A Meeting at Corvallis (Emberverse) [Audiobook, CD, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

S. M. Stirling (Author), Todd McLaren (Narrator)

Book Description

Series: Emberverse | Publication Date: July 22, 2008

In the tenth year of the Change, the survivors in western Oregon have learned how to live in a world without technology. The city-state of Corvallis has preserved its university, and trade flourishes via riverboats and horse-drawn railways. Under the strong hand of Michael Havel, the Bearkillers hold the lands west of Salem in peace and order. And in the eastern half of the Willamette Valley, the Clan Mackenzie flourishes under the charismatic leadership of Juniper Mackenzie, bard and High Priestess.Together, they have held the Lord Protector, Norman Arminger-the warlord of Portland-at bay. With his dark fantasies of a neofeudal empire, Arminger has extended his power over 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 the ruthlessly cunning mind of his consort, Lady Sandra.The tensions between these factions have been building for some time, and the only reason they haven't confronted one another on the battlefield is because Arminger's daughter has fallen into Clan Mackenzie's hands. But Lady Sandra has a plan to retrieve her-a plan that threatens to plunge the entire region into open warfare.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stirling concludes his alternative history trilogy that began with Dies the Fire (2004) in high style. Some U.S. survivors of "the Change" that destroyed all modern technology just want to enjoy balanced, wholesome lives in tune with nature, such as former Marine Mike Havel's Bearkillers, who warily defend their territory in cooperation with peace-loving neighbors, especially Juniper MacKenzie's pagan clansfolk. Not far away, however, ex-history professor Norman Arminger is building a fascistic, neofeudal empire with himself as Lord Protector. The inevitable conflict builds, through layers of scheming and skirmishing, into full-scale war. Characters are cut from good quality cardboard, but the real interest lies in watching the different cultures exploring ways to solve problems. The story begins slowly, with detailed descriptions of scenery and armor. But readers will discover that the massive thing is moving after all and realize how much it resembles one of the cavalry charges the novel describes—gorgeous, stirring and gathering such earth-pounding momentum that it's difficult to resist. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Ten years after modern technology and most of the human race go extinct, what was Oregon is divided among three societies. Ex-pilot and professional survivor Mike Havel rules around Salem. Juniper Mackenzie holds sway as bard and high priestess of her clan in the southern Willamette Valley. Self-styled protector Norman Arminger is building a medieval empire based on a social core of former street-gang members in Portland. The incompatibility of Mike's and Juniper's realms with the protector's ambitions as well as those of his consort, the ferocious Lady Sandra, contributes to rising--then overflowing--tension. Before long, Clan Mackenzie has captured the protector's daughter, and Lady Sandra will stop at nothing to get her back. The ensuing maze of intrigue, diplomacy, and battle (with a wonderful variety of weapons ingeniously exploiting archaic technology) comes up to Stirling's highest standards for pacing, world building, action, and strong characterizations, particularly of women. Postholocaust settings aren't to everybody's taste, but readers entranced by Dies the Fire (2004) and The Protector's War (2005), the first two books in Stirling's multivolume contribution to the subgenre, will be happy to be here, in the midst of a major work by an authentic master of alternate history. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Tantor Media; Unabridged,Library - Unabridged CD edition (July 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400136784
• ISBN-13: 978-1400136780
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 7.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,349,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a writer by trade, born in France but Canadian by origin and American by naturalization, living in New Mexico at present. My hobbies are mostly related to the craft -- I love history, anthropology and archaeology, and am interested in the sciences. The martial arts are my main physical hobby.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The First Trilogy Ends with Excellent Results, September 17, 2006

By 

Bob A. Reiss "Audiobook Reviews: The Guilded ... (Bensalem, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Meeting at Corvallis (Dies the Fire, Book 3) (Hardcover)

They called it "The Change" and for good reason. Now, nine years (and two books) after the white flash and blinding pain that brought in a new age where electricity doesn't electrify and explosives don't go boom, we see a new world so different from the one we currently occupy that we wouldn't recognize it if we tried. At one point in A Meeting at Corvallis, a character postulates about the possibility that the change did not just change the physics of the natural world, but also changed the people in some fundamental way. Perhaps, but the mysteries of the why take a backseat to the here and now in this book.

The here and now is a grim look at the changed world concentrating on the free lands of the Willamette Valley against the Dictatorial Portland Protective Association, under the brutal control of the Lord Protector, Norman Arminger. The free societies consist mainly of Mike Navel's Bearkillers, Juniper MacKenzie's Dun MacKenzie, a Wicca collective, and Mount Angel, a pre-change Monastery, which is an oasis for the escapee's of the Protectorate. Along with theses three main groups are the Dunedain Rangers, and group of Tolkenesque Rangers who speak elfish and treat the change as if it was the fifth age of Middle Earth. These Groups meet at the former Oregon State University, at the city of Corvallis to try to persuade the group to form a treaty to stand against any aggression by any party.

OK, I know, it sounds a bit complex, and maybe a bit bizarre, but if you made it through the first two of this Post-Apocalyptic trilogy, you should have some idea of what I am talking about here. The Meeting at Corvallis indicated in the title, is just the prelim to what truly becomes the war between the Protector, and the combined forces that oppose him. This book starts with the political intrigue and maneuvering and moves into an all out Military tale with some of Stirling's strongest battle scenes since The General series.

For fans of the series, and writer, which I am, this is easily the strongest of the three books. With the characters developed and the conflict set up, it was time for action. Yet, Stirling takes it a bit further, giving us the best look at the "hated enemy" he has in either of the previous books. While the political and military details were detailed and intricate as you would expect, the sub plots dealing with the Tiphaine, Lady Arminger's bodyguard, give us a great insight into the complicated world of the PPA, and the complications of War. Here, Stirling really surprised me, giving greater depth, and providing a large chunk of the point of view to what seemed like a minor character in the earlier editions. Like with the Draka series, the first hand glimpse at the "evil" enemy doesn't really muddy the waters as much as make you step back and look at the conflict from new angles. Although, your gut reactions may not change much, the knee jerks become less jerky.

A Meeting at Corvallis was an exciting and excellent ending for a strong trilogy. The Change worked at an excellent devise, yet, by the third book, The Change becomes back story, and almost an annoyance to many of the characters. Unlike most Post-Apocalyptic books, the series quickly changes from looking to the past to living in the present. Many of the characters who were adults before the Change, may seem to be play-acting in their new psuedo-medieval roles, but those who came to age post-change, this is the real world. This change in philosophy does well to end this trilogy while setting up the next series well.

Nuts and bolts times. If you liked the first two books, you will love A Meeting at Corvallis. If you were one of those who groaned over all the 'Blessed Be's' and called The Protector's War the Wicca Left Behind, then you are entering safe territory. The beautiful old religion (or as one of the Father's in Mount Angel called it, the very young old religion) is still a significant aspect of the story, but doesn't dominate the pages to the degree it did in the first two books. Overall, this was easily one of my favorite reads of the year.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A few gripes about a good trilogy, September 13, 2006

By 

William Campbell (George West, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Meeting at Corvallis (Dies the Fire, Book 3) (Hardcover)

At last we have the final(?) volume in the "Dies the Fire" story, and it was well worth the wait. "Meeting" has all the hallmarks of Stirlings writing: great battle scenes, intrigue, and scads of dialogue lifted from books and movies that leave you saying, "where have I heard that before."
There is no "happily-ever-after" ending, which is refreshing, and a big door is left wide open for a future series.
If Mr. Stirling reads this amateur dreck, I have a few bones to pick in regard to future installments.

1. I understand the Mackenzies are the moral center of the alliance, but unless they are riddling Protectorate knights with arrows they are really a little boring. More Bearkillers, please.

2. Untranslated gaelic sayings might amuse Irish and Scot readers, but those of us who don't speak the language ( despite our celtic heritage ) find it rather irritating. And why does Juniper talk like an Irishwoman when she is plainly American, then ... but ... so.

3. By the Lord and Lady, I am sick of detailed descriptions of Wiccan rites.

That said, please keep up the good work. The "Rudi as Alexander the Great" that is obviously coming has great promise.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent End To A Great Trilogy, May 23, 2008

By 

D. Mataconis (Bristow, Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Meeting at Corvallis: A Novel of the Change (Dies the Fire) (Mass Market Paperback)

A Meeting At Corvallis, the final volume of the Change trilogy that began with Dies The Fire, comes to a satisfying, rollicking, action backed end, and there's plenty there to satisfy anyone who became a fan of the first book and followed it all the way through.

After spending two volumes, stretching over nine years, building up to a confrontation between Norman Arminger's Portland Protective Association and the loose alliance between Clan Mackenzie, the Bearkillers, and the monks of Mt. Abbott, Stirling doesn't disappoint this time and gives his readers not one, but two epic confrontations that will decide the future of the characters that we've come to know, and perhaps the new post-Change world itself.

For the first time, he spends considerable time in the territory of the PPA where people are under the thumb of a man that they rallied behind when their lives seemed near an end, only to find themselves in a bondage unseen since serfdom ruled Russia. We also see the conflict about to come from the perspective of the people living in PPA and, while it doesn't really change the moral calculus of good vs. evil, it does paint a broader picture and give depth to characters who otherwise would've been little more than cardboard cutouts.

More importantly, though, this final volume of the trilogy shows why Stirling really is such a good writer. Not only does he take care to humanize his characters, he makes you feel like you're right there in their world with them, which makes the things that happen to them, both good and bad, all the more personal.

Stirling has started a new series based on the world of the Change. The Sunrise Lands takes place about ten years after the events of Corvallis and looks to introduce new characters, new challenges, and at some point perhaps an explanation for what happened to the world back on March 17, 1998. I look forward to continuing the adventure.