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Heart of Bronze #1-2
Heart of Bronze: Iron Dawn/Jericho Moon
793 pp. This book club omnibus edition gathers together the novels IRON DAWN and JERICHO MOON.
- GenresFantasyFictionHistorical
793 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
1 person is currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Woodring Stover
51 books1,010 followersMatthew Woodring Stover is an American fantasy and science fiction author. He is perhaps best known for his Star Wars novels -- Traitor, Shatterpoint, Revenge of the Sith and Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor. He has also published several pieces of original work, such as Heroes Die, which Stover described as 'a piece of violent entertainment that is a meditation on violent entertainment'. Stover's work often emphasises moral ambiguity, psychological verisimilitude and bursts of intense violence.
Stover is deeply interested in various forms of martial arts, having trained in the Degerberg Blend, a concept that utilises the thought behind Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do as its foundation.
Stover is deeply interested in various forms of martial arts, having trained in the Degerberg Blend, a concept that utilises the thought behind Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do as its foundation.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 13, 2011
IRON DAWN
I became a pretty much diehard Matthew Stover fan when, based on the strength of his amazing Star Wars tie-in novel, Traitor, I decided to give his original fiction a try. The result was falling in love with his Acts of Caine series. I also snapped up and read the rest of his SW work (if you read only one SW book in your life, make sure it's Stover's novelization of Revenge of the Sith.) And for a few years now, I've had a SFBC omnibus edition titled Heart of Bronze that contains the first two books Stover got published: Iron Dawn (1997) and Jericho Moon (1998).
I'm sure everyone has one of those books that you always intend to read, but every time you're about to get to it, you find yourself drawn to something else. This was that book for me. I dunno why; I've loved everything else he's written. So this past December, when I decided to join in on the Speculative Fiction Challenge 2011, I decided that I would finally read this as part of the challenge.
Iron Dawn is the first book, and introduces the three main protagonists: Barra, a red-headed Pictish princess-turned-mercenary; Leucas, a huge Athenian boxer, and veteran of the Siege of Troy; and Kheperu, a cunning Egyptian alchemist/sorceror. When Iron Dawn kicks off, the three have only recently banded together as a small mercenary company, and are still getting to know each other, and the interactions between the three are great fun to read.
The setting (as one might deduce from Leucas' description) is the Late Bronze Age, with the Trojan War only 10 years or so in the past, and the destruction of Jericho at the hands of the Israelites about twice that old. And most of the action is confined to the city of Tyre. It sounds like historical fiction, though it's definitely fantasy; Stover fills Tyre with numerous different peoples and languages and political powers, but there's also magic and gods and demons and all of those great fantasy staples.
The story is relatively-straightforward sword-and-sorcery stuff; Barra and her companions are looking for mercenary work, but they (naturally) get in over their heads, and wind up having to take down a despotic prince with plans to enslave all of Tyre. Those familiar with Stover's Caine books will know what to expect here, including strong characters, great action, and a plot with some twists and turns in it, as well as lots of profanity and graphic violence. It's obviously an earlier work, though, and reading it, it's hard not to think, "I can tell this is the guy who'll go on to write Heroes Die."
I had some problems with the pacing; especially in the first half or so, where it felt like every chapter consisted of Barra and company heading out into town to investigate, then reconvening back at their lodgings. It was hard to get a grasp on what the overall plot was, and I have to admit I had to force myself to pick the book back up more than one night. But once the plot finally kicked in, once the big threat finally began to emerge, it was much easier going. Stover knows how to write action, after all, and I especially liked how his heroes are not immune to miscalculation, nor to being surprised or overpowered. Barra alone with her axe, versus half a dozen professional mercenaries? In a typical fantasy story, of course Barra would whup 'em all, but Stover's fights are always more realistic, as are the results.
The other issue I had (and which probably affected my perception of the pacing) was Stover's tendency to overuse the flashback device. For example, one chapter would end with the heroes fleeing. The next would pick up the story a number of hours later, with Barra reflecting on what they're going to do now; and after a page or two of this, we get a flashback that picks up from the end of last chapter and catches us up to the beginning of this one. It's not an uncommon device in fiction, but Stover just seems to use it far too much.
So I had my issues with it, but overall I enjoyed it. Barra, Leucas, and Kheperu are some of Stover's best characters, and I found the setting to be fascinating and unique. Not his best novel by a long shot, but come on, it's Matthew F@#$ing Stover. A must-read for those who are already Stover fans, but also a solid sword-and-sorcery fantasy worth checking out just for the unique setting. [3.5 out of 5 stars]
JERICHO MOON
Jericho Moon is the second of Matthew Stover's books featuring the Pictish mercenary, Barra Coll Eigg Rhum, and makes up the second half of the Heart of Bronze omnibus.
Unlike the previous book, the plot here is rather—or maybe (since this is Stover) I should say, incredibly—straightforward: Barra and her compatriots—Leucas, the Greek warrior, and Kheperu, the Egyptian alchemist—take a job to rescue Agaz, Prince of Jebusi, from the clutches of the Israelites. It's not too much of a spoiler to say that they succeed (though it's not such a simple task) in getting Agaz home. The thing is, once they do, they discover that the nation of Israel now plans to conquer Jebusi, which they call "Jerusalem". So Barra has to decide whether to take her money and run, or to stand and fight against the Israelites and their god, Yahweh. (Guess which option she chooses.)
At times, this was an...uncomfortable book to read, on account of my own Christianity. I've read about fictionalized versions of "God" before, and generally taken little issue with any of it. (In particular, Piers Anthony's Incarnations series comes to mind: his take on God could be seen as blasphemous to some, while I found myself amused more than anything.) But Stover is going for historical versimillitude in these books; it's not necessarily historically accurate, but he intends it to feel that way, and indeed, it generally does. So it's frankly disconcerting to see Yahweh portrayed as a bloodthirsty god that thrives on death and destruction. I was nervous going into the book because I knew (to some small extent) the direction that the story would take; yet I read on anyway, because Stover likes to make you think, and I didn't want to shy away from that. And indeed, his depiction comes almost straight out of the Old Testament: we (and Barra) see firsthand the devastation that was once the city of Jericho, where at God's command the Israelites slaughtered every living creature there. It's not pretty, and I know many Christians who have difficulty reconciling the God of the Old Testament with that of the New Testament.
We get the Israelites' perspective on this, too, as much of the book is told from the viewpoint of Joshua, the leader of Israel. Via his inner monologue, we find that he sees his job as being that of protecting his people from the wrath of Yahweh. I don't necessarily agree with the thought, but it is an interesting one. As is the question that comes up: what if the Israelites didn't want to be God's Chosen People? If Stover's portrayal of the relationship between Israel and their God didn't quite agree with me, his depiction of the Israelites in general was well done. Joshua in particular is an extremely well-written character, and many of the "background" Israelites are seen to be men of strong faith and decency. There's a somewhat slimy priest, Eleazar, but even he's given moments of empathy.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the "fantastification" of all of this otherwise-Biblical subject matter is Stover's handling of angels. They are, in fact, demons, which threw me for a second until I remembered that "angel" simply means "messenger", and in most fantasy (as here) a "demon" is merely a powerful creature summoned from some outer realm. As such, Stover's angels are rendered akin to Lovecraftian monsters, and the first glimpse we get of one is perhaps the most vivid and awe-inspiring depicition of an angel in fiction that I've ever read.
Of course, this book is about Barra and company, right? Well, okay, but there's not too much to say about that. Of course she stays to fight for Jebusi. There are some political machinations going on there, and one of the local gods wants to adopt Barra as her champion. Barra fights. Leucas fights. Kheperu does his thing. These three characters are great; it feels like they've developed a deeper bond as a result of the previous book, and their interactions are always fun to read. Unfortunately though, they spend much of the book's latter portions separated. Prince Agaz is also a great character and gets some good moments, but really, the book is about Joshua and the Israelites as much as anything. Beyond that, it's just a fun sword-and-sorcery adventure, but all of the historical details certainly raise it up a notch. [3.5 out of 5 stars]
I became a pretty much diehard Matthew Stover fan when, based on the strength of his amazing Star Wars tie-in novel, Traitor, I decided to give his original fiction a try. The result was falling in love with his Acts of Caine series. I also snapped up and read the rest of his SW work (if you read only one SW book in your life, make sure it's Stover's novelization of Revenge of the Sith.) And for a few years now, I've had a SFBC omnibus edition titled Heart of Bronze that contains the first two books Stover got published: Iron Dawn (1997) and Jericho Moon (1998).
I'm sure everyone has one of those books that you always intend to read, but every time you're about to get to it, you find yourself drawn to something else. This was that book for me. I dunno why; I've loved everything else he's written. So this past December, when I decided to join in on the Speculative Fiction Challenge 2011, I decided that I would finally read this as part of the challenge.
Iron Dawn is the first book, and introduces the three main protagonists: Barra, a red-headed Pictish princess-turned-mercenary; Leucas, a huge Athenian boxer, and veteran of the Siege of Troy; and Kheperu, a cunning Egyptian alchemist/sorceror. When Iron Dawn kicks off, the three have only recently banded together as a small mercenary company, and are still getting to know each other, and the interactions between the three are great fun to read.
The setting (as one might deduce from Leucas' description) is the Late Bronze Age, with the Trojan War only 10 years or so in the past, and the destruction of Jericho at the hands of the Israelites about twice that old. And most of the action is confined to the city of Tyre. It sounds like historical fiction, though it's definitely fantasy; Stover fills Tyre with numerous different peoples and languages and political powers, but there's also magic and gods and demons and all of those great fantasy staples.
The story is relatively-straightforward sword-and-sorcery stuff; Barra and her companions are looking for mercenary work, but they (naturally) get in over their heads, and wind up having to take down a despotic prince with plans to enslave all of Tyre. Those familiar with Stover's Caine books will know what to expect here, including strong characters, great action, and a plot with some twists and turns in it, as well as lots of profanity and graphic violence. It's obviously an earlier work, though, and reading it, it's hard not to think, "I can tell this is the guy who'll go on to write Heroes Die."
I had some problems with the pacing; especially in the first half or so, where it felt like every chapter consisted of Barra and company heading out into town to investigate, then reconvening back at their lodgings. It was hard to get a grasp on what the overall plot was, and I have to admit I had to force myself to pick the book back up more than one night. But once the plot finally kicked in, once the big threat finally began to emerge, it was much easier going. Stover knows how to write action, after all, and I especially liked how his heroes are not immune to miscalculation, nor to being surprised or overpowered. Barra alone with her axe, versus half a dozen professional mercenaries? In a typical fantasy story, of course Barra would whup 'em all, but Stover's fights are always more realistic, as are the results.
The other issue I had (and which probably affected my perception of the pacing) was Stover's tendency to overuse the flashback device. For example, one chapter would end with the heroes fleeing. The next would pick up the story a number of hours later, with Barra reflecting on what they're going to do now; and after a page or two of this, we get a flashback that picks up from the end of last chapter and catches us up to the beginning of this one. It's not an uncommon device in fiction, but Stover just seems to use it far too much.
So I had my issues with it, but overall I enjoyed it. Barra, Leucas, and Kheperu are some of Stover's best characters, and I found the setting to be fascinating and unique. Not his best novel by a long shot, but come on, it's Matthew F@#$ing Stover. A must-read for those who are already Stover fans, but also a solid sword-and-sorcery fantasy worth checking out just for the unique setting. [3.5 out of 5 stars]
JERICHO MOON
Jericho Moon is the second of Matthew Stover's books featuring the Pictish mercenary, Barra Coll Eigg Rhum, and makes up the second half of the Heart of Bronze omnibus.
Unlike the previous book, the plot here is rather—or maybe (since this is Stover) I should say, incredibly—straightforward: Barra and her compatriots—Leucas, the Greek warrior, and Kheperu, the Egyptian alchemist—take a job to rescue Agaz, Prince of Jebusi, from the clutches of the Israelites. It's not too much of a spoiler to say that they succeed (though it's not such a simple task) in getting Agaz home. The thing is, once they do, they discover that the nation of Israel now plans to conquer Jebusi, which they call "Jerusalem". So Barra has to decide whether to take her money and run, or to stand and fight against the Israelites and their god, Yahweh. (Guess which option she chooses.)
At times, this was an...uncomfortable book to read, on account of my own Christianity. I've read about fictionalized versions of "God" before, and generally taken little issue with any of it. (In particular, Piers Anthony's Incarnations series comes to mind: his take on God could be seen as blasphemous to some, while I found myself amused more than anything.) But Stover is going for historical versimillitude in these books; it's not necessarily historically accurate, but he intends it to feel that way, and indeed, it generally does. So it's frankly disconcerting to see Yahweh portrayed as a bloodthirsty god that thrives on death and destruction. I was nervous going into the book because I knew (to some small extent) the direction that the story would take; yet I read on anyway, because Stover likes to make you think, and I didn't want to shy away from that. And indeed, his depiction comes almost straight out of the Old Testament: we (and Barra) see firsthand the devastation that was once the city of Jericho, where at God's command the Israelites slaughtered every living creature there. It's not pretty, and I know many Christians who have difficulty reconciling the God of the Old Testament with that of the New Testament.
We get the Israelites' perspective on this, too, as much of the book is told from the viewpoint of Joshua, the leader of Israel. Via his inner monologue, we find that he sees his job as being that of protecting his people from the wrath of Yahweh. I don't necessarily agree with the thought, but it is an interesting one. As is the question that comes up: what if the Israelites didn't want to be God's Chosen People? If Stover's portrayal of the relationship between Israel and their God didn't quite agree with me, his depiction of the Israelites in general was well done. Joshua in particular is an extremely well-written character, and many of the "background" Israelites are seen to be men of strong faith and decency. There's a somewhat slimy priest, Eleazar, but even he's given moments of empathy.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the "fantastification" of all of this otherwise-Biblical subject matter is Stover's handling of angels. They are, in fact, demons, which threw me for a second until I remembered that "angel" simply means "messenger", and in most fantasy (as here) a "demon" is merely a powerful creature summoned from some outer realm. As such, Stover's angels are rendered akin to Lovecraftian monsters, and the first glimpse we get of one is perhaps the most vivid and awe-inspiring depicition of an angel in fiction that I've ever read.
Of course, this book is about Barra and company, right? Well, okay, but there's not too much to say about that. Of course she stays to fight for Jebusi. There are some political machinations going on there, and one of the local gods wants to adopt Barra as her champion. Barra fights. Leucas fights. Kheperu does his thing. These three characters are great; it feels like they've developed a deeper bond as a result of the previous book, and their interactions are always fun to read. Unfortunately though, they spend much of the book's latter portions separated. Prince Agaz is also a great character and gets some good moments, but really, the book is about Joshua and the Israelites as much as anything. Beyond that, it's just a fun sword-and-sorcery adventure, but all of the historical details certainly raise it up a notch. [3.5 out of 5 stars]
June 5, 2010
This is nearly a classic fantasy novel, minus the dragons and other weird races. Set in pre-iron age Middle East, the author uses the correct ancient names for the cities, people and languages of the time. This is two books set in one, but they run continuously as a story.
Barra, a princess warrior from Eire, leads a trio of mercenaries. Her partners are Leucas, a giant Athenian man, and Kheperu, an Egyptian. True to the time and hearts of mercenaries, they work for money. The chemistry between these partner's is of brotherly love. They often taught each other, but in times of need they are there fighting with all the courage they can muster.
In the first book, they take a job in Tyre that is relatively easy, but then Barra is faced with leaving her home town in a situation of dire need. To that end, she faces down the prince of Egypt himself.
The second book the situation is a standard rescue mission that turns into a no-so-standard save the city from eminent destruction. This destruction would really be two gods fighting through their respective vessels over the lives of thousands of Jesubites of Jebusi -- which the enemy calls Jerusalem.
My favourite part about these stories is that it is historical fiction-ish. The author took care to get the ancient names as correct as possible, then weaved a story out of it. It is a lot of fun, a take on the "old fantasy" before Tolkien ever influenced the fantasy realm. Fighting, swearing, epic battles, and plenty of trickery can be found within.
Barra, a princess warrior from Eire, leads a trio of mercenaries. Her partners are Leucas, a giant Athenian man, and Kheperu, an Egyptian. True to the time and hearts of mercenaries, they work for money. The chemistry between these partner's is of brotherly love. They often taught each other, but in times of need they are there fighting with all the courage they can muster.
In the first book, they take a job in Tyre that is relatively easy, but then Barra is faced with leaving her home town in a situation of dire need. To that end, she faces down the prince of Egypt himself.
The second book the situation is a standard rescue mission that turns into a no-so-standard save the city from eminent destruction. This destruction would really be two gods fighting through their respective vessels over the lives of thousands of Jesubites of Jebusi -- which the enemy calls Jerusalem.
My favourite part about these stories is that it is historical fiction-ish. The author took care to get the ancient names as correct as possible, then weaved a story out of it. It is a lot of fun, a take on the "old fantasy" before Tolkien ever influenced the fantasy realm. Fighting, swearing, epic battles, and plenty of trickery can be found within.
November 28, 2013
I was surprised how much I liked Heart of Bronze. It's set in various Bronze Age Mediterranean locations, referencing or directly involving a number of classical and pre-classical events and civilizations: the fall of Troy, the razing of Jericho, the reign of Ramses the Great are all supposed to take place in the same few decades.
Three mercenaries--a Pictish warrior/trader/scribe, an Athenian Trojan war veteran, and an Egyptian "magician" (read: chemist and prestidigitator) keep finding trouble in search of a big payday.
It works remarkably well. Barra the Pict has her own pet wolf, a cliche and usually a flashing red light. But Stover pulls it off. His prose is adequate but his plotting, pacing, and world-building are fantastic.
Three mercenaries--a Pictish warrior/trader/scribe, an Athenian Trojan war veteran, and an Egyptian "magician" (read: chemist and prestidigitator) keep finding trouble in search of a big payday.
It works remarkably well. Barra the Pict has her own pet wolf, a cliche and usually a flashing red light. But Stover pulls it off. His prose is adequate but his plotting, pacing, and world-building are fantastic.
April 8, 2024
This was bloody awesome. The Heart
of Bronze is a duology consisting Iron Dawn and
Jericho Moon. I have an omnibus copy w both books
in 1. It's sword and sorcery in a historical setting
around 1500 bce. Book 1 takes places in the ancient
city of Tyre. Book 2 in Jebusi aka Jerusalem.
We follow a group of mercenaries consisting of a
Pictish woman, an Athenian veteran from the Trojan
War, and an Egyptian exiled sorcerer. Book 1 was
great and book 2 ramped the stakes up 10 fold, with
one of the greatest battles I've read.
HoB is a very underrated series that deserves more
attention. Matthew Woodring Stover is a fantastic
writer and storvteller. I first heard of him from his
Heroes Die series, which I'Il be picking up soon. He's
also well known for writing several well acclaimed
Star Wars novels.
10 out of 10.
of Bronze is a duology consisting Iron Dawn and
Jericho Moon. I have an omnibus copy w both books
in 1. It's sword and sorcery in a historical setting
around 1500 bce. Book 1 takes places in the ancient
city of Tyre. Book 2 in Jebusi aka Jerusalem.
We follow a group of mercenaries consisting of a
Pictish woman, an Athenian veteran from the Trojan
War, and an Egyptian exiled sorcerer. Book 1 was
great and book 2 ramped the stakes up 10 fold, with
one of the greatest battles I've read.
HoB is a very underrated series that deserves more
attention. Matthew Woodring Stover is a fantastic
writer and storvteller. I first heard of him from his
Heroes Die series, which I'Il be picking up soon. He's
also well known for writing several well acclaimed
Star Wars novels.
10 out of 10.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews