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The Scourge of God (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Scourge of God is an alternate history, post-apocalyptic
novel by S. M. Stirling
. It is the fifth book in the Emberverse
series. The novel continues the journey of Rudi Mackenzie and his companions as they travel across the former United States, a generation after "The Change" killed off technology and plunged the world into a new Dark Age, on their quest to Nantucket where rumor says The Change originated. The novel's title comes from the title Sethaz gave himself at the end of The Sunrise Lands:
Back in Twin Falls, the Prophet Sethaz orders High Seeker Twain and Major Graber to kill Rudi. Rudi meanwhile comes upon a group of Mormon rebels, including Rebecca Nystrup and her brother. They join up with Rudi and reach the Deseret town of Picabo
, now occupied by Church Universal and Triumphant
(CUT). Ingolf, Rudi, Edain Aylward, and Odard pose as slavers, with Rebecca acting as one of their slaves, in an effort to infiltrate the town. In order to preserve their cover, however, Edain is forced to attempt to shoot an apple off of Rebecca's head. He misses, killing her. Ingolf's plan goes off the night before the CUT forces leave but it is interrupted by Graber, who wounds Rudi. Ingolf manages to lead the party to safety while the Mormon rebels go into the wilds.
Still chased by Graber, Rudi's company attempts to find a place they can hole up so Rudi can heal. While unconscious, Rudi has an out-of-body experience
in which Odin
tells him he will not die of his wounds but instead will die in an act of self sacrifice for his people. Ritva Havel is ambushed by a CUT scout while hunting. Ritva barely defeats him; in return for his life, he warns her that High Seeker Twain has captured her twin sister Mary. Ritva rescues Mary and kills Twain, but not before Mary loses an eye. The whole company is later discovered by a group of Buddhist monks
and they winter in their monastery. While at the monastery, Ignatius receives a vision from Mary
telling him to look after Mathilda.
After leaving the monks, the company is joined by Virginia Kane. As the group enters Sioux
territory, they are greeted by Sioux chief Red Leaf and his soldiers who demand that they leave. However, Virginia is the daughter of a prominent local rancher who was Red Leaf's blood brother. Her father was killed by a rival and his CUT allies. For Virginia's sake, Red Leaf gives the group sanctuary, but they run into the group of ranchers chasing her, along with Major Graber. Graber and Rudi fight; Rudi is victorious, but spares Graber. The ranchers and the CUT are driven away after the two forces accidentally upset some lions. Rudi and his group stay with Red Leaf's tribe, but leave just before Graber returns with reinforcements. With the help of Red Leaf's son, they manage to get on the other side of a huge stream of migrating buffalo
, thus losing Graber.
Rudi and company make it to Iowa and, thanks to Ingolf's connections with a local influential farmer, are able to make it to Des Moines
, where they hope to finance a trip into the eastern deathlands. The group, however, is ambushed by the State Police
. Rudi, Ingolf, Mathilda and Odard are captured. It appears that the Bossman of Iowa is angry with Ingolf for not completing a salvaging expedition he had paid for into the eastern deathlands. Rudi volunteers to retrieve the goods that were abandoned in Illinois
. The Bossman agrees on the condition that Rudi must do it alone in one month.
As Rudi continues his quest, events back in Oregon come to a boil. The leaders of the Meeting agree that the CUT threat is too great to ignore. They decide to attack Pendleton
. An army is formed, led by Astrid Larsson with Lady Tiphaine as second in command. As the army marches toward Pendleton, Astrid leads a black op
to capture the Bossman of Pendleton and his family. With the help of a spy in the service of Sandra Arminger, Astrid, Eilir Mackenzie, Alleyne Loring, John Hordle and other members of the Rangers, sneak into the city and get access to the Bossman's palace. Meanwhile, BD, a merchant in the service of the Meeting, gets invited to a party the Bossman is throwing. While there, she sees that both President Thurston and Sethaz are present along with soldiers from their respective nations.
Astrid captures the Bossman and his family, but Sethaz incites the crowd to attack the Rangers, who are forced to flee with only the Bossman. Tiphaine is able to rescue them but Astrid has been injured and has to cede command of the army to Tiphaine. Thanks to a traitor from Boise, Tiphaine knows she is outnumbered by the combined forces of Boise
, CUT, and Pendleton. She attempts a fighting retreat in an effort to buy time for the infantry to escape. Chuck Barstow, commander of the Clan Mackenzie forces, is killed during the battle. He awakens in an idyllic afterlife. The Bearkillers' commander Eric Larsson loses his hand and almost his life except for quick action by Mike Havel Jr., but the army succeeds in breaking contact with the enemy.
Back home, the Mackenzies and Bearkillers mourn their dead. Oak vows in front of Juniper Mackenzie to not rest until the killers of his father are defeated. At Larssdalen, Mike Jr. is promoted to the rank of A-lister and is offered the position of his late father, Lord Bear. He respectfully declines saying he has much to learn before he can accept.
was quoted as saying: "Fans will remain enthralled once the shock lets up as the tale is filled with action, strong characters in conflict, vivid descriptions of a battered dying land trying to come back to life two plus decades since the Change, and a great cliffhanging climax.". Publishers Weekly
said of the novel: "Stirling eloquently describes a devastated, mystical world that will appeal to fans of traditional fantasy as well as post-apocalyptic SF." The review on Monsters and Critics
praised Stirling for vividly describing the political landscape of his fictional world while also declaring Rudi to be satisfyingly multifaceted. A reviewer from the Baltimore Science Fiction Society
called the novel "a fun post apocalypse quest story with a twist." Kel Munger from the Sacramento News and Review
said the novel was "surprisingly good." Bill Lawhorn of SFRevu said "I liked this book...Stirling is a master of world building. This series has gone a long way from its point of departure, but still keeps a horde of fans wanting more." The Historyguy Book Review said "Stirling’s Scourge of God is a very good continuation of his Change books. The heroes are heroic, the villains are evil and worthy of killing, and the newly developing societies that Rudi and his fellowship encounter are interesting, spiritual in their own unique ways, and actually quite logical, given the circumstances of the Change."
The San Jose Mercury News
gave a mixed review saying the novel was a good read, but the fantasy elements detracted from the story.
The book ranked #19 on the New York Times fiction hardcover list for the week of September 19, 2008, and #139 on the combined USA Today
list as of September 7, 2008.
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
novel by S. M. Stirling
S. M. Stirling
Stephen Michael Stirling is a French-born Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author. Stirling is probably best known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and the more recent time travel/alternate history Nantucket series and Emberverse series.-Personal:Stirling was born on...
. It is the fifth book in the Emberverse
The Emberverse series
Emberverse, or Change World, is a series of post-apocalyptic alternate history novels written by S. M. Stirling. The novels depict the events following "The Change", which caused electricity, guns, explosives, internal combustion engines, and steam power to stop working...
series. The novel continues the journey of Rudi Mackenzie and his companions as they travel across the former United States, a generation after "The Change" killed off technology and plunged the world into a new Dark Age, on their quest to Nantucket where rumor says The Change originated. The novel's title comes from the title Sethaz gave himself at the end of The Sunrise Lands:
I am the Scourge of God. If you had not sinned greatly, He would not have delivered you into my hands.
Plot summary
Rudi Mackenzie and company stage a rescue of Mathilda Arminger, Odard Liu, and Ingolf Vogeler from High Seeker Kuttner. They manage to free their companions and kill Kuttner, but not before he becomes possessed and almost strangles Rudi. Following their victory, Frederick Thurston decides to travel with Rudi to Nantucket instead of staying in Boise to fight his brother Martin Thurston.Back in Twin Falls, the Prophet Sethaz orders High Seeker Twain and Major Graber to kill Rudi. Rudi meanwhile comes upon a group of Mormon rebels, including Rebecca Nystrup and her brother. They join up with Rudi and reach the Deseret town of Picabo
Picabo, Idaho
Picabo is an unincorporated community in Blaine County, Idaho, United States. Picabo is located along U.S. Highway 20, about west of Carey, southeast of Hailey, and northeast of Shoshone. It has a gas station, country store, post office, and a small airport. The community is surrounded by...
, now occupied by Church Universal and Triumphant
Church Universal and Triumphant
Church Universal and Triumphant is an international New Age religious organization founded in 1975 by Elizabeth Clare Prophet. It is an outgrowth of The Summit Lighthouse, founded in 1958 by Prophet's husband, Mark L. Prophet...
(CUT). Ingolf, Rudi, Edain Aylward, and Odard pose as slavers, with Rebecca acting as one of their slaves, in an effort to infiltrate the town. In order to preserve their cover, however, Edain is forced to attempt to shoot an apple off of Rebecca's head. He misses, killing her. Ingolf's plan goes off the night before the CUT forces leave but it is interrupted by Graber, who wounds Rudi. Ingolf manages to lead the party to safety while the Mormon rebels go into the wilds.
Still chased by Graber, Rudi's company attempts to find a place they can hole up so Rudi can heal. While unconscious, Rudi has an out-of-body experience
Out-of-body experience
An out-of-body experience is an experience that typically involves a sensation of floating outside of one's body and, in some cases, perceiving one's physical body from a place outside one's body ....
in which Odin
Odin
Odin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
tells him he will not die of his wounds but instead will die in an act of self sacrifice for his people. Ritva Havel is ambushed by a CUT scout while hunting. Ritva barely defeats him; in return for his life, he warns her that High Seeker Twain has captured her twin sister Mary. Ritva rescues Mary and kills Twain, but not before Mary loses an eye. The whole company is later discovered by a group of Buddhist monks
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and they winter in their monastery. While at the monastery, Ignatius receives a vision from Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
telling him to look after Mathilda.
After leaving the monks, the company is joined by Virginia Kane. As the group enters Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
territory, they are greeted by Sioux chief Red Leaf and his soldiers who demand that they leave. However, Virginia is the daughter of a prominent local rancher who was Red Leaf's blood brother. Her father was killed by a rival and his CUT allies. For Virginia's sake, Red Leaf gives the group sanctuary, but they run into the group of ranchers chasing her, along with Major Graber. Graber and Rudi fight; Rudi is victorious, but spares Graber. The ranchers and the CUT are driven away after the two forces accidentally upset some lions. Rudi and his group stay with Red Leaf's tribe, but leave just before Graber returns with reinforcements. With the help of Red Leaf's son, they manage to get on the other side of a huge stream of migrating buffalo
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
, thus losing Graber.
Rudi and company make it to Iowa and, thanks to Ingolf's connections with a local influential farmer, are able to make it to Des Moines
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
, where they hope to finance a trip into the eastern deathlands. The group, however, is ambushed by the State Police
Iowa State Patrol
The Iowa State Patrol is the state police organization in the state of Iowa. Currently, there are just over 378 officers in the patrol. State Troopers are responsible for patrolling over of roadways in the state. The State is broken into . Their primary concern is enforcing motor vehicle laws,...
. Rudi, Ingolf, Mathilda and Odard are captured. It appears that the Bossman of Iowa is angry with Ingolf for not completing a salvaging expedition he had paid for into the eastern deathlands. Rudi volunteers to retrieve the goods that were abandoned in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. The Bossman agrees on the condition that Rudi must do it alone in one month.
As Rudi continues his quest, events back in Oregon come to a boil. The leaders of the Meeting agree that the CUT threat is too great to ignore. They decide to attack Pendleton
Pendleton, Oregon
Pendleton is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. Pendleton was named in 1868 by the county commissioners for George H. Pendleton, Democratic candidate for Vice-President in the 1864 presidential campaign. The population was 16,612 at the 2010 census...
. An army is formed, led by Astrid Larsson with Lady Tiphaine as second in command. As the army marches toward Pendleton, Astrid leads a black op
Black operation
A black operation or black op is a covert operation typically involving activities that are highly clandestine and often outside of standard military protocol or even against the law.-Origins:...
to capture the Bossman of Pendleton and his family. With the help of a spy in the service of Sandra Arminger, Astrid, Eilir Mackenzie, Alleyne Loring, John Hordle and other members of the Rangers, sneak into the city and get access to the Bossman's palace. Meanwhile, BD, a merchant in the service of the Meeting, gets invited to a party the Bossman is throwing. While there, she sees that both President Thurston and Sethaz are present along with soldiers from their respective nations.
Astrid captures the Bossman and his family, but Sethaz incites the crowd to attack the Rangers, who are forced to flee with only the Bossman. Tiphaine is able to rescue them but Astrid has been injured and has to cede command of the army to Tiphaine. Thanks to a traitor from Boise, Tiphaine knows she is outnumbered by the combined forces of Boise
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
, CUT, and Pendleton. She attempts a fighting retreat in an effort to buy time for the infantry to escape. Chuck Barstow, commander of the Clan Mackenzie forces, is killed during the battle. He awakens in an idyllic afterlife. The Bearkillers' commander Eric Larsson loses his hand and almost his life except for quick action by Mike Havel Jr., but the army succeeds in breaking contact with the enemy.
Back home, the Mackenzies and Bearkillers mourn their dead. Oak vows in front of Juniper Mackenzie to not rest until the killers of his father are defeated. At Larssdalen, Mike Jr. is promoted to the rank of A-lister and is offered the position of his late father, Lord Bear. He respectfully declines saying he has much to learn before he can accept.
Literary significance and reception
Generally reviews have been good for Scourge. Harriet KlausnerHarriet Klausner
Harriet Klausner is a reviewer of books. She was the #1 ranked reviewer on Amazon.com until October 24, 2008 when the company began a new ranking system and, as of May 28, 2011, is ranked number 706 with over 24,500 reviews total....
was quoted as saying: "Fans will remain enthralled once the shock lets up as the tale is filled with action, strong characters in conflict, vivid descriptions of a battered dying land trying to come back to life two plus decades since the Change, and a great cliffhanging climax.". Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
said of the novel: "Stirling eloquently describes a devastated, mystical world that will appeal to fans of traditional fantasy as well as post-apocalyptic SF." The review on Monsters and Critics
Monsters and Critics
Monsters and Critics is a web-only entertainment/celebrity news and review publication with movie, DVD, video game, and music reviews, along with political commentary as well as coverage of world news, technology, sports, and science.- Background :...
praised Stirling for vividly describing the political landscape of his fictional world while also declaring Rudi to be satisfyingly multifaceted. A reviewer from the Baltimore Science Fiction Society
Baltimore Science Fiction Society
The Baltimore Science Fiction Society is a literary society focusing on science fiction, fantasy and related genres. A 501c3 literary society based in Baltimore, Maryland, the BSFS sponsors Balticon, the Maryland Regional Science Fiction Convention....
called the novel "a fun post apocalypse quest story with a twist." Kel Munger from the Sacramento News and Review
Sacramento News and Review
Sacramento News & Review is an alternative weekly newspaper in Sacramento, California. It is one of three papers published by Chico Community Publishing. Noted as the last place of employment of investigative journalist Gary Webb. Webb allegedly committed suicide while working for the...
said the novel was "surprisingly good." Bill Lawhorn of SFRevu said "I liked this book...Stirling is a master of world building. This series has gone a long way from its point of departure, but still keeps a horde of fans wanting more." The Historyguy Book Review said "Stirling’s Scourge of God is a very good continuation of his Change books. The heroes are heroic, the villains are evil and worthy of killing, and the newly developing societies that Rudi and his fellowship encounter are interesting, spiritual in their own unique ways, and actually quite logical, given the circumstances of the Change."
The San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
The San Jose Mercury News is a daily newspaper in San Jose, California. On its web site, however, it calls itself Silicon Valley Mercury News. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group...
gave a mixed review saying the novel was a good read, but the fantasy elements detracted from the story.
The book ranked #19 on the New York Times fiction hardcover list for the week of September 19, 2008, and #139 on the combined USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
list as of September 7, 2008.
External links
- Sample chapters are available on the author's website
- Podcast with Stirling promoting The Scourge of God
- The Scourge of God on LibraryThingLibraryThingLibraryThing is a social cataloging web application for storing and sharing book catalogs and various types of book metadata. It is used by individuals, authors, libraries and publishers....