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Dead Iron (Age of Steam #1)

by Devon Monk (Goodreads Author)

3.54 of 5 stars 3.54 · rating details · 957 ratings · 220 reviews

Welcome to a new America that is built on blood, sweat, and gears...

In steam age America, men, monsters, machines, and magic battle for the same scrap of earth and sky. In this chaos, bounty hunter Cedar Hunt rides, cursed by lycanthropy and carrying the guilt of his brother's death. Then he's offered hope that his brother may yet survive. All he has to do is find the Ho...more

Paperback, 337 pages

Published July 5th 2011 by Roc Trade

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Jul 03, 2011 Catherine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk, fiction-vixen-reviews, first-reads-arcs-won-a-copy, series, curse, fantasy-paranormal-sci-fi, historical, magic-mystical-ability, read-2011, western, were-shifter, zombie

I was pretty excited to start this book. I liked that the author set the story in a Western environment and that the back cover indicated that the main character would be a guy. I’ve been trying to read more books with guys as the main character. They’re not quite as easy to find in my genres of choice as I would have first assumed. But this book surprised me. To me, Cedar Hunt was not the main character. In reality, there were multiple main characters. Cedar Hunt was not given any more page tim...more I was pretty excited to start this book. I liked that the author set the story in a Western environment and that the back cover indicated that the main character would be a guy. I’ve been trying to read more books with guys as the main character. They’re not quite as easy to find in my genres of choice as I would have first assumed. But this book surprised me. To me, Cedar Hunt was not the main character. In reality, there were multiple main characters. Cedar Hunt was not given any more page time than them, and I was disappointed that I was never able to sink into his character and get to know him well.

In my opinion (based on time spent in POV sections) there were at least three main characters. Cedar Hunt, a cursed man who’s determined to hunt for a missing boy, Mae Lindson, a grieving widow out for revenge, and Shard LeFel, the man at the center of all the unrest in the area. In addition to cycling through those main POVs, we also spent time in the heads of multiple other characters. Because of this, I never became substantially invested in any of the characters. I felt a distinct lack of depth, despite finding the plot intriguing.

I found the storyline fascinating, although after finishing the book I find myself with a lot of unanswered questions. Being that this is a series, it’s possible that the author wants to dole those answers out slowly, so I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt. The mix of magic and Steampunk worked very well together. Curses, magic, werewolves, zombies, and the Strange…they were all fascinating. And occasionally really creepy! Mr. Shunt and his freaky ability to stitch himself back together gave me the shivers.

I thought Mae’s storyline about her murdered husband was very tragic. Seeing Jeb’s POV gave their bond a particular poignancy. I think that’s why I resented the author’s subtle attempts to set the foundation for a future relationship between her and Cedar. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t in your face and there’s no actual romance in this book, but the author would throw in a little bit of lingering eye contact and subtle attraction that irritated me. Her husband died two days ago and they had such a soul deep bond that he was forced to be killed multiple times because the bond was so strong it pulled him from death. Trying to forge the seeds of a connection with another man while her husband is barely cold seemed a smack in the face to the bond that they shared.

My favorite characters were Rose Small and the Madder brothers. The Madder brothers were so fierce and wild and a little creepy. Their ability to pop up at just the right time and their habit of bargaining for favors made me intensely curious about what they are. The hints we were given about their connection to LeFel’s home just intensified that. And the way they shake hands—what’s up with that? Rose was impossible not to like. She was stuck in a life where she was unappreciated and thought a little mad. Watching her open herself to other people like herself was one of my favorite parts of the book.

Although the storyline takes place over a very short amount of time it never felt rushed. It actually felt a little bit slow at times. I’m interested in seeing where the author takes the characters in the second book. My only hope is that she gives her characters a little more depth. While I liked the book it felt more like I was watching a movie play out rather than immersing myself in a book.

Favorite Quote:

"Now, isn't that a pretty thought? Forks of silver, spoons of moonlight. What do you suppose your knives should be made of, Mr. Hunt? Tears?"

Cedar cocked the hammer back on the Walker and aimed it at Alun's head. "Don't know about my knives, but my gun's made of pain."

Review originally posted on Fiction Vixen. (less)

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Aug 08, 2011 Kindle-aholic rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk

I've been waiting for this steampunk adventure for months and I was not disappointed. Really liked the characters. Lots of setup, but also a good story. Liked the worldbuilding and the magic system and the gadgets (gotta have the gadgets!). You've got a man cursed by an Indian god, Strange beings that stalk humans, witches, a zombie, and a girl who is more than she seems.

It's in 3rd person following a handful of characters (both heroes and villains). I've read some books where this effect leads...more

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Jun 15, 2013 Mary Catelli rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-other-worlds

Takes place in a Wild West that never was, combining steampunk elements with a werewolf cursed by a god, a witch, a man who's already been killed twice by the opening of the book, and an exile of the -- ehem -- Good Folk. (They're never called the Good Folk. Or, for that matter, anything else, since he's the only one to appear, but you can work it out.)

Also, I advise against reading the back cover copy. Not only inaccurate, but a bit spoilerish.

The bounty hunter Cedar Hunt goes to the rather hos...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Johnny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk

What if Neil Gaiman’s short-lived Mr. Hero: The Newmatic Man comic was to meet Alan Moore’s From Hell, the original Wild, Wild West television series (at least for the ambiance of cool private rail cars), and Marvel’s old Werewolf by Night with more than a little Native American garnish? If that doesn’t pique your interest, Dead Iron: The Age of Steam is Deadlands, Doomtown, and Malifaux, classic steampunk western settings for gamers combined with an unsettling mix of Victorian invention (in thi...more What if Neil Gaiman’s short-lived Mr. Hero: The Newmatic Man comic was to meet Alan Moore’s From Hell, the original Wild, Wild West television series (at least for the ambiance of cool private rail cars), and Marvel’s old Werewolf by Night with more than a little Native American garnish? If that doesn’t pique your interest, Dead Iron: The Age of Steam is Deadlands, Doomtown, and Malifaux, classic steampunk western settings for gamers combined with an unsettling mix of Victorian invention (in this case an alternate 19th century U.S.) and horror. It takes the idea of the transcontinental railroad and treats it as though it is the equivalent of supernatural strip mining.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to delineate the cast of characters and some of the twists and turns of the plot without unwittingly unveiling some spoilers. Characters you think are neutral turn out to be compellingly evil and characters you think are bad turn out to be relative good guys (in kind of the Clint Eastwood “Man With No Name” sense). The main protagonist (who has a Native American curse problem) is strong and fascinating, but doesn’t turn out to be nearly as interesting as some of the supporting cast. You know there is going to be a major showdown with the ultimate bad guy toward the end of the novel, but you really aren’t expecting the exact mixture of allies on each side.

The rituals and blood-driven clockwork mechanisms have an unsettling eeriness about them. The clockworks keep it from feeling like any real-world occult ritual, but there is just enough of the pervasive, dark magic portrayed that you feel like somebody is playing the soundtrack to The Exorcist (complete with its subliminal hog slaughter sounds) as you read. At one point, a bad guy spills the blood of an innocent child on a metal box with a clockwork dragonfly inside it. The blood activates the dragonfly so that its wings begin to flap quickly. The entire box is used to perforate the victim’s chest and then, the bad guy turns a key until the wings and heart slow and stop beating. What a strange deliciously wicked death scene (as long as it doesn’t happen in real life)!

Guns, werewolves, magic, railroads, and mysterious young women! What more could you want? Two people claim they can remove a curse. Can they? A watch “heals” magically. Will it lead a character to someone presumed dead? The cursed loner, the brothers who are miners, the merchant’s weird daughter, the widow, and more provide a varied and interesting cast. Best of all, the story is extremely well-paced. For all the changes in point of view between the cast members, it was enough of a page turner that I completed it in two days of commuting. I’ll be watching for other books in what seems to be targeted as a series.
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Jan 03, 2013 Brian rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Dead Iron was recommended to me by a friend who'd very much enjoyed this series and others by Devon Monk. The book is workmanlike and entertaining, but hardly enthralling.

Our hero, Cedar Hunt, has been cursed with lycanthropy. He's interesting enough, though his tortured mien slips into angsty every now and then, and is only saved from whiny by his tight-lipped, Old West tough-guy personae. Mae Lindson bears the double-scarlet letters of being both a witch and the gringa half of a racially mixed...more Dead Iron was recommended to me by a friend who'd very much enjoyed this series and others by Devon Monk. The book is workmanlike and entertaining, but hardly enthralling.

Our hero, Cedar Hunt, has been cursed with lycanthropy. He's interesting enough, though his tortured mien slips into angsty every now and then, and is only saved from whiny by his tight-lipped, Old West tough-guy personae. Mae Lindson bears the double-scarlet letters of being both a witch and the gringa half of a racially mixed marriage. She's widowed pretty early on in the book (before the end of chapter 2), and spends most of the book wrapped in raging grief and the thirst for vengeance. Her husband is slightly more approachable as a character in spite of being dead, in large part because he refuses to admit that "until death do us part" means your marriage ends when your heart stops beating. Rose Small is an orphaned child with a mysterious past even she doesn't suspect, and which is little explored in this book. Still, her determined optimism, open-mindedness, and innocence makes her the most empathetic and interesting or our main characters. They are aided by a trio of subterranean "Welsh" miners and steam-punk tinkerers called the Madder brothers, who provide logistical support, firepower, and much-needed comic relief, though they themselves fall prey to the tight-and-stiff-lipped Old West tough-guy thing themselves.

They are opposed by the excessively ostentatious Shard LeFel, royal exile of a magical world-next-door. Under the guise of a railroad tycoon, LeFel has been working to build an enchanted door that will allow him to return home. He just needs to murder three specific people in order to open that door.

(As an interesting aside, LeFel is written more like a tragic hero than a villain, facing and overcoming obstacles and setbacks at every turn. Except for his eagerness to murder and manipulate, he'd be easy to mistake for a hero whose goals just happen to oppose those of our main characters.)

The action takes place in the small town of Hallelujah, populated by the most backwards, suspicious, small-minded sheeple-hicks you're likely to ever encounter this side of Hester Prynne's Boston. I'm not shocking or spoiling anything for you when I mention that LeFel whips up the townsfolk into a torch-waving mob that marches on Mae Lindson's home, am I? Didn't think so.

LeFel's minions are largely made up of the Strange, and they darn near make up for any shortcomings in the story. Malevolent spirits driven by disturbing appetites, they seek easy entry into the American continent, and the dead iron rails of LeFel's transcontinental railroad are just the sort of gateway that they need. In the meantime, they require the sorcerous-steampunk amalgamation bodies LeFel can provide in order to have any serious presence in the human world, and they use these bodies to further LeFel's interests, though not always eagerly.

I haven't decided if I'm going to pick up the second book in this series. I just don't feel the burning need to know what happens next, as I do with Kim Harrison's books, nor do I find the world quite as intriguing as I do Sarah Hoyt's current foray into multi-world steampunk-and-sorcery (though I'll readily admit Monk's work is far more steampunky, with it's steam-powered mecha and multi-utility brass-and-crystal shooting goggles. Yes, Virginia, in Monk's work, the goggles, they do do something!). That all said, the setting and the Strange are intriguing, and I'm curious to see what sort of trouble Rose finds for herself, so I imagine I'll pick up book two eventually.
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Dec 21, 2012 Jo (Mixed Book Bag) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk

I think the cover on Dead Iron is one of the best I have seen. It was one of the reasons I purchased the book. It has also been on my TBR pile for some time.

Dead Iron is the first book in this series and as a result there is a lot of world building. The setting is in the old west (Oregon). There are witches, shapeshiffters, curses, and The Strange. This is a land shaped by magic, steam and iron.

Cedar Hunt is one of the main characters. He is a bounty hunter who has been cursed , becomes a wolf...more

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Mar 29, 2012 William Rose rated it 5 of 5 stars

Dead Iron
The Age of Steam Series Book One
Devon Monk
Roc Trade
Publication Date: July 5, 2011
Trade Paperback
352 pages

Ask any writer, editor, or publisher the one thing they think makes or breaks a good book and nine times out of ten they’ll reply, “The first sentence has to grab you, pull you in, get you invested in the character or the setting or some other aspect of the story. Otherwise, you’ll lose the reader’s interest.” Devon Monk’s Dead Iron: The Age of Steam does just that. As a matte...more

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Oct 31, 2011 Romancing the Book rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk

Review by Zita: The old west during the age of steam. In this world people capable of creating both useful and decorative objects from gears, cogs, and wire are known as Devisers. In the east they are civilized and display their devices as the intricate works of art they are. In the west the rail is slowly creeping its way across the country, and the frontiersmen work and wait for the wonders of the east to arrive with the trains. This is a tale of true love and true evil. Of curses, murder, gri...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Elf M. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Devon Monk's Dead Iron: The Age of Steam, #1 is a mash-up urban fantasy-meets-steampunk-meets western. Set in a 19th century Oregon small town facing change as the rail comes closer, Dead Iron is a satisfactorily well-written but by-the-numbers example of how steampunk ought to be written.

In Monk's formulation, the veil between faery and Earth is very thin, and a mysterious, rare substance called glim enables those blessed with the Gift of Artifice to empower marvelous steam-powered "matics" wit...more Devon Monk's Dead Iron: The Age of Steam, #1 is a mash-up urban fantasy-meets-steampunk-meets western. Set in a 19th century Oregon small town facing change as the rail comes closer, Dead Iron is a satisfactorily well-written but by-the-numbers example of how steampunk ought to be written.

In Monk's formulation, the veil between faery and Earth is very thin, and a mysterious, rare substance called glim enables those blessed with the Gift of Artifice to empower marvelous steam-powered "matics" with force and capacity and will. Monk's world features mad agents of The Faery King tracking down a banished prince of faery and his dark magics, a college-professor cursed to be a werewolf by a god of an other-than-faery and now turned bounty hunter, and a witch whose only spells are vows and curses, and a chaotic good zombie. Dead Iron is the kitchen sink.

Monk's prose style is amazing. Every character's voice is utterly unique, and Monk attunes both grammar and vocabulary chapter by chapter to the needs of the point-of-view character: Bounty Hunter Ceder Hunt is lettered and well-mannered, but brutalized by his curse; witch Mae Lindstrom is simple, home-bound, but determined; the zombie's thoughts are stuttering, guttering, but driven by a savage force of will. Monk's language gives every character the room he or she needs to be clear and expressive.

The plot is solid, but predictable. Monk is very good about getting her characters center-stage and setting things in motion. It's steampunk clockwork, and not a piece is out of place as the chess game goes from opening moves to its explosive ending. She pulls new pieces into the plot smoothly and without raising your sense of disbelief, she lays down foreshadowing with skill and experience.

However, the book is not perfect. The heroes are all too damned Good, the villains too damned Evil, the ordinary townspeople too damned Stupid. Dead Iron's morality is pure fairy tale, and none of the main characters really grows much during the course of the book. Each character is led by circumstance and reconcilition with one's existing values, rather than growth and maturity or avarice and decay, from one scene to the next. They're all wonderful people, but that's about it. The book relies on language, likability, and a predictably relentless buildup to the final cinematic confrontation to sell its successor. It works, but just barely.(less)

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Sep 01, 2011 Holly rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: ANyone who love steampunk with magic

Recommended to Holly by: The back of the book

Shelves: steam-punk

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A very fast read and a well paced novel.
Each and every character that is important to moving the plot is given proper and full description relative to their time in the story.
The hinting at the extraordinary back history of the three Madders brothers was hinted at enough that if you know any Celtic mythological history you were sure to have an idea of where these miners origins. All three Madders are wildly skilled matic-tinkers.
There is a wonderful relationship of brothers with William and Ceda...more

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Aug 28, 2011 Kathy Davie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, urban

First in The Age of Steam urban fantasy/steampunk series for young adults set in the Old West.

The Story
The bogeyman takes four-year-old Elbert from his bed one night and Cedar Hunt takes up the chase with unforeseen results: a resurrection, a new love, and hope for his curse. But that hunt for the missing child quickly becomes entangled with the Madder brothers and Mae Lindson's hunt for her husband's murderer even as her husband manages to survive and begin his dangerous trek home to her.

The Ch...more

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Aug 17, 2011 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 1 of 5 stars

Dead Iron falls into the category of paranormal steampunk. I really looked forward to this book when I saw that it was chosen as the book of the month by one of my Goodreads reading groups; however, that excitement quickly turned to dust, and I found myself looking for anything to do other than reading this book. How do you know when a book is bad? When you find yourself thinking after reading a few pages, hnmmmm I suddenly have a desire to clean the kitchen, or a do a load of laundry. Yes, hous...more Dead Iron falls into the category of paranormal steampunk. I really looked forward to this book when I saw that it was chosen as the book of the month by one of my Goodreads reading groups; however, that excitement quickly turned to dust, and I found myself looking for anything to do other than reading this book. How do you know when a book is bad? When you find yourself thinking after reading a few pages, hnmmmm I suddenly have a desire to clean the kitchen, or a do a load of laundry. Yes, housework is more amusing than this book.

One of the major faults with Monk's work is how convoluted the story is. First we have a werewolf named Cedar Hunt, who is considered an outsider in the small Oregon town of Hallelujah. He has moved to Hallelujah in an attempt to forget his past. Hunt believes that he killed his brother, one night when the wolf's blood lust blocked out his ability to reason. His wife and child are also dead. Out of the blue, Rose Small, the General Store owner's adopted daughter tells him about a missing child named Elbert Gregor, and he decides to hunt him down. Because Rose has told him that she believes that the boogeyman took the child, he decides to pay a visit to the Madder brothers, who seem to have a special skill working with stone. Even though he has no connection with this child, he is willing to owe the Madders a favor in order to secure their help.

If that were not bad enough, we learn that Hunt is a werewolf because he was cursed. When asked what he had done to cause a God to be angry enough to curse him he said, "I walked on the wrong land. Pawnee land. I did no harm other than to be under the wrong go's scrutiny." (pg. 193) He then goes on to say, "Told me there were Strange rising in the land. Told me I was to hunt them. Kill them." Okay, keep in mind that this is the 1800's, and that White settlers and the government are busy slaughtering, raping, and starving Native Americans. It is absolutely problematic that the only time First Nations people are mentioned, is for one of them to choose a White man as their champion. Has Monk ever read a history book or had an actual conversation with a First Nations person? Somehow I doubt it.

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Aug 08, 2011 Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars

I reviewed this book for Night Owl Reviews with a rating of 4.25 Stars:

Dead Iron: The Age of Steam (Cedar Hunt) by Devon Monk is an exciting new entry in the steampunk genre. I was captivated by the characters and their story. While the action started a little slowly, like a rollercoaster it picks up speed and races towards the end. The world building was well done and the blend between magic, steam powered machinery and man was unique.

Cedar Hunt is an interesting main character; young, intellig...more I reviewed this book for Night Owl Reviews with a rating of 4.25 Stars:

Dead Iron: The Age of Steam (Cedar Hunt) by Devon Monk is an exciting new entry in the steampunk genre. I was captivated by the characters and their story. While the action started a little slowly, like a rollercoaster it picks up speed and races towards the end. The world building was well done and the blend between magic, steam powered machinery and man was unique.

Cedar Hunt is an interesting main character; young, intelligent and cursed; he carries the guilt of his brother’s death. Cedar and his younger brother William left the East after the death of Cedar’s wife and daughter. While traveling west, they caught the attention of an Indian God. An Indian God who cursed them with Lycanthropy until they rid the West of the Strange, magical beings bent on conquering the World and destroying mankind. Thinking he killed his brother during his transformation to wolf form, Cedar lives alone and hunts the Strange. Determined not to kill senselessly, he chains himself at the full moon, in order to avoid his transformation.

Cedar’s skills as a hunter are well known. When he’s told of a young boy’s disappearance he determines the Strange are involved. While deciding what tools will serve his best for his hunt, he is visited by Mae Lindsom, who begs him to locate her missing husband. She’s a witch and knows her husband is dead but wants to find the man responsible and offers to help Cedar get rid of his curse in exchange. Determined to track the boy first, Cedar rejects Mae’s offer and begins his hunt. Needing a special silver fork, he turns to the Madder brothers, three miners on the outskirts of town, who are more than they appear to be. The Madders are willing to give him what he needs, if he grants them a favor in return – his tracking skills to locate the Holder, a device originally built to help man, which has been transformed by the Strange into a weapon of destruction. Having no choice but to agree to their terms, Cedar begins his hunt. Which takes him to Shard Lefel.

While Cedar is the main character of the series, he’s not the only character we get to know in depth. While this was somewhat different, I did enjoy the characters we get to know. We meet Mae Lindsom, a young witch determined to locate her missing husband Jeb. Mae knows Jeb is dead but she’s determined to get revenge before she’s forced to return her coven in the East. The love between Mae and Jeb is definitely a major part of this story, as is the magic woven between them. We also get to meet Rose Small, a young woman in town, who had been left on the doorstep of the town merchants as a babe, and who has the skills of the devisers. She’s an interesting character; strong, determined and with dreams of flying an airship to China, I hope we get to see a lot more of her in the future. The Madder brothers play an important part too; they’re not human and have been tracking Shard Lefel and the parts of the Holder, for some time. Ms. Monk did an excellent job creating all of these additional characters, who proved pivotal to the story.

The villains of this story are very prominent and very easy to dislike, neither is human, though no one in town seems to know it. Shard Lefel and his assistant, Mr. Shunt, are two of the most evil and scary characters I’ve seen this year. Their ties to the Strange are somewhat bizarre and creepy.

The story concludes with the end of the hunt and the location of the missing boy and the Holder, which both happen to be in the possession of Shard Lefel. He also has Will, Cedar’s brother, trapped in his wolf form. Will Cedar’s skills and the help of his acquaintances be enough to win the battle? You’ll have to read Dead Iron to find out. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Monk does next in this world.

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May 28, 2011 Roswita rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk, werewolves, zombies, spell-casters, the-age-of-steam

The old west during the age of steam. In this world people capable of creating both useful and decorative objects from gears, cogs, and wire are known as Devisers. In the east they are civilized and display their devices as the intricate works of art they are. In the west the rail is slowly creeping its way across the country, and the frontiersmen work and wait for the wonders of the east to arrive with the trains. This is a tale of true love and true evil. Of curses, murder, grief, and vengeanc...more

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May 17, 2011 Ilona Andrews added it Recommends it for: UF readers, Wild West fans,

This is a story with a uniquely American flavor. It is Wild West, but not the stark, romantic West of cowboys riding into town and not the cleaned up cutesy version where the hero wears a white hat and sings ballads. This is a gritty, harsh world of people who actually populated the small towns of American West: miners, traders, shop keepers, smiths and railroad workers.

Against this background, a wicked, dark magic spreads through the land, carried by the rails. Strange creatures roam the conti...more

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Jan 01, 2013 Jacob rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've read a few steampunk short stories and I would classify Miyazaki's film "Howl's Moving Castle" as steampunk. However, the genre itself has never piqued my interest like post-apocalyptic, dystopian, whatever fancy name they use now, stories have. Devon Monk's book doesn't change that at all but I will say that she weaves a good tale. That and some of her writing is so vivid (describing one man with a jaw like a railroad tie, comes to mind) and eloquent that it makes the book a joy to read fr...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Gavin rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book is a mixture of genres, western, steampunk, horror, fantasy and all blend well together. The white hat corner has some interesting characters, the lycanthrope Cedar Hunt, cursed by a god. The witch Mae Lindson and how her magic no-matter how well intentioned turns very bad indeed, and her extremely cursed and dead husband Jeb. The madder brothers … curious men, are they good, bad or some other thing unknowable and Rose Small who isn’t all she appears either. They all join cause to kill...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Sandra rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: steam-punk, paranormal, group-read

3.5 stars I liked this book, it had a fascinating story and interesting characters, but there were a few things that stopped it from being a 4 star for me. Cedar Hunt was supposed to be the main character, but really he was one of several main characters and didn't stand out as more or less important than them. This is fine, except that the amount with which the books jumped perspectives made it hard to get too in-depth with any one character. Like I said, it was a great story and I enjoyed it b...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Donna Church rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: steampunk

Cedar Hunt is a werewolf on the run after killing his own brother. He uses his wolfish skills as a tracker and has traveled to an alternative old west America. In the town of Hallelujah are also other outcasts including Rose Small who was abandoned as an infant and seems to have extra perceptions, Mae Lindson, a witch, and her black husband, Jeb as well as the three Madder brothers, drunken miners. When a young boy goes missing, Cedar sets out to find him but needs help from the Madder brothers....more

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Sep 26, 2011 K. Bird rated it 4 of 5 stars

In a very different set of voices from Monk's Allie Beckstrom Urban Fantasy series, she delves into a steampunk/magical age of the American Old West.

Set in Hallelujah, Oregon, this book presents us with the tale of a magical creature's attempt to reopen the closed door to his own plane of existence.

Don't be fooled by the cover blurb, this story isn't centered around Cedar Hunt, the man cursed by Pawnee Gods to turn wolf at the full moon in order to hunt and kill the Strange magical folks beginni...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Dilly-oh rated it 2 of 5 stars

A cool cover to hide a rather boring book. The premise is a bit cliche - the main character, Cedar, is 'cursed' by a werewolf and fights to retain his humanity amidst other such monsters and steampunkery. I would have been willing to continue the novel, had not about five different story-lines been thrown in my face all at once. It's just too many to keep straight! First there's Cedar and his battle against the beast within him. Then there's the witch, Mae, and her husband who is a sort of zombi...more

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Jun 13, 2011 E. Catherine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Bounty hunter Cedar Hunt has been cursed, both with the burden of turning into a wolf when the moon is right, and with the knowledge that his brother is dead. But when he is offered hope that both things may not be permanent, Hunt finds himself with decisions to make. The brothers Madder (a trio reminiscent of MacBeth's witches in some ways) further complicate things by demanding favors in exchange for their brilliant technological inventions.

Witch Mae Lindson took her vows to her husband Jeb qu...more

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May 30, 2011 Justin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011, steampunk, western, 2011-release, penguin

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I am fascinated by the necessity those of us interested in genre fiction seem to
have for classification. Cyberpunk, hard sci-fi, space opera, high fantasy, epic fantasy, etc. Oh and the debates that ensue throughout the community when something is misclassified. In any case, there is no doubt what Dead Iron is - steampunk. Unfortunately, for author Devon Monk, it is steampunk reminiscent of Will Smith's Wild Wild West. While a far more successful executio...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Meghan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-steampunk

I'm not sure how I feel about this book - the story was pretty intriguing, but there was times that the writing itself made me just want to put it down and not pick it up again. The choppiness of it, where many of the sentences were an average of 6 - 8 words and cut off awkwardly, didn't make it as an enjoyable read I was hoping. That more than anything turned me off to it and sometimes I had to force myself to keep going.

I'm relatively happy I did though. I love steampunk and westerns and Monk...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Ranting Dragon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: garrett

http://www.rantingdragon.com/dead-iro...

The first installment in a new series by Devon Monk (author of the Allie Beckstrom novels), Dead Iron is a wonderfully fresh and intriguing combination of steampunk technology and western action.

In a world running on steam and gears, science has taken the forefront. However, tales of magic still circulate; magic, and something largely regarded as superstition, a mysterious realm tied to the mortal plane: The Strange.

Cedar Hunt, teacher by schooling but bou...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dead Iron is the first book in The Age of Steam series by Devon Monk and a ROC Fantasy.

Book Blurb:

In Steam Age America, Men, Monsters, Machines, and Magic battle to claim the same scrap of Earth and Sky. In this Chaos, one man must fight to hold on to what is left of his humanity....

Although the devisers have civilized the East with their contraptions, civilization hasn’t tamed the frontier that bounty hunter Cedar Hunter rides. Cursed by lycanthropy and carrying the guilt of his brother’s death...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Kari rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, steampunk, wild-weird-west

This is the second time reading Devon Monk's Dead Iron. The first time I made it about half way through before the book mysteriously disappeared--while moving, being sold to the local used book store; who knows. I decided that since I had read half of it already, and it seemed to be an interesting plot, I'd give it a go again.

For the most part, the story is nicely paced and the cast of characters fairly fleshed out. Towards the end of the book, the point of view shifts from Cedar Hunt-cursed bou...more This is the second time reading Devon Monk's Dead Iron. The first time I made it about half way through before the book mysteriously disappeared--while moving, being sold to the local used book store; who knows. I decided that since I had read half of it already, and it seemed to be an interesting plot, I'd give it a go again.

For the most part, the story is nicely paced and the cast of characters fairly fleshed out. Towards the end of the book, the point of view shifts from Cedar Hunt-cursed bounty hunter who I thought would be the main character-and the antagonist, Shard LeFel, and Jeb Lindson. The book took up more with Rose Small, a curious teenager who is the town's "wild child," and lost its steam (no pun intended) and hold on the other previous points of view.

Jeb Lindson, in particular, disappears for a great part of the story, and only returns towards the very end. He is one of the more interesting characters I would have liked to have learned more about, especially when it came to the vow he and Mae made, and how the magic worked. Cedar Hunt's own werewolf curse seems slapped together, along with his brother's, who so happens to be found being held captive by Shard LeFel. This seems a little too predictable, especially since Cedar Hunt believes he killed his brother while in wolf form. How small the world must be that the antagonist should be the center of everyone's universe! Shard LeFel is a "dandified" man bent on returning to the Strange-a shadow world that sounds very much like the realm of Faery-by devising a plan to construct a railroad across America so that earthbound Strange (faeries?) can cross freely and wreak havoc. It's his hope that he will open the gateway to this other world to make his glorious return to the Strange. Shard LeFel's brother is mentioned only as having banished LeFel to a mortal's life (a paltry 300 years) for killing his nephew. And in fact, except for the "king" and the mad Madder brothers (three Strange men living in the mountains), not much of the Strange is spoken of as existing in this other realm. It's there, and sadly, that's all the reader gets to know.

As for the idea of the Strange: This story could almost do without. Perhaps I read this differently, but the supernatural touches of this world didn't really add anything for me. Again, it's there and it plays a smaller role, but not much is done with it. Especially with the Holder, a key or devise that Shard LeFel plans on using to get back to the Strangeland. Why did it take LeFel so long to find it, and why wait until the very end to use it?

This book leaves much to be desired and so few answers given.

Devon Monk's panache at describing things is very well done, if not a little overboard at times. She takes to describing the smallest detail, adding in fluff where fluff is not needed. Unless the exact occupants of a saddle bag are needed, it's easier to just leave it up to the imagination of the reader, but instead, Monk draws out every piece. There were times where things were repeated. One scene that sticks is my mind is Henry Dunken, who being the proverbial bad boy--the "Dunken is drunk"-en type--is asked by his mother to help Rose bring down candlesticks from the church attic. There, from the time Monk describes them at the base of the attic ladder to the small, cloying darkness above, Monk reiterates that Henry stinks of booze within the course of two or three paragraphs. Does he stink so bad that it needs repeating? Wouldn't his stench bother the town's women (his mother included) and spoil their goodly image of him? No, apparently not. Only Rose Small seems to find him odoriferous.

For an introduction book, this does do well to set up the next sequel. It does keep key characters together so that the band of misfits can continue their adventure together. I'll most likely read the next book, because I'm hoping to see more of the characters' pasts come to life so that I can care more for them than just the haphazard point of view given so often. I want to read a book and see the characters, not just read them on the page. Perhaps less points of view and attention given to just one or two characters will make this happen. If not, then what a sorry series this may turn out to be.
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Oct 31, 2011 The Reading List (Megan) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Devon Monk’s Dead Iron is the type of novel that will make you reconsider how you feel about Westerns. Even if you’ve never had the urge to pick up a Western novel or watch a Western film you will love this book. It is definitely a steampunk Western which just proves my theory-- that if you add Sci-Fi or Fantasy elements to anything it instantly takes on an entirely different identity.
Bounty Hunter Cedar Hunt is a loner. He has to be. He is cursed to spend three nights a month as a werewolf and...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Mardel rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that I would give 10 stars to if I could.

I am liking this cover. See the intense man, gun in his hand...he means business. Notice the trees in the background - there is a forest in the novel. I like the whole feel of the cover. However, looking at the cover, you'd get the impression that it's mainly about one man, when in fact there are quite a few important characters...it may start out with one man being the focus but I think that at least two other characters have...more This is one of those books that I would give 10 stars to if I could.

I am liking this cover. See the intense man, gun in his hand...he means business. Notice the trees in the background - there is a forest in the novel. I like the whole feel of the cover. However, looking at the cover, you'd get the impression that it's mainly about one man, when in fact there are quite a few important characters...it may start out with one man being the focus but I think that at least two other characters have just as much growth and change happen to them as Cedar, the man pictured here.

Cedar is a man who lives outside the small town of Hallelujah. He's a loner, who has had quite a catasrophic change in his life, losing some close family members. He also has an issue that affects him every full moon. The rest of the time he spends keeping away from people in general, yet looking for lost people when needed - whether he's been asked to help or not.

Rose Small is a young girl that has been adopted by the couple who owns and runs the mercantile of the town. There's not a lot of love lost between them, she's treated as a family servant (seems like to me) and the town people look at her as a bit touched, or a little crazy. She is different. She hears and sees things just a bit different than normal. She also has a talent with inventing things and is very curious about life outside the small town she lives in.

Mae Lindson is a white woman who is married to a black man - something that isn't quite against the law in this version of 1800's life in the United States, but still looked on scandulously. Nevertheless, her and her husband Jeb, share a great love that is enhanced because they each have made vows to each other - til death do us part. When you have magic talent, this vow is stronger than usual...something that becomes apparent after you've read the first section of this novel. Gives me shivers - good shivers, in a strange way. :)

There is also an odd trio of brothers - miners, who are paranoide, strong as hell, huge and love to fight. They're a bit touched also, and when they decide to fight (which is often) they laugh loudly the whole time they're fighting. I loved this about them. These men have hidden depths to them. I always love a good happily rowdy character, and there are three here.

This group of people come together when a series of events affects them all, one way or another. A child is missing, a husband has disappeared and a mysterious man with a sinister sidekick is bringing the rail to town....Strange things are happening.

Dead Iron is full of wonderfully strange happenings. There is the regular small town life that is normal in the 1800's, mining, farming, trade etc. There is also inventions - with gears and hinges, attachments large and small - all powered with this magical thing called glim. Glim is very mysterious and expensive. Some people have an affinity for working with gearworks, clockwork items. These items have many uses, from the huge earth pounding clockwork that is used to drive the spikes into the railroad to the small delicate workings that are used for decorations or any other small uses.

Devon Monk brings all of these characters and gadgets together along with something otherworldly called The Strange. The Strange is deadly to humans, and usually only seen a small spirits, or shady things....but sometimes they posses a clockwork item, or a person...The story is so interesting, so well written that when I finished reading it, I felt like I was missing something. Like I should have still been reading this novel. The dialog - Devon Monk is great with dialog, her characters all having their own voice. Some of them are so formally evil, some sound just like small town people, some are wonderfully crazed (theose loony brothers) . There is one scene toward the end of the book that was heartbreakingly beautiful - between two people who have this great love....you have to read it though. One of the things I enjoyed about this book also, is that the females did just as much saving of others and fighting as the men did. Everyone had a part to play, and each person fought as strongly as they could.

Dead Iron is definitely a book you'll want to read. Even if you aren't a fan of steampunk, this story has a lot to offer with a strong plot, strong storytelling. I am very glad that it is the first in a series, I'm looking forward to more of these characters and this steampunk version of 1800's life. I loved it, and wish that I were still reading it. I remember feeling this same way when I finished reading Ms Monks debut novel (Magic to the Bone).

I loved this book, I think it's a great novel, and Ms Monk is a hell of a storyteller. Dead Iron doesn't have a standard happily ever after ending, but there is a good ending, with the promise of better times for some of the characters. She is very generous with her excerpts - there is plenty to choose from. Click on one of the links, and if you haven't yet decided to get this novel, reading the excerpts ought to tempt you to buy.

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Jan 06, 2012 Ami rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy-with-male-protagonist

3.5 stars
I have never been a fan of Western/Historical genre ... and truthfully, I need FOUR times to start reading this one. The first three attempts, I put it down before it even reached 15% on my Kindle. I should've admit defeat by 2nd attempt but I kept coming back because I love Devon Monk's other series.

Well, it turns out that 4th time is the charm. I'm able to push through the story and finish it. Probably because after several chapters, I feel the story becomes quite thrilling (while the...more

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About Devon Monk

Devon Monk has one husband, two sons, and a dog named Mojo. She lives in Oregon and is surrounded by numerous family members who mostly live within dinner-calling distance of each other. She writes the Allie Beckstrom urban fantasy series and the Age of Steam steampunk series. Her collection of short stories, A CUP OF NORMAL is a finalist for the Mythopoeic and Endeavour Awards. When not writing,...more

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Books by Devon Monk

Magic In the Blood (Allie Beckstrom, #2)

Magic in the Shadows (Allie Beckstrom, #3)

Magic on the Storm (Allie Beckstrom, #4)

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Quotes from Dead Iron

“Don't know about my knives, but my gun's made of pain.” — 3 people liked it

“Hallelujah might be putting itself on the map, but that mark would be made in blood, as well as iron.” — 1 person liked it

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Dead Iron (Age of Steam #1)

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