The Iron Thane

The Macduff Saga, Book 1

By: Jason Henderson

Narrated by: Kevin A. King

Lay on, Macduff! And damned be he who first cries Hold, Enough!

Macbeth was just the beginning.

Amid the smoke and chaos following the destruction of Scotland’s mad king, the Prince of Dark Elves decides the time is ripe to unleash an assault on all of humanity. And he will begin by doing what he does best: stealing the souls of children to build his army.

The Erl-King’s victory is not inevitable; he can be stopped - but those who have the power choose not to. The three immortal Sisters worry about Fate. Oberon, king of the lightning-fast little people, will not risk his legions. The Erl-King’s own son, fully as powerful as his father, would fight, but his mother will not let him - and he is only five years old.

In all the world, there is one who might bind together these disparate forces and lead them in battle against darkness: Macduff, Thane of Fife, a mortal who thinks he has outlived a destiny that has only begun.

©2015, 2016 WordFire Press (P)2018 WordFire Press

My sword, with an unbattered edge strikes!

Ok, gonna admit a little bias here. I've played MacDuff twice, and he is one of my favorite characters in the bard's writings. So, as soon as I saw that there a book that featured him in all his unfettered glory I had to chaeck it out. Plus, I am Scot-Irish, so I have an even more invested interest in reading about the Iron Thane.

So, spoiler? MacDuff ends the life of the mad king, McBeth. No he has a new king to contend with, Malcom, who also happens to be mad a well. Seems like he has reason to be worried that the king slayer may want to do a repeat performance, plus he is afraid of MacDuff's blade, his ability to rally people to him, and the fact that he lives by a strict code that doesn't brook any of the crap he has planned. And, just to pile even more problems onto MacDuff's plate the Erl-King has decided that the human race must go, and he's starting in Scotland. Right where Duffy calls home, which is a big mistake. MacDuff finds himself having to convince humans and fey folks to fight alongside one another in order to survive the Erl-king's onslaught. Caught between two kings, trapped between two worlds, MacDuff finds that he is short on options and long on enemies.

The story carries over the supernatural elements that were in McBeth, I think that William really had taste for the occult things as he wrote enough about them. So the story doesn't fy off the rails as soon as supernatural events occur. I also appreciate that Henderson was wise enough to modernize the language. I love that Shakey-bearded fella, but sometimes he needs a translator (or so I'm told) for the people not conversant in the speaking style of old english. It isn't distracting in the least, either. It is a boon, if anything.

The writing is swift and flows, and makes sense. The prose is perfect and is used well and, as I just said, the dialogue is sharp and firece. It was a pleasure to listen to this story, as it almost felt like I was listening to an extension of the play. That is due in no small part to the amazing work of Kevin King, who manages to really pour his heart into this story. He acts it out verbally, and fills each scene with heart and emotion, and you will really tremble when MacDuff gets miffed.

The cover is decent. It conveys a powerful warrior at odds with alien creatures, alien as in odd or strange, and lets you know by the title that this is not a man to be trifled with. You can't miss the "Not in the legions of horrid hell can come a devil more damn'd..." vibe it puts out. Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. In fact, getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.

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