Clockworld: The Iron City

By: Ben Myatt

Narrated by: Luke Hannafin

The Iron City has stood for thousands of years, but now, dark forces move within her metal walls to bring down her royal family and subjugate her people. Princess Aldreia, heir to the throne, must join with the peasant tunnel-runner mouse to battle against the threats against her city and protect her birthright!

From the darkest cellars of the city Underworks to the skies around its tiers, the battle for the Iron City has begun!

©2018 Ben Myatt (P)2019 Ben Myatt

Not a bad steampunky, book.

~3.5 stars. I initially wasn't very into this books setting, characters, etc. As the book progressed, I became more invested into the storyline and I think that I ended up enjoying the book quite a bit. There are a few things that I would recommend the author to improve upon. The book did well at keeping me interested and not feeling sluggish at points where there was less conflict occurring. I think that several elements were adopted from other famous works without properly making them fit that took away from the story. Examples like characters saying "By the old Gods and the new" and "What in the seven hells" are phrases that I recognize from ASOIAF, but don't make since in this story (what old Gods and what new Gods are they talking about?).

This could be more of a preference, but I would have liked more world building and understanding what the world looked like, how everyone (not just in the cities mentioned) live, other religious beliefs, etc. I was also interested in learning more about how the technology functions, which I hope will be covered in later novels. I definitely see potential in this series being quite good.

On another note, and this could also just be personal preference, I think the narrator almost ruined this book. One of the main reasons I was having trouble getting into this book was the narrator. I didn't find his normal reading voice that appealing. I felt he also had trouble conveying the emotion of the situation and characters in the entire novel. Some of his voices were somewhat ridiculous (such as a certain Queen's Paw that sounded like Batman), and sometimes he would slip out of a character's voice while speaking, or forgetting to speak with that character's voice that confused me at parts.

Overall, I would likely read the next book in the series, hoping that the author continues to improve in writing quality.

Also, I received this book for free, and that in no way influenced my review.

Loved It

From the depths of the dark impoverished underground, a special gem named Mouse is found. While most people of the underground rely on illegal ways of life, Mouse is known for his exceptional skills as a tunnel runner and a fixer; and he prides himself on not being a criminal. When he’s thrust into the upper levels of the citadel in search of answers, everyone just assumes he’s lost or up to no good like the rest of the underground, but Mouse is special.

Imagine a steam punk setting with a hint of magic tossed in. Strange men that look more machine than man are commonplace. Exotic old machines are everywhere. A poor kid from the streets goes from trying to survive the daily grind of the underground to trying to stay alive and solve the mystery of his strange new discoveries he’s apart of, almost connected to, alongside a mix of people that would not ordinarily give him the time of day.

It’s a great story, Very original, and right up my alley. I had a great time imagining the scenes the author sets forth for you, very descriptive. The narrator does an excellent job with inflection, characters, and reading clearly overall. Great job narrating and great job imagining and transferring this story to paper by the author.

I would read again for sure.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Fantasy and Steampunk

This sort of book is up my street and the author did not disappoint. The characters were interesting and so was the plot. It reminded me a little of Abigail the movie.
This is for those that love steampunk mixed in with fantasy.

Fun story

The characters and story were good, and that's why we read books. I agree that the narration wasn't... ideal, but I think the fact that I listened to it on 2x helped me get used to it quickly. I think the problem isn't that the narrator is bad in his own right, more so that we have so many examples that are AMAZING that this is just... ok.

The book is fun, though. Definitely check it out.

I was given this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

absolutely brilliant

great story line and follow through I'm going to see if there is a sequel !