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Heart of Bronze #1
Iron Dawn
In the aftermath of the Trojan War, Barra the Pict, an axe-wielding mercenary from the North, joins battle against an evil necromancer who threatens to unleash an army of the undead upon the busy port city of Tyre. Reprint.
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
2 people are currently reading
449 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Woodring Stover
51 books1,014 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 - 24 of 24 reviews
April 10, 2016
A good story from a favorite author. It begins slowly and picks up pace slowly. This is a standard heroic fantasy story, almost sword and sorcery. Toward the middle of the book the profanity seemed to come out, so if that offends you then be sure to stay away, but otherwise it was a solid good read. This one didn't grab me like the Caine novels but a good read none the less.
April 11, 2024
Just a bucket of fun. You can see bits and pieces of what Stover would eventually dive deep on with The Acts of Caine—the ethical struggle of violent people, nonlinear storytelling, and snarky humor in the midst of grave events.
But overall this is much more straightforward. The book is tightly woven and paced fairly well, with a crazy climax and heartwarming relationships.
But overall this is much more straightforward. The book is tightly woven and paced fairly well, with a crazy climax and heartwarming relationships.
March 11, 2025
TW / CW: non-perpetrator reference to multiple instances of sexual assault
portions of this book was so hard to sit through, the mindless cruelty of it all, and the social tolerance, nay, eagerness.
well-written book, i am (mostly) glad for the reddit recommendation, particularly for the sequel.
portions of this book was so hard to sit through, the mindless cruelty of it all, and the social tolerance, nay, eagerness.
well-written book, i am (mostly) glad for the reddit recommendation, particularly for the sequel.
February 15, 2019
If ever there was a case for not judging a book by its cover...
December 31, 2018
They were still doing sword & sorcery in the late 90s? An exciting, gory adventure following three mercenaries who aren't as heartless as their money-hungry ways may suggest. It's also a rare fictional reconstruction of the Greek Dark Ages and the Egyptian empire's border territories in its waning days (give or take a platoon of corpse-warriors).
If only this had been written but five years later and Barra could have been properly gay...
If only this had been written but five years later and Barra could have been properly gay...
February 2, 2009
I have yet to read a Stover book I haven't liked, but I didn't love this entry. Part 1 was rather slow, but Part 2 picked up considerably for a tremendous conclusion. If there was an option for 3.5 stars on this forum, that's what I'd give "Iron Dawn," but it just wasn't quite four stars for me.
March 18, 2012
With all the trappings of a terrible fantasy novel (bad name and cover art) I'd never have picked this book up if it wasn't written by Stover. It started a little slow, but turned out to be a great read. I'm looking forward to the next in the series, the (yet again) terribly named Jericho Moon.
February 19, 2010
Not bad for his first book. I'd rate this guy somewhere between two and three stars. The book kept my interest and had a lot of great stuff going for it: clever dialogue, plenty of action, and a compelling story without gaping plot holes. The characters did seem a tad bit flat--Stover makes some effort to round them out, but simply doesn't quite make them (or their troubles) compelling enough. Leucas in particular didn't really show any personality beyond the basic warrior archetype. Kheperu had a little bit going for him but didn't quite manage to be three-dimensional. Barra only managed a semblance of personality because of the sceon-tif (or whatever it was called) made her. And these guys need more motivation than following Barra around because she's one tough chick.
The bad guys were truly and horribly bad, despicably so, and I wish Stover would have made them at least a little bit more sympathetic. This is just a matter of taste, of course.
Stover could do with a little less gore and violence. Rape and torture are facts of life, I suppose, but they don't have to be so in-your-face disgusting. I prefer a more subtle approach to horror. Less manipulative.
The wolf as pet pretty much flopped. Anybody who knows anything about wolves and wolf hybrids will know that they aren't dogs and can't be domesticated in the same manner as dogs, no matter how young you get them...so a lot of the Graegduz stuff fell completely flat for me.
The bad guys were truly and horribly bad, despicably so, and I wish Stover would have made them at least a little bit more sympathetic. This is just a matter of taste, of course.
Stover could do with a little less gore and violence. Rape and torture are facts of life, I suppose, but they don't have to be so in-your-face disgusting. I prefer a more subtle approach to horror. Less manipulative.
The wolf as pet pretty much flopped. Anybody who knows anything about wolves and wolf hybrids will know that they aren't dogs and can't be domesticated in the same manner as dogs, no matter how young you get them...so a lot of the Graegduz stuff fell completely flat for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2017
The book started out somewhat slow, but it had some good action scenes and character moments.
I also liked how it was set in an altered history, referencing various battles and such from pre-A.D. times and just adding magic or subtle changes to suit the story.
Overall, I recommend this to fantasy fans who want something more down-to-earth than your typical dungeon raids and dragon-slaying.
I also liked how it was set in an altered history, referencing various battles and such from pre-A.D. times and just adding magic or subtle changes to suit the story.
Overall, I recommend this to fantasy fans who want something more down-to-earth than your typical dungeon raids and dragon-slaying.
November 25, 2020
A good romp, but far from Stover's best work.
Iron Dawn is essentially a very typical sword and sorcery adventure, though the blending of different mythologies/cultures in it does provide a unique aspect to it.
While I noticed several of the reviews I saw at a glance mentioning a slow beginning, that was actually my favorite part. As usual Stover is a pro at getting you introduced to and familiar with a cast of characters quite adeptly so the opening "mystery" arc had me turning pages the quickest. While sporting some stereotypical elements, I actually found the main trio to be distinct and realized characters, and Stover always knows how to make immediately detestable villains.
That being said I found the payoff fairly flat, with an anticlimactic end and quite a few villain tropes that weighed down what could have been some great antagonists(two cases of capturing but not killing the heroes and a "we aren't so different you and I" comment). There is also a touch too much convenience in how the heroes are able to deal with seemingly insurmountable odds, in addition to the villains foolish tropes.
To be honest, the fact that this seemingly was released a year before Heroes Die surprised me when I finished it. To me the overall quality and ambition of HD seems many years apart from this, though Stover has said he edited HD meticulously over many years. With Iron Dawn it seemed like Stover enjoyed building the world and characters but didn't want to do the legwork of wrapping everything up.
All that said this is a good choice if you are a huge fan of Stover or just want a fun and easy ready and don't mind it being a touch generic.
Iron Dawn is essentially a very typical sword and sorcery adventure, though the blending of different mythologies/cultures in it does provide a unique aspect to it.
While I noticed several of the reviews I saw at a glance mentioning a slow beginning, that was actually my favorite part. As usual Stover is a pro at getting you introduced to and familiar with a cast of characters quite adeptly so the opening "mystery" arc had me turning pages the quickest. While sporting some stereotypical elements, I actually found the main trio to be distinct and realized characters, and Stover always knows how to make immediately detestable villains.
That being said I found the payoff fairly flat, with an anticlimactic end and quite a few villain tropes that weighed down what could have been some great antagonists(two cases of capturing but not killing the heroes and a "we aren't so different you and I" comment). There is also a touch too much convenience in how the heroes are able to deal with seemingly insurmountable odds, in addition to the villains foolish tropes.
To be honest, the fact that this seemingly was released a year before Heroes Die surprised me when I finished it. To me the overall quality and ambition of HD seems many years apart from this, though Stover has said he edited HD meticulously over many years. With Iron Dawn it seemed like Stover enjoyed building the world and characters but didn't want to do the legwork of wrapping everything up.
All that said this is a good choice if you are a huge fan of Stover or just want a fun and easy ready and don't mind it being a touch generic.
April 9, 2024
The dedication for this book is for Stover's RPG group and that's fitting. Strip away the veneer of Bronze Age Phoenicia and you have a Fighter, a Barbarian, and a Wizard trying to score their next mercenary gig. It's a good debut novel, but gets a little creaky in the pacing department. If you enjoy Stover's Star Wars or Acts of Caine series, this is a great pick-up to show how much he's developed as a writer.
July 27, 2019
My real rating would be a 2.5, if I could. The highlight for me was the setting - it really came alive in the telling - and I liked the main characters, but overall things were a little too dark and sensationally gory for me personally, and as the book went on I got worn out. But I also couldn't let it go until I actually finished it, so it was certainly gripping in spite of that!
January 21, 2025
It took me a bit to get through this one. I've read some of Stover's other work and this is definitely an earlier one as far as those go. I think this got better in the last half of the book for sure. The first half was slow to develop and slow to figure out the general direction of the plot. I think those are things that Stover fixed in his later writing, thankfully.
April 28, 2021
A fun, D&D-esque adventure with great characters in an atypical but cool setting (Tyre in the generations after the Trojan War and Kadesh), with a nasty villain who isn't as powerful as he thinks he is.
February 25, 2018
Fun bit of fantasy. This is not quite my genre, but it was well written. The author had great detail and story telling.
May 10, 2019
Loved the characters, the bad guys were sooooper evil, good suspense as the story built, but felt like it ended quite abruptly. Barra's awesome, and Graeg is the very bestest boy.
February 16, 2024
It was a solid book. Started slow but steadily built. Was a nice throwback to a sword and sorcery (though mostly axe with little magic)
April 8, 2024
This was a pleasant surprise. I’ve heard great things about his heroes die series and looked up what else he’s written in the series caught my eye. Sword and sorcery set in the historical setting of Tyre, a decade after the Trojan War. Stover is a fantastic writer and his character work really brought the cast to life. I will continue right away to read its sequel. An easy 5 stars for me!
December 29, 2025
It was a good book. Raw for the time it was written but given the fantasy fiction environment now, it doesn't doesn't really stand the test of time. It is a book that tries to be ten things at one time and maybe succeeds in being seven of those things.
April 12, 2015
Uma das coisas que mais busco em um romance de fantasia é a sensação de estar lendo algo diferente, uma nova forma de usar os temas tradicionais desse tipo de narrativa. A grande profusão de livros de fantasia faz com que os clichês contaminem muitos autores. Clichês surgem principalmente da preguiça dos autores em se esforçar para criar algo diferente, ou pelo menos retrabalhar os elementos tradicionais em uma forma que fique interessante para os leitores mais veteranos de fantasia.
Não é por acaso que virei um seguidor fiel da obra de Matthew Woodring Stover. Seus Acts of Caine (cujos quatro volumes resenhei aqui: Heroe’s Die, Blade of Tyshalle, Caine Black Knife, Caine’s Law) são fascinantes pelo modo como ele renova, desconstrói e ao mesmo tempo reforça a tradição literária da Espada e Magia, introduzindo elementos contemporâneos ao mesmo tempo que mantém a energia e a selvageria tradicionais do gênero.
Corri atrás dos outros livros do cara, e descobri seus dois primeiros livros, a duologia Heart of Bronze, Iron Dawn (vol.1) e Jericho Moon (vol. 2). Esses livros, que estão fora de catálogo, forma recentemente republicados em versão ebook no site Fsand. A versão física do livro possui uma capa que não ajuda muito, mas a história é muito boa, e dá para notar já nesse primeiro livro, que esse é o autor que futuramente escreveria Heroe’s Die (que também ganhou inicialmente uma capa horrenda).
Iron Dawn, publicado em 1997, antecipou a onda de mulheres guerreiras com Barra, uma bárbara picta que usa machados como sua arma favorita. A história se passa na Era do Bronze, na cidade de Tiro, a cidade mais importante da Fenícia, pouco tempo depois da batalha de Tróia (1.200 a.C.). Barra é uma mercenária, e junto com seus parceiros, o gigante ateniense Leucas, e o mago egípcio tarado viciado doidimais Kepheru, enfrentam uma grande conspiração que ameaça toda a região.
A narrativa mistura elementos fantásticos com uma recriação histórica da cidade de Tiro, que, como um centro comercial importante do período, é repleta de mercadores, mercenários e viajantes de diversas partes do mundo. A prosa de Matthew é bem ágil e viva, e apesar da primeira parte da história ser mais lenta, os personagens são bem caracterizados, principalmente a guerreira Barra (que é uma mãe solteira que preferiu a vida de mercenária a ficar em casa cuidando dos filhos).
A segunda parte do livro é emocionante e, mais uma vez, o final é bem desesperador, bem no estilo do Stover. Esse autor é da escola “George R.R. Martin” de sentar o cacete em seus protagonistas, o que torna Iron Dawn mais um livro para leitores de nervos fortes.
Kepheru, o mago egípcio, é um espetáculo a parte e o livro valeria só para conhecer esse mago pervertido. Sua magia é baseada em pós, poções e conhecimentos químicos (que para a época era algo totalmente sobrenatural).
Fica a recomendação, um excelente livro de fantasia que quebra várias expectativas do leitor de maneira inteligente.
E agora vamos para Jericho Moon, infelizmente o segundo e último livro desse cenário.
Não é por acaso que virei um seguidor fiel da obra de Matthew Woodring Stover. Seus Acts of Caine (cujos quatro volumes resenhei aqui: Heroe’s Die, Blade of Tyshalle, Caine Black Knife, Caine’s Law) são fascinantes pelo modo como ele renova, desconstrói e ao mesmo tempo reforça a tradição literária da Espada e Magia, introduzindo elementos contemporâneos ao mesmo tempo que mantém a energia e a selvageria tradicionais do gênero.
Corri atrás dos outros livros do cara, e descobri seus dois primeiros livros, a duologia Heart of Bronze, Iron Dawn (vol.1) e Jericho Moon (vol. 2). Esses livros, que estão fora de catálogo, forma recentemente republicados em versão ebook no site Fsand. A versão física do livro possui uma capa que não ajuda muito, mas a história é muito boa, e dá para notar já nesse primeiro livro, que esse é o autor que futuramente escreveria Heroe’s Die (que também ganhou inicialmente uma capa horrenda).
Iron Dawn, publicado em 1997, antecipou a onda de mulheres guerreiras com Barra, uma bárbara picta que usa machados como sua arma favorita. A história se passa na Era do Bronze, na cidade de Tiro, a cidade mais importante da Fenícia, pouco tempo depois da batalha de Tróia (1.200 a.C.). Barra é uma mercenária, e junto com seus parceiros, o gigante ateniense Leucas, e o mago egípcio tarado viciado doidimais Kepheru, enfrentam uma grande conspiração que ameaça toda a região.
A narrativa mistura elementos fantásticos com uma recriação histórica da cidade de Tiro, que, como um centro comercial importante do período, é repleta de mercadores, mercenários e viajantes de diversas partes do mundo. A prosa de Matthew é bem ágil e viva, e apesar da primeira parte da história ser mais lenta, os personagens são bem caracterizados, principalmente a guerreira Barra (que é uma mãe solteira que preferiu a vida de mercenária a ficar em casa cuidando dos filhos).
A segunda parte do livro é emocionante e, mais uma vez, o final é bem desesperador, bem no estilo do Stover. Esse autor é da escola “George R.R. Martin” de sentar o cacete em seus protagonistas, o que torna Iron Dawn mais um livro para leitores de nervos fortes.
Kepheru, o mago egípcio, é um espetáculo a parte e o livro valeria só para conhecer esse mago pervertido. Sua magia é baseada em pós, poções e conhecimentos químicos (que para a época era algo totalmente sobrenatural).
Fica a recomendação, um excelente livro de fantasia que quebra várias expectativas do leitor de maneira inteligente.
E agora vamos para Jericho Moon, infelizmente o segundo e último livro desse cenário.
February 16, 2016
I gave up re-reading this book on page 250, not because the book was awful, but because I can't stay awake while reading it. I'm honestly baffled by it.
This is a good book. This is my second time reading it, actually. The first time was in 2012 while I was on vacation and I thought this book was incredible. I still do think it's incredible, I swear, I just can't get through it.
What I really love about this book is the sheer diversity of the characters. A Pict, an Athenian, and an Egyptian are the main characters, and the book is so rich in other cultures that it astounds me. You can tell Stover did his research on different ancient cultures. He brings them back to life in such a vibrant, real way that I'm constantly in awe. It's not 'here's the Pict culture and just the Picts' like so many other novels out there, it's 'here's the Pict culture when it's grafted into the Greek culture and adopted by Tyreians.' I love it. I'm sad to be putting this down, but I need to move on. Maybe I'll finish it for sure on spring break.
This is a good book. This is my second time reading it, actually. The first time was in 2012 while I was on vacation and I thought this book was incredible. I still do think it's incredible, I swear, I just can't get through it.
What I really love about this book is the sheer diversity of the characters. A Pict, an Athenian, and an Egyptian are the main characters, and the book is so rich in other cultures that it astounds me. You can tell Stover did his research on different ancient cultures. He brings them back to life in such a vibrant, real way that I'm constantly in awe. It's not 'here's the Pict culture and just the Picts' like so many other novels out there, it's 'here's the Pict culture when it's grafted into the Greek culture and adopted by Tyreians.' I love it. I'm sad to be putting this down, but I need to move on. Maybe I'll finish it for sure on spring break.
December 26, 2024
A quick read, a great mix of sword & Sorcery in a historical (ish) backdrop. Characters are deeper than you'd expect, but not so deep as to bog down the plot. Plot is slow to get moving, and ends abruptly, but on the whole everything is good fun. Stover writes action brilliantly as usual.
Doesn't hurt the score that my D&D party basically mirrors the 3 main characters too. It's...rather uncanny actually.
Doesn't hurt the score that my D&D party basically mirrors the 3 main characters too. It's...rather uncanny actually.
April 18, 2012
A great Fantasy book mixing Ancient History and Might and Magic badassery. Very enjoyable.
April 22, 2023
It turns out the real dawn was the dawning of friendships we made along the way
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews