Flashpoint

Acts of War #1

by Aeryn Rudel

Forged in the fires of conflict, the Iron Kingdoms is a fantastic realm where the combined power of magic and technology thunders across a landscape shaped by war. Dominating the field of battle are rare individuals who have mastered both arcane and martial combat and who boldly lead mighty armies in the ongoing struggle to claim victory over these ancient lands.

An Untrustworthy Ally Is More Dangerous Than a Known Enemy
Lord General Coleman Stryker is one of the greatest heroes of the Iron Kingdoms. As a warcaster, Stryker leads the armies of Cygnar and commands the power of the mighty steam-powered automatons known as warjacks.

Chosen by his king to liberate the conquered lands of Llael from Cygnar’s long-standing enemy, the Empire of Khador, Stryker finds himself forced to work with one of his most bitter enemies—the exiled mercenary Asheth Magnus, a man to whom Cygnar’s king owes his life. Unchecked, Magnus could easily betray Stryker, undermine the mission, or even bring Cygnar to its knees. But to claim victory for his king, Stryker will have to find a way to put his faith in a man he can’t trust.

As the war against Khador and its own fierce commanders looms, Stryker’s success or failure will become the flash point that determines the fate of all the Iron Kingdoms.

Genres: Fantasy

346 pages, Paperback

Published July 13, 2016

About the author

Aeryn Rudel is a writer from Seattle, Washington. He is the author of the Acts of War novels published by Privateer Press, and his short fiction has appeared in The Arcanist, The Molotov Cocktail, and Pseudopod, among others. Aeryn is a notorious dinosaur nerd, a baseball fanatic, and knows far more about swords than is healthy or socially acceptable. He occasionally offers dubious advice on the subjects of writing and rejection (mostly rejection) at www.rejectomancy.com or Twitter @Aeryn_Rudel.

Reviews

[Walt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flashpoint was an ok read, light on plot, heavy on action. Like most books set in a world based on another product this one seemed aimed at the lowest common denominator of privateer press' target audience. But that's all what I expected so no big deal. It focuses on just the main characters who of course are products in the warmachine line of miniatures but tries a little too hard to make them seem awesome. I enjoyed the combat scenes which get me pumped to play Warmachine (the whole reason I read the book). I wish the author had put a little more effort into actually understanding the military realities associated with managing and fighting a force of 8000 men. That would have made the book more interesting. As would more rank and file characters. The thing I liked least was the main character, Lord Commander Coleman Stryker. For a supposed veteran commander and warrior he comes off as rather naive in regards to the realities of war. At points he seems more like an angsty emo teen than a professional veteran soldier. By the end of the book I actively disliked him. It will be tough for me to play him in the future. If you like warmachine its decent fluff to keep your interest up between games.

[fasz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very cookie cutter prose, dialogue, characterization, descriptions, and plot. Basically nothing particularly good, not annoying or bad either except the action, that was terrible. It was ok, literal 2 stars.
Though there was one aspect that ground my gears a little. The book ignores certain warjack related rules (particularly their effective distance a warcaster can control them from) that are not only a tabletop abstraction but are present in other literature of the Iron Kingdoms, so should be thought of as canon.

[Aznable · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been away from the fiction for Warmachine/Hordes since the expansion books stopped being released. I finally took a plunge on the e-book after the Stormbreak announcement, and was not disappointed! There were a few editing errors, but the action and pace of the book was sound, and the story was well structured.

[Anthony Hake · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really cool introspective look into the setting of the Iron kingdoms. The descriptions of battle are apt, and easy enough to keep up with without knowing too much jargon. The drama gives each character life they don't have in the regular tabletop game. A splendid read for anyone into steampunk warfare or are like myself into the tabletop game

[William Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the frustrating plot armor is as thick as ever, Flashpoint does offer an enjoyable dose of action packed genre fiction. As with the other books in this setting the novel could be enjoyed by those unfamiliar with the Iron Kingdoms, but is clearly marketed towards those already initiated into that universe.

The best segments follow Asheth Magnus, a complicated character who serves as a welcome breath of fresh air surrounded by so many cookie-cutter instances of the 'honorable soldier' archetype. There's a situation at the end which I won't spoil which perfectly encapsulates the complicated nature of Magnus and was genuinely impressive.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good Iron Kingdoms story

A good yarn. Quick and easy to digest.

The story gave a lot of insight into the setting and it's characters without feeling like it had to shoe horn in characters for the game's sake.

There was a lot of repetition. In places the same cliches were used repeatedly "the words were ash in his mouth/on his tongue" and explanations of the magic or function of items were repeated. It seems more like a case of bad editing rather than laziness of the author.

Overall, it was a good read and reminded me of what I like about the setting.

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flashpoint is a great introduction to the Acts of War, Iron Kingdoms Chronicles. It gives a good insight on the characters and all the details surrounding them. While this seemed to be a book that was easily to follow, it does go deep into the "warmachine" theme. The characters in this book were enemies, forced to work with one another in a plot that continues to thicken. Great writing for Aeryn Rudel with a superb imagination!! Thank you for allowing me to read and review this book!