Emberverse: Difference between revisions

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An enormous electrical storm of unknown properties encompasses the island of Nantucket and transports it back to the bronze age. The resultant time shock causes everyone on Earth to suffer an intense migraine at the exact same moment. The far more important consequence is that any device run off of electricity, gunpowder, explosives, internal combustion or steam power ceases to function. Permanently. In a single instant, [[The End of the World as We Know It|humanity has been, metaphorically, bombed back to the Stone Age.]]

 

 

The Emberverse currently consists of two completed trilogies, the first two volumes of a concluding tetrology, and one short story ("Something for Yew").

* ''The Sword of the Lady'' (2009) - Rudi and his companions finally arrive at Nantucket, and obtain the titular sword, as the war between the CUT and the Willamette forces takes a turn for the worse.

 

* ''The High King of Montival'' (2010) - Now in possession of the Sword, Rudi - Artos - must journey back to the eastern lands he'd left behind, and muster from them an army to rescue his homeland. Both he and his people back home work to consolidate the newborn kingdom, should they prevail against the Cutters.

* ''The Tears of the Sun'' (2011) - The kingdom of Montival takes firmer shape under Artos's leadership, the disparate groups within drawing together to meet the CUT threat. Allies from the eastern lands, as well as from the former Canada, provide vital support. Part of the war effort includes sowing dissension in the enemy ranks, with the goal of taking the CUT's ally {{spoiler|Boise}} out of the war.

 

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* [[Action Girl]]: Lessee... Astrid Larsson, Eilir Mackenzie, Ritva and Mary Havel, Virginia Kane, Mathilda Arminger, Asgerd Karlsdottir.

* [[Affably Evil]]: Both Norman and Sandra Arminger do a nice line in this.

* [[All Gays Are Promiscuous]]: Don't tell Tiphaine d'Ath that, unless for some reason you feel the urge to die a quick and bloody death. However, Estella Maldonado and Aaron Rothman each labor gallantly to uphold this trope. As does Rigobert, who would be just as provoked, and as dangerous, as Tiphaine if you chose to make an issue of it.

* [[All Myths Are True]]: Seen to be the case with the Mackenzies' Wiccan/Celt faith in the first trilogy, and with other religions, including the familiar, the ancient, and the new, in the second.

* [[The Apocalypse Brings Out the Best In People]]: It also brings out the worst, more often than not.

* [[Apocalypse How]]: Class 2, as most of the world's existing civilizations are destroyed during "the dying times," to be replaced by entirely different ones.

* [[Badass Adorable]]: Ten-year-old Rudi Mackenzie is beautiful and charming. And he deals out almost as much damage to his would-be kidnappers as do his two adult bodyguards.

* [[Badass Creed]]: Clan MacKenzie's war chant:

We are the bolts that Hecate cast! }}

* [[Badass Damsel]]: Kidnap Mathilda (or try to), and you have an excellent chance of finding yourself facing the sharp pointy end of her sword.

* [[The British Empire]]: Not only did the Royal Family, SAS and other remnants of British society manage to survive the initial chaos. they managed to eventually rebuild "Greater Britain" as a hybrid Medieval-Victorian-Postmodern state. Though not before "Mad King Charlie" tried to turn it into a Renaissance Fair.

* [[Brown Note]]: '''''I...see...you'''''

** Norman Arminger is a former SCA dork, ''uses Sauron's Mordor banner as his flag,'' and is probably more than a bit crazy himself. With how he is numerically the most effective leader immediately post-Change and willing & able to kill almost anyone hand-to-hand, no one under him really has much to say about it...

** In-universe, Lawrence Thurston is regarded as one for his insistence upon restoring the United States (an idea seen as completely impractical by just about every other leader on the continent). However, he does manage to preserve at least the state of Idaho as a coherent political entity (in part by keeping the pre-Change state legislature intact), build a post-Change army (along the lines of the Roman legions) from the remnants of the US military in the area, and overall is one of the more effective and humane leaders in the series. {{spoiler|Of course [[Doomed Moral Victor|he had to die]]...}}

*** Any ships on the Columbia River at the time of the Change would have been disabled and would themselves become navigational obstacles. Barring a salvage operation that would be extremely time-consuming and expensive with the technology available, Astoria remains the only viable port for Portland. Portland's docks remain important for upriver transportation and the transshipment yards are still useable, however.

* [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?]]: Rudi (and, on at least one occasion, Ignatius) versus any given High Seeker. {{spoiler|Especially after Rudi retrieves the Sword.}}

** Mathilda is also taken hostage at least three times during the series. Justified in that as the Protector's daughter she has high political value to her potential captors. She also becomes quite capable of rescuing herself when necessary as she gets older.

* [[Does This Remind You of Anything?]]: "Son of the Bear Who Rules"... "Sword of the Lady"... [[King Arthur|Where have we heard those before...]]

* [[The Dragon]]: For Norman Arminger, Conrad Renfrew; for his wife Sandra, Tiphaine D'Ath.

** In ''The Sunrise Lands,'' Mathilda tells the Thurston daughters that she doesn't wear her formal gowns while traveling because she wouldn't be able to ride or fight well in them.

* [[Incredibly Lame Pun]]: The scout the Cutters have tracking Rudi's band is, in fact {{spoiler|a ''Boy Scout'' -- or at least, a member of a settlement based on the Boy Scouts}}. Oh, it's justifiable; a member of such a group would be likely to have the right skill set. It is, however, still a groaner.

** In-universe, Delia uses a series of dreadful puns to get the attention of Tiphaine d'Ath.

* [[Lady of War]]: Signe Larsson and Tiphaine D'Ath

* [[Powers That Be]]: {{spoiler|The Change turns out to have been caused by what's best described as the Universal Mind having an argument with itself and coming up with the least awful option. Mind you this least awful option resulted in the worldwide collapse of civilization and the deaths of billions.}}

* [[President Action]]: President-General Lawrence Thurston of Boise (see [[Four-Star Badass]], above).

* [[Rain of Arrows]]: combat strategy of the Mackenzie archers.

* [[Religion Is Magic]]

* [[Tomboy and Girly Girl]]: Tiphaine d'Ath and Delia de Stafford. Tiphaine is the [[Butch Lesbian|toughest woman]] -- arguably the toughest ''person'' -- in the Protectorate, dresses in male garb (usually a big no-no in that realm), wears her hair in a pageboy and would wear it shorter if she could, and doesn't like children. Her lover Delia is [[Lipstick Lesbian|a complete creampuff]], an expert weaver and needlewoman who never dresses in anything less than the height of feminine fashion, wears her hair long and lush, and loves babies. Naturally, they're inseparable.

* [[Unholy Matrimony]]: Probably best exampled by a quote:

Sandra Arminger: Mine was a monster. But don't think for a second that I loved mine any less than you loved yours. }}

* [[Villainous Valour]]: Whether outnumbered and pursued by the Mackenzies, surrounded by Astrid and friends, or betrayed by a member of her own band, [[Dark Action Girl]] Tiphaine d'Ath earns her victories with remarkable skill, ingenuity, and courage. She's not a particularly likable person, and her objectives are often other than admirable, but her wit and her grit are outstanding.