The Sunrise Lands

The fourth book in S. M. Stirling’s Emberverse series, *The Sunrise Lands*, is a post-apocalyptic novel published in 2007. Its central narrative follows the children of the first trilogy’s main characters as they journey across a transformed United States to reach Nantucket.

A mercenary named Ingolf Vogeler, hailing from the Republic of Richland, arrives in the Mackenzie territory of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Soldiers from the Church Universal and Triumphant (the Cutters), based in Paradise Valley, Montana, and controlling parts of Montana and Wyoming, are pursuing him. While Ingolf is at Tom Brannigan’s tavern, the Cutters attack. Rudi Mackenzie, Mathilda Arminger, Odard Liu, and the twins Ritva and Mary Havel join the fight. Odard and Rudi kill several attackers, but when Rudi orders one taken alive, the assassins commit suicide. The pair break down the door where Ingolf is hiding and take him to a hospital. After recovering, Ingolf tells the Mackenzies his story.

Ingolf had traveled to Nantucket with his mercenary company on an expedition to gather pre-Change artifacts. There, with two scouts (Kaur and Singh) and a guard named Kuttner (who served Iowa’s bossman), Ingolf received a vision: “Travel from sunrise to the sunset, and seek the Son of the Bear Who Rules. The Sword of the Lady waits for him.” Returning to the mainland, the party found the rest of the mercenaries dead in Illinois. Heading west, they were stopped by Cutter forces. Kuttner, revealed as a Cutter officer, betrayed them. During the escape, Kaur was wounded; she and her brother Singh stayed behind to hold off the Cutters, making Ingolf swear to avenge them. Ingolf escaped but was later captured, taken to the C.U.T. capital, and eventually fled again.

In Mackenzie territory, Ingolf recounts his tale to Juniper and Rudi. Both interpret the vision as a sign that Rudi—prophesied as the Sword of the Lady—must travel east to Nantucket. After a short debate, Rudi, Ingolf, Mary, Ritva, and Edain Aylward depart. They split up and later reunite at the home of John Brown, a Central Oregon Ranchers Association member and Mackenzie ally. Meanwhile, Mathilda, Odard, his servant Alex, and Father Ignatius join the group, fleeing Protectorate territory to avoid being brought back by Regent Arminger’s men.