SFF180 🐉 ‘Cold Iron’ by Miles Cameron ★★★½

A student training in magic and languages finds himself caught up in a desperate battle to save an empire.

Please like, share, and subscribe to the channel.

Support SFF180!

► My written review of COLD IRON: [LINK COMING]
Buy COLD IRON from

Thumbnail art by Matt Olson

Music by Aether
Used under Argofox Creative Commons license.
Support Aether:

Support Argofox Creative Commons:

[Phokion]

Great review. I think when you read book 2, some missing aspects of causality may become clearer... thanks!

[ReadandFindOut]

You keep mentioning Robin Hobb, so... it's being added to the TBR. I can live with slower pacing given the storytelling you've described.

[richardbenitez]

Book was a mess. I bought book based solely on Cameron’s pedigree with Middle Ages and weapons of the period and later years. With the opening chapters I had the feeling book was a rush job. There were many sloppy passages, poorly written, incomprehensible sentences, misspellings, missing words. Cameron uses a minimum amount of effort to describe everything, except clothing. The time period and place is vague. . Cameron is not very skilled in using this method of teasing and manipulating the reader to supposedly qualify as a page turner. Early in the book this teasing bits for very little pay off except for more tease is a reason for throwing entire book in the trash. The most jarring annoyance is use of boy’s 8th grade dialogue like “that’s all crap “, “f_ck that”, “you are essential to this operation”. Of course, young women are placed in combat roles to insure one doesn’t think women 200-300 years ago had different lives than today. Plus, women generals took young boys as lovers just assure teen boys they get covered for all needs. Gay characters play significant roles. I’ve never read books with magic outside the Thomas Covenant novels and the hobbit series. This novel had lots of powers thrown around using terms never introduced. Plus, it is never explained how any one gets these powers. So annoying. Just to make sure all bases are covered the main guy Aranthur saves s drug addict because he speaks a language his master has commanded him to learn. Oh great. I get to read about drugs and drug trade just in case I haven’t kept up with what’s happening in my town or family members. Cameron’s syntax is is a combination of trying to seem like a different time and just bad writing. I hated this book. I’m totally disgusted.