Customer Reviews

Iron Hunt

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

During the day Maxine Kiss is covered in black tattoos, even her nails. The only part of her body that is not covered in markings is from the top of her neck to her hairline. Maxine keeps all the markings covered - always. During the day those same tattoos are her armor. Nothing can harm her. She is invincible. At night the tattoos peel from her skin to take on forms of their own. No one would ever have imagined an army of demons living on one woman's skin. When "the boys" peel off of her skin, Maxine is human - vulnerable. But the demons are the best little bodyguards on earth.

Long ago a prison had been built out of air, a prison made of layers and rings and boundaries. The worst demons were sealed in the prison. Yet now, ten thousand years later, the prison is beginning to fail. However, even way back then, someone knew it would eventually happen. That someone created the Wardens, men and women with the speed and power to guard this world against a break in the prison veil. The Wardens were humans constructed to fight those demons that manage to slip through the veil. The Wardens are all dead now. The women in Maxine's family are the last.

Someday, just like her mother before her, Maxine will raise and train her daughter. Then "the boys" will abandon Maxine for her daughter - leaving Maxine helpless against her enemies. This, for Maxine, is normal. It is the way of Earth's last protector. It is life with no love, reveling in death. Enter the one man who just may change everything.

**** This story is nothing short of bizarre. I was well into the story before everything began to make sense. Zee, the only one of Maxine's demons which actually talks, loves to speak in riddles. As things begin to solidify and make some sense to me, the author throws me for a loop by introducing zombies and demons that Maxine tolerates, if not allowing herself to feel some affection towards.

If you are looking for a quick read then this is not the book for you. Author Marjorie M. Liu's story is multi-layered and will grab readers' interests quickly, never to let go. A tantalizing read! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

****SPOILERS****

I bought The Iron Hunt without realizing that there had been a prequel story in the Wild Thing Anthology. As I was reading it, I was often confused. It almost seemed like I had jumped into the second book of the series, and I kept checking the introductory pages to make sure this was the first one. When I couldn't find anything about another book, I just assumed the author wanted to start the story right in the middle of all the action. Unfortunately, some of this did hurt my enjoyment of the book, but not enough to stop. I'll be picking up the anthology next, and will most likely continue on with the series.

Maxine Kiss was born to become a Hunter, just like her mother, and her mother's mother, and so on. She is Earth's protector against the demons on Earth and the demon army waiting impatiently for the veil to fall. The story begins when a private investigator, whom she doesn't know, is found dead with her name on his body. Maxine begins searching for answers and finds several people along the way, all of whom may be or may become very important to her.

I very much enjoyed the world that Liu had created, particularly the characters and their relationships. All of Maxine's Demons were so . . . well, lovable and cute, even when they weren't supposed to be. Maxine's memories of her mom and grandmother brought me to tears and the other characters and their various and complicated relationships with Maxine kept me wanting to know more. The book also took a few surprising turns- I was amazed by all Maxine had to go through in a single book.

Most of my difficulties with this book stem from not having read the short story. I felt the loss of seeing the beginnings of Maxine's relationship with Grant, and never felt like I really got a feel on Grant beyond him being a pretty decent and powerful guy. Because I wasn't sure if the author was going to do anything with Grant, I didn't know what to think of a couple other men (and in my mind, potential love interests) who came into the picture.

The back cover states that hers is a life lacking in love until one man changes everything. This confused me too because when the story opens, she already has Grant and has a life with love. Therefore, it took me awhile to decide if Grant was the man described in the summary or if it was someone else. Because of this confusion, I kept worrying that Grant was going to get killed off or something similarly drastic.

Another frustrating aspect for me were all the hints, and questions and mystery surrounding Maxine and her real powers, and who she really is. In fact, ALL the other characters ALL seemed to know what's going on about everything, except Maxine. I wasn't sure if some of these questions were hinted at or answered in the short story, and again just felt like I was missing something. I also got fed up at everyone's refusal to answer a direct question. This happened A LOT.

Despite a somewhat frustrating and confusing read, I still managed to get sufficiently caught up in the action, characters and the story that I quickly sped through and finished The Iron Hunt. I would recommend this book, however, I would also suggest reading the short story first.

"Silver smoke winds around my torso, peeling away from my ribs and back, stealing the dark mist covering my hands and lower extremities...tattos dissolving into demon flesh, coalescing into small dark bodies. My boys. The only friends I have in this world. Demons.

"I am a demon hunter. I am a demon. I am Hunter Kiss."

These are the words on the back of the book to intrigue a potential reader into buying and reading. Plus, look at the cover illustration--the woman covered in tattos. Doubly intriguing. I bought the book and here I am reviewing this supernatural thriller or urban fantasy. Take your pick.

I am not particularly a fantasy fan, but when Maxine Kiss's tattos came to life and slithered off her body into their unique demon forms, I was totally mesmerized. Such imagination hooks me every time.

Several reviewers wrote about the confusing elements of the story. Indeed, things seems to be left out or unexplained, but I figured there must be sequels to carry forth. This first volume in the Hunter Kiss series is all about Maxine, the last Hunter. When the story begins she has already done major battle, but this story is about Maxine's developing powers. Long ago, demons were locked in this prison away from humans, but the veil is coming up and demons are escaping. It is a hunter's job to kill them.

Marjorie M. Liu, the writer, is a wonderful craftswoman of style and use of language. When Maxine's lover moves a stack on books on Mesopotamia, Liu is inserting a basic piece of information. The great epic about Gilgamesh plucking an eternal life-giving plant after an impossibly long swim references Maxine's equally long swim and gaining of the eternal ring so important to later events. Like Gilgamesh she "loses" it as well. The only reference to this ancient story is that stack of books. The reader must be well-read enough to know the story. I like that.

Some reviewers found the story confusing, as did I, but I liked that mix of story elements that didn't quite make sense. Oturu is a horrible demon with knives for feet, but he is also a friend and keeper of the ring. Maxine herself is a demon and demon hunter. No one is ever what they seem in this story which references real life. Are we ever really what we seem? The demons who live in her tattos keep life-threatening secrets from Maxine, but their job is to protect her. Contradictions.

The second most interesting character is Grant, a human--is he?--Maxine's lover, who can alter a being's personality and life flow by the music from his flute. We never learn why he limps.

I was fully engaged in this novel from beginning to end. At the conclusion, I thought how well-ended this is. It was satisfying as a book unto itself, or as an introduction to a whole series. Thank goodness there will be a Book 2. Can't wait!

The premise of THE IRON HUNT is great - ten thousand years ago a horde of demons was contained in a prison, and Wardens were created to police the earth and capture any escapees. But the Wardens were limited in number, and over the years escaped demons have killed every Warden but one: Maxine Kiss. What's worse, the prison itself is failing and Maxine has no hope of preventing the global annihilation that looms closer and closer on the horizon.

The supernatural twist is that Maxine has a motley crew of allies: little demons that accompany her like a ragtag army at night, but adhere to her skin during the day as tattoos and render her physically invulnerable. It's a pretty cool idea, and the dynamic between Maxine and her demon protectors is engaging.

There's a lot of good stuff going on with THE IRON HUNT - the problem is that Marjorie M. Liu's writing is somewhat overwrought. This is a sample of what I mean:

"Shadows shifted, stretching like mouths across the room, spreading and rising from the floor and walls in churning waves. Like oil running up walls, or the abyss of Oturu's cloak, full of pressed faces and twisted bodies. A breathing, aching darkness; a tsunami of soul cages; demons hurled and writhing. The apartment grew dark and closed, as suffocating as the Wasteland, and it was the wall of demons who made it so; entombing, consuming us."

It's beautiful, it's intense, it's vivid, and it's also constant. Every paragraph is stuffed to the gills with dramatic metaphors and dramatic imagery and dramatic tension. If she used this kind of language more infrequently, waiting for the right moment to pull out all the stops and wow us, I'd be a lot more impressed. Instead, I felt the writing actually interfered with my ability to follow the story and engage with the characters.

By the same token, I think that Liu made a mistake with THE IRON HUNT by turning the "mysterious" dial up to 11. Almost every character in the novel, other than Maxine, at some point taunts her with knowledge they cannot, or will not, share. Her little army of demons have made promises to keep quiet; her enemies have no interest in telling her what she doesn't know; while her more provisional allies seem to keep secrets just for the hell of it. A lot of the time the mystery is much bigger than the secret, which is easy to guess and fairly obvious; this has an unfortunate Wizard of Oz effect. In general, I feel like a little bit less mystery would have allowed for a lot more plot.

I'm on the fence about this book in the end. On the one hand, I really enjoy the premise and the characters. It's a smart book, and Liu is capable of really incredible writing. That's enough to make me curious about the series to come. On the other hand, if I get more of this overwrought language and atmosphere drenched in mysterious mystery this series will sink to the bottom of my list real fast.

If you are looking for a soppy supernatural romance with a bitchy heroine and a alpha male love interest don't get this book! You, like some of the other reviewers, will be dissapointed.

I've read all of M. Liu's books and have always found her prose beautiful. This one took my breath away. I read it in one sitting. Unlike her other books, which bordered on romance, this one strays much more into the horror arena. The first person viewpoint is intense and startling. It's IS a little confusing, but it's meant to be. The reader must put the pieces together just like the heroine does. And this is no swooning heroine. She's not looking for a prince charming. She's got the world on her shoulders and demons at her back and she knows she'll win simply because she must. The description of the demons and other supernatural characters are guttural and poetic. Think more Dante's Inferno than Anita Blake.

If you're tired of bland prose and want something more etheral, more guttural. If you're tired of flighty heroines whose only determined quest is to sleep around. And if you're tired of heros who are full of the same annoying, macho blandness then you will like this book.

Be aware though... it's more epic poem than bodice ripper.

And that's a really good thing!

A recommended read.

- an awesome roller coaster of an read with a tough kick-butt heroine and some extremely fascinating secondary characters. In my opinion the author has really out done herself with this novel the writing is so beautifully poetic and darkly intense...

But if you're looking light romance then this isn't the book for you, I would describe it as a dark urban fantasy with more of an emphasis on the actual story than a romance. Which is a lot like Karen Marie Moning has done with her Faefever series...

If you've not already done so I would very much recommend that you read that you read the prequel Hunter Kiss first,otherwise you may find the story to be a little confusing at first. You can find Hunter Kiss in the novella Wild Thing which is also available on amazon...

I read the mini story for this in the anthology book dark dreamers. I really loved the short story and wondered if there was more to Maxine Kiss and her boys to tell. Went on amazon books and was estatic to find a full story on this character. I read the whole book in under two days, was exactly the paranormal read that I needed. I hope Majorie M. Liu does more books on this series. I also like the dirk & steele series but this is a nice change from her usual genre.

Probably 4.5 stars rather than a full five. The author's ambitious use of heroic archetypes make this one roller coaster of a ride through various eras and cultures. If you don't like references to Sumarian demi-gods, complex plots and chthonic journeys to rebirth, then this may not be the book for you. However it is not necessary to appreciate all of the nuances to enjoy the adventure.

Without going into too much detail, Maxine Kiss is the latest of a long line of female Hunters. As a child she was tested by ritual agreement and alarmed the demons who tested her. They in fact suggested that her mother "kill this one" and have another daughter as a replacement. Maxine's mother, who was at that time the Hunter did not think this was a good idea-- even though Maxine's maturation would pretty much garantee her death.

The book is loaded with references to the Labyrinth, Enkidu (the Tracker-- check out the Sumerian story of Gilgamesh for this one), promises and bargains made to and by demons. I enjoy trying to put puzzles like this together. Recommended for people who also enjoy the obscure corners of Urban fantasy.

Wow, just what the doctor ordered! A book of a strong heroine who kicks evils [...] minus the sloppy sex scenes of Laurell Hamilton's work! It has a love interest but stays on the story of this extraordinary woman, not the bedroom. If you want that, get "Blood Noir" from LH. I agree, it took two chapters to understand who all the players were, but after that I was hooked!Maxine is covered in tattoos during the day which gives her demon strength, but at night the tattoos come to life and the story really takes off. A great read and I can hardly wait for the next one.

With Iron Hunt, Liu moves from the paranormal romantic suspense of her Dirk and Steele series to Urban Fantasy. Although this is the first official novel in the Hunter Kiss series, a fair amount of setup for the series is missing from Iron Hunt. If you are wondering where it went, Liu actually introduced her series with the short story "Hunter Kiss" in the anthology Wild Thing.

This is not a show stopper. If you are a careful reader you'll be able to pick up the background knowledge - there are enough hints to give you a vague idea of Maxine's powers, what the `boys' are to Maxine, Maxine's relationship with Grant and his unique powers, what the demons/zombies are, who Blood Mama is and how the Hunter role is passed on from mother to daughter. But while I can understand Liu not wanting to bog down the action here with a bunch of world building, the missing details from the short story cut a little piece of the heart out of the story and lessened the impact in several scenes. Add to that the challenge of keeping the reader clued in when the story is told 'first person' by a heroine who is not only in the dark about what is really going on, but who is also only given cryptic clues or riddles by all the others who are in-the-know. The result was that I shared Maxine's frustration in trying to figure out what was going on plot-wise, until she finally starts getting some real answers about half-way through the book.

That said, I still enjoyed the book because the characters are all really great. I loved Maxine, Grant, old Wolf, Tracker and "the boys". And the story certainly keeps moving with plenty of action to build the tension. Also there is a real sense that there is a fascinating future in store for Maxine -- from the first time the demon takes a peek into her head at the start of the book, until the very end when something dark and mysterious awakens inside Maxine's heart. So, I give this book 4 stars for the interesting premise of a demon hunter with living tatoos heading headlong into destiny, 3.5 stars for execution - solely for the confusion factor since I really like Liu's writing otherwise - and 4 stars for promise, because I am definitely intrigued enough to check out the next one. If Iron Hunt at all captured your interest, I recommend that you go hunt up a copy of Wild Thing and fill in the blanks.