[MR] There Will Be Dragons and the SCA

[David Chessler]

In 2004, John Ringo, an SF writer whom I have only recently 
discovered, wrote "There Will Be Dragons," an SF novel in which the 
SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) and Renaissance Faires play 
important roles. He has since followed up with three more novels in 
the series, but these are more SF or Fantasy, and have much less 
about subjects of interest to members of the SCA, qua members.

The novels take place about 2000 years in the future (that is, about 
4000 CE [AD]). Earth has become a utopia, with most material needs 
provided by replicators and nannites, and life expectancy about 500 
years. Genetic modification and nannites also make it possible for 
people to modify their bodies and minds to various forms. The birth 
rate has declined, with most people having only one or two children, 
so the earth's population has fallen to about 1 billion.

Government and crime have essentially vanished. There is a council of 
13 members who "manage" the few nuclear power plants that provide all 
earth's needs, and who manage "the net." There is also an artificial 
intelligence that manages the net, and which prevents "accidents."

The ruling council splits and shuts down the net, and most electric 
power. Thus people have to go out to the countryside to survive. Most 
of the action revolves around a location in the Shenandoah Valley of 
Virginia (near Massanutten Mountain) where there is an annual 
renaissance faire, and where some people live permanently, many of 
them practicing "old time" agriculture (it appears to be  19th century).

There two factions of the council fight, with the "good guys" using 
Roman Legion tactics, supported by English Longbow. The bad guys use 
genetic modification to produce highly aggressive super warriors 
("orcs"). The overall artificial intelligence ("Mother") does not 
take sides, but prevents explosives, or even high-pressure steam. 
Thus vehicles are limited to early 19th C technology.

The first novel in the series, There Will Be Dragons, is mostly 
Science Fiction. Almost all technologies have a scientific basis that 
may be extrapolated from current technology. Later novels become 
closer to Fantasy, with dragons, mer-men and other things that might 
be possible with genetic modification and nanotechnology, but are 
awfully speculative.

The novels are available in paperback or in electronic form for just 
about any format.  Moreover, they are available as free downloads, or 
in several of the CDs that Baen binds with first editions of many of 
its novels. The CDs may be copied or distributed so long as nothing is charged.

You can get the CDs at http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/   which 
offers all the CDs that Baen has released.
The particular disk is
http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/11-UntotheBreachCD/
although the novels may be found on other disks.

If you go to the Baen web site http://www.baen.com/library/home.htm
you can find the first two novels in the series as free downloads in 
even more formats
http://www.webscription.net/p-412-there-will-be-dragons.aspx
http://www.webscription.net/p-125-emerald-sea.aspx
The remaining novels are available in additional formats, for a few dollars.

Highly recommended

--

YIS

Davitt il Bigollo da Pisa
Erudit de l'Academie de Espee de Atlantia
Storvik (rapier)
Roxbury Mill (other things)