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A review by judya
Prince of Outcasts by S.M. Stirling
3.0
One of the lesser books of the Emberverse, in my opinion. As with all the Emberverse/Nantucket novels, you really have to read all the series in order. As this is one of the shorter efforts, less space is devoted to early events which shaped the world. It's fine by me, but will leave all but the most dedicated fans lost.
I understand why SMS has to use more far-flung settings for his long-running series, which is now in the third generation of his post-Change world. However, this novel, featuring Prince John, brother to the heir of Montival, is a weaker effort. The Pacific (I won't be more specific) setting lacks the sense of place that the earlier works hold. Other isolated cultures SMS devised, especially the Scout culture and the lost Jewish tribe, seem more interesting and fully drawn out than that of the two new peoples at war. John himself is a fairly one dimensional character whose fate is left as a cliffhanger.
In contrast, a single fascinating character, Pip, is introduced. She seems to be modeled on a hybrid of characters from A Clockwork Orange and early James Bond works. My hope is that she continues to feature in the changed world.
I understand why SMS has to use more far-flung settings for his long-running series, which is now in the third generation of his post-Change world. However, this novel, featuring Prince John, brother to the heir of Montival, is a weaker effort. The Pacific (I won't be more specific) setting lacks the sense of place that the earlier works hold. Other isolated cultures SMS devised, especially the Scout culture and the lost Jewish tribe, seem more interesting and fully drawn out than that of the two new peoples at war. John himself is a fairly one dimensional character whose fate is left as a cliffhanger.
In contrast, a single fascinating character, Pip, is introduced. She seems to be modeled on a hybrid of characters from A Clockwork Orange and early James Bond works. My hope is that she continues to feature in the changed world.