Customer Reviews

The Rise of the Iron Moon. Stephen Hunt

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Awhile ago, I picked up The Court of the Air on a whim--it looked interesting. It was a big, thick book that made absolutely no sense when I started it, but I found it intriguing. I very quickly became engrossed in the world created by Stephen Hunt and I simply had to have more. The Rise of the Iron Moon is just as good as The Court of the Air, with a tightly woven plot and excellent action, and a thoroughly engulfing alternate world that expertly meshes fantasy (which I normally do not care for) and steampunk (which I can never get enough of). I only wish Hunt's books were easier to get my hands on, and I do hope that they become more widely available. I actually rationed this book out, not knowing when I'd get another.

I can't recommend Stephen Hunt's work enough, for he is a talented storyteller.

I do recommend this intriguing series, I find Stephen Hunt a skilled writer that not only shows his creativity with descriptions that are decisive and realistic but is able to balances with the right amount wit and humor.

In reading "The Court of Air" I see this series as one that you will look forward to each book and enjoy reading "Kingdom Beyond the Waves" and then "The Rise of the Iron Moon" as a wonderful series and still wish for a 4th book "Secrets of the Fire Sea".

I will say I loved these book and agree with raves about the first two therefore I rate this at 5 stars.

One thing is for sure you will either love or hate the series but I really believe you will love it and wish for more.

It will be a pleasure to add Stephen Hunt to my favorites list!

Thanks Goodreads!

I'd heard very good things about Rise of the Iron Moon from my brother before I got my hands on a copy of this novel and it was just as good as described. It is a beautifully-written fantasy tale about a young woman who finds herself on the run alongside a hunted alien in an Earth of the future where all the resources have been used up and steam-power is the default for many societies, including a far-future-like UK. There's a feast of colorful characters including steam robots and submarine pirates and all sorts of wonders. The Rise of the Iron Moon is the most riveting novel I have read since coming across Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin - the grandeur and scale of the world are truly mind-blowing. I can't wait for the next novel to come out now.

It's rare to find a novelist who attempts so many things in a fantasy novel as this, but Stephen Hunt dives into the pages of Rise of the Iron Moon with an abandon that might just be a little bit scary, and it reads as if he doesn't come up for air until he had finished. So where to start? Well, although marketed as fantasy, the novel might just as well be sold as science fiction, because it blends elements of both. This runs the danger that fantasy fans will dislike the SF elements while you can reverse that for science fiction fans. However, discerning readers who venture outside the genre will know that what Hunt is attempting - and largely succeeding with here - is a high adventure tale with post modern echoes of the classic pulps, blended with a well executed plot brim full of twists.

Rise of the Iron Moon is a continuation of what has gone on before, in the earlier books, as far as world building is concerned, but has a stand-alone story (a trick I read in an interview he was taught by fellow British author, Terry Pratchett). An excellent edition to the opus and I am fascinated to discover where the Jackelian series move on from here.

One gripe. Would benefit from a map. Please.

Stephen Hunt's Jackelian series gets ever-richer with each installment.

Here, The Rise of the Iron Moon starts fast and never really slows down as it gallops along with the tale of Purity Drake, a prisoner of the royal breeding house and multi-generational loser in the nation's ancient war between king and parliament. And joy of joys, Molly from The Court of the Air returns along with her steamman housemate and of course, Commodore Black.

A word of warning - not much of a spoiler if you have read any of the other books by the author - never get too attached to any characters in one of Hunt's books, he's studied at the same school as George RR Martin when it comes to keeping you on your toes by murdering favorites.

Hunt is one of the most important new voices in the genre and it's clear that a large number of other authors in the fantasy and science fiction field have been influenced by his novels, pushing away from the old elves and dragons tropes, and opening up new horizons in both worlds and plots.

I would recommend this fast-paced novel to just about anyone (whether you love the genre or not). Having read The Rise of the Iron Moon in a couple of days, I couldn't believe the third Kingdom of Jackals novel would be as good as the second book, but Stephen Hunt has proved me wrong.

It has at the heart of its book the story of a girl, Purity Drake, who has to escape from a prison run by parliament to contain the children of the old regime. She has the bad luck to escape during an invasion, though, with a horde of what is initially believed to be polar barbarians sweeping down on the good guys.

In the end, events prove a lot more complex, and without revealing too many spoilers, she is swept up on a grand adventure. The novel brings a lot of tension to the party, and I dare you to read this without getting swept up in the action and excitement. Great, taut plotting, fully rounded characters and a truly unique world all go to making this one of my favourites so far.

Give The Rise of the Iron Moon a go, you won't be disappointed.

The Jackelian series is quickly becoming a fantasy classic for me: sympathetic characters and a level of writing that you would expect to find in literary works by writers like Martin Amis or Will Self, subplots galore, and an astonishing aptitude for story-telling.

The Rise of the Iron Moon is the third in the series, but like all the novels, is a stand-alone work meant to stand or fall on its own (in much the same way as Terry Pratchett's Discworld books share a world and some of the same characters, but each address a particular topic).

With Rise of the Iron Moon, Hunt is unmatched for his descriptive and world-building powers - at the level of Tolkien in fact (and the quality of writing is more grown up than the sometime staid old master, JRR).

The pace of the book can be a bit confusing at times, but at least it keeps the plot gripping you and moving along at a breakneck speed.

I would recommend this novel to any fan of fantasy or science fiction.

This second book set in the same world as The Court of the Air. I am absolutely in love with Stephen Hunts writing! There are so many original ideas in the 3 books of his i've read so far. This series is kinda like Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials, but in my opinion even better. I hate reviews that tell about the plot, that's what the book description is for, so I'll just say that yes there is a bunch of action and side plots going on in this book, which i love, but if your someone who is easily confused with that sort of thing you might not like it as much

With The Rise of the Iron Moon, you have a tour de force of fantasy packing in just about everything including the kitchen sink. It has brilliant character development (albeit possibly with a few too many bodies), a world so replete with imagination that it's only possible equals in the genre are Dune and Middle Earth (possibly the two blended), and a plot that whisks you through the pages like the rocket ship on the cover.

This time around, the Jackelian people are being invaded - but the invaders aren't quite who or what the characters (or many of the readers) think they are, and thereby hangs the mystery that yanks you though the pages with great style and verve.

These books are created as stand-alone works, but this one is possibly not the best to start off on as it throws you in at the deep end - a little like starting the A Song of Ice and Fire cycle with A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow rather than the 1st book.

Still, Stephen Hunt writes beautifully and his books are so easy to breeze through it would be a crime not to add The Rise of the Iron Moon to the collection.

Astronomer Aliquot Coppertracks the Steam-man observes strange happenings in space. First there is signs of life on a dead Mars at the same time a comet not due to return in centuries arrives as if its orbit was dramatically diminished, and finally the stars are no longer aligned with one another as they have been seemingly forever.

At the same Martian human representative Kyorin arrives on planet and meets Molly Templar. He explains his mission as his people struggle with the bloke of evil rulers. She turns to U-boat captain Commodore Black, and outlaw Oliver Brooks for help. However, the Army of Shadows has followed Kyorin and those their enemy has talked to with one mission: kill them. When the Martians arrive in full superior science and technology invasion mode, the enemy nations Jackals and Quatershift must unite to prevent the end of all living things at home by mounting an assault on Mars.

Over the top of Olympus Mons, the latest steampunk post-apocalyptic thriller (see The Court of the Air and The Kingdom Beyond the Waves) is an exhilarating tale that lampoons the modern day anti-Dickensian deniers by satirizing the Victorian era. Fast-paced, the enemy nations of Jackals and Quatershift (England and France) must unite against a brutal mutual threat by the Army of Shadows (Germany) or face a blitzkrieg total annihilation in this entertaining environmental cautionary tale.

Harriet Klausner