The Iron Tyrant series by Seth Ring has done something I didn’t expect to happen so soon. It has gotten me excited with the LitRPG genre once again. Having consumed quite a bit from this genre in the past, I had reached a level of saturation where every story felt the same. Compared to most LitRPGs this series doesn’t stress too much on the whole stats and character sheet of the protagonist which honestly felt like a breath of fresh air. I’m not saying it isn’t there, but it’s not constantly thrown in our face. Instead the story focuses more on the militaristic elements of the world we are exploring. It is still a story of a weak protagonist coming into their own but done in a way that keeps the reader engaged.
The concept of the military factions and their importance as the story unfolds had me getting flashbacks of the Malazan series which further hooked me onto this series. There is an interesting magic system which revolves around cards that are imprinted within a person’s body; from a root card near their heart, to cards on their limbs which provide some active or passive buff/abilities. A person can have a root card of a certain grade which then dicates the grade of any other card they can utilise. Iron being the lowest, followed by bronze, silver, gold, and finally platinum.
Very dynamic and interesting characters, quite a diverse range of fantasy elements, and an underlying scheme that slowly begins to reveal itself as the story progresses makes this a very hard to put down series of books.
Book 1 – Chain of Feathers
The first book in the series introduces us to our protagonist, Mateo, and his relatively mundane but quite fulfilling life as the assistant to one of the more respectable citizens in the city he inhabits. Having had to live off the streets as a young kid, Mateo has taken to his current life with a zeal and appreciation only one who has suffered hardships can understand. As an assistant to a keeper of knowledge and translation, Mateo spends his time helping his master with his tasks while also learning about what it takes to be a man of knowledge. His photographic memory helps him a great deal considering his tasks are all around information.
Things go awry when one day his master requires him to partake in a ritual, only to find himself sold as a slave the next day with memories of the ritual all but absent in his mind. For someone who remembers everything this is nothing short of a shock. Add to the fact he now has a crow companion tethered to him by a chain that only he can see, Mateo finds himself thrown into a situation he cannot comprehend.
The first book starts off strong as we follow Mateo’s journey to become eligible to join the Iron Wing Battalion, an army force that is primarily made up of reformed slaves. We see the usual accounts of training, making friends, making enemies, all while also understanding the different aspects of the card-based magic system in this world. When Mateo finds he has been given an Iron root card, things can’t seem to get any worse for him, but Corvus, his crow companion, seems to have a few secrets that indicate this may be the best thing to happen to Mateo, since Corvus himself.
Solid pacing, fun to read, interesting magic system, definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.
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Book 2 – Crow’s Fortune
Book 2 of the series follows Mateo and the members of his feather being split up into their own chosen factions of the Iron Wing Battalion. Without giving too much away, we see Mateo integrate well into the Darkwing faction, the faction around information and codes, while also learning more about how to go about improving his Iron card abilities tethered to Corvus.
This is also the book where we see Mateo embark on his first mission. Espionage is the name of the game and this book scratches that itch. While a tad bit slower than the previous book, we get a glimpse of what Mateo could potentially be capable of, and that is quite exciting. This book felt a bit less of a struggle for Mateo as despite difficulties he always perseveres so it felt a bit plot armour heavy.
A slower but still fun read, book 2 further sets the stage for the 3 members of this feather, and towards the end of the book we see them further integrate into the Iron Wing battalion, albeit with some complications. Excited for book 3 so I can continue binging this series.
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Book 3 – Healing Skies
Note: This copy of Healing Skies was provided by NetGalley.
Book 3 of the Iron Tyrant series sees the members of our feather assigned to look after the fifth prince, Isaac. While seeming like an innocuous task, it is nothing but. Political machinations are afoot, and with the emperor looking to find the next heir from among his 5 children, Mateo and his feather find themselves constantly looking over their shoulders. It doesn’t help that the prince doesn’t have any ambition for the throne as that doesn’t deter any of the plots and scheming from interested parties.
This is also the book we get to learn a little more about Mateo’s master, as well as introduced to a new system of magic (sorcery?). It’s great to see the group back in action together. Rose and Eric are forces to be reckoned with, and with Mateo’s brains this is proving to be one deadly team. Mateo, slowly but surely, finds himself stepping into the role his master had hoped for him. This book had a lot more going for it compared to the previous one, and sets up the series in a direction I should have seen coming but didn’t. Cannot wait for the next book in the series!
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Links:
- Goodreads: Iron Tyrant Series – Seth Ring
Liminal Ramblings 