Iron Magic

by T.M. Bridgeland

The wind blows from the sea to the mountains, bringing snow and rain in season, creating a paradise so enchanting that the first inhabitants named it 'Eden'. This year Eden was invaded and sacked. The books were burned, and fanatics hunted and killed the few who still studied the old knowledge of magic.

Maac-Kail, a young sorcerer, flees to the ancient city of Selzburg in search of allies strong enough to aid his people.

In Selzburg, a new power is rising. A local craft guild has uncovered an ancient book revealing the secrets of dark magic, long lost and nearly forgotten. Maac-Kail hopes to ally with these new sorcerers, though he distrusts the source of their power.

His plans go awry immediately, when a princess is abducted and circumstantial evidence points to him as the perpetrator. He reveals his magical power during his escape, shocking the sorcerers of Selzburg with his abilities.

Now a wanted man, Maac-Kail still hopes to turn the sorcerers from enemies into allies. With the help of an abusive girlfriend, a small-time con-man, a street boy named Rat and a possibly possessed horse, he has to save the princess to clear his name, and gain the sorcerers aid against their common enemy.

Genres: Fantasy

Kindle Edition

First published April 5, 2013

Reviews

[T. M. Bridgeland]

This is my book, so naturally I think it's great. I'd love to hear what other readers think of it.
Here is what I wrote to a friend when he asked what the book was about:

The hero is a short guy who overcompensates by being heroic all the time, and rides a horse so he can look taller. He meets the girl of his dreams, that is, cute and shorter than he is, and she immediately gets arrested and is slated to be hung, for a crime Hero is also accused of committing. Rescue needed. Hero and henchman invade bad guys' castle, face down a demon, escape in an improbable way, then need rescuing themselves because none of them actually figured they would get out alive, so when they did, they didn't have a plan figured out.

Girl turns out to be smart as well as cute, and arranges the escape. All fine, till she pulls a fast one and pisses off Hero. He jumps ship and heads back to the city they just escaped, to get on with being heroic. Meanwhile, Girl and assorted henchmen decide they have to save him from himself. All come together in heroic finale, bad guy humiliated and defeated, princess rescued. All is good. Except, bad guy's home folk are bringing a big army so Hero and now-reconciled Girl will have plenty of opportunities to be heroic, break up, get back together in book two.

[Ryne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it a good deal more than I thought I would. The beginning was a little slow, but once all the introduction material and world building got out of the way, everything picked up a much more entertaining pace. Technically this is the story of two characters, Maac Kail and Rat. Kail's a magic wielding warrior from a foreign land and Rat's a street urchin that gets swept up in his adventure. The story, while predominantly from Rat's perspective, revolves around Kail and his quest in the City of Selzburg. The world feels unique, and while predominantly fantasy oriented there are hints later on that some sci-fi may have contributed to the creation of this world. It's truly a world where all the characters fall somewhere in the grey shades of morality which is one of my favorite parts of any good story. It feels like the start of a possibly epic adventure and I love nothing more than to find out what happens next.

[Briony · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first quarter was good. Then it began to lag, then sone illogic but the final straw was a man shanking an adult woman as punishment. Excuse me? Unacceptable.

[Ruthanne Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Fantasy

A make believe world peopled with wonderful characters & a story told with humor & a light touch. I really enjoyed this book & will look for more in the series.