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Cold Iron

Masters and Mages Book One

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Cold Iron

By: Miles Cameron
Narrated by: Mark Meadows
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About this listen

 Aranthur is a student. He showed a little magical talent, is studying at the local academy, and is nothing particularly special. Others are smarter. Others are more talented. Others are quicker to pick up techniques. But none of them are with him when he breaks his journey home for the holidays in an inn. None of them step in to help when a young woman is thrown off a passing stage coach into the deep snow at the side of the road. And none of them are drawn into a fight to protect her.
One of the others might have realised she was manipulating him all along . . .
A powerful story about beginnings, coming of age, and the way choosing to take one step towards violence can lead to a slippery and dangerous slope, this is an accomplished fantasy series driven by strong characters and fast-paced action.

'A stirring, gritty and at times quite brutal epic fantasy' Tor.com

'This series promises to be the standout epic fantasy for the ages' Fantasy Book Critic

Read by Mark Meadows
(p) Orion Publishing Group 2018©2017 Miles Cameron Epic Fantasy Historical

Critic Reviews

Utterly, utterly brilliant. A masterclass in how to write modern fantasy - world building, characters, plot and pacing, all perfectly blended. Miles Cameron is at the top of his game. To say I loved it is an understatement, and I am struggling with the fact I have to wait for book 2. Highly recommended.
Cold Iron is a terrifically good novel that epitomises how good Fantasy novels can be when done right.
This is another book that reminded me very much of The Name of the Wind... while it might be slow and character focused, when the action hits, it's brutal and inventive.
Cameron is a brilliant writer!
Cold Iron is a fine, well-crafted book made by a master of historical and fantasy fiction.
Cold Iron is a very enjoyable book which manages to feel both familiar and fresh. I was intrigued by the world and the characters, and I'm invested in the plot to the extent that I'll be picking up the sequel as soon as I can get my grubby paws on it.
Miles Cameron is back with a brand new series and you're going to be hooked from the very beginning. A fresh take on the typical farm boy turned hero fantasy, this is everything you could possibly want in a fantasy series.
The depth and breadth of this book is breath taking, the skill with which its delivered is sure to make this book and this series a huge hit.
All stars
Most relevant
I'll probably come back to this trilogy - I enjoyed Book 1 but I got a little bored with it. Not sure why - maybe I just loved the Traitor Son Cycle books too much and had unrealistic expectations.

Promising

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Another great book by this author, the writing is wonderful full of hidden little gems that make you chuckle without being forced. storytelling keeps you engaged from start to finish, and the main character is very likeable. finally the narrator does a superb job, I really got dragged into the world almost like I was overhearing the characters themselves talking.

exquisite writing, wonderful narration

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To start with, I'm a massive miles/Christian Cameron fan. In general I love the way this man writes, his characterisation, his attention to detail in the settings he is using and the brilliant way he describes fight scenes.

But something about this story felt a bit off, now I'm no literary critic, but something just felt... Lacking to this book.

The main character is fine, but Camerons protagonists are normally incredibly interesting to follow. Aranthur felt a bit too much like a blank slate, and too many plot point and major players seemed drawn to him, like he's a ta'veren from the wheel of time.
This has actually been referenced by characters in the book itself, so I imagine there is a good in universe explanation for it. But it's still somewhat frustrating to read.


I put off reading this one for awhile, Cameron mentioned that he was going to tackle more social and political issues in this one, in general this makes me wary as I'm rather concervative by inclination. But he handled this aspect very well, although I found a few moments somewhat suspect.

The narrator is fantastic, he does a different accent for each character and applies broad accents to the different cultures in the book. Some people may find his ponderous read a bit frustrating, but I quite liked it.

All in all a great start to a series and I did enjoy myself, but it doesn't reach the heights of Camerons other works.

A great beginning, but a rough start.

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