Zaira von Monocle is on the verge of sacrificing her life as an airship commander, because the ruler of Wyranth Empire demands her as a bride.
The war has devastated Zaira’s home country, leaving her little choice but to do as the Iron Emperor wishes. But a new threat looms over the horizon as she tries to bring about peace between these two warring countries, one which neither the Wyranth nor Rislandia are prepared to encounter.
The #1 Bestselling steampunk adventure series takes a bold new turn in The Iron Wedding, bringing new wonders and dangers like you’ve never seen before. Read it today!
Jon Del Arroz began his writing career in high school, providing book reviews and the occasional article for the local news magazine, The Valley Citizen. From there, he went on to write a weekly web comic, Flying Sparks, which has been hailed by Comic Book Resources as “the kind of stuff that made me fall in love with early Marvel comics.” He has several published short stories, most recently providing flash fiction for AEG’s weird west card game, Doomtown: Reloaded, and a micro-setting for the Tiny Frontiers RPG. Writing and reading Space Opera is his life!
Star Realms: Rescue Run is his debut novel. You can find him during baseball season with his family at about half of the Oakland A’s home games in section 124.
Since the first book in the series, Ivan the Iron Emperor has been a figure of mystery in this steampunk saga. Now we are at last introduced to the ruler of the Wyranth Empire when he makes his move, with the terms of peace being Zaira von Monocle’s hand in marriage.
This is a quieter installment compared to the non-stop action of the previous book, but an exploration of the Wyranth Empire and the terrifying and intriguing new projects Ivan is dreaming up hints at more terrifying battles against eldritch forces just over the horizon.
There is so much to like about this book! Zaria has grown from an awkward teenager to a mature young woman so gradually that you hardly notice the change, a very skillful authoring feat. This is not your typical female heroine who has magical insights others should see but can't, this is a woman acting out of duty for her people who is continually forced to make moral choices in a difficult situation. The result is incredibly gripping. You feel her conflicting emotions and the differences between what she wants to feel and what she has to do. For the first time, we see her arch-nemesis up close, and see his human qualities right next to his terrible ambitions. This is another thing that has become rare: a villain whose morality is based on human desires instead of political ones. The author has drafted a beautiful tome about being moral in a world gone mad, something we really need right now, and I cannot even imagine where the story will go next. Highly recommended!