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The Iron Masters
In the 18th Century a few bold men created the biggest industrial city, civilisation had ever seen. They were the Iron Masters, masters of metal and men. Their cannons saved a kingdom, forged the greatest empire in the world and changed the history of the human race.Intrigue, bribery, adultery and murder were common in Merthyr Tydfil, a town where the furnaces burned day and night, the sun seldom pierced the soot filled sky and the Iron Masters ruled without pity.
Nye Vaughn, a humble farm boy, walked to Merthyr to find his destiny, unaware that a war was coming which would engulf the known world and make daring men rich. To fight Bonaparte, Britain needed cannons, thousands of them. Vaughn built the largest foundry of them all and made his fortune but, when the world changed, the iron monster he created turned against him.
"Graham Watkins weaves a story through the turbulence of the Napoleonic Wars with a pace that makes the reader turn the pages. Many of the characters and events are true and reveal an amazing time in the history of the British Isles. Above all, the Iron Masters is a book about extraordinary men and women and how they dealt with life’s challenges. A great follow up to 'Welsh Legends and Myths'."
Nye Vaughn, a humble farm boy, walked to Merthyr to find his destiny, unaware that a war was coming which would engulf the known world and make daring men rich. To fight Bonaparte, Britain needed cannons, thousands of them. Vaughn built the largest foundry of them all and made his fortune but, when the world changed, the iron monster he created turned against him.
"Graham Watkins weaves a story through the turbulence of the Napoleonic Wars with a pace that makes the reader turn the pages. Many of the characters and events are true and reveal an amazing time in the history of the British Isles. Above all, the Iron Masters is a book about extraordinary men and women and how they dealt with life’s challenges. A great follow up to 'Welsh Legends and Myths'."
- GenresHistorical Fiction
384 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 2014
8 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Graham Watkins
20 books13 followersHi. I'm Graham Watkins and I have spent the last few years researching welsh legends and myths. It has been a wonderful project and great fun as I explored rugged mountains, mysterious castles, enchanting waterfalls and golden beaches to discover the tales that have been handed down from generation to generation. Wales is a land of mystery and being a Celtic race the Welsh are fantastic story tellers.
Earlier in my life, I was a ships engineer and travelled across the world. When I got married I had a choice; return to sea or stay home with my new bride. I stayed and went into sales. In 1989 I started my own company and it prospered.
I sold the business in 2003 and, with my wife, ran away to a rambling farmhouse high in the Brecon Beacons in Wales. I learnt a lot selling the business and decided to write a book called 'Exit Strategy' explaining how I did it. That's how I started writing. Today, I am a writer, hobby farmer and explorer. It's all been great fun and the story isn't over yet. My latest book 'Birth of a Salesman' has just been published and there are more to follow. Watch out for 'Blood and Dragons - The History of Carmarthenshire and the Gower.'
My current project 'The Iron Masters', is a historical novel, my first, chronicling the life of Nye Vaughn, a farm boy who becomes the most powerful arms manufacturer in the world. His cannons enabled Nelson to win the Battle of Trafalgar and cleared the field of French infantry at Waterloo.
Earlier in my life, I was a ships engineer and travelled across the world. When I got married I had a choice; return to sea or stay home with my new bride. I stayed and went into sales. In 1989 I started my own company and it prospered.
I sold the business in 2003 and, with my wife, ran away to a rambling farmhouse high in the Brecon Beacons in Wales. I learnt a lot selling the business and decided to write a book called 'Exit Strategy' explaining how I did it. That's how I started writing. Today, I am a writer, hobby farmer and explorer. It's all been great fun and the story isn't over yet. My latest book 'Birth of a Salesman' has just been published and there are more to follow. Watch out for 'Blood and Dragons - The History of Carmarthenshire and the Gower.'
My current project 'The Iron Masters', is a historical novel, my first, chronicling the life of Nye Vaughn, a farm boy who becomes the most powerful arms manufacturer in the world. His cannons enabled Nelson to win the Battle of Trafalgar and cleared the field of French infantry at Waterloo.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 26, 2015
This book grabbed me from page one!
I really enjoyed this book, particularly the main character, Nye Vaughan's journey, throughout. Graham Watkins brought this story to life for me, I could see the characters and places mentioned in this book. I loved the fact that although this is a work of fiction, it's also steeped in factual details. Merthyr Tydfil, my home town, was a place at the heart of the Industrial Revolution when Iron was King and coal its Queen. When the town went from being a farming village to a great Iron Metropolis, a melting pot of culture. A little like the Gold Rush but in this case it was the iron works that attracted the people.
The very beginnings of the rail and canal transport are charted in this book and it's interesting to read about the Napoleonic Wars, which I knew little about beforehand. It was a great way of having a history lesson at the same time as reading an intriguing story! Far more interesting than history lessons at school.
My favourite character in this book has to be the scheming Delyth, wife of Issac Thomas, Nye's arch nemesis, who goes to the extreme to get what she wants but the great thing about it is, we the readers, can see what she's up to behind the other character's backs, without them initially realising what's going on themselves. It's like being a fly on the wall.
The author's writing style is very easy to read and hooked me from the first page and never let go. This is one author to watch out for. I look forward to reading more from Graham Watkins in the future.
I really enjoyed this book, particularly the main character, Nye Vaughan's journey, throughout. Graham Watkins brought this story to life for me, I could see the characters and places mentioned in this book. I loved the fact that although this is a work of fiction, it's also steeped in factual details. Merthyr Tydfil, my home town, was a place at the heart of the Industrial Revolution when Iron was King and coal its Queen. When the town went from being a farming village to a great Iron Metropolis, a melting pot of culture. A little like the Gold Rush but in this case it was the iron works that attracted the people.
The very beginnings of the rail and canal transport are charted in this book and it's interesting to read about the Napoleonic Wars, which I knew little about beforehand. It was a great way of having a history lesson at the same time as reading an intriguing story! Far more interesting than history lessons at school.
My favourite character in this book has to be the scheming Delyth, wife of Issac Thomas, Nye's arch nemesis, who goes to the extreme to get what she wants but the great thing about it is, we the readers, can see what she's up to behind the other character's backs, without them initially realising what's going on themselves. It's like being a fly on the wall.
The author's writing style is very easy to read and hooked me from the first page and never let go. This is one author to watch out for. I look forward to reading more from Graham Watkins in the future.
June 6, 2019
Love, Intrigues and betrayals during the Industrial Revolution
I start off by admitting I might be biased as I do love historical novels, but The Iron Masters truly is a compelling story packed with romance and action, and a few twists along the line.
Set in Wales in the middle of the 18th century, the book does first of all a fantastic job in capturing the spirit of an era that saw massive changes shaping forever the world's destiny.
What's now know as the industrial revolution, in fact, saw more and more people employed in industry rather than agriculture, creating also some big social differences, all while Europe was going through some of the most dramatic wars and events it has ever seen.
The characters are fairly built, though rather then be an introspective/psychological work, more space is actually left to the description of the times, the surroundings and the process of casting iron itself, which I personally found informative and fascinating, as I knew very little about.
Indeed, coal, limestone and forges are the real protagonists of this quite short yet very enjoyable first installment in "The Iron Masters" series.
Looking forward to finding out more!
I start off by admitting I might be biased as I do love historical novels, but The Iron Masters truly is a compelling story packed with romance and action, and a few twists along the line.
Set in Wales in the middle of the 18th century, the book does first of all a fantastic job in capturing the spirit of an era that saw massive changes shaping forever the world's destiny.
What's now know as the industrial revolution, in fact, saw more and more people employed in industry rather than agriculture, creating also some big social differences, all while Europe was going through some of the most dramatic wars and events it has ever seen.
The characters are fairly built, though rather then be an introspective/psychological work, more space is actually left to the description of the times, the surroundings and the process of casting iron itself, which I personally found informative and fascinating, as I knew very little about.
Indeed, coal, limestone and forges are the real protagonists of this quite short yet very enjoyable first installment in "The Iron Masters" series.
Looking forward to finding out more!
July 16, 2024
A Great Read
Of course, these are only my personal thoughts about this book and this series. The human feelings and responses of both painful loss and exillerating gains are portrayed so well that the reader can at least partly experience them for herself or himself.
Of course, these are only my personal thoughts about this book and this series. The human feelings and responses of both painful loss and exillerating gains are portrayed so well that the reader can at least partly experience them for herself or himself.
January 7, 2016
SUPERB HISTORICAL FICTION, FORGED IN WALES
I spotted this book whilst looking for my next read on Twitter and thought it looked interesting.
The period is not one I've read before but as a story of what would have been going on in the background of Richard Sharpe's world it is fascinating. Life near the foundries of Merthyr Tydfil are accurately brought to life and researched as you would expect from an author who has written several non-fiction books on the history of Wales. For example, I never knew that cows were shoed like horses! It informs gently without going into too much unnecessary specifics and then races on with the plot.
In fact, the plot whips along at such a pace a little of the 'colour' of the story is skipped but that is the only complaint. It's not really a criticism, it's just the writer's style - but I normal prefer a bit more description. But the trade off is that very quickly you are drawn into the story from the start with the funeral of Nye's mother, running away from his father and starting his career in the furnaces...
Fictional protagonists like the hero Nye Vaughn brushes shoulders with actual industrialists & nobility as he weaves his fortunes through the factual history of South Wales and the bigger world beyond. A highlight for me is Delyth is one of the most evil characters I have ever read. An unbelievably ruthless and cruel woman. And I mean appalling with a capital A.
Recommended, 5★★★★★
[ Bought from Amazon UK, £1.99, read on a Kindle eReader ]
I spotted this book whilst looking for my next read on Twitter and thought it looked interesting.
The period is not one I've read before but as a story of what would have been going on in the background of Richard Sharpe's world it is fascinating. Life near the foundries of Merthyr Tydfil are accurately brought to life and researched as you would expect from an author who has written several non-fiction books on the history of Wales. For example, I never knew that cows were shoed like horses! It informs gently without going into too much unnecessary specifics and then races on with the plot.
In fact, the plot whips along at such a pace a little of the 'colour' of the story is skipped but that is the only complaint. It's not really a criticism, it's just the writer's style - but I normal prefer a bit more description. But the trade off is that very quickly you are drawn into the story from the start with the funeral of Nye's mother, running away from his father and starting his career in the furnaces...
Fictional protagonists like the hero Nye Vaughn brushes shoulders with actual industrialists & nobility as he weaves his fortunes through the factual history of South Wales and the bigger world beyond. A highlight for me is Delyth is one of the most evil characters I have ever read. An unbelievably ruthless and cruel woman. And I mean appalling with a capital A.
Recommended, 5★★★★★
[ Bought from Amazon UK, £1.99, read on a Kindle eReader ]
April 21, 2015
I really wanted to like it because I've never read anything about this subject. I was enthusiastic when this book was listed on a book recommendation site and immediately downloaded it but then I started reading and found I couldn't continue. I can't even give a proper reason - it seems well-researched, it was written with love and heartblood, and besides, I'm all for supporting indie writers. It's not even the language that bothers me (apart from the "An Historical Novel" on the very title page)... I just couldn't get into the story. I simply couldn't warm to it, and I recommend having a sample sent to your Kindle prior to downloading it.
I realise reviews like this one are a bit pointless and of no real help whatsoever but as I was so looking forward to starting it and then ended up all meh I thought I should still share my ramblings. I'm not giving up on the author, however, because someone who picks such an unusual subject for his first novel (he seems to have published mostly guides so far and no other novels) just might do it again, and I'll make sure to check his future work.
I realise reviews like this one are a bit pointless and of no real help whatsoever but as I was so looking forward to starting it and then ended up all meh I thought I should still share my ramblings. I'm not giving up on the author, however, because someone who picks such an unusual subject for his first novel (he seems to have published mostly guides so far and no other novels) just might do it again, and I'll make sure to check his future work.
February 18, 2015
Graham Watkins' epic saga, “The Iron Masters” grabs the reader from the start, and doesn't let loose of them until the final words are read. Reminiscent of C.S. Forester in it's scope, the story is of the clever and ambitious Nye Vaughn, and follows him from the grips of poverty to staggering wealth, in the service of war in the iron works of Merthyr Tydfil. The depth of detail shows the due diligence Watkins put into his research for this unput-downable volume. This piece has something for everyone, but most especially for those who, like myself, have a passion for well-written historical fiction. Weaving real events and people into a rich tapestry of his own characters, Watkins doesn't fail to satisfy.
March 10, 2015
I am not a prolific book reader and therefore a book has to grab me!
The Iron Masters grabbed me with both hands.
I was drawn to it because of my family ties with South Wales and the steel works, my love of France and ships.
Graham has written a book that moves with a pace that keeps you wanting to turn the page to discover the next fate that await’s. This is an epic amalgamation of fact and fiction so good you can’t see the joins it flows so well.
The historical facts leave you with dazed revelation of the massive loss of life in wars during the period, the injustices and the corruption that befell the time.
This story grabs you. I had never read anything like this at school in the 50’s & 60’s I wish I was able, history was never so entertaining. A must read book!
The Iron Masters grabbed me with both hands.
I was drawn to it because of my family ties with South Wales and the steel works, my love of France and ships.
Graham has written a book that moves with a pace that keeps you wanting to turn the page to discover the next fate that await’s. This is an epic amalgamation of fact and fiction so good you can’t see the joins it flows so well.
The historical facts leave you with dazed revelation of the massive loss of life in wars during the period, the injustices and the corruption that befell the time.
This story grabs you. I had never read anything like this at school in the 50’s & 60’s I wish I was able, history was never so entertaining. A must read book!
November 7, 2014
Great epic read
Graham Watkins The Iron Masters is far from my usual target read but I was delighted to have picked it up. Quite an epic tale spanning not just time, but place and capturing the complex chicanery of the great 18th century industrial era, this book has it all. Graham has filled the pages with clearly well researched detail, but cleverly entwined a riveting tale between the many historical details, that I must confess I can only assume to be true. I am never a plot spoiler but I can tell you that you will enjoy the journey and the ultimate destination in the well written historical novel. Well done graham, Lovely Characterisation, wonderful detail and a great read.
Graham Watkins The Iron Masters is far from my usual target read but I was delighted to have picked it up. Quite an epic tale spanning not just time, but place and capturing the complex chicanery of the great 18th century industrial era, this book has it all. Graham has filled the pages with clearly well researched detail, but cleverly entwined a riveting tale between the many historical details, that I must confess I can only assume to be true. I am never a plot spoiler but I can tell you that you will enjoy the journey and the ultimate destination in the well written historical novel. Well done graham, Lovely Characterisation, wonderful detail and a great read.
September 22, 2014
This is one of the best books about entrepreneurial activity I have read. It charts the rise of a businessman, Vaughn, in 18th century Britain, using guile and commercial skills that are still valid today. A potent reminder of how great fortunes can still be made by anyone with the right determination. OK, today's captains of industry don't kill each other as far as I know, they don't blackmail, commit arson, bribe politicians, brutalise their employees and operate cartels; or do they?
Despite Vaughn's vices, he's a winner and I liked him. A good read.
Despite Vaughn's vices, he's a winner and I liked him. A good read.
February 18, 2015
I don’t have a great deal of knowledge about this period of time, although I do have some interest in the Napoleonic era. So this book was an excellent way to delve into it. Graham Watkins helps the reader along the route, by telling an epic tale of struggle and devious business dealings. He obviously knows his history of the period inside out, and brings his characters and places to life in a way that is sure to both inform and delight the reader in equal measure. Excellent stuff.
March 13, 2015
This book has something for everyone. It is an amazing story filled with the history of the iron industry, British and French battles, innovations in industry, labor disputes, deadly diseases, and heart warming romances. Looking forward to reading the sequel!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews