The Iron Wyrm Affair (Bannon & Clare, #1)

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The Iron Wyrm Affair (Bannon & Clare #1)

by Lilith Saintcrow (Goodreads Author)

3.3 of 5 stars 3.30 · rating details · 1,178 ratings · 285 reviews

Emma Bannon, forensic sorceress in the service of the Empire, has a mission: to protect Archibald Clare, a failed, unregistered mentath. His skills of deduction are legendary, and her own sorcery is not inconsiderable. It doesn't help much that they barely tolerate each other, or that Bannon's Shield, Mikal, might just be a traitor himself. Or that the conspiracy killing r...more

Paperback, 323 pages

Published August 7th 2012 by Orbit (first published August 1st 2012)

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Aug 06, 2012 Hannah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-paranormal, steampunk

The most succinct way to describe The Iron Wyrm Affair is "a convoluted mess." It is really disappointing to have looked forward to this book for the last few months only to be let down so thoroughly. Not just let down - I have rarely been so frustrated by a book that I wanted to hurl my Kindle across the room. If the following review sounds confused and incoherent, that is because I just wasted the last few hours of my life reading one of the most incoherent books I've ever had the misfortune t...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Ta§chima Cullen marked it as to-read

I don't know exactly what's happening with the summary, but I read 'magic', 'sorceress', and 'London', I'm in.

24 likes · like · see review

Jan 15, 2013 Wealhtheow rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, mannerpunk

Emma Bannon is a powerful sorceress in service to the British Empire. When the mutilated corpses of mentaths (super-geniuses) start showing up, she is the only one to link the deaths to a potential threat to Britain itself. She manages to save the last mentath from an assassination attempt, then enlists him to her cause. While Emma investigates the sorcerous conspiracy, Archibald Clare the mentath pounds the pavement looking for clues.

Archibald Clare is the weakest part of this book. He's suppos...more Emma Bannon is a powerful sorceress in service to the British Empire. When the mutilated corpses of mentaths (super-geniuses) start showing up, she is the only one to link the deaths to a potential threat to Britain itself. She manages to save the last mentath from an assassination attempt, then enlists him to her cause. While Emma investigates the sorcerous conspiracy, Archibald Clare the mentath pounds the pavement looking for clues.

Archibald Clare is the weakest part of this book. He's supposedly this fantasy/steampunk world's version of Sherlock Holmes, but he talks in a bad knock-off of a dithering public school accent: lots of "I say!" and "Good day sir" and "how improper". (I'm not exagerating in the least--these are actual samples of actual dialog.) He's a genius, but I saw no examples within the text. For instance, Emma mentions that she was a poor orphan, and three pages later he "deduces" that she grew up poor based on her table manners. She just told you, dimwit! Alas, it seems that he is a permanent main character.

Emma's sections of the book are just as silly as Archibald's but at least she does things. Her magic is dramatic and dark. The dragons she encounters are easily the most interesting aspects of the book, being both intriguing twists on the usual bodies dragons get and sounding quite frightening. And I loved that she was a balls-to-the-wall kind of badass, who throws her all into a battle and then, having barely survived, immediately fight another. She has a series of furious rides that are downright inspiring. Fans of Anne Bishop's Black Jewels series will like her; I certainly did. She's like a normal dark sorceress cranked up to 11.

The plot is basically just a bunch of random ideas Saintcrow throws at the heroes, without much development or explanation. So don't read this if you're expecting a mystery, because there aren't clues or hidden threads or anything like. But do read this if you're in the mood for flashy clockwork creatures and campy pseudo-Victorian dialog.(less)

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Dec 03, 2012 Karen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Eh... more like 1 1/2. There were a few really spectacular descriptive bits-- Bannon's Ride, for instance, and the description of Emma's conservatory-- and I liked the conceit of Victrix/Britannia, but so much of the book was just so... shallow and unfocused.

Yes, I get that it's an alternate Victorian England, but there's a LOT more to world-building than a penchant for spelling things oddly. (And seriously now... "sopha"? That doesn't even make etymological SENSE, unless it's a couch expressly...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Soup rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk, women-writers, scifi-fantasy, sorted-into-sparklypoo, kindle

The plot itself was fine (even interesting by the end) but you could barely see it under the heaving mass of purple prose. The style deployed (selected, I assume, to embody the ornate & power gradation-heavy world) ultimately harms the text as a whole. Unnecessary details make the story and world seem clunky, particularly as the same unnecessary details tend to be repeated nearly verbatim on a regular basis. I understood that Bannon's face was "childlike" the first time around and didn't fin...more The plot itself was fine (even interesting by the end) but you could barely see it under the heaving mass of purple prose. The style deployed (selected, I assume, to embody the ornate & power gradation-heavy world) ultimately harms the text as a whole. Unnecessary details make the story and world seem clunky, particularly as the same unnecessary details tend to be repeated nearly verbatim on a regular basis. I understood that Bannon's face was "childlike" the first time around and didn't find it a very convincing physical manifestation of her actual vulnerability versus her perceived immense strength then. By the sixth or seventh time the same description and implication was given I began to suspect that the author, who clearly had easy access to a thesaurus, didn't really have much of a mental picture of the heroine herself in either a physical or figurative sense and so could not provide more (still superfluous!) details.

Bannon's interior monologues were similarly dramatic and while this did allow for a nice contrast with Clare, the regular failure to match Bannon's perception of what others think and are doing with what they actually appear to be thinking and doing makes her seem both unreliable and unpleasant as a narrator. This is particularly true of the many instances in which she attributes excessively anti-feminist thoughts and motivations to characters around her only to have her interactions with those characters come across with far more ambivalence. I'm not sure if this is a failure of the author to depict the very sexist world Bannon seems to feel she lives in, if Bannon is actually just highly unpleasant and the antipathy some people express towards her is product of her personality, or if Bannon's dark view of gender relations is the result of past trauma that now lingers on in her worldview (that at least might explain the atrocious "She was, indeed, a spectacular failure at femininity -- except in the area of weakness" line).

Clare's portions of the book, on the other hand, were generally better. His first several chapters were, admittedly, slow but the gained speed about halfway through the novel and became genuinely entertaining by the end (this was true for the entire plot, really). Because Clare's bit was so very entertaining I will likely try the second book in the series as well and hope that the other faults improve.

A pro-tip to the author. The next time you find yourself writing sentences that include the phrase "his organ of Remembrance" set down your pen, shut your Lisa Frank-branded notebook, and lay your head down on your desk for awhile.

P.S. There is no way to make bondage and enslavement, even marginally willing bondage and enslavement recast as servitude, sexy. Please stop now. (less)

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Aug 05, 2012 T. Edmund rated it 2 of 5 stars

Iron Wyrm got off to a bad start. What others have claimed is a 'nod' to Holmes, I suspect would have Guy Ritchie asking for the return of his intellectual property, "Watson watch what happens when I play chromatic scales to the fruit-flies" I cringed when they mentioned Clare's nemesis 'Dr Vance' the only thing missing was a criminal love-interest who looked like Rachel McAdams.

This poor beginning wasn't helped by the clunky introduction to the world of Britannia. Saintcrow takes the D&D ap...more Iron Wyrm got off to a bad start. What others have claimed is a 'nod' to Holmes, I suspect would have Guy Ritchie asking for the return of his intellectual property, "Watson watch what happens when I play chromatic scales to the fruit-flies" I cringed when they mentioned Clare's nemesis 'Dr Vance' the only thing missing was a criminal love-interest who looked like Rachel McAdams.

This poor beginning wasn't helped by the clunky introduction to the world of Britannia. Saintcrow takes the D&D approach of simply producing terminology and jargon, perhaps in the hope readers will be good little nerdlings, and look up what the heck the characters are talking about.

Did I mention the language? Any more verilys, indeeds, whatsoevers, or quites would have made me use the book as firestarter, if it wasn't on Kindle. Ok to be fair I don't think those examples are particularly present, but take a sample look at the prose and I think you'll see what I mean.

The bad start is followed in equal measure by bad middle, and end. The plot consists of Bannon and Clare travelling around the fictional world, meeting people who either help, hinder or try to kill them (I think the plot is revealed along the way, but in all honesty I could not see it through the aforementioned language barrier.) The book ends like a blockbuster movie, giant creatures, and all, which probably would be fine on film, but is a let-down on paper.

Bannon is a well-fleshed out character, a long-lived sorceress with some skeletons in her corset. Her awkward history with her 'shield' is one of the highlights of the book.

Clare on the other hand is just pure frustration - once you get the image of Robert Downey Jnr in his dressing gown out of your head, you'll quickly realise that Saintcrow has created the illusion of brilliant deduction through over-enhancing the characters vocabulary. The deductions Clare makes, are either not-explained to the audience (because the only reason he deduced them was to move the plot along) or entirely kept to his clever self. Over-reliance on his digestion as a way to express emotion, makes Clare appear like a cartoon character who lost his way into a campy epic fantasy. An epic fantasy, mind, which is more about the magic smack-downs rather than who-dunnit mystery, so how his character fits is pure expediency.

The one thing I did enjoy in this mess, was the action and vivid imagery. Saintcrow demonstrates a mean talent for making magic and violence come alive from the book, and for brief moments throughout I forgot my foibles and just enjoyed the ride.

Unfortunately not enough to save this book. I'm not even going to look into the second one to write a scathing review. Given how much I enjoy writing scathe, I hope this communicates my displeasure. (less)

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Mar 09, 2013 Lady Danielle aka The Book Huntress rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: historical fantasy/steampunk readers

Shelves: library-checkout, kickbutt-heroine, lethal-women, witch-sorcereress-healer, tough-as-nails-heroine, good-secondary-characters, magic, alternate-history, steampunk, victorian, dark-fantasy, unlikely-team-up, sherlock-holmes-like-character, yearly-reading-challenge-2013, 2013-200s-club-challenge, action-adventure-challenge-2013, audiobook, famous-literary-historical-characte

I listened to this book on audio, and it was definitely a distinctive read. I have to say that while I enjoyed it, it was challenging to listen to. I found it hard to visualize some concepts. I honestly have no brain for mechanical concepts, so listening to descriptions of the mecha devices was difficult for me. I decided to stop analyzing and go with it. Not worry about trying to get a crystal clear image of those parts of the story, but just enjoy what I could understand. The ideas were intere...more I listened to this book on audio, and it was definitely a distinctive read. I have to say that while I enjoyed it, it was challenging to listen to. I found it hard to visualize some concepts. I honestly have no brain for mechanical concepts, so listening to descriptions of the mecha devices was difficult for me. I decided to stop analyzing and go with it. Not worry about trying to get a crystal clear image of those parts of the story, but just enjoy what I could understand. The ideas were interesting, but I was a bit clueless about what exactly made Clare what he was, and the exact interplay between his physiology and his abilities. At the end, I determined that he was heavily depending on the continual processing of information for his well-being, but he could think too much and end up in trouble. Perhaps he also has some enhanced sensory abilities which also make him susceptible to different environments.

While the magic system was very intriguing, it took me a long time to understand it or get a handle on it. I absolutely loved some parts. They were darkly beautiful. They inspired a deep sense of unease with the arcane natures of the magical acts and the beings perpetuating them, but also a sense of awe. While I have no real life interest in magic whatsoever, I do love reading about magic in this kind of fictional setting. And I thoroughly enjoyed the fact magic is so intrinsic to the fabric of Great Britain in this novel. It was very cool that the present monarch is a host for the spirit of Britannia. I haven't encountered that concept before.

As far as characters, Emma really came to life for me. She's such a complex person. She's a mix of good and bad, and her manner of interacting with others can inspire winces as often as wows. I loved how vigilant and fierce she was. She took her role as a Prime sorcerer very seriously, and her vow to protect Britain. And it often cost her personally. The scene near the end brought shivers down my spine. I also loved Mikhail. He was luscious. The way the moderator spoke his parts was utterly appealing. Especially the way he spoke to Emma and called her Prima. It sounded like a verbal caress. I was surprised at the direction that the author took with Emma's relationship with Mikhail. It added to the complexity of her character. I wish I had more answers about what Mikhail is. I have to be honest that he is a big draw for me right now, although I also find Emma very appealing as a heroine, although not always laudable in the way she acted towards some characters. Clare was interesting. I enjoyed his deductive reasoning and analysis of the very strange situations he encountered after being recruited by Emma as the sole surviving unregistered mentath. As I mentioned earlier, I didn't always 'get' what he was doing and how it affected him. I hope that will change with later books. I also liked Valetinelli. I have a fondness for roguish characters who are insanely good at being lethal. That's definitely him. The moderator made his voice very fun. He spoke with a blatant Italian accent that was lyrical and appealing.

I think the major reason why I didn't give this a higher rating was that I had a hard time getting a grasp on the story to the extent that I desired. I had a lot of questions. As far as the writing having an appeal and impact on me, that was very well done. Saintcrow has a way of bringing magical and arcane elements to vibrant life that stays with me. That imagery was very well depicted. As a visual reader, I could feel and experience the powerful magics that the characters employed, although some parts were just plain weird and my brain didn't know what to make of those. I also give this book points on having such a distinctive heroine. Not always pure in her motives, but underneath, driven to do what is right. That's a hard thing to conceptualize in a novel without polarizing your audience.

I have to give this 3.5 stars because it was flawed in some ways, but in others a very good book. I will continue this series with the hopes I will be enlightened on some of the world-building particulars and to explore more of Emma, Clare, and Mikhail, and not to mention, Supernatural Victorian Great Britain.

Recommended with reservations.(less)

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Mar 23, 2013 Ana added it

Shelves: sci-fi-fantsay, unfinished-books

I am on the fence as to whether to continue is book. I should have checked out some of the reviews here when I bought the book but I was feeling whimsical and bought it based solely on the description on the back cover. What was not mentioned was the awkward, faux-antiquated language and slap-dash characters. If you, miss authoress, are going to build a new world wholly unseen before, give the reader a little context and clear description before throwing us headlong into your wonky little constr...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Claudia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk

I really, really liked this book and was undecided between 4 and 5 Stars ... but maybe that was just because I am in between the elemental assassin -series and this book is quite different
the characters here are really interesting and it took me a while to get into the world. Lilith Saintcrow does a perfect job on explaining the world during the series - that has the disadvantage that you will be slightly confused at the beginning but you don't have to read through explanations of things which a...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, steampunk

A really well done, exciting new mystery/steampunk series! Really a steampunk/alt history set in Victorian Brittania, the reader is thrown into the middle of the story when Emma Bannon, a Prima sorceress along with her guardian Shield, Mikal, rescue Archibald Clare, a mentath (a logic is his life, very aspergers-like in manner, Sherlockian detective.) There's no backstory, so you're figuring out the past of all three as you go, which makes this book fascinating since by the end you are left wond...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Natalie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-fiction, steampunk

I was really looking forward to this book, but I was ultimately disappointed. I loved the characters and the world that Saintcrow created, but the plot failed to capture my interest. Something about the writing style of this book bothered me too. I appreciate the fact that the author tried to make the characters sound Victorian, but after a while it just seemed too stilted for me. Nevertheless, just because I didn't enjoy this book doesn't mean that other steampunk enthusiasts won't find it high...more

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May 05, 2013 Twiggy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk, fantasy, magical

Steam punk with sorcerers, dragons and Brittania.

Not quite sure what to make of this but it was readable.

The basic premise is one where Black ( but good) sorceress Emma works for the Crown in terms of the spirit Britannia's latest incarnation Queen Victrix. Strange murders are afoot and she rescues Archibald Clare, Mentath and next victim to be.

We learn that she has a conflicted relationship with Mikal, her Shield, who killed his previous master in order to save her and they are struggling wi...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Ann aka Iftcan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-book-a-day-challenge, alternate-earth, dragons, english-setting, fantasy, historical, magic, novel, series-book, steampunk, urban-fantasy, witches, wizards

While I enjoyed this book and it doesn't have quite as much repetitation as most first books in a series, I do have some problems.
Of course, it could just be that Ms. Saintcrow was just paying homage to the greats of science fiction, fantasy and even mystery. But still, she should have been able to come up with her own titles for what the various characters are. The shield title was OK--and I did enjoy the idea that the bodyguards of the high level (i.e. Primes and/or Primas) magic workers were...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Brian Palmer rated it 2 of 5 stars

A pleasant, quick and exciting read; it's set in a steampunkish Britain where there are sorcerers (and lesser abled), able to uncannily do unnatural things; and mentaths, logical geniuses able to logically do natural things. On these two supports, the governing Queen's government rests; but political intrigue is brewing, which happens to involve both mentaths and sorcery.

The female lead, Emma Bannon, has an interesting backstory that's nicely revealed over the course of the novel (as long as one...more

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Dec 27, 2012 Tal rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sf-fantasy

Emma Bannon, Prime sorceress in the service of the Empire, has a mission: to protect Archibald Clare, a failed, unregistered mentath. His skills of deduction are legendary, and her own sorcery is not inconsiderable. It doesn’t much help that they dislike each other, or that Bannon’s Shield, Mikal, might just be a traitor himself. Or that the conspiracy killing registered mentaths and sorcerers alike will just as likely kill them as seduce them into treachery toward their Queen. In an alternate L...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Marleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I received my copy from Orbit through Book Geeks.

Emma Bannon is a powerful sorceress, in fact she is a Prime; magic doesn’t come more powerful than hers. Archibald Clare is a Mentath, someone with incredible observational and deductive powers. Emma is in the service of Victrix, the young queen of England and vessel of the god-spirit Britannia. When Mentaths all over Londinium are being killed, Emma is send to Clare in order to keep him safe and recruit him to her quest to find out exactly what i...more I received my copy from Orbit through Book Geeks.

Emma Bannon is a powerful sorceress, in fact she is a Prime; magic doesn’t come more powerful than hers. Archibald Clare is a Mentath, someone with incredible observational and deductive powers. Emma is in the service of Victrix, the young queen of England and vessel of the god-spirit Britannia. When Mentaths all over Londinium are being killed, Emma is send to Clare in order to keep him safe and recruit him to her quest to find out exactly what is going on. Combining their powers of deduction and sorcery soon brings them to the conclusion that it is the queen herself as well as her whole empire that are under threat. The ensuing battle will take everything Bannon and Clare have and take them beyond what they thought possible. They and their allies are few against many and powerful enemies. And failure is not an option.

Set in an alternate London where illogical magic has changed the course of the industrial revolution, this is a world filled with mechanical marvels and mysterious forces. Magic, in this world, is quite common and widely used, which is a bit of a problem for our hero Mentath who finds his logical mind can’t cope with the illogical craft and its consequences. This is a London with clock-work horses, altered humans, dragon spirits and areas where the “normal” rules of nature don’t apply.

Apart from Bannon and Clare there are a few other and very interesting characters. Mikal is a Shield, one whose sole purpose is to protect their Prime. And while Bannon is close to her solitary shield, she is not quite sure she can trust him. There is also an Italian mercenary, hired to protect Clare and a German inventor who seems to get really angry only when he’s forced to miss his breakfast.
In fact there is an awful lot going on in this book. The reader is introduced to new characters operating in a freshly created and fantastical setting, surrounded by powers (both magical and logistical) that don’t exist in our everyday world either. And all these novelties form the centre of a mystery and adventure that takes off on the very first page and rarely stops to catch a breath. The reader constantly finds themselves caught between the urge to speed along in order to find out what happens next and the need to go slowly so that they can take in all the details and form a good picture of the fictional world in all its fantastical detail. And this is a balance that the author almost finds in this book. I did find myself a bit overwhelmed by the amount of new information I had to absorb occasionally. There were times when my need to understand the setting took me right out of the story. Having said that, as the story continued and the world became better established it became ever easier to stay caught up in the adventure and stay there.

This story is told from both Bannon and Clare’s perspective in alternating chapters and this means that more often than not the reader finds themselves leaving one character at a cliff-hanger moment only to follow the other until they reach their own. I don’t always enjoy this way of telling a story but I found it worked quite well in this book, especially since the author never pictures the same scene twice but from different perspectives.

Both Bannon and Clare are fascinating main characters. Clare is obviously strongly based on Sherlock Holmes (up to and including his steepled hands resting against his chin when he is thinking and his use of certain stimulants), although you won’t find Dr. Watson’s twin on these pages. Emma Bannon is, as far as I know, an original creation by this author. And as such she is a triumph; very strong and independent she is also insecure when it comes to certain matters. Operating in a field that forces her to face evil, violence and destruction she still manages to come across as a true woman. It is going to be interesting to see how these characters, and their side-kicks, develop in future books.

Although the first part of this book did feel a bit like hard work at times I really enjoyed my introduction to this magical world and Bannon and Clare. And I can’t help feeling that I would probably enjoy any sequel to this book even more. Without having to introduce the reader to a whole new world, the author will be able to concentrate more on the adventure and characters in any subsequent books, and that should turn them into true page-turners.
(less)

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Nov 02, 2012 Jacqie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: didnt-finish

An alternate-Victorian England with sorceresses, Sherlockian "mentaths" and Shield bodyguards, magical jewelry, and maybe a bit of romance. Sounds cool, right? Ghosts who permeate the very fabric of old bricks, making Bedlam Hospital a place that can actually make unguarded sorcerors insane, conjured soothounds and clockwork horses.

Lilith Saintcrow is good at rich descriptions and setting- I enjoyed the world she created. However, her characters didn't ever seem to react the way you'd expect rea...more An alternate-Victorian England with sorceresses, Sherlockian "mentaths" and Shield bodyguards, magical jewelry, and maybe a bit of romance. Sounds cool, right? Ghosts who permeate the very fabric of old bricks, making Bedlam Hospital a place that can actually make unguarded sorcerors insane, conjured soothounds and clockwork horses.

Lilith Saintcrow is good at rich descriptions and setting- I enjoyed the world she created. However, her characters didn't ever seem to react the way you'd expect real people to react; there were subtleties piled on top of subtleties to the point that a character was responding to a slight twitch that a different character had made a moment before with lots of expository backstory and complications. I felt wrong-footed looking for actual dialogue.

Example: Our mentath says, "I see".
Our sorceress thinks, "I'm not sure you do."

However, we never know what the mentath actually sees or what the sorceress thinks he doesn't see. They never discuss either of those things. The above scene is really all you get. I'm pretty good at reading into characters' responses, but I got nothing before or after this little "exchange" to make any of it make sense. Maybe that's an attempt to make the characters subtle or deep; to me it just made them annoying. Very Dune-esque and Bene Gesserit like, but even more layers in layers with less explanation. And a pet peeve of mine is characters who never really have an actual conversation in order to maintain plot tensions and mysteriousness. Lack of information is an easy way to get killed in a dangerous world, why not at least try to discuss things if you're an adult human being?

I re-read scenes far more than I usually do, wondering if I was missing some key word or thought somewhere, but couldn't find what I was missing. I'd wanted a bit of a more straightforward read, having judged the book by its cover as being more frothy.

So, while the world was interesting and engaging, there didn't seem to be a plot I was able to follow except "bad people are trying to kill our heroes", and I couldn't really figure much out except that no one was to be trusted, no one. I'd hoped for a bit more. Not horrible, but I just didn't want to work that hard to figure out what was going on when I was hoping for a quicker read.(less)

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Sep 26, 2012 Janet rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk

The Iron Wyrm Affair is an original alternative-Victorian London that barrels along at a rapid pace, without choking on any of the overused steampunk gadget cliches. (No goggles! No dirigibles! Thank you!) Saintcrow's variant of Queen Victoria is in danger from powermongerers on all sides - among family, nobles, sorcerers, mentaths, and the surprising controllers of the ironworks (called Werks here). Like Bookyurt, I adored the mentaths, who are a glorious society-wide tribute to Sherlock Holmes...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

4 1/2 stars. I am continually amazed at the variety of stories that Saintcrow comes up with, each with its’ own distinct flavors, but always entertaining. In her newest series we are transported to Victorian England with a little bit of a steampunk vibe combined with a dash of magic. In the Iron Wyrm Affair we are introduced to Emma Bannon, a sorceress Prime, who is in the service of the Crown. An investigation into the recent murders of several mentaths forces Bannon and Archibald Clare (an unr...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: steam_punk

There's a real finesse that some writers have with Fantasy, Sci/Fi, and/or Steampunk...the ability to pull a reader smoothly into a world that is both familiar and completely unique/foreign. But some authors fail by exhaustively explaining all the intricacies of the world, so much so that a reader never gets a chance to really lose him/herself in the story itself. And some authors fail by not explaining enough, leaving the reader to try and make sense of what exactly is going on and again preven...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Original Post at FANGS, WANDS and FAIRY DUST on 9/4/2012
THE IRON WYRM AFFAIR: Complex and Unpredictable

THE IRON WYRM AFFAIR
Lilith Saintcrow
Orbit; 1 edition (August 7, 2012)
Available as a Paperback of 320 pages
Also available as an E-Book
Kindle: 550 KB 324 pages
Sold by: Hachette Book Group
Print ARC obtained at BEA; No remuneration exchanged and all opinions herein are my own unless otherwise noted.

Sorcery. Seduction. Deduction.

Archibald Clare is a detective of truly uncanny abilities-a mentath,...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Merrian rated it 4 of 5 stars

This story is presented as steampunk genre but I think while it may be informed by the ethos of steampunk, it is actually alternative Victorian British history. The world building is rich and lovely drawing on the ancient heritage of myth and land as well as the 1,000 odd years of recorded history. In this Britain, the ruler is host to the Genius Loci, the native spirit of the isle; Britannia. This is a world where Queen and Empire are served by sorcerers and mentaths (which may be a nod to Fran...more This story is presented as steampunk genre but I think while it may be informed by the ethos of steampunk, it is actually alternative Victorian British history. The world building is rich and lovely drawing on the ancient heritage of myth and land as well as the 1,000 odd years of recorded history. In this Britain, the ruler is host to the Genius Loci, the native spirit of the isle; Britannia. This is a world where Queen and Empire are served by sorcerers and mentaths (which may be a nod to Frank Hebert's Dune)and people end sentences with 'God save the Queen', meaning it. Mentaths are the scientists and logical problem solvers - think Sherlock Holmes. Sorcerers draw on the turning of the tidal Thames for their power i.e. their power comes from the land.

The writing style is quite dense and we are dumped straight into the middle of the chaos created by conspiracy and murder which means readers have to just go with the story not fight the story too hard,understanding comes from immersion in the story. Both our protagonists are not only physically at risk due to the violent events but need to solve the mysteries in order to re-gain lost places in society. Reflecting on the text now, I feel that the complex and fascinating world and society does at times overshadow the two lead characters; forensic sorceress for the crown, Emma Bannon and un-registered mentath, Archibald Clare. I liked that the author didn't aim Bannon and Clare at each other as love interests. They have in a sense, parallel journeys that bring them together as allies and friends by the end of the story. I was frustrated that Clare kept telling us that he was good at deduction and other people told us that is what mentaths do but it took a while to see it happening.

The plot made great use of actual early 19th century British Royal history and the risks were intense and believable. They get the job of protecting the Queen done at great risk and there is lots of destruction. This shows the pair as the go to people for getting nasty work done for Britannia, Queen and Empire. It is an interesting touch that the two outsiders are the ones who are truly loyal. The end of the book shows that this has been Emma's story and her personal arc has been about being able to trust and form connections with other people beyond mutual convenience and use.(less)

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Aug 29, 2012 Cat rated it 2 of 5 stars

Well, to be honest, this is the first book for which I have downloaded a sample to my Kindle, bought the full book, and then had an unsatisfying reading experience. Usually the samples are enough to filter out books I won't like. I don't often write bad reviews for books, but I'm going to make an exception for this one.

The Iron Wyrm Affair is set in a Victorian London-esque fantasy world. It chronicles how a sorceress called Emma Bannon and a "mentath" called Archibald Clare (basically Sherlock...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Justine rated it 1 of 5 stars

Ahh, I fell for the 'This cover looks real neat, maybe the story will be too' trap again. I have to stop doing that. But then, it wasn't just the cover that pulled me in, it was the synopsis too. I mean Alternate Victorian London? Steampunk? Sorcery? Sherlock Holmes influenced? I was in.

It gave me everything I expected, alright, but all in an inferior and poorly written way. London became Londonium, Queen Victoria became Queen Victrix, her husband, Prince Alberich. Mayfair became Mayefair. And t...more Ahh, I fell for the 'This cover looks real neat, maybe the story will be too' trap again. I have to stop doing that. But then, it wasn't just the cover that pulled me in, it was the synopsis too. I mean Alternate Victorian London? Steampunk? Sorcery? Sherlock Holmes influenced? I was in.

It gave me everything I expected, alright, but all in an inferior and poorly written way. London became Londonium, Queen Victoria became Queen Victrix, her husband, Prince Alberich. Mayfair became Mayefair. And then after that, it seemed like the author gave up and kept Hyde Park, the Seven Dials, etc... as they were in 'real' London. I get that this was supposed to be AU Victorian London but the name changes came across as rather unnecessary and, well... lame. And their mode of speech! Clearly the author has not read many historical novels because then she'd know that inserting complicated words and jumbling up sentence structures do not equal period speech. If you're an avid reader of Victorian Era-set stories, this is not for you.

Yes there was Steampunk, if steampunk meant things with gears in them.If one read proper steampunk novels, they'd know that'd be untrue. Sorcery, check. Emma chants (we never know what she chants), says a word (again, we're not shown what it is) she raises her hand and stuff happens. Oh and she's from this really scary discipline that she makes cryptic statements about. Maybe it's because I just ended an Urban Fantasy/High Fantasy binge, but I would have expected a bit more exposition on the dynamics of her sorcery, considering that half of the book is in her perspective.

Then we come to Clare, the mentath aka the diluted Sherlock clone. He wasn't so much as a 'nod' to Sherlock Holmes but rather close to a blatant plagiarism. Close, but not exactly. He plays the viola (play chromatic scales to fruit flies, yes I got that reference but it just me facepalm), he's super bored and a deductive genius, as apparently all mentaths are. His deductions aren't very clever, they only sound clever cause he likes to do a kind of intellectual word vomit where he just spoutns of complicated words and tries, tries to make them fit into one coherent sentence.

This isn't for people who like Historical, Alternate Historical, Steampunk, Urban Fantasy, Sherlock Holmes. I know that's kind of the genres this book is in, but if you're familiar with these genres, then you'd know good from.

TLDR: It's vague and a bit amateurish. I read half of the book and skipped to the last few chapters, and I am fine with that.(less)

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Aug 18, 2012 Susan rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book and how different it was from her other series and how cleverly and slowly it unpacked the very complicated world and the plot Saintcrow has created here. Very clever "almost London" named Londinium, skillfully uses alternative history shifts where magic and technology interact and collide.

Steampunk in the sense of the era and using many of the tropes but in very unique and distinct permutations. Instead of weighing down her narrative in info dumps and expository text she show...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Vikki rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked this book up as an ARC at Book Expo America, which means I read an uncorrected proof.

I enjoyed this book. I do like Victorian-era mysteries a great deal, and the "steampunk" aspects were great fun. The author says she did not set out to write a "steampunk book", but an alternate history Victorian novel with magic. This may be splitting hairs, but to be fair, some of the aspects of the technology were not exactly steampunk, in spite of looking like it to the casual reader, especially one...more I picked this book up as an ARC at Book Expo America, which means I read an uncorrected proof.

I enjoyed this book. I do like Victorian-era mysteries a great deal, and the "steampunk" aspects were great fun. The author says she did not set out to write a "steampunk book", but an alternate history Victorian novel with magic. This may be splitting hairs, but to be fair, some of the aspects of the technology were not exactly steampunk, in spite of looking like it to the casual reader, especially one who doesn't understand what steampunk is.

Couple things I loved: First, the idea that people like Sherlock Holmes are touched by a particular type of magic that makes them similar to organic computers, able to make the kinds of intuitive leaps the human brain s good at, while also being a bit like Number 5 from Short Circuit, "need more input!" I did love this. I don't think it belittled Sir Doyle's creation at all, but allowed the author to play with a similar yet different character.

Second, I like the heroine both for her desire to be more than she was and her dark side. Yes, an anti-heroine is at this point a bit of a trope, but the reason things become tropes is that they resonate well enough in readers to be used again and again. I love the idea that, unless she is vigilant, it would be all too easy for her to cross an intangible but crucial line and stop being what she is to become something much more frightening.

Third, the magic in this world is great fun, from Victorinox down to the minor magics used almost offhandedly. And the side characters add to the quirkiness and flesh out parts of this world in nice, non-info-dump ways. I learned a great deal about how people lived in this alt-London by listening to the characters our heroes interact with.

Fourth, and this is a total geek thing -- I love the way the author used Latin, and that so many place names and the royal house were taken more form the Latin than in our world. It subtly added that "this is not *your* Victorian London, but by all means, come play here" flavor it can be very hard to get.

I only had two real issues with this book.

1. It felt like I walked in on the second book in a series, and there was no first to explain anything. The reveals came chaotically, ironically some of the most pertinent information popping up in the middle of a desperate battle, and I had to go back and read again to make sure I understood the new data.

2. While the author made a valiant attempt to write in the voice of a Victorian author, she missed some of the structure of the writing of the time. Most readers would likely not notice this, or at least not be as bothered as I was, but having studied Lit and History (among other things) in college, I found myself slightly jarred from time to time, as the author did not understand how to construct a sentence around the Victorian usage of "in which" or "to which", for instance. This, I admit, is pickiness on my part, but as an editor, I feel that unless you know how to use the structure, perhaps either call in an expert or leave it out.

All in all, I found it a "ripping good yarn", and a lovely example of the alt-history fantasy genre. I will be looking forward to the second in the series!(less)

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Aug 15, 2012 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

So. I'm not a huge fan of steampunk. It's just not my particular fetish--reading about how normal things might have been made with OMG GEARS ALL OVER THEM bores the hell out of me. I like this book, though. My issues with it are the opposite of those I had with The Night Circus, which, while beautifully written with lively, eccentric characters, fell flat because of the lame love story.

The love story here is pretty good. It's shoved to the side, but that works because Emma's love interest isn't...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Mardel rated it 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely love reading a brand new book in a brand new series. I rarely ask for books from The Library Thing, unless I really, really want one, but I saw this, put in for it, and then forgot I put in for it. Then it came in the mail - unfortunately it didn't come in time for me to post about it before the release date, but it's close. The Iron Wyrm Affair is one of Lilith Saintcrow's newest novels, and it is unlike anything she's ever done before. Although - I know she's written some paranorm...more I absolutely love reading a brand new book in a brand new series. I rarely ask for books from The Library Thing, unless I really, really want one, but I saw this, put in for it, and then forgot I put in for it. Then it came in the mail - unfortunately it didn't come in time for me to post about it before the release date, but it's close. The Iron Wyrm Affair is one of Lilith Saintcrow's newest novels, and it is unlike anything she's ever done before. Although - I know she's written some paranormal romance that I haven't read (the Watcher series- I think they're romance, anyway). I have read her two urban fantasy series and they are dark urban fantasy, both of which I enjoyed very much. If you're looking for something like that, you're not going to find it here. However, this is a very well written steampunk novel. There's magic, clockwork horses, altered people, Victorian setting and dialogue...Saintcrow has done a wonderful job of writing something completely different.

The Iron Wyrm Affair is the first of the Bannon and Clare series. Bannon is a sorceress, a very powerful one. Clare is a mentath - a man who MUST use his brain to solve patterns, problems, etc. or his brain will go mad. They live in an alternate historical London - it's actually called Londinium. In this version of history - there are sorcerers, prime (the most powerful of sorcerers) witches, gryffons, etc. It's a very rich world. As the story unfolds, you learn a bit more about the world and it's history.

Mentaths and sorcerers have been found murdered and Bannon is in charge of not only keeping Clare alive, but finding out just what the threat is, and who the real threat is ultimately for.

Lilith Saintcrow has once again delivered a novel that is full of plot, believable and fitting dialogue, rich environments (not $$ rich, rich in atmosphere) and mysterious pasts of characters. There is plenty of action, and just the barest tease of relationships. There is danger and twisty plots. A very enjoyable book - and I am looking forward - very much - to the next novel in the series.(less)

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Aug 10, 2012 Cassie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk

I really like the story, but the writing style drove me batty. She makes up a lot of terms for her world without explaining what they mean. Worse, her grammar is *terrible*. I'm not a grammar Nazi, but when I can't understand a sentence after a couple readings, I start deconstructing it to see if that helps sort it out, and my repeated conclusions were things like "this sentence has no predicate" (i.e. the verb associated with the subject, which is required for a sentence to not be a fragment)....more

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Aug 10, 2012 Paranormal Haven rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews-by-beth-guest-reviewer

3.5 stars

Emma is Sorceress Prime, who works for the Crown. When Mentaths are found dead around an alternate Industrial Revaluation London Emma meets Mr. Clare, an unregistered Mentath. With his help, and the help of her shield Mikal, who she is having trouble trusting, they unravel a plot of treachery against the Crown.

The Iron Wyrm Affair is a Steampunk alternate history romp. Mentaths are extreme logical thinkers who can figure out very difficult equations. Mr. Clare can speak to someone and d...more 3.5 stars

Emma is Sorceress Prime, who works for the Crown. When Mentaths are found dead around an alternate Industrial Revaluation London Emma meets Mr. Clare, an unregistered Mentath. With his help, and the help of her shield Mikal, who she is having trouble trusting, they unravel a plot of treachery against the Crown.

The Iron Wyrm Affair is a Steampunk alternate history romp. Mentaths are extreme logical thinkers who can figure out very difficult equations. Mr. Clare can speak to someone and deduce where they are from, and parts of their personal history. Mentaths work best with logic. Anything illogical affects them in a negative way. On the other side of that there are people with magic and different levels of it. Emma is the highest level, called Prime. There are also different branches of magic.

Emma wastes little time with Mr. Clare before they are off to find out what is going on. Right off the bat someone tries to kill them. There is also a side romantic plot with Emma and Shield Mikal, but that takes a large back seat to discovering why the Mentaths are being killed. The story takes the characters into parts of London that are turned on its head in this magical Steampunk land.

The story trades off between Emma and Mr. Clare in each chapter. It is neat seeing the story from two viewpoints. Emma is different type of heroine. Her first priority is her mission and while a Shield’s job is to protect his or her Prime, it is Emma who is kicking butt. Mr. Clare on the other hand seems less commanding and far more average, and was easier for me to relate to in some ways than Emma.

The language took some getting used to. It is an Industrial age Steampunk story, and it is written as one. A lot of the terms were new to me, because of that it slowed the story down. It also has tons of action. They might be fighting magic forces or mecha Steampunk automations. Either way there is hardly a dull moment. While I enjoy my fair share of epic battles I often times had to go back through battles and figure out just what had happened, most of that is due to the language. It was too easy to get distracted from the story.

It has the clockwork horses and gas lights of plenty. Like most Steampunk stories I have followed down the clockwork rabbit hole, the richness falls into the details. Don’t expect much in the romantic department. The side plot for the romance is a very interesting and complex relationship, but lacks a lot of time or detail. Emma is strong female lead, but a little cold. The most important thing to her is getting the job done. Mr. Clare on the other hand with all his logical conclusions is often time humorous, without meaning to be, and much warmer.
- Beth (Guest Reviewer)(less)

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About Lilith Saintcrow

Lilith Saintcrow was born in New Mexico, bounced around the world as an Air Force brat, and fell in love with writing when she was ten years old. She lives in Vancouver, Washington, in a house full of stray cats and children.

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Books by Lilith Saintcrow

Working for the Devil (Dante Valentine, #1)

The Devil's Right Hand (Dante Valentine, #3)

Saint City Sinners (Dante Valentine, #4)

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The Iron Wyrm Affair (Bannon & Clare #1)

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