S. M Stirling

Rudi McKenzie--now Artos, the High King of Montival--must fulfill his destiny. He wields the sword crafted for him before he was born. He has made friends of his enemies. He has won the heart of the woman he loves. And now he must defeat the forces of the Church Universal and Triumphant, knowing he may lose his life in the final battle.

In the tenth year of the Change, the survivors in western Oregon have learned how to live in a world without technology. The city-state of Corvallis has preserved its university, and trade flourishes via riverboats and horse-drawn railways. Under the strong hand of Michael Havel, the Bearkillers hold the lands west of Salem in peace and order. And in the eastern half of the Willamette Valley, the Clan Mackenzie flourishes under the charismatic leadership...

Rudi Mackenzie has journeyed far across the land that was once the United States of America, hoping to find the source of the world-altering event that has come to be known as The Change. On the island of Nantucket he finds a beautifully made sword waiting for him--and once he takes it up, nothing will ever be the same.

Rudi Mackenzie must return to Montival in the post-apocalyptic Pacific Northwest and forge an alliance with old enemies if he is ever going to defeat the minions of the Prophet and assume his rightful place as Artos, King of Montival.

""[An] epic series, "* the Novels of the Change by New York Times bestselling author S.M. Stirling chronicle a postapocalyptic landscape of medieval and mystical monarchies ruling and warring across a world where mysterious Powers removed advanced technology. A new alliance has been forged between the High Kingdom of Montival and the Empire of Great Japan, but at the cost of a lost prince ... John Arminger Mackenzie wanted to be a troubadour, but...

Rudi Mackenzie has won the battle that expelled the enemy from the new High Kingdom of Montival. Now he must free the people who live in the state once known as Idaho from occupation by the legions of the Church Universal and Triumphant and pursue them to their lair over the mountains. There he will finally confront the forces behind the Church The Powers of the Void.Yet even a victory will not end the conflict forever. The Powers of the Void are...

"S. M. Stirling's Novels of the Change are a "truly original combination of postapocalyptic sci-fi and military-oriented medieval fantasy"* about a future where mysterious Powers removed advanced technology, and humanity rebuilds society. However, this new world is not always a peaceful one ... he spirit of troubadour Prince John, the brother of Crown Princess orlaith, has fallen captive to the power of the Yellow Raja and his servant, the Pallid...