Deja Fu

Author: S.M. Stirling
Pages: 496
Year Published: 2004

What would happen if gunpowder suddenly didn’t work? How about explosive combustion in any form? Failure in electronics and electrical transmission, or steam power?

Technology would revert back to before the end of the Middle Ages, which is the core idea behind Dies the Fire. After a mysterious flash of light over Nantucket, two groups of people find themselves in a world in which technology no longer works except in its most basic forms. Paying scant attention to the causes of the “Change,” as it’s referred to, the novel instead focuses in the cultural survival implications of suddenly having to depend on sword and bow, as well as ox and plow. Fortunately, they are pretty well thought out and developed, even if the characters themselves are stock.

Most of the action takes place in Oregon, specifically the Willamette Valley which runs from Portland, south through Salem, to Eugene and western Idaho as one of the main characters, Mike Havel, leads a group back to the valley after they survive a plane crash. The other group, lead by a former Celtic singer, finds shelter and survival in her cabin, located in the mountains on the east side of the valley.

Years ago, I watched Connections for the first time. In it, journalist James Burke begins asking a series of questions to make the viewer aware just how dependent mankind as a species has become on technology. Everything from knowing what an edible plant looks like, to how to operate a farm without machinery, to how prepared you are to kill someone else, even to defend your food supply. That’s how this novel opens. There’s the Change and then all hell breaks loose. Within fifty pages, the first people are starting to realize they will have to live pretty much like people did in the 12th century. This is just the beginning for a series of consequences which are explored, some very entertainingly. Some, disturbingly.

However, Sitrling’s characters leave something to be desired, as does his narrator’s voice. While not stock characters themselves, they come damn close, especially the leaders of both groups. And if that wasn’t enough, their inner voices are just plain jarring to read with phrases that just scream “Manufactured!” Several times I would hit a point where I leaned back, rolled my eyes and wished the character would just move on.

With regards to the creation of the world, it’s not a bad job at all. I’ve been a fan of alternate history for some time now, and while I don’t think this qualifies per se, I do think it’s an interesting premise. Dies the Fire starts a trilogy of books which cover the history of these survivors in the Willamette. While the book has its weaknesses, it’s strengths definitely make up for it. For anyone who likes to ask “What If?” I’d heartily recommend it.

-K