Iron and Blood by Gail Z Martin and Larry Martin
22 July 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Gail Z Martin and Larry Martin, Iron and Blood
Iron and Blood is a fun, steampunk adventure involving vampires, ghosts, witches, magic and madcap inventions.
The story gets off to an immediate start with an explosion of action! Jake and Rick, accompanied by their cousin Veronique (or Nikki) are returning from what should have been a fairly small scale smuggling excursion. Jake and Rick are heirs to the Brand and Desmet Import Company which specialises in acquiring goods for their customers, sometimes using slightly less than conventional techniques in order to do so. Unfortunately their latest mission ends up with a shoot out above the clouds as they attempt to return home. From there onwards it seems that their every move is dogged by wannabee assassins – perhaps the package they carried has generated more interest than they expected!
The main thrust of the story involves our trio trying to discover the identity of their would-be murderer, using whatever means they can, before they end up, well, being murdered. Alongside this element of the story is the revelation of a mystery killer. A vicious individual with out of control tendencies in the vein of the Ripper.
I don’t really want to give away too much plot. Suffice to say there is plenty of action with shoot outs and would be bombings, attempted abductions and almost zombie-like people poised to attack around virtually every corner.
New Pittsburgh is the main setting. A hub of engineering excellence with new fangled contraptions and steam driven inventions positively running amok. The year is 1898 and whilst modern engineering is reaching the pinnacle of it’s success with virtually anything and everything being a possibility, the means to power such inventions needs to also be brought up to speed with the times. Mining is a major industry, although prone to disasters at the best of times and the authorities controlling the digging need to pay heed to the darkness that seems to be growing in certain areas. The digging may be uncovering more than simply the potential means of powering these new gadgets. (I can’t help thinking at this point ‘the dwarves dug too deep’ – and of course you have to read that with the voice of Gandalf running through your mind).
In terms of characters, as above we have Jake, Rick and Nikki. On top of that we have Drostan Fletcher, an early days type of detective who is investigating the murders and Adam – the special inventor who seems to be able to make just about anything. If you think it – he can build it. Our intrepid trio, well, they’re fun up to a point and they bring with them a feeling of ‘jolly japes’. You can imagine one of them blurting out ‘oh, what fun’ during a chase and shoot out and you can definitely imagine one of the baddies saying ‘if it hadn’t been for those darn kids’! If you want a bit more emotional depth then you may not like the three of them. Personally, they weren’t my favourites but I think they fit well with this story. Adam, is the geeky inventor a bit too immersed in his latest project to even notice as things go pear shaped around him. Drostan is a little bit of a show stealer. I enjoyed spending time with him and found his particular scenes very entertaining and a bit difficult to be torn away from.
In terms of criticisms. Well, nothing really too harsh. As the book felt more like a tongue in cheek comic style adventure I would have preferred a few more cheesy witticisms. It definitely could have used a little bit more humour in the dialogue I felt. Also there was a change of tack in the narration towards the end which I felt was a bit incongruous or jarring and I wasn’t sure of the necessity for the switch. It also began to feel a little repetitive in that every time we opened a new chapter there would be a shootout but as the story progressed I can’t really say that I felt there was any real threat and I became a bit complacent about them. That could have been the lighthearted way that the main protagonists dealt with each new threat but it came to feel that the villains were bungling things massively. There was an element of each of the gadgets becoming more over the top or outrageous as the book progressed and the attempted murders escalated but I think that could all be put down to the ‘tongue in cheek’ element to the story. I think the enjoyment from this novel will be very much based on what type of feel you decide to go with – if you want something deep and meaningful then probably best to avoid. If you want a book that’s borders outrageous and silly with lots of action then this could be perfect. For me, it felt like the sort of book that I like to read in between huge chunksters – the kind of book where you feel like your brain can take a breather.
Overall this is a fun, easy, quick paced read. It has all sorts of fantastical elements that I didn’t really expect to see, with magic sitting comfortably alongside scientific invention and it ended on a note that is a perfect setup for more adventures – which will all no doubt be more crazy than the last.
I received a copy of this from the publishers through Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
Kushiel’s Chosen Read Along – The Schedule
Kushiel’s Chosen readalong – all welcome!!
Tofu kitty with a very good book.
The Terre D’Ange Cycle by Jacqueline Carey(of which Kushiel’s Chosen is Book 2) is one of my all time favorite series. The red along continues! Book 1 was so much fun and I am ever so glad so many folks wanted to continue with Book 2.
Here is the current schedule:
Week 1: August 2, Chpts. 1-14, hosted by FaeStruck Review
Week 2: August 16, Chpts. 15-26, hosted by Books Without Any Pictures
Week 3: August 23, Chpts. 27-36, hosted by Tethyan Books
Week 4: August 30, Chpts. 37-49, hosted by Over the Effing Rainbow
Week 5: September 6, Chpts. 50-61, hosted by Dab of Darkness
Week 6: September 13, Chpts. 62-72, hosted by Lynn’s Book Blog
Week 7: September 20, Chpts. 73-END, hosted by Emma Wolf
And here is the current list of participators:
Allie at Tethyan Books
Lisa at Over the…
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The Insect Farm by Stuart Prebble
I’ve had a few days to reflect on The Insect Farm by Stuart Prebble and yet in spite of the extra time for reflection my thoughts are still a bit of a jumble.
The Insect Farm brings to us the Maguire brothers, Jonathan and Roger. Even though there is something of an age difference the two grow up with a strong bond and are virtually inseparable – up to a point. The point where Jonathan becomes interested in girls and having a social life and Roger’s ambitions take a completely different turn. Roger is a very simple character, I can’t remember whether this is ever elaborated upon in the book but basically put he will never be mentally capable of looking after himself as he remains in an almost perpetual childlike state. As the two mature and Jonathan takes on everyday pursuits that lead him away from the home Roger starts to collect insects and what starts out as a random collection of ants and the like turns into a major project with more exotic creatures kept behind glass. At this point in the story you can see the traits of obsessiveness in both boys. Jonathan becomes completely besotted with his girlfriend and future wife, Harriet, and Roger spends every day at the shed nurturing his insects. It all has this feeling of looming disaster – with creepy crawlies!!
Then catastrophe strikes and the boys’ parents die in an unfortunate accident. Jonathan chooses to put his plans for university on hold and return to look after his brother, effectively putting a few hundred miles between himself and Harriet and thereby setting in motion a series of events that become almost inevitable.
What I really liked about this story was the narration. The tale is told by Jonathan whose voice flows and is really quite compelling and there is an ever mounting sense of ‘things about to go horribly wrong’ that frankly makes you race through the book. Jonathan is the main character and I enjoyed reading his story. Roger and Harriet we only get to see through Jonathan’s eyes which might not be totally reliable after all as we are only getting his side of the story. As the book progresses we start to have a few hints of mistrust, some that may be simple misunderstandings and others created by the suspicions of others, for example, the police. There are also a few snippets of things that appear to be laying a trail of cookie crumbs – a trail that falsely led me straight to a dead end and an unsuspected dead body. Okay, I knew there was going to be a murder from the book description but it still came a little bit out of the blue for me!
I’m not sure whether this is a criticism or not really but i expected this book to be a lot more psychologically chilling and to be honest it just wasn’t. Now, that’s not to say I didn’t like the story or the style of writing, because I did, it just really wasn’t what I was expecting so whilst I didn’t have goosebumps I was still compelled to turn the pages fairly quickly. In one respect I feel like this is somehow a missed opportunity because there is clearly a lot of scope here to be a good deal more creepy but then on the other hand I did enjoy it – conflicted! And that’s my conundrum, I think because I was expecting something more dark and foreboding I couldn’t help feeling a tad disappointed – whilst at the same time being faced with the contradictory feelings of having liked the read overall. I guess it goes to show how much your own expectations can muddy the water sometimes.
The other thing that did occur to me was that the ending was too rushed. We have this really well told story that sucks us in, paints a picture and carefully sets out its stall but then suddenly it’s like the story bolts out of the gates with it’s pants on fire and events flick fowards at a furious rate similar to the digits flying round the clock on Well’s Time Machine. Again, I think this was simply too rushed and it all seemed to be to fit in with one thing, concerning Roger’s ability to remember things, which on reflection just doesn’t gel for me. I can’t elaborate further because it would be a spoiler.
I suppose the other puzzle that has me pondering is whether or not Roger was quite as ‘simple minded’ as everyone really thought or was he more calculating. I’m not sure I really know the answer to that or not – part of me finds it a bit much to have had this character who throughout the book has needed constant care, even though he can clearly look after a whole range of different insects, who now at the conclusion suddenly seems to be a good deal more astute than previously suspected. There’s another quibble – if Roger is more intelligent than he makes out why would he be content to live in this way for the largest part of his life? Anyway, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition. I’ll have to think on it some more, is the end a bit of a blunder or is it quite clever and is the author leaving certain decisions up to the reader? I’m not sure I really have the answer and because I’m struggling to find my own resolution it leaves me feeling somewhat unsettled. I don’t think I’m the sort of person who needs spoon feeding and I enjoy the opportunity to figure things out and find my own lightbulb moment but at the moment I feel like I’m in the dark.
In spite of my criticisms I did enjoy this but I think because of my own expectations I didn’t love it as much as I expected and so if you’re intending to read this just be aware that this isn’t a dark, chilling, psychological thriller with insect horror thrown in – more subtle mystery murder..
I received a copy of this from the publishers through Netgalley for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
“Our lives are all different and yet the same.” (Anne Frank)
This week at the Broke and Bookish the topic for discussion is:
Ten Books That Celebrate Diversity/Diverse Characters
- In Midnight’s Silence by Teresa Frohock a book where the main character is not only a mixed race (Daemon/Angel) but he is also gay and partner to one of the nephilim (part angel/part human).
- The Tower Lord by Anthony Ryan – in which we meet the character Reva who seeks revenge for her father’s death. Reva has been brought up in the religion of the World Father, she’s a conflicted character – being a lesbian and strict worshipper of a faith in which same sex relationships are not tolerated.
- Half a King by Joe Abercrombie – in which the main character Yarvi was born with one of his hands badly deformed and in a world where your sword arm is valued above everything else this definitely places him at a disadvantage in this harsh world.
- The Copper Promise by Jen Williams – Sir Sebastian is a fallen knight who was cast out of his order because he’s gay – he is a fantastic character to read about and a strong favourite of mine.
- The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller – unsurprisingly a book about Achilles and his lover Patroclus.
- Zoo City by Lauren Beukes – in which the main character is a South African woman called Zinzi who has been ‘animalled’ – by way of punishment for a crime she has been convicted of. This is an alternate South Africa where criminals are magically attached to an animal familiar.
- Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey – in which the main character Phedre has romantic connections to both a male and female character during the story. Terra d’Ange was created by Elua who is known for his motto “Love as thou wilt”.
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon in which the main character suffers from certain behavioural difficulties that are never particularly named but appear similar to Aspergers or Autism.
- A Game of Thrones by GRRMartin – Tyrion Lannister – also known as the ‘imp’ or ‘half man’ – Tyrion is a dwarf, born to the powerful house of Lannister – he doesn’t really need any introduction! Definitely one of my favourite characters from the series.
- The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N K Jemisin – Yeine is half Arameri and half Darre – born to a mother disgraced and cut off from her own royal beginnings for marrying beneath her status. Yeine is looked down upon and despised by her Arameri relatives who consider her to be little short of a barbarian.
In Midnight’s Silence by Teresa Frohock
In Midnight’s Silence is a short story which brings to us a wonderfully strange world where Angels, Daimons and Los Nefilim roam amongst us.
The main characters of the story are Diago, Miguel and Raefael and the story starts in Seville during the 1930’s. At the start of the story Diago returns to his apartment to find evidence of a struggle and his partner Miguel missing.
I’m not really going to elaborate on the plot but will say this is incredibly easy to read. The writing flows well and appears effortless and Frohock manages to bring to us a strange tale of abduction and threat, filled with revelations and creatures of myth and lore with a number of new elements brought into the equation for good measure.
Hidden in plain sight are Angels, Daimons and Los Nefilim (characters born of a liaison between angel and human who act as a sort of police agency controlling the Daimon’s behaviour).
So, apart from the excellent writing which contains a wealth of imagination making it difficult to believe that this is only a short story (100/130 ish pages I think) what else did I love about this story. Well, firstly, having read Miserere and the Broken Road I can unequivocally state that the author is an expert at conjuring other worlds populated with creatures straight from hell! Speaking of which, her books always seem to have a religious theme and yet they never have a ‘preachy’ feel. She has a great ability to literally suck you into whatever situation she creates and she manages to write these deliciously creepy elements along the way that will have you looking over your shoulder as you read! I particularly love the scenes with the Golem.
In terms of characters we have this wonderful blurring of the lines between good and bad where the angels in the story come off a little less ‘angelic’ than you might expect. Okay, the Daimons are pretty much a bunch of nasty characters as you would expect but even so! The surprise element of the book is that Diago is neither Angel or Daimon but a combination of the two. Up to this point he’s refused to take sides but this is about to change.
On top of this the story brings up some really interesting and new (for me at least) ideas in terms of the immortality/rebirth of angels and the carrying over of scars from a previous life.
This is a book very much about choices – difficult and heart wrenching choices and impossible situations that you really can’t see a good ending to.
The only criticism that I can make is that I wanted more – luckily there is more to follow so that’s basically a win!
I received a copy of this from the author. The above is my own opinion.
