It's The End Of The World As We Know It

Most of my recreational reading consists of mysteries, science fiction, and fantasy. One of my favorite genres of science fiction falls under the category of apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic. Many might find this a rather macabre and depressing subject to read for pleasure, especially given that most of the scenarios fall into categories such as nuclear war (Pat Frank's Alas, Babylon), some object from space striking Earth (Larry Niven's and Jerry Pournelle's Lucifer's Hammer), plague (Stephen King's The Stand), and even the Rapture (Tim LaHaye's & Jerry B. Jenkin's Left Behind series). While the way authors describe whatever the particular apocalypse they choose for their novels intrigues me, I am much more interested in seeing how they treat the post-apocalyptic period. Once the survivors make it through the event, how do they rebuild or recreate a workable society--or even how they are not capable of doing so.

I recently finished a trilogy, which presents the most comprehensive and realistic post-apocalyptic scenarios I've read: S. M. Stirling's Dies The Fire (2004), The Protector's War (2005), and A Meeting At Corvallis (2006). The series begins with "the Change" on St. Patrick's Day 1998, an event which essentially disables all modern technology, including gunpowder. What causes the Change is never explained, although some characters, only half-jokingly, blame "Alien Space Bats." The first book follows two groups of survivors in Oregon through the first year or so after the Change. The first group consists of pilot Mike Havel and the Larsson family who were flying to the Larson's Idaho ranch when the Change hit. They form the nucleus of what becomes The Bearkillers. The second is made up of Juniper Mackenzie and her coven who take refuge at Juniper's "cabin in the woods," and evolve into the Clan Mackenzie. Both groups struggle with feeding themselves, protecting themselves from the Bubonic Plague that sweeps through Oregon when the medical infrastructure collapses, integrating other survivors, defending themselves against bandits, and dealing with other organized (or not so organized) groups of survivors.

Two of the other societies that Stirling develops with a fair amount of detail through the course of the series are The Portland Protective Association and Oregon State University in Corvallis. The PPA comes into being when history professor Norman Arminger integrates a large group of former members of the Society for Creative Anachronism, local gangs, and Russian mob types into a neo-Norman (think William the Conqueror) empire. His first move, within days of the Change, is to forcibly remove most of the population of Portland from the city. Oregon State University, on the other hand, develops into a democratic city state ruled by "The Faculty Senate." While Corvallis becomes a technological and industrial center--as far as the aftermath of the Change allows--there are some amusing moments as Stirling describes academia run amok.

Religion plays a role in the story, primarily because the Clan Mackenzie has a coven at its center. The Bearkillers seem not to have any formal religion, and both groups incorporate Christian believers. There are some "evil Christian" types portrayed in an "official" Roman Catholic Church in the Portland Protective Association, but these are balanced by the small theocracy that grows up around the Priory of Mount Angel situated between Association and Mackenzie territories. Mythic themes form a subtext, but they are not intrusive or out of place in the context of the world Stirling creates.

Part of that context is the struggle between good and evil as the survivors build their new world. And that struggle is portrayed with bloody detail as the protagonists face from outlaws in the immediate wake of the Change to the final battle against the Portland Protective Association. Again, it is not out of place or over the top, just a fairly realistic portrayal of combat without guns and artillery.

All in all, I really enjoyed this trilogy, and I look forward to reading The Sunrise Lands, which was recently published and picks up 22 years after the Change.

Peace,
Jeffri