Against the Tide of Years

Against the Tide of Years

Infobox Book
name = Against the Tide of Years
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = S. M. Stirling
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series = Nantucket series
genre = Science fiction novel
publisher =
release_date = 1999
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages =
isbn =
preceded_by = Island in the Sea of Time
followed_by = On the Oceans of Eternity

"Against the Tide of Years" is the second out of the three novels of the Nantucket series by S. M. Stirling.

In the "Island in the Sea of Time", the island of Nantucket is transported by an unknown phenomenon (called "The Event" in the series) back in time to the Bronze Age circa 1250s BC (corresponding to the late Heroic Age of the Trojan war).

As the series progresses, it becomes clear to Nantucket's government that sitting back and adopting isolationism will only profit those renegades who, under the leadership of ex-Coast Guard lieutenant William Walker (inspired directly by William Walker), have fled the island to exploit the Bronze Age peoples of Europe and the Middle East. Walker—who, unfortunately, is as smart as he is callous—exploits the 'magic' of gunpowder, iron-forging, and the spinning-jenny to build up an empire of his own, one that threatens to conquer the entire world unless the people of Nantucket build an army, a navy, and a web of foreign alliances to take the fight to Walker.

"Against the Tide of Years" takes place approximately 10 years after the events of the first book. The leadership of the Republic of Nantucket has invested a great deal of time and effort into building up a substantial military force, both a deep-water navy and a Marine Corps, but the bulk of Nantucket's population are more interested in commerce and exploration than in bringing the renegade Walker to justice. A sneak attack on Nantucket itself by the nation of Tartessos, led by an ally of Walker, unites the factions of the Republic behind an all-out effort to topple Walker's growing empire, centered in Achaea (Greece), in a two-pronged campaign, attacking Tartessos and opening a second front in the Middle East (through an alliance with Babylon, Hittite Empire and Mitanni). The end of the war is covered in the last book of the series, "On the Oceans of Eternity".

The effect of The Event on modern Earth is covered in Stirling's Emberverse series.


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