Customer Reviews

The Iron Duke (A Novel of the Iron Seas)

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Adventure, mystery, pirates in the air and on the sea, zombies, wonderful characters and weird steampunk technology, there is so much going on in the Iron Duke that there is no way a simple plot summary could possibly do this book justice.

The Iron Seas world that Brook's has created is fascinating - an alternate Victorian/Regency society which is still struggling to recover from years of enslavement by Mongol invaders. A familiar-yet-not world in which some of the conventional values of the time are still in force but with just enough of a twist added by what the people have survived under their oppressors - and still endure due to the technology that shaped their lives - to create a truly unique framework for a story which is 'smart' and so much more than a romance.

I really loved interactions between the leads: dangerous larger than life former pirate and national hero Rhys Trahaern and Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth, the brave and intelligent woman whom Rhys is determined to possess. However, the relationship between the pair in the Iron Duke isn't as romantic as some of Brook's other romances. And several of their sexual encounters aren't as much about romance as they are about character discovery or moving the relationship between the Mina and Rhys in a new direction - and one in particular goes to an uncomfortable place while doing it - so there wasn't quite as much steamy payoff for my inner romance reader.

In addition to the leads several of the supporting characters are standouts. I am hoping to see a great deal more of swashbuckling airship captain Lady Corsair, the savvy Lord Scarsdale, and adventurer Achimedes Fox in future books.

Steampunk is a bit of a widening of horizons for me from the more contemporary settings and paranormal elements of my normal urban fantasy and paranormal romance, but I actually ended up quite enamored with Brook's Iron Seas series starter - so that much that I read it twice back-to-back (gasp - I rarely reread). Iron Duke is definitely going on my very small keeper shelf and I'll be anxiously waiting for the next one, Steel Heart.

If you are looking for more of Brook's Iron Seas, or just want to take a dip into Brook's fascinating steampunk world before trying Iron Duke, you may want to check out the prequel "Here There Be Monsters" in the Burning Up (Berkley Sensation) anthology - it is also quite good and works well as a standalone.

Even more than this novel, the overwhelmingly positive reactions to it bothered me. After some time I realized, that if I wanted my concerns voiced, I would have to write a review myself. So here it is.

THE IRON DUKE is the start to a steampunk romance series by Meljean Brook, who is better known for her paranormal Guardian series. It's my first book by this author and probably my last. If I could split the steampunk from the romance, I'd give the former 4.5 stars and the latter zero. The novel is an odd mixture of originality and romance clichés, subtle socio political nuances and romantic sledgehammer tactics. The character of the hero and his "good" rape of the heroine were deeply problematic in my eyes.

The "good" rape is a cliché often found in old school romances, where the heroine is not raped by a villain, but by her hero. The consent of the heroine is substituted by the (unconscious) consent of the reader, who knows that there is going to be a Happy End between rapist and victim eventually. The rape is used as a turning point in the story. Starting with this event everything that stands between a romantic and/or sexual relationship between hero and heroine is moved aside. The heroine gets over the trauma quickly and is allowed to live out her sexuality. In a way this ultimate loss of power empowers her. Since the power to say "no" was taken away from her, she might as well say yes and enjoy it. The victim also gains power over her rapist, who has to repent his act of sexual violence in order to become an ideal lover and/or husband and thus fulfill the HEA recquirement. On top of it the hero always has some (not) good excuses. Intoxication (substance abuse or some magical quirk), misinformation (she wasn't an adulteress, she was a virgin!) and an horrible childhood are the most popular ones. After all the heroine and the reader have to forgive him his rape and grovelling alone doesn't do it.

Rhys Trahaearn is the Iron Duke, a pirate turned war hero. Socially untouchable and though a mutation physically superior he is he archetype of the dark, tormented alpha hero. Already on page 36 he confesses "his urgent need to possess" Mina. "Take", "possess", have" and "mine" are his favourite words.
On page 64 Mina analyses the danger she finds herself in: "So this is how it would be? When pirates took over a ship, they usually gave the crew a choice between keeping their positions under a new captain, abandonment, or death. What choice would he give to her? She accepted his offer, or he ruined her family? Or would he simply rape her here? What could Trahaearn do to her family that he Horde hadn't already done? Nothing. And her family had always fought back, always, survived. The only danger he posed was to Mina's person and her career - but no matter the damage he caused, she would survive that, too."

If Mina wants to save her brother and support her impoverished family with her earnings as an inspector, she has to deal with Rhys and his constant attempts to get her into his bed. Rhys knows Mina is in a tight spot and makes sure she can't get away from him. He also knows there is a strong sexual attraction between them and doesn't concern himself with Minas misgivings. What she wants isn't important to him until after the rape and even then he doesn't quite get the ramifications of what a sexual relationship would mean for Mina (public ostracism and humiliation, loss of livelihood, danger to her health and life).

Still, over time Rhys gets to Mina. She's not immune to the sexual attraction, his war hero status or his alpha charm. But she always says no.
On page 227 Rhys rapes Mina. The way the rape is narrated, the method and the fluid consent show me, that Meljean Brook must have thought long and hard to make the rape as inoffensive as possible for the reader: Mina and Rhys are drunk - always a popular excuse. Then Mina consents to a making out session, which leads over to other sexual acts that she doesn't consent to. Drunk as he is, Rhys doesn't recognize her refusal (pushing him away, janking his hair, crying, saying no ...). His method of rape is cunnilingus and he does it until she orgasms, but doesn't get off himself. Since we are in Rhys' head for this scene, we don't experience the terror Mina must have felt, because even as she climaxes Mina doesn't want to have sex.

This "good" rape (oh, how I hate this term) is a turning point in Minas and Rhys relationship. Rhys repents and grants Mina power over himself. She stops being something to be conquered (after all he already managed that in a way) and her goals and desires become more important to him. He also "grants" her distance - he won't pursue her anymore unless she comes to him first. He gives her back the power of refusal that he has taken away by force. Rhys' repentance makes him human - changes the way he views Mina and the world.

Mina cries into her handkerchief for a few hours, but then she consents to a sexual relationship with the Iron Duke. Since the power to say "no" was taken away from her, she might as well say yes and enjoy it.

I can't begin to tell you how horrified I am by the character of the hero, the "good" rape and its execution. I simply lack the words.

To all of you who think Rhys is sexy, I'd like to give you a little mental experiment.
Consider his character and everything he does and then think about whether you'd like your mother/daughter/sister/friend to be in Mina's shoes. If the answer is a horrified "no", as it was with me, then maybe Rhys isn't as sexy after all.

This review of The Iron Duke won't do enough of justice. The entire time I read, my jaw was dropped in amazement. The Iron Duke has wowed me in some many ways. Meljean Brook is an author I'm loyal to, through and through. It's a great feeling to have started with an author since the beginning of their writing career and watch them evolve and continue to astound with every single book they've written. The Iron Duke is mind-blowing in such a way that it may just turn the romance genre on its ear, including the Steampunk genre that still has many readers scratching their heads in confusion because they just can't understand it.

The plot of The Iron Duke is one of the most complex I've read in a long time. The last author who made my head spin in such a way was Anne Bishop's Black Jewels Trilogy. Bishop's books have such intricate world-building, where it's nearly impossible to explain it all. The same applies here with The Iron Duke. What I can tell you is that the world Meljean has created is a very scary and uncomfortable place, and one I wouldn't want to live in. For the past two-hundred years, the Horde has ruled most of Europe, very much like a terrorist organization that sends fear into the hearts of many, including England. The Horde has far reaching hands, but those who were lucky enough to escape parts of Europe, mainly England, to America, are now slowly returning back to the land they left behind. The reason the British fell to the Horde was that the Horde hid things called nanogents, invisible bugs, into tea and sugar where they traded it very cheaply. Then the Horde the activated the bugs. This gave them control over the British. Can you just imagine, with a touch of a button, where someone has the power to make your body do whatever it wants? Or suppress your emotions where you don't have the freedom to feel the way you want to? The Horde is able to do all this and so much more. And then one man rose up and went on a suicide mission to end the Horde's slavery. Nine years ago, the Iron Duke, known as Rhys Tarhaearn, former pirate captain and recently titled Duke of Anglesey flew his ship into the Horde's controlling tower, ending the Horde's reign over England and becoming their national hero.

Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth knows the Iron Duke's reputation very well. Mina's parents are poor even with their Lord and Lady title, and their daughter is ridiculed and spit upon because Mina was conceived during a state function the Horde held where all the peers of the realm were required to attend. The Horde planned a Frenzy, forcing the guest to engage in sexual acts with anyone and anybody. Mina was the outcome and has Horde blood running through her veins. But an important fact to bear in mind is that Mina loves her parents and visa-versa. They protect and care for one another deeply.

Mina finds purpose in her job as an inspector, even though her latest investigation leads her straight to the Iron Duke's doorsteps. A body has been dropped from an airship, and is some sort of warning against the duke. The Duke wants to handle matters himself, and away from the police, including "handling" Mina in his own special way. Mina refuses to succumb to the Iron Duke's regard toward her, but has no choice but to let him join her on the investigation because what he wants, he gets.

Someone is building an invention, a weapon the Horde would use, if they could to take over England again. Mina has a personal stake in the case when her younger brother, who's training aboard Rhys's former air ship, which is used by the British Navy, has been hijacked and the crew held for ransom. Now Mina has to rescue her brother and try to save England at the same time.

Mina won't be alone on this mission. Rhys will come with her, using not only his brains and former skill as a pirate, but along with a few trusted friends such as the Lady Yasmeen Corsair, the captain of her own airship, and Rhys's close friend Scarsdale, a drunk who is afraid of heights, but has a man's back during a fight. Mina has so much to lose because Rhys has targeted her for his own. He has laid claim to Mina, and the price he's asking is too high for her to accept. Rhys is not one to take no for an answer, and soon he's cutting away at Mina's resolve where she wants to give into the desires the Iron Duke is offering regardless of the consequences.

Everyone so often I'll have a call to action telling people to buy a book and drop any other book they're reading at the moment. Here I am again with that call for The Iron Duke. There are not enough adjectives to describe what a wonderful experience I had while reading The Iron Duke. This is one book that makes me want to applaud because it's so damn good. Meljean brings forth the steam, and I'm not just talking about the steam from the airships and machines within these pages. The things that come out of Rhys's mouth in regards to what he wants to do to Mina, and then does to her, had me blushing. Hello? Me, your pervy KB blushing over a love scene? That takes immense skill from an author to be able to make me have such a reaction. The amount of times Rhys gives pleasure to Mina, and the way it's describe in graphic detail, will make you melt into a pile of goo. This is one relationship that's incredibly passionate and straight up sex on a stick. Something very important to keep in mind is that Mina is no pushover when it comes to Rhys. Poor Rhys never stood a chance with Mina. She is his salvation, and soon his reason for breathing.

There's a combination of swashbuckling fights that brings to mind the 1935 movie, Captain Blood, ravenous, crazed zombies, and enough science fiction and fantasy to make you agog because Meljean makes it work so well together when it shouldn't.

While reading The Iron Duke, I couldn't stop thinking about the 1984 movie, The Terminator. There are many subtle instances of that movie within the story, mainly because of what the Horde made people become. The Iron Duke can be taken somewhat in the literal sense when it comes to Rhys, but make no mistake; he's not a mindless machine, but very much a man who feels. If James Cameron ever got his hands on The Iron Duke, that movie would be a blockbuster of epic proportions.

If you don't read The Iron Duke, you're making a big mistake. The Iron Duke may be one of the most influential books published this year that If I could, would roll around with it to soak up its excellence.

Katiebabs

Mina is a smart capable detective who is called to solve the mystery of a body which has shown up on the front lawn of the darkly mysterious Iron Duke Rhys. Adventure, zombies, and a colorful supporting cast make this a fun page turner, which is why so many give it rave reviews. And while like them, I kept turning pages, the problems with this book kept nagging me like a stone in my shoe.

- This was my first steampunk book which I chose to see what all the fuss was about. I have to believe there are better steampunk books out there because this felt thin and poorly thought through. For example the Horde overtake Europe with nanotechnology which is about 500 years ahead of anything they have in Europe. However The Iron Duke manages to send them packing by simply exploding a single tower. Wow....that seems...um....surprisingly easy?

Also Mina's mother is a master craftsman of steampunk "robots" but none of her creations have any role in the story. If your protagonist is a detective maybe she could use some of these incredible creations in her work instead of simply having them exist as background props (ex. robotic butler, newspaper page turner, etc.)

As the story unfolds you learn more about what capabilities come with being "infected" with nanobots. But again it's sort of an afterthought. It felt like a huge missed opportunity to deeply embed steampunk within the story - what happens to a society when half the people have pretty major capabilities/nanobots and half don't?

- Mina and Rhys are never really in any danger (except for a few pages here and there where the threat is quickly resolved). Most of the time they float about in the sky presumably far beyond the reach of anybody who would want to do them harm. So while you might be curious to see if they'll eventually have CONSENSUAL sex you're never really worried about their lives.

- With very little editorial changes you could quickly change this book into a traditional pirate romance (replace airship with pirate ship and you're practically there).

- As @hwm mentions the rape-seduction is an icky start to kick off their romance.

Finally, and completely unrelated to the book itself, I found the book cover to be a total turnoff. Pale greasy naked chest in leather cast-off jacket from 1985 Michael Jackson video = icky. Dear romance authors, we can do better than this can't we?!?!

I read a lot of books, and while a few may get my, "One of my favorite books of the year!" endorsement (three or four this year) I have a hard time imagining that any book is going to beat this one in the two months left of 2010.

Meljean Brook writes books with a bravery that never fails to stun me. Nothing about this book is safe. The author takes risks with the setting, the characters, the relationships, the dynamics...and for me, every one of those risks paid off.

The world-building is astoundingly detailed, and offers limitless possibilities. The heroine is strong and smart and struggling to make do in a world that reviles her, but she never crosses the line into martyrdom. The hero is arrogant and confident and aggressive in the extreme, but he never crosses the line into unforgivable brutality. (At least not when it comes to the heroine, which admittedly is my one priority.) The secondary characters are so real they're alive, and I want to know more about every single one of them.

I make no bones about being a fan. Every book Meljean Brook writes is better than the last, but in The Iron Duke she gives us something totally unique, a perfect melding of steampunk and romance. If you're a romance fan intimidated by the steampunk aspects--don't be. At its heart, this is still a beautiful, heart-wrenching love story. It's just set in the most amazing new world I've seen in a good long while.

Well, I really enjoyed the heroine and the world building. I just can't stomach the psycho uber alpha pirate hero who is given so many interesting and admirable traits, except when it comes to his treatment of the heroine. Watching such a likable heroine fall in love with him, especially after he forces her to receive oral sex from him (crying and saying no), was disgusting and depressing. He really would have been a cool hero otherwise.

What a strange way to create sexual tension in a romance book.

There are many other reviews out there that describe the awesomeness of this book much better than I can. So instead of repeating what they say I am going to urge everyone to go out and buy this book. If you like historicals, it has something for you. If you like sci-fi/fantasy, it has sometihng for you. If you like romance, it has something for you. If you like adventure... you get the point.

I finished The Iron Duke yesterday and, in my head, I am still wandering around in its world. It has all the aspects of the great stories: epic overall story arc, believable characters, good character interaction, and a believable and interesting world. The hero and heroine were not overdramatic and did what had to be done because it needed to be done, something you don't see so much in books or movies anymore, and something I appreciate. That's not to say that they were simple, Mina and Rhys were full of depth and personality - just like the rest of the characters that inhabit the world of the Iron Seas.

Also, the story was full. It felt complete. I didn't close the book and think, "That's it? Where's the rest?" It seems like books are getting shorter and shorter, but this one had everything.

Between The Iron Seas and the Guardians (go read them too!) Ms. Brook has jumped to the top of my favorite authors list. I eagarly await the release of her next book.

The Iron Duke is Meljean Brook's second Iron Seas story set in an alternate, Steampunk world. (The first was a short story in "Burning Up", released in August - also well worth a read.)

Not sure what steampunk is exactly? Think Robert Downey's recent Sherlock Holmes movie, or Sean Connery in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Ms Brook's version is a Regency-flavored confection, with hints of Victorian decorum, and hefty doses of zombies and romance. Delicious!

In the Iron Seas-verse, the Mongols conquered Europe centuries ago and held it. Survivors have fled across the Atlantic to the New World, and Europe and Africa are still in thrall. Using nanotech to take over the bodies of their subjects, the Mongol Horde has created a society of subjects with no emotion, and even modifies some people surgically, to make them more functional. Shortly before this story takes place, England has rebelled and managed to win its freedom, but its people are wrestling with with the cultural consequences of freedom after centuries of sujugation.

Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth has Horde blood in her veins, and struggles daily with hatred and prejudice because of it. She has a career she loves, and faces the loss of everything she holds dear should scandal damage her reputation. When a case involving the Iron Duke, Rhys Trahaern, unexpectedly intertwines with a family crisis, she finds herself in danger of losing her life and her heart.

Rhys Trahaern freed England from the Horde and is accustomed to getting what he wants, when he wants it, and damn the consequences. And now he's got his sights on Mina. His attentions might be the the very thing that destroys everything that Mina holds dear. Will Rhys learn how to love soon enough to save Mina, not only from England's enemies, but from himself?

The Iron Seas world is complicated and fantastically imagined. The complexity and layers of details are boggling - Details from the interactions of uninfected with the infected, to the psychological issues of those who were not used to strong emotions, to how a society might reconstruct itself after centuries of occupation - and very well written. Rhys and Mina are both complex, real, and flawed characters, and I loved them all the more for it. Neither was perfect, and both had issues to overcome before they could reach their richly deserved HEA.

This combination of intricate world-building and truly human characters results in a must-read book that I highly recommend to all readers of paranormal romance or urban fantasy.

This books succeeds on many levels and fronts - it's a Victorian crime procedural; it's a Regency-era romance of manners; and it's a triumphant fantasy novel about an alternate Earth. It's one of the most unique books I've read in a long time, and also one of the best romances. This is a book I will read again and again.

This is one of those books that could launch an entire sub genre. Brook melds together fantasy, a little science fiction, action and romance to bring to us a true steampunk entry into the romance genre.

While not explicitly stated, The Iron Duke is set in an alternate Victorian London. The Americas exist as a place where wealthy Europeans fled when the Horde invaded about 200 years ago. The Horde was an Asiatic society that conquered the West, England in particular, by releasing nanoagents or "bugs" into the sugar. The story starts 8 years after a rebellion and revolution that was ultimately won because a pirate by the name of Rhys Trahaearn destroyed a radio tower that controlled those who had been infected with the bugs. Post revolution, Rhys had been pardoned and awarded estates and the title, Duke of Anglesey. But to the people he is known as The Iron Duke.

Someone dropped a dead body on the estate of The Iron Duke and Mina, an inspector detective, is called upon to investigate the crime. While Mina is wishes to discover the murderer, she is also tasked with the important duty of trying to determine if The Iron Duke is in any danger.

Mina is a half breed, one part born of the British Isles and the other part Horde. The Horde controlled the people infected with the nanoagents (called buggers) and could suppress their emotions or raise them. For fun and sport, the Horde would sometimes create a Frenzy in which the Horde would ratchet up the sexual aggression of the buggers. Mina was the result of a Frenzy during which her mother was forced by the Horde controls to have sex.

Because Mina represents everything that buggers and bounders (those who fled Europe before the occupation) despise, she must constantly be followed by a constable for protection. When buggers and bounders see Mina, they only see the Horde.

During their first meet, Rhys sees Mina as something different. He has no care for the Horde but he doesn't institutionalize his hate. He hates governments, people who abuse power, people who don't care for those who they have claimed. In Mina, he sees her, someone who cares; someone who is principled and the more that he sees her, the more that he wants to make her his own. Rhys takes care of his own. And whomever dropped a dead body on his doorstep threatens those Rhys has claimed as his.

He is ruthless in discovering the root of the threat and he is equally ruthless in making Mina his. Rhys problem is that he has no arts when it comes to seducing women. He's not a rake, taking pleasure in women everywhere, and he has had no desire in the past to tie himself to a woman. His efforts to acquire Mina are hamfisted and leave him cursing himself for his ineptitude. But this lessens his determination not one wit. If there are obstacles to making Mina his, he will buy them, crush them, move them out of his path.

Unfortunately Mina is one of those obstacles as is her Horde heritage. From the start, their linked names leads to people presuming that the Iron Duke is once again giving it to the Horde. Even if Mina would want Rhys (and she comes to want him desperately), the bigotry of people will always make her a despised figure and her connection to Rhys will only further expose her to ridicule and hatred.

As Mina and Rhys leave London for the air (dirigible of course!) and then the sea in pursuit of a dangerous weapon that could replicate the Horde controllers, they must truly change the course of history once again to be together.

This was my first foray into the "steam punk" genre and I was not disappointed. The novel was full of high adventure and action, a building romance and a backdrop that rewrites history in an unique way. I enjoyed the world that Brook created and appreciated the nuances of that world. I found the heroine likable and sympathetic, with her own formidable strength. The hero was suitably scarred and dangerous while also revealing, as the story progresses, a heart and determination that was admirable. The cover art is truly ridiculous but the story within was solid and fun, a worthwhile read.
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
There are readers who will perhaps dislike the hero because of a certain scene in which some could argue he orally rapes the heroine. However, I find that black-and-white view of what happens to be inaccurate. Does the hero overstep and not comprehend the heroine's objections? Absolutely. On the other hand, the hero correctly reads that she desires him and the scene is not violent (well, not until she knocks him out afterwards, which he deserves) and the heroine is not left feeling violated by the experience. Is she upset? Yes. But because it reminded her of the past, when the Horde's "frenzy" made her feel out of control. She did not feel used by the hero and did not fear him.
There are two reasons I couldn't give the novel a 5-star and they are:
1. Though I like that the author did not treat readers like imbeciles, explaining every detail for us, and instead forced the reader to make inferences and connections without a step-by-step guide, at the same time it did slow down the reading. I was sluggish getting started because I had to work through some of the terms and events. It took a few chapters to start reading smoothly and even then there were moments I had to pause and work something out before moving on. I think the novel would have benefited from more descriptive details in the world-building, the characters and scenes.
2. There was a surprising lack of suspense. For all the action and adventure jammed into this novel, the writing itself was not very exciting. For instance, the hero's friend has an enemy he is searching out to destroy and the reader anticipates a climactic scene between the two. However, the confrontation never emerges and instead, in a very short paragraph, the friend shoots his enemy (who had yet to make an appearance on the page) and that's that. Where is the building tension? The captivating struggle? Nowhere in this book. This is unfortunate because the novel held great potential for some real gripping scenes. Instead, events just...happen.
A lack of description and a lack of suspenseful writing hurt the over-all quality of this book and that is why I could not give it 5 stars but rate it a 3.5 or maybe a 4. However, it really sparked my interest in steam punk and for that I am glad I picked it up. I liked the characters a great deal and will likely read the next book in the series.