Blood and Iron (The Book of the Black Earth 1)

Kudo's to Jon Sprunk. This is my first read by this author and I honestly hope he friends me on Facebook so I can have updates for black earth 2. Sprunk has done an awesome job between description and narrative to present new ideas to a saturated genre. Negative reviews read as of 7/16 seem to come from pubescent neigh-sayers who think a B- in high school English entitles them to critique someone who obviously went though the effort to publish a well thought out story. A slow start to others was an insight to me about a main character walking into a new culture with a new and unexplained power trying to make sense of a world that wasn't found on Google. This has been the first book in a while that has excited me enough to skip a night of television or a couple hours sleep just to read another chapter.Thank you Jon.David Bressler /oceandave on FB

There is a significant leap in character development in this new series from Jon Sprunk over the prior.Don't get me wrong, I liked the first trilogy, but I loved this new book.Folks complained that Caim (of Shadow's Trilogy) was too cliche, too powerful, too Aragorn or Rambo-like to be interesting. Now people complain that Horace is too whiny, too fickle, or too weak. Proof you can't please everyone.Personally, I enjoy a protagonist with flaws, even deep, annoying flaws that constantly cause him to make bad decisions. You know, kinda like a real person? Horace is that kind of protagonist. He's not a badass, at all, but his heart is usually in the right place.The magic in this book is extremely interesting as well: a twist on the four elements theme, where casting comes at a painful cost.Antagonists are not blatant machiavellian-monster types. The best kind of antagonists are the ones you really can't tell if they are, all the way through the book, and there are a few here.Incidentally, there are two landscapes I almost always find incredibly dull, in virtually all forms of entertainment media: snowy wastelands and desert wastelands. Sprunk makes the sand here come alive, much as he made the snow and tundra come alive in the Shadow's series. Excellent read.

Horace begins in a new land as an enemy and his strange powers grow until he is the protector of the Queen. Nonstop intrigue and political machinations faced by a man who doesn't speak the native language. Good read.

Such an exciting story. It’s so intense and the action is non-stop.It’s filled with magic, battles, heroes and triumph over evil.Can’t wait to read the next in this series.

One of the best things I've read on my summer reading list! The book starts off with plenty of action and doesn't give you much time to catch a breather in-between the political intrigue, assassinations, and lets not forget the battlefield full of mercenaries!The romance was also good and well brought up in both practical and passionate views. Sit back and enjoy this one for it will be one of your favorites!

Crusades, slaves, heresies and a desperate ruler’s fight for power and survival are the meaty matter of Jon Sprunk’s Blood and Iron, first in his new Black Earth series. Set in the same world as the Shadow Saga (Shadow’s Son and its sequels), Blood and Iron represents a significant increase in scale and stakes.The major viewpoint characters are three. First is Horace Delarosa, a carpenter from the Western realm of Arnos who finds himself on a ship east headed on a crusade against the distant Akeshian Empire. A shipwreck makes him a prisoner and a slave. However, it is an unexpected manifesting talent for the local sorcery, something alien to him, that makes Horace something worse: a target and an asset to be controlled, both by the Queen that needs his power to survive, and by those who would seek to depose her. The story of his fall and rise makes up the bulk of the story and the majority of the action.Jirom, on the other hand, is used to a harsh life. An ex-mercenary and ex-gladiator, by turns he, too, winds up in the slave caravan and is there when Horace’s abilities suddenly emerge. Such a man as Horace, Jirom might follow, even love. Or at least lust for.It is not until we reach the city of Erugash that we truly meet our third major viewpoint character, Alyra. Alyra is ostensibly a trusted servant in Queen Byleth‘s court. However, as she is really a spy under deep cover, her loyalties are torn, especially with the advent of Horace on the scene. I am not convinced Jirom’s through line as a character is anywhere near as strong as Horace or Alyra’s (or even Queen Byleth, whose mixture of cruelty, desperation and sympathy makes her fascinatingly complex). It felt like a few steps in Jirom’s story were missing, or not quite as polished as well as the others.Excellent world building, vivid description and an alluring magic system form the strong tripod that supports Blood and Iron. This is a significantly larger canvas than the author’s previous novels, and he fills it with descriptions and evocations that showcase his skill. The ability to evoke a cruel environment (seen in the latter portion of the Shadow Saga) works here as the cold north is replaced with the beauty and danger of the desert…and the equal beauty and dangers of a royal court under siege. Magic was a mysterious force in the Shadow’s Saga, in keeping with its sword and sorcery chassis. In Blood and Iron, Sprunk takes an allied but different tack. The idea of Horace being a latent sorcerer is not a new idea in fantasy, but it allows the reader to gradually come to understand his abilities, strengths and limitations as a sorcerer. And lest one worries that all of the sword and sorcery would be wiped away, there are other mysterious and magical doings that, even in an epic fantasy, provide that familiar flavor of sword and sorcery.The slow start does work against the novel, though, making the reader work perhaps a little harder than they might like. The novel ranges from pedantic to plodding in the early going, with occasional bursts of action to somewhat relieve the monotony. Previous experience with Sprunk’s work and confidence in his writing prompted me to continue reading; for readers not so experienced, know that when the action does pick up — especially in the second half — the virtues of Sprunk’s writing come to full flower, making it it worth any effort.Blood and Iron is not a perfect transition to the epic form. However, once the pieces are in place, the novel is entertaining, exciting, action-packed and allows the author to show off more of his world with more expanded worldbuilding ideas, in terms of politics and the magic system. More importantly, I am well hooked enough into the story of Horace and his precarious place in the Akeshian Empire to look forward to the next volume of the series.[A longer version of this review first appeared on SF Signal]

After a providing a roller coaster ride of action in his first series (Shadow's Son), Jon Sprunk has come back meaner and rougher in the opening book of the Black Earth set. "Blood and Iron" leaves the reader little time to catch a breath as his hero rushes into and out of one life-threatening situation after another. As ever, Sprunk is at his best in descriptive battle scenes and developing believable and sympathetic characters. Well worth a lost night of sleep.

Horace Delrosa is a broken man. Running from his pain and past he takes work with the Etonian military on a supply vessel, he alone survives the storm that wrecks his ship. Rescued and then enslaved by the Akeshian Empire his life as a foreigner lost in a strange and harsh land looks bleak. Review and interview with Jon Sprunk over at https://bloodycake.wordpress.com/2014...

Having been a reader of Sprunk's books before, I was filled with trepidation when he moved away from the trilogy (Shadows Lure/Son/Master) that made him a well known writer and moved into a totally different realm and idea. Some writers find it hard to move beyond there original break through novel and are stuck in the same world all there writing life, yet without a shadow of a doubt Sprunk has pulled it off. His latest novel was fast paced, action packed with characters that were both compelling and left you wanting more. For me this book is better written than his first three (those were great reads as well) but which goes to show how well the others will be when they finally arrive. Well worth buying and I would recommended to book lover.

This is a great start to a great new series I'm Eager for book 2

I purchased this book at a recommendation from Michael Sullivan. Jon Sprunk has an easy-to-read writing style that is both entertaining and engaging. Not only that, but the way in which he writes his characters is very interesting, as are their interactions with one another. I found myself rooting for multiple characters even when their goals seemed at odds with one another.The overall plot itself was interesting and by the end of it I wished there was more to read. I'll definitely be picking up the next book in the series when it's released. I'd recommend this to anyone that's a fan of fantasy, especially if they are looking for something that's fun and flows well.

This book should be classified in the young adult section. Characters, plot, etc were overly simplistic with a predictable linear progression of no particular depth. While I didn't hate the novel, I wasn't blown away by it either. It popped up as a recommendation after reading blood song and the emperor's blades. Doesn't come close to comparing to either.

Book was recieved in great condition and very quick delivery. My son is pleased and is enjoying reading it.

A great read in the same theme as Conan. Loved the additions of power with price in a complex would with so many paths to power.