On the Oceans of Eternity is the third, and at
the moment final, installment in S.M. Stirling’s time travel sequence,
although in the current age of publishing it is dangerous to assume that the
series won’t be continued at some point in the future.
In this particular series, Stirling has sent the island of Nantucket
back five thousand years.
Although Stirling incorporates an enormous cast of
characters, ranging from the Nantucketters to indigenous characters from a
variety of different areas, all of the characters seem to either agree with
Stirling’s (and each other’s) viewpoint or disagree with it.
Those who disagree are portrayed as evil, while those who agree are
almost entirely altruistic, with few intervening shades of gray.
None of the characters are likable, or even interesting, with the
possible exception of William Walker (interesting, not likable).
Most of them have found themselves in relationships which seem pro
forma rather than based on any actual emotional bond.
Instead of focusing on the characters, Stirling seems
to have decided to focus on the details of the world.
Unfortunately, in doing so, he tends to slow down the action rather
than bring verisimilitude to the world.
About 100 pages into the book, he spends several lengthy paragraphs
explaining Pete Giernas’s decisions concerning the butchering of an elk.
This type of detail doesn’t add much to the story and slows it
down. The inclusion of
extraneous information has been a problem throughout the trilogy. That
said, many of Stirling’s fans have expressed that they enjoy this level of
detail.
Mixed in with the agonizing details and flat
relationships, Stirling includes a variety of intriguing ideas and plenty of
military action, ranging from a recreation of O’Rourke’s Ford to
Armageddon. During these
battles, Stirling’s attention to detail takes on a new significance,
focusing on the tactics and strategies which influence the outcome.
The war between Walker and the Nantucketters could be recreated as
easily as any conflict in the real world.
While Stirling’s individuals do not always seem to be
particularly realistic, he has done a much better job creating cultures.
Some of these, such as the Assyrians or the Hittites, are firmly
based on historical research, while others, such as the Tartessians or the
Fiernans, appear to be created by Stirling based on some historical
precedents but much speculations. All
live in equally believable and complex societies.
Stirling has provided clues that On the Oceans of
Eternity will not be the final
work in this sequence. So far,
he has avoided any definite conclusions about what actually happened to the
Nantucketters and, more interesting, what happened to the world they left.
Does it still exist in some timeline wondering what happened to
Nantucket? Did it completely
cease to exist, to be replaced by a lineal descendent of the history
influenced by the misplaced persons? Such
issues could form further novels to which Stirling could bring fresh
speculations.
On the Oceans of
Eternity end the initial foray
into this strange past Stirling has created.
For readers with an interest in the minutiae of warfare, survival and
mechanics, On the Oceans of
Eternity and the previous
novels are a good read. Readers
more interested in seeing the relationships of the people with each other
and to their changed circumstances will find themselves disappointed that
Stirling didn’t do more in these areas.
