Book Review: Lords of Iron by MJ Porter
Part of the Rachel’s Random Resources Blog Tour
Lords of Iron by MJ Porter
Today, as part of the Rachel’s Random Resources blog tour, I’m delighted to be doing a book review of Lords of Iron by MJ Porter, set during an exciting, turbulent, and violent time in England’s history.
Book Description
During Britannia’s tribal age, vengeance is brutal, bloody and will come for even those who think themselves invincible.
Britain AD541
Family feuds must be settled, whatever the cost. Both Seeress Meddi of the Eorlingas and Wærmund of the Gyrwe have old scores to settle. Meddi for her tribe to survive and thrive, and Waermund to cast himself from his father’s shadow once and for all.
But unbeknownst, Meddi and Wærmund share a common enemy who threatens them both – the elusive Elen and her ally is someone Wærmund has travelled the breadth of Britannia to outrun.
United in their hatred of Elen, Meddi and Waermund must defeat powerful enemies with the sharpest blades and the magik of iron to overawe them and gain much-needed vengeance for past wrongs inflicted against them.
In the stunning conclusion to the Dark Age Chronicles Meddi and Wærmund will finally collide in a world of iron and rust. Will they triumph or will their legacy be nothing but ash?
Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/LordsofIron
Author Bio
MJ Porter is the author of many historical novels set predominantly in Seventh to Eleventh-Century England, and in Viking Age Denmark. Raised in the shadow of a building that was believed to house the bones of long-dead Kings of Mercia, meant that the author's writing destiny was set.
Social Media Links
Facebook: @MJPorterauthor
Twitter: @coloursofunison
Instagram: @m_j_porter
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/MJPorterNews
Bookbub profile: @coloursofunison
The Review
I’ve been meaning to read some of the MJ Porter books for some time. The covers are great, the book descriptions are great, and the time period and setting just up my street. So of course, I leapt at the chance to review this novel!
I should, to be honest, have read the first two books in the series first… (and I will definitely do now). As a consequence it took me a few scenes or so until I could get into it, with quite a bit of to-ing and fro-ing back to the incredibly helpful character list and place name list (very different to modern day names!), but once I got into it, I really enjoyed the story.
The novel (and I presume the others in the series) were first person present, from the point of view of two characters, a Brythonic seeress Meddi (how exciting!) and a Saxon (? or Anglish/ Anglian) warrior named Waermund, both of whom had long-standing scores to settle with past enemies.
I particularly loved the author’s use of actual tribes from the time, and was delighted to find landmarks and tribes from very close to where I live as well!
We follow the pair, and the people around them, on this journey of vengeance and also self-discovery. Of course, there are a few battles, shield-wall fights, training, the two leaders and their followers joining together to fight a mutual threat, some arguments about whose gods are the most powerful(!), and a hint that the ‘sight’ from the seeress and another might be real. All of this adds to the richness of a 6th century, incredibly turbulent and violent world. I love this kind of fiction - a dark, little known past, brought back to life.
In the end, the story achieves the best of all story ends: bittersweet, with the promise of future lives and adventures to come (either to be fictionalised or to live forever in our imaginations).
Thank you to the author for an Advanced Reader Copy.