McKenzies are described as “an eclectic Georgian group who favor Celtic symbolism”). Granted, Stirling his branched out in the more recent books. “Old One-Eye” (Odin) puts in an appearance, for example, and there is some evidence that the Christian god is also active – versus, now, as it turns out, some evil force. This sort of cosmic dualism is completely alien to Pagan thought but I have to admit that the bad guys in this series are some of the most chillingly frightening bad guys I’ve ever seen in speculative fiction. I’ll take on a Nazgul any day. The Nazgul will only kill me. The Corwinites want my soul as well. Read this series and the words “I see you” will never sound quite the same ever again.
A great deal is made of the pseudo-Celtic nature of the Pagans in these stories. Nobody denies that they’re not genuine (some British characters living with the McKenzies are suitably mocking) and that it began as an affectation designed to build a sense of community. That’s all quite reasonable and believable. But it’s never really made clear that the form of Paganism being practiced is not really the “Old Religion,” or that, in fact, the term “Old Religion” is something of a misnomer, creating, as it does, the impression that there was some monolithic form of Paganism that this modern (portrayed) form in some way resembles. There was not, so this cannot. What these Pagans are is Wiccans and Wicca is a New Religion, not an Old one.
Some of my specific pet peeves are as follows:
Skyclad: the Pagans in the stories practice their rituals naked. There is no historical evidence that nudity was part of ancient Pagan religious ritual, neither among the Celts nor among any other Pagan people. Yet these people “drop trou” at the drop of a hat and dance around nekkid. You can look at any scholarly work dealing with ancient Paganism and you won’t find “skyclad” in the index. If Celts were prancing around naked at their rituals, H.R. Ellis-Davidson (Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions 1988) is unaware of it. So is every other scholar whose work I am familiar with.
Polyamory, Promiscuity, etc: The Pagans in the stories sleep around. A lot. Now, I’m all for a more healthy and open attitude towards the human body and sexuality, but the idea that this attitude is in any way part of the “Old Religion” – that is, ancient religion – is as absurd as the naked rituals. Many polytheistic cultures were prudish. The fact that they saw nothing obscene about breasts and penises and vaginas didn’t mean that people ran around touching those belonging to other people at the drop of a hat and claiming they were doing it to make their gods happy on top of it! That’s not to say that people didn’t sleep around (they always have, after all) but it does mean that it was as frowned upon in ancient polytheism just as it is in most cultures (Roman historian Tacitus goes out of his way to praise German morals in his Germania). Yet the pretense here is that sex is a form of religious ritual: “All acts of love and pleasure are my rituals” the Goddess is made to say. This is from the WIccan “Charge of the Goddess” (1940 and based on earlier writings). Isis never said anything like this in Apuleius’ “The Golden Ass,” upon which the Wiccan charge is based.
As I just argued in my post on historical elements of Paganism, sex was seen by most Pagan cultures as a form of ritual impurity – not a ritual in itself (except in very specific and limited circumstances). In other words, you had to wash up after sex before you worshipped. It’s stretching things just a bit to suppose that you could walk through you door, find some hot Pagan babe in your bed and excuse your promiscuity as a form of religion (The Sword of the Lady, chapter 12). I would very much like to see the historical evidence for this. Ritual fucking was not on my list of historical Pagan rituals for a very good reason. “Sex” doesn’t even show up in Ellis-Davidson’s index. Again, for a good reason. Except in a very limited sense, you can’t say it was part of historical Pagan religion.
Now while it’s perfectly acceptable to imagine that the Pagans in these stories are unaware that their form of religion is ahistorical, the “founders” – in this case, Juniper McKenzie and her coven, ought to know better (even in 1998 there was a fair amount of literature on the subject, unless Juniper limited herself to Llewellyn publications). I saw “ought” with this proviso: I’ve met Pagans who have no awareness at all of ancient forms of religion (while somehow imagining their own accurately represent what they know nothing of) and I’ve met Pagans who are polyamorous and operate on the assumption that this is quite naturally a part of Paganism. It’s another form of the eco-feminist ideal. I’m a Pagan: Of course I’m polyamorous! I’m a Pagan: Of course I’m an eco-feminist! I’m not accusing Stirling of these “sins.” If anything, some of the Wiccans I have met lend credence to the fictional Wiccan community that is at the heart of the story. And to give Stirling credit, the faction known as the Bearkillers, who seem to have some Heathens among them, are not promiscuous. They seem a rather stern bunch, the prototypical “dour” and “fatalistic” warriors of Odin so much a part of popular wisdom on the subject (we won’t get into Hollywood’s influence here).
I want to make something clear: promiscuity is not an aspect of historical Paganism. If anything, imagining that it somehow is reflects Paganism through a Christian, not a Pagan lens . We want to be careful to avoid reconstructing or reviving ancient religion as others saw/see it. Clothing promiscuity in piety is itself an act of impiety. It’s one thing to have fertility rituals. It’s another to “sleep around in the name of the Goddess” as though Isis would pimp her devotees. This is almost an act designed to fly in the face of Christian ideas of celibacy. Not only are we NOT going to NOT have sex, we’re going to have sex ALL the time and we’re going to do it FOR our gods. This is the Paganism all conservative Christians fear and loathe. If I can cite a Jewish author here (and most conservative Christians would agree with him), “pagan hallmarks are…relativism, nature worship, sexual corruption, and a willingness to sacrifice children to the cause” (David Klinghoffer, Why the Jews Rejected Jesus 2005:15) This is what they think of us. It is not what we think of ourselves. Or, it should not be.
If people wish to live this way, that’s fine. If they want to make it part of their religion, so be it. But they shouldn’t imagine it has anything to do with historical forms of Paganism (more on that below).
The workings of Stirling’s cosmology are fascinating if somewhat vague. He is no J.R.R. Tolkien to helpfully explain it all to us in his appendices! (I’m not complaining…I’m just saying). The Wiccans adhere generally to the typical Wiccan schema of male/female, god/goddess, lord/lady. All forms of the gods introduced in the book seem to be aspects of these two divine beings/forces. They seem to be real (all through the series but see especially The Source of God 2009) but of course, there is no way of knowing how Stirling sees them as he is a bit coy about such things, even in interviews. The introduction of Odin into the story and Juniper’s exclamation regarding that would suggest that he falls eventually out of the standard Wiccan model of a god/goddess, as does the apparent intercession of the Virgin on behalf of a Catholic warrior-monk. And of course, as mentioned above, there is the cosmic dualism – an evil being (or beings) acting upon our world and opposed by the traditional gods and goddesses of polytheism (with God/Jesus/YHWH as an ally).
Unsurprisingly, an important thing has gone missing in all this rampant and promiscuous Paganism: sacrifice. Diana Paxon is one of those who advises Stirling with regards to Paganism (here specifically, “Asatru”). Diana Paxson, as many of you are aware, is a Pagan author of both speculative fiction and nonfiction works about Paganism. If you look at her book Essential Asatru (Citadel Press 2006) you will find in the index five pages with mention of “sacrifice” while looking under “magic” will give you in excess of 25 (though to do Paxson justice the Heathen Signe Havel thinks “roasting like a pig after a blot” while wearing her suit of armor (The Sword of the Lady, chapter 14) . And standard Wiccan fare is even more imbalanced. You can see how the scales tip (I’ve mentioned it often enough). An inversion has taken place in modern Paganism: sacrifice has nearly gone out the window and been replaced by magical acts. Stirling’s stories at least accurately portray that inversion, even if he is again coy about whether what is taking place is really magic or something else. Without clarifying the matter, he says that readers will decide that for themselves.
In the end, when I think about Wicca in general and Wicca specifically in the Emberverse, I think about something I found in another book altogether: In The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Celtic Wisdom (2003:273) I found the following: One Wiccan priestess I know says she likes to think of Wicca as the “reincarnation” of the old religion: “same soul, different form, new personality incorporating the lessons of the past.” That’s a lovely (and intellectually honest) way of thinking about this modern form of religious witchcraft. With a couple of provisos (already noted) I agree. I think this describes perfectly the essence of the “Old Religion” practiced by Clan McKenzie, even if its adherents are unaware of it (in The Sword of the Lady, Rudi McKenzie reveals his own awareness of the clan’s somewhat questionable historical antecedents but not specifically with regards to questions of religion).
All complaints aside, it is nice to see a positive portrayal of modern Paganism, even if that form of Paganism has a questionable historical basis. At least the idea that people can take seriously the ideas of gods and goddesses is a welcome one. The importance of this one fact alone cannot be understated and for that, I think today’s Pagans owe a debt of gratitude to S.M. Stirling. As a portrayal of how a modern Paganism might develop and flourish under such post-apocalyptic circumstances, Stirling’s Emberverse series is flawless. And greatly welcome is a group of Pagans who are not “eco-feminists” in that like their historical predecessors, they will thank the deer for dying to keep them alive, they will still kill the deer and eat it, they will alter the landscape at need while venerating it, and there is a balance in how the masculine and feminine are seen ( as equal but different). While I would wish there was some awareness by any of the characters that their “Old Religion” is not really “old” at all, on the whole, I can’t find much cause for complaint. Obviously it’s better that Paganism is portrayed in a positive light than that every detail be accurate. I can only wonder how different the story might have been if the protagonists had been Norse Heathens instead of Celtic Wiccans (the aforementioned Bearkillers do not really answer this question as many of them are Christian and Heathenism is not an “official” or “dominant” religion in Bearkiller society, unlike what Wicca is to Clan McKenzie). This is a highly recommended read. It is a very compelling story, a classic page-turner, and best of all, highly detailed in conception and internally consistent. Stirling’s descriptive powers are not surpassed and he neither over- or under-utilizes his abilities here. The dialogue is realistic. You don’t find yourself wondering why anybody would utter the words they just spoke (a failing in much of today’s speculative fiction). If you like post-apocalyptic speculative fiction, the Emberverse series is for you. Warts and all it is a great read.
The Change Series (The “Emberverse”):
Dies the Fire (2005)
The Protector’s War (2006)
Meeting at Corvallis (2007)
The Sunrise Lands (2008)
The Scourge of God (2009)
The Sword of the Lady (2009)
The final three works are considered by its author to be a “trilogy” as they have a unified story arc). Three more novels are planned.
See S.M. Stirling’s Amazon.com page
Disclaimer: In analyzing Stirling’s books, any mistakes or misunderstandings are my own. If I have done the author an injustice, I extend apologies in advance and invite correction. I have tried to avoid using third-party reviews and sources and have for the most part depended upon my own “sense” of the books I’ve read (including the most recent one) – Hrafnkell.
Nice review! Accute and thoughtful — it's pleasant to get intelligent readers.
A few clarifications:
"It's never really made clear that the form of Paganism being practiced is not really the “Old Religion,”
– Actually, in Ch. 20 of DIES THE FIRE, Juniper gives her own run-down on the origins of Wicca and many of its practices.
On 'going skyclad' for example, she says of the "founder" Gardner that there are two schools of thought on the matter in the Craft. The ones who think he was divinely inspired and then:
"[My] school says that Gardner was a lecherous, voyeuristic, horny old he-goat who loved to prance through the woods with nekkid women, but since he was also an Englishman born in 1884, he had to come up with a religious justification for it."
One of her coven also mentions that the Mackenzies: "sort of save skyclad work for special ceremonies or solitary rituals and wear robes most of the time."
Now, -other- Wiccan-descended groups in the books, such as the one they run across in Wisconsin, shuck down more.
As for antiquity, half a dozen people remark that the "Old Religion" as Clan Mackenzie practice it is remarkably young, including Juniper.
Diana Paxson also remarked (being very acute, as usual!) that over the generation after the Change the Mackenzie religion is evolving away from strictly Wiccan theology and towards something more like Celtic Reconstructionism, with a bunch of Wiccan theology incorporated a bit behind the scenes.
(And Wicca incorporates a -lot- of Hindu thought via Gardner.)
It's not an old religion reborn, but a new religion based on myths and stories about the past, in other words. Juniper is quite aware of this; but that awareness fades out among the younger generations.
>Polyamory, Promiscuity, etc: The Pagans in the stories sleep around. A lot.
– not when they're married, usually. And to be fair, from what little evidence remains the pre-Christian Gaels were sort of relaxed about these things.
The asatruar in Maine are downright straight-laced.
>find some hot Pagan babe in your bed and excuse your promiscuity as a form of religion (The Sword of the Lady, chapter 12).
– two unmarried people, in fact, and Rudi turns it down because he's -engaged-.
The Wiccans in the books do think that sex is sacred and is -when proper- a sacrament, but that's built into Wicca as it actually exists, regardless of how pre-Chrisian peoples thought of it.
Note that when the Mackenzies catch a rapist or child-abuser they bury him alive at a crossroads with a spear thrust into the earth above. That's because they regard rape as blasphemous, a defiling of sacred things.
Next rock:
"Unsurprisingly, an important thing has gone missing in all this rampant and promiscuous Paganism: sacrifice."
– well, here I must say that's odd. There's sacrifice all throgh the books.
On a minor scale, there are things like pouring a libation before drinking, or putting out milk for the hob, which are pretty well universal among Mackenzies.
Or Rudi's private ritual of sacrificing meal and salt and his own blood every year at the graves of the two warriors who died protecting him as a child.
Then there's the dedication of the first fruits after the harvest — Ch. 19 of THE PROTECTOR'S WAR, for example.
In Ch.23 of A MEETING AT CORVALLIS, Juniper says of Mike Havel's death:
"And… he was the given sacrifice that goes consenting, the King who dies that the people may live."
Rudi knows perfectly well that he's going to do the same thing, and has said so.
>I think this [the reincarnation of the old religion in a new body] describes perfectly the essence of the “Old Religion” practiced by Clan McKenzie
– yup, pretty much.
>they will thank the deer for dying to keep them alive, they will still kill the deer and eat it, they will alter the landscape at need while venerating it, and there is a balance in how the masculine and feminine are seen ( as equal but different).
– ah, you noticed! 8-).
Then there are the Nordic-style Heathens of northern Main, at the end of THE SWORD OF THE LADY. Who -are- reconstructionists, and rather strict ones.
Mr. Stirling, thank you for commenting (and in such depth). If I am going to be corrected, it is nice to be corrected by the person who knows absolutely what they're talking about. I humbly accept my head for the many errors I made.
I can see now that I should have gone back and started from the beginning before writing this review, but to be honest, I enjoyed Sword of the Lady so much that I wanted to write while it was fresh in my mind. I will of course now begin re-reading the series (which I almost started doing before buying Sword of the Lady – I was waiting for it to come out in paperback but could not wait any longer!).
Thank you again for taking the time to set me straight with regards to factual errors. Though I apologized in advance I will apologize again. I knew I would likely be corrected when I clicked "publish" but I did not expect to be corrected by you personally. This ranks right up there with the rejection letter for a story I submitted to Marion Zimmer Bradley's magazine. I got handed my head there too (by her personally), and deserved it.
Oh my….S M Stirling and Dies the Fire – Hraf, thats one of my all time favorite book series, ever! If you read the books, you will note that Stirling repeatedly recomends a singer/song writer by the name of Heather Alexander as having written the songs that appear featured through out the books. I also want to point out that Heather is the person that Juniper Mackenzie is based on – right down to the red hair. So, let me add my voice to Stirlings – track down her music! It is amazing and it adds so much to the books to read them and "hear" the music and Heather's voice in your head! She is really, really good She has also under gone a major change – Heather was transgender…Alexander James Adams now stands in her place, and since the singing voice survived, so has the music! And the new CDs are just as powerful and amazing as Heather's were. When I first started writing my blog, I wrote a three part post on Heather and Alex (http://walkingthelabyrinth-cameron.blogspot.com/2009/06/faerie-tales-transformations-and-music.html is the url to the first one "Faerie Tales, Transformations and Music: Part One" – and keep reading…)
As for your post it was excellent – and I am very grateful that Stirling jumped in…because he basically wrote the response I would have made, except with much better documentation to back him up. I have been wondering what you thought of Diana Paxsons work…I got sucked into reading her stuff with Brisingamen and read everything of hers I can get my hands on.
I haven't made it all the way through all six books of The Dies the Fire series – I am done with number four – The Sunrise Lands, and I thank you for not posting spoilers! Too many books, not enough time!
Oh I enjoyed this post – you have made me very happy tonight!!!
Many thanks, brother! I think we have kindred souls!
"Mr. Stirling, thank you for commenting (and in such depth)."
– yer welcome! I wouldn't have bothered if I hadn't thought the review was -good-, mind you, so there's no need to apologize.
And incidentally, Marion Zimmer Bradley once rejected one of my stories too!
And she was right… 8-).
GMTA, Cameron! I first read S.M. Sterling's Peshwar Lancer (2003) and fell in love with it. I remember being very disappointed when I realized it wasn't part of a trilogy (spoiled, can you tell?). But then I discovered Dies the Fire a couple years later and was instantly hooked. It was so much more evocative than the run-of-the-mill post-apocalyptic tale. It had an internal consistency that so many of these stories lack, and likable, believable characters. I don't often buy hardcover novels (the only other exceptions I make is David Weber's Honorverse) and Guy Gavriel Kay, so while this revelation will change nothing in the world, S.M. Stirling is in very exclusive company on my bookshelves.
I plan to try having another go at the Nantucket series. For some reason, I couldn't get into those. Now that I've read to the end (so far) of the Emberverse, maybe the Nantucket series will be more enjoyable. You know how it is sometimes when you try to read a book and it's just not the right time. You go back later and try and you like it. Same with music. Some of my favorite songs are ones I did not really enjoy at first listen.
I only read one of Diana Paxson's books and couldn't get into it. Again, might have been that problem described above, though I will say I'm extremely picky. There are at most a half-dozen writers of speculative fiction that I really like: David Weber, Guy Gavriel Kay (Tigana is the beset novel ever written, bar none – if you don't cry you're not human), Elizabeth Moon, Steven Erikson, Janny Wurtz, M.A. Barker (his Tekumel universe – brilliant, that and I got to role play with him at a convention once and got scolded for being too soft on my enemies – me, a Viking!), and of course, S.M. Stirling. I also like E.E. Knight's Vampire Earth series and Ken Scholes (Lamentations) shows great promise. That said, I do intend to take Mr. Stirling's advice and have a go at Diana Paxon's Westria books.
Mr. Stirling, I treasure that letter of Marion Zimmer Bradley's. Her line (and I quote from memory) was: "If this story has a point, I fail to see what it is."
I have a confession to make here: I have never read Conquistador. I want to, but I want more Emberverse more, so I'm sorry to have to tell you that you must keep writing for as long as I draw breath (which I hope will be a good long while yet!).
And by the way, I had meant to add a link to your Amazon.com page (I review books there for the Vine program and intend to somehow squeeze a revised version of this review in there) so I've fixed that now.
That is exalted company… 8-). By the way, I'm an Enya fan too.
Ok, this is getting interesting – ALSO a fan of David Webers Honorverse! (also like his other work, such as The War God trilogy, Bolo and The March Up Country Series.) I live in the same area as David Weber and years ago knew him and his family; time and change have drifted us apart. His books are amazing and I can see why you would enjoy them. I picked up one of the middle books of the Honor series out of order years ago, and then was on fire to read the rest…catching all the way up was bittersweet – Now I have to hover at the bookstore like every one else and WAIT! "Shadow of Saganami" is one of my favorites of the Honorverse – Dreamweaver has her hands on "Storm from the Shadows" but we are both leaving it alone until after we finish the semester. So no spoilers please! Glad to know you have found those books…they are wonderful!
It doesn't get much better than Enya. I am not surprised that somebody who can write so evocatively enjoys evocative music. Loreena McKennitt is another favorite of mine. If you can close your eyes and see the landscape and feel as though you're looking through the swirling mists of time…that's good music.
I like something inspirational while I'm writing…never understood how an author can write while listening to heavy metal (which I would find distracting) but I know some do. Something like Enya works much better for me.
Cameron, I liked March Up Country too. Anything that brings out your inner Xenophon has to be good
I was kinda sad when the series ended.
Have you read Weber's Off Armageddon Reef and it's follow-ups? It's not Honor Harrington but it's damn good stuff all the same.
I'm waiting with breathless anticipation for Torch of Freedom, by David Weber. Honestly, right now, the books I look forward to most are the Honorverse and the Emberverse. In my opinion, they have the most compelling characters. I want a book that's going to bring tears to my eyes. Tigana did that. So do the Honorverse books. Dies the Fire did the same. That's how an author hooks me.
I'm going to have to check these out. there's actually a whole list of books here that I have yet to read. This excited me a great deal. I always love new books.
As to music, I'm also a big fan of Loreena McKenitt, and love me some Heather Alexander. And good, foot stomping heatheny stuff I recommend Wyndreth aka Karen Kahan to non SCA types. Her youtube page has some good music files on it.
I think we have the same criteria for books…and music. Loreena McKennitt's "Bonnie Portsmore" gets me every time!
I am somewhat ashamed to say that even after all this time I have failed to introduce myself to Heather Alexander's music. I will have to do that. And I will try to take some time today to visit the YouTube page you spoke of, Ulfrun. Blackmore's Night also has some very evocative and some very good foot-stomping stuff.
Loreena McKennitt is another favorite of mine.
– I used to give her tips when she was busking at the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto.
Mr. Stirling, at first I thought you meant you gave her tips on music but then the word "busking" hit me and I realized what you were talking about!
I love how she prepares in such depth for her albums, the research, the traditional tunes and themes she incorporates into her stuff.
I like the things I hear at Renaissance Faires as well. For the harp I love dropping by the Bristol Faire in Wisconsin to hear Sarah Mullen. Granted, I don't know a lot of harpists to compare her to but her "Wild Woods" CD is one of my favorites when I'm in the contemplative frame of mind.
I've found Celtic Woman very welcome music in the dreary, rainy days recently.
I ran out to my local used bookstore and found a copy of Diana Paxson's The Golden Hills of Westria in hardcover, for $10.99, which seemed like a good price as the book is in very good condition. It's the only book by Paxson that I've found in town so far. Borders had nothing. I'll have to take a look on Amazon.com if I want anything more.
You can get hints on where the books are available at wwww.westria.org
Thank you. I went to the site and it looks like between it and Amazon.com I should have little trouble assembling a Westria collection. Some days I really miss Uncle Hugo's…
And speaking of music, I'd also recommend S.J. ("Sooj") Tucker.
Thank you for the tip, Mr. Stirling! Interesting! I wasn't familiar with S.J. Tucker. I went to Skinny White Chick and had a listen to mp3s of some of her music (you can see the lyrics too). I can see the comparisons made to Joni Mitchell, Fiona Apple and Ani DiFranco but her voice reminds me a bit of Melanie (for those of you who can remember back to the late 60's and early 70's – think "Look What They've Done To My Song Ma").