Iron William and the Carpenter's Tears in Get Reviews!

Dec 29, 2019 Ginger Bensman rated it it was amazing

Shelves: action-adventure

Iron William has been dispatched, at great personal peril and on pain of death, to find and retrieve the tears shed by Christ at the tomb of Lazarus (miraculously transformed into a spellbinding blue gem) and deliver this relic to the Vatican. Here begins a rousing adventure over land and sea that will test Iron William's courage, friendships, kindness, and cunning. If you love high stakes, unrelenting adventure, and (for the genre) complex and memorable characters, you'll enjoy this one. This i ...more

7 likes · Like · see review

Sep 09, 2014 James Field rated it it was amazing

Shelves: finished

The scene is set during the reign of King Henry VIII. The English, French, Spanish and Roman Monarchies are at war with one another. The Church demands sovereignty over all nations, including Turks and the Holy Lands.

Mixed up in all this is Iron William Kidd, a freelance spy with extraordinary qualities. His quest is to outmanoeuvre these warring factions and restore the mystical Carpenter's Tears to the Vatican, a task that seems impossible.

This story brings to mind Treasure Island and James Bo ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 13, 2014 David Rose rated it it was amazing

Rousing historical adventure!

'Iron William' Kidd, who acquires the apt soubriquet in this story, has a mission impossible thrust upon him. It's not his fault, but neither does he have any choice, not if he wants to live - and the Church of Rome would make a deadly enemy. Although the story is fiction it is set in the competently replicated historical period of the Reformation, in the mid-16th Century. The action takes place in Mediterranean Europe, in fact across most of it, from one end to the ...more

Like · see review

Sep 01, 2013 Patricia Hamill rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed-by-me, 2013-reads, 2013-favorite_new_reads

Great plot, well-researched, and above all, fun to read!

Iron William Kidd is a former secret agent for the English King Henry. After falling out of favor, he finds himself opposite a former colleague, Hamilton Rush. When the two collide, the results are disastrous for both, though Kidd seems to get the worst of it. He nearly loses his hands, but his friend Vllen, one of the innovative minds of the budding renaissance, devises a pair of metal gauntlets that fuse with his maimed flesh.

Not only mus Great plot, well-researched, and above all, fun to read!

Iron William Kidd is a former secret agent for the English King Henry. After falling out of favor, he finds himself opposite a former colleague, Hamilton Rush. When the two collide, the results are disastrous for both, though Kidd seems to get the worst of it. He nearly loses his hands, but his friend Vllen, one of the innovative minds of the budding renaissance, devises a pair of metal gauntlets that fuse with his maimed flesh.

Not only must Kidd cope with his less than agile replacement hands, but also a nearly impossible quest. With nothing more than a snippet of text hinting at the missing relic's existence and the threat of the Church's retribution should he fail, Kidd is faced with the ultimate cold case file, and he's not the only one after the prize.

First of all, bravo on the research. The story is set in the renaissance, where science and innovation are just starting to take off. The locations, the empires, and the way of life are depicted realistically, as are the biblical references (and scenes). In fact, I found the lost history of the Tears to be the most fascinating aspect of the story. Never too much at once, the details are brought to life as Kidd discovers them, sometimes by chance, other times by deduction.

The plot is solid, and everything that happens in the story, happens for a reason, and the story moves forward in a natural progression that draws one to the next page, the next chapter and right into the wee hours of the morning. One of the things I enjoyed is that the story mixes epic quest with historical mystery. Add in the action and the likable characters and it makes for a fun and exciting read. I'm not often able to link a book to a similar book or movie, but in this case, the Indiana Jones movies seem to be a good match.

As for flaws, there were few. I noticed a few typos here and there, but they are infrequent and didn't distract me from the story. Also, the part where Kidd is in training seems a bit rushed in places and slow in others. Although both the stump exercise and the snake test are tied in with the story later on, I'm not exactly sure what Kidd was supposed to learn from them.

Overall, Iron William and the Carpenter's Tears has a fantastic story line, interesting characters and solid details. I most definitely plan to read this book again and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical action/adventure with a powerful relic thrown in the mix, secret societies bent on protecting it and powerful villains out to exploit it. Those who love watching (and perhaps re-watching) the Indiana Jones movies will likely enjoy this book for the same reasons.

I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest, non-reciprocal review. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 11, 2015 Kathleen Garlock rated it it was amazing

A fun, fast-paced adventure. Michael Gardner hits the ground running and never lets up speed. He's created a memorable character with Iron William Kidd, a former spy for Henry VIII who must take on a mission for the Vatican or face certain death.

There's an almost Indiana Jones quality to the tale, which means I enjoyed it very much. Rivalry, potential romance, betrayal, and a quest for a powerful religious artifact. There's even a snake. As well as great action scenes and a very satisfying endi ...more

Like · see review

Nov 03, 2018 Brian Marshall rated it it was amazing

What the …?

A 16th century proto-cyborg, part Bond, part Indie Jones? What makes Gardener's tale so impressive isn't just his bold imagination, but the fact that he can make such an outlandish character feel so authentic and lived-in. Great settings, lively pacing, convincing historical details; this book works on so many levels. And I especially enjoyed the fact that William Kidd is a warrior with a conscience, one who strives to walk the hero's path, while showing mercy to his foes. Highly reco ...more

Like · see review

May 15, 2014 Michael Gardner added it · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Like

Jul 24, 2018 Raymond Elmo marked it as to-read

Like

From the Bookshelf of Get Reviews!…

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

What Members Thought

Get Reviews!