Review: The Protector’s War

The Protector’s War

By: S.M. Sterling

I generally wait until I’ve read the last book in a trilogy of books before I review the middle book.  Such is the case with The Protector’s War.  If I had not waited, you would now be reading about a book that meandered off from the superb plot and story of the first book and managed to lose you in a sea of medieval meanderings.  In fact, I might have encouraged you to not even read the book.

But, I did wait until I had read the last book before writing this review.  For that, you will eventually thank me.

After reading Dies the Fire, I couldn’t help but want to read the rest of the series.  Left alone, Dies the Fire has a horrible ending.  It’s only when you begin reading the following books that you really have the completed story.  With that being said, there is still a lot of excess baggage in The Protector’s War.  In fact, if I had been the editor, I would have trimmed it down far enough that the second and third books could have been merged.  It would have made for a larger book by about half again what the final book was, but the series would have been about half a book shorter.

In any case, The Protector’s War does little more than bridge the gap from Dies the Fire to the final book A Meeting at Corvallis.  I really found most of it to be excessive.  Several times, I found myself wondering why there needed to be such intricate detail for the Wiccan ceremonies.  I realize that the religion of Juniper plays a very central role in the series, but the two and three page relatings of the ceremonies could have easily been shortened by half and still conveyed the same plot points.  I failed to find the plot point at all in several cases.

I really don’t want to get to down on the book, however.  There is much of it that is necessary to the plot and to the continuation of the series.  And there are several things that happen that play rather large parts in the final novel.

I wouldn’t give the book much more than 3 and a half stars.  4 if I’m having a good day. ;)  It’s not a terrible book, but it doesn’t really serve for much more than a bridge to A Meeting at Corvallis.  If you liked Dies the Fire as much as I did, you’ll want (need) to read The Protector’s War.  It’s well worth it once you get to the final book.

Books in the Dies the Fire (Emberverse) series:

1. Dies the Fire
2. The Protector’s War
3. A Meeting at Corvallis