Search - Dies the Fire (Dies the Fire, Bk 1)

Not a good book. The premise was decent, but all he wanted to talk about was Wicca and fighting. Throw in a crazy *love* story of young girl/older man and that's the book. I mean, that whole line of the story was incredibly unbelievable. Also, how many times can you have a Wiccan festival described in minute detail before tuning out? My mom calls this a "skip book"- you read a page, skip 10 and still get exactly what's going on.
I really didn't like this book. Ugh.

I really wanted to like this book because I adore post-apocalyptic fiction and I was so glad I'd found a new title to read, but, OH!, the main characters were so annoying. The author made the main characters too perfect to be believable. Strangers fall at their feet to work for them, they are eager to serve them and call them "boss" and "lady", and everything seems to be working out well for them as the rest of the country dies and suffers mainly because they aren't as clever and good as our characters. Then, we have the Wicca stuff... I found the description of Wiccan ritual to be interesting until it began to feel as if I was reading bits and pieces of a "Wicca for Dummies" book. Do you enjoy reading the same cutesy sayings over and over? I hope so because you'll be seeing the phrase "Blessed Be!" 68,548 times throughout the book.

This author took an interesting premise and then completely ruined it with unrealistic characters that most normal people will end up hating within the first 150 pages. Seriously, I was hoping that the cannibals would eat them.

I Love this book! I have read it almost 20 times now, and I still enjoy re-reading certain parts all over again. It really emphasizes how much we take for granted in our lives - and I don't necessarily mean simple things like enough food and clean water, but many other things that we usually don't consider. Suddenly, I find myself wondering exactly how that bottle of soda-pop was made, and whether or not it could have been made without electricity! And I find myself mentally cataloging the food and resources in my house, wondering how I might survive in the Dies the Fire 'Verse. Part of my enjoyment comes from the careful thought that S.M. Stirling clearly put into the details - such as learning to ride or use a sword. While I'm certainly not an expert in blacksmithing, farming, or any of the other trades that Stirling mentions in this book, the details that he offers feel accurate and correct. There is no I picked up a Sword for the first time in my life yesterday & today I'm a Master Swordsman nonsense. His portrayal of what life might be like in such a situation is extremely plausible.
As a fan fiction writer and reader, I can see the wonderful potential in this 'Verse - there is plenty of room for developing existing characters and situations, for writing in your own characters, or for adding characters from modern books & TV Shows. Plenty of ways to ask, What if? I can hardly wait until the newest book is available. By the way, if you're not sure whether or not you would like this book, S.M. Stirling offers sample chapters (the first 4 -6 chapters of each book) on his official website.

This book was AWESOME!

It's the first book in a series, but it's a self-contained story; it doesn't end on a cliffhanger or anything. One day out of the blue, there's a flash of white light and everything mechanical stops working all at once. Not only that, but guns and steam engines don't work anymore either. Gunpowder just barely fizzles and no matter what you do, the steam never builds up enough pressure to get the engine going. No one knows why and most people are too busy focused on their immediate survival to really investigate that (although it's my understanding that the books later in the series look into that).

The book follows two groups of people. One group is started by a former Marine turned charter pilot who's flying a family called the Larssons to their ranch in Montana when the Change hits and their plane crashes into a river in northern Idaho. They pick up more people along the way and end up in this big nomadic wagon train heading west trying to make it to the Larssons' other property in Oregon. The other group is started by a Wiccan folk singer and her friends who head up to her land way out in the boonies (also in Oregon) and set up a homestead there, where they also end up taking in a bunch of stragglers. The book mostly focuses on people trying to adjust to this crazy situation they've all suddenly found themselves in and trying to carve out a little safety.

The characters are unique and interesting and you really care about them, the breakdown of society (and the disparate attempts to rebuild some other kinds of local societies) are believable and detailed. It's fascinating and I can't wait to read the next book!

Very good book, compelling enough to have me sign up for the 2nd and 3rd books of the series. The story line is a disturbing/fascinating vision of what would happen if our lives were turned upside down without technology to rely on.

Of Note: This book is focused on the practice of Wicca, I was a little turned off by it but it's not overwhelming enough or condemning of Christianity in general so taken with a grain as part of a story.....

A friend of mine lent me this book, thinking I might enjoy it, I loved it. I found the characters to be intriguing and in some situations, inspiring. The story is one that fascinated me, and since reading the book, I find myself occasionally wondering what I might do in a situation like theirs. I like a book that stays with me afterward and leaves me wondering what if.