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The Iron Duke (Iron Seas, #1)

Meljean Brook

Start date: August 1, 2011

Finish date: August 31, 2011

Discussion: Book of the Month

Why we're reading this: Steampunk voted BOM
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Book of the Month

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* BOM: Group Read History [2025]
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last updated Sep 27, 2025 10:28PM

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last updated Mar 15, 2012 06:15PM

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What Members Thought

Sep 18, 2010 AH rated it it was amazing

Shelves: first-in-series, own, historical, won, zzxread-jan-2011, favorites, romance, zombies, signed-copy, steampunk

Hordes! Buggers! Bounders! Frenzy, oh my!

What a world. It took a while for me to understand this extremely imaginative world, but I enjoyed every moment of this book.

The Iron Duke portrays an alternative history in a very different Europe. The Horde controls people through nanotechnology. People, especially those living in polluted London, are infected with these agents because they have healing properties. When certain radio frequencies are transmitted, the infected people, known as the Bugger Hordes! Buggers! Bounders! Frenzy, oh my!

What a world. It took a while for me to understand this extremely imaginative world, but I enjoyed every moment of this book.

The Iron Duke portrays an alternative history in a very different Europe. The Horde controls people through nanotechnology. People, especially those living in polluted London, are infected with these agents because they have healing properties. When certain radio frequencies are transmitted, the infected people, known as the Buggers go into a Frenzy.

This is a world full of imaginative contraptions and genetically/mechanically altered creatures and zombies, too! There are airships, mechanical carts, mechanical page turners, even mechanical sex toys. Mechanically altered people exist as well, reminiscent of Star Trek’s Borg.

Our story begins when a man is dropped from an airship on to The Iron Duke’s house. Inspector Mina Wentworth is dispatched to investigate the crime. The Iron Duke, also known as Rhys Traheaern, is immediately attracted to Mina. Rhys arranges to use his former pirate contacts in order to help Mina solve the crime.

Rhys uses this opportunity to get closer to Mina, the woman he wants to shag. The romance aspect is not spectacular, but there are some hot and heavy moments.

I really enjoyed the author’s sense of humor. There were some really funny lines and some very clever pillow talk.

Did I mention that there are sea monsters in this book? “Release the Kraken!” A most memorable scene with a very large, mechanically enhanced sea monster kept me at the edge of my seat.

I loved the secondary characters, especially Yasmeen, The Lady Corsair. Airship pilot, mercenary, I hope that there are more stories planned for her – just her acrobatics alone were spectacular.

So there you have it – a book with zombies, sea monsters, Borg-like people, all sorts of mechanical gadgets. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

Update May 23, 2012 - The Iron Duke is now on the Badass Book Reviews' Best Badass Zombie Books List. Check it out!
...more

33 likes · Like · see review

Oct 17, 2010 Vered rated it really liked it

Shelves: pnr, favorites, ab-to-c, steampunk

4.5 *

Soooo so good! it was a hard book to get into but once I did, couldn't put it down.
Steampunk in an Indiana Jones meets Pirates of the Caribbean kinda way. With sex. Hot sex. Hot hot hot Sex. What can I say, it's a sexy book :)
Meljean Brook is an excellent and unique writer. Though her writing is not an easy one to get into, the reward for being persistent is a most satisfying one. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Dec 27, 2010 Wan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: uf-pnr, wishlist, dangerous-hero, kick-ass-heroine, steampunk, mystery-suspense, dystopia, 5-stars

OMGosh! This book was AMAZING! It wasn't anything I have read before. This is my first book of Meljean Brook and I was surprise to see how young the author is -- but true talents is true talents, age or sex doesn’t matter. This is also the first of the “Steampunk” category, I’ve ever read. It doesn’t disappoint. I also love the cover. It sets the tone of the book perfectly (and that is not because of the super hot guy in the front – though I’m glad that only half of his face shown – I dislike ve OMGosh! This book was AMAZING! It wasn't anything I have read before. This is my first book of Meljean Brook and I was surprise to see how young the author is -- but true talents is true talents, age or sex doesn’t matter. This is also the first of the “Steampunk” category, I’ve ever read. It doesn’t disappoint. I also love the cover. It sets the tone of the book perfectly (and that is not because of the super hot guy in the front – though I’m glad that only half of his face shown – I dislike very much if I see the models’ faces on the cover. Readers do not need to see the models’ faces, we imagine our own.)

Actually, I’m still trying to take it all in….and wrapping my head around the Steampunk world. With the mechanicals, clockworks, gadgets to the airships yet still no electricity but steam power, this concept is all new, yet familiar to me, somehow. It was like Sci-fi dad and Historical mom gave birth to the baby Steampunk. Though, the nanoagents concept reminded me a bit of the Nanomites from the movie “G.I. Joe” but it doesn’t matter. I love it in this book better. The zombies, ah…the zombies were odd ideas but somehow it fit in the book. I totally bought it.

Characters were amazing. Rhys and Mina, hero and heroine, possess strength of their own but yet somehow fit perfectly together. I felt in love with both of them. I also love Scarsdale and Yasmeen, even Newberry. They were complex, strong yet vulnerable at the same time. They all definitely had their own charms. They compliment each other very well.

I love that all the elements of the book were just the right amount, in my opinion. There were enough building up of the characters, atmosphere, suspense….and of course their relationships, which leaded to the hot scenes. And they were HOT! I’m glad I read this book on the weekend because I couldn’t put it down. I would have call in sick to read the whole thing in one day for sure. – Now the hard part is that I have to wait for the second book. ...more

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Jan 26, 2011 Sharon rated it really liked it

This was my first Steampunk read. Not only was this a fun, angsty, sexy romance, it is set in a world I haven't read before and thanks to Meljean's talented writing I could see it so vividly. It was a great mix of romance between two very different people from different eco/socio classes and a an exciting adventure to discover who's behind the plot to commit genocide in the name of protecting England. There are pirates, zombies and a Kraken (oh, my)! And as if that weren't enough, the hero, Rhys ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 27, 2011 Lili rated it really liked it

It started really reeeeaaaaally slow... it took a long, long time for the author to be semi-dome with the world building, maybe because it was a different world altogether (or it felt that way).
After the first 3rd of the book, it started to get quite interesting and when there were just 200 pages left, I was hooked!
I found the main characters likable, funny and witty, complex enough and in situations made me understand why they were and thought like they do.

My main, and probably only problem wit ...more

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Oct 21, 2011 ~♥*Marianna*♥~ marked it as lost-interest

I didn't like Rhys. ...more

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Mar 04, 2011 Haessly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance, steampunk

I can't believe I seriously almost did not read this book...I would have totally missed out! I share the same quote as Nalini Singh..."Meljean is now officially one of my favorite authors!" ...more

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