The Digital Renaissance: Review: Fall of the Iron Gods

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Review: Fall of the Iron Gods

Fall of the Iron Gods by Olivia Chadha
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second book in the two book The Mechanists series
Previous Review of Rise of the Read Hand

This is the second and final book of the series, and as the author notes in the acknowledgements, this is a different beast. Where the first book was a bit choppy and hard to really connect with, this one was much better with the two (2) main PoVs for Ashiva and her sister Taru … members of the rebel/terrorist group known as the Red Hand. Frankly, this book could be read by itself, but you would miss some of the unique world building that sets it apart … and it has a lot to say about human predation and environmental degradation that didn’t come through as much in the first book. We get a little more detail on the cybernetic “replacements” that seem to provide a vague “Alita Battle Angel” with just enough of a difference to avoid being derivative. Of course, you still have the ubiquitous network that is being subverted by the authorities, along with giant battle mechs and “synthetic” androids … all under the control of a growing artificial intelligence that all treads familiar ground, but again does so with enough nuance t keep it fresh and interesting. In fact, part of that familiarity helps to build up the suspense that make the final resolution at the end so satisfying (with the last chapter providing an epilogue of sorts). Finally, after a slow start, the action in the second half picks up nicely, making it a fairly quick read for me.

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#FallOfTheIronGods #Mechanists #NetGalley

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My Ratings Explained ...

[ ***** ] Amazing Read - Perfect story, exciting, engrossing, well developed complex characters, solid plot with few to no holes, descriptive environments and place settings, great mystery elements, realistic dialogue, believable reactions and behaviors; a favorite that I can re-read many times.
[ **** ] Great Read - Highly entertaining and enjoyable, exciting storyline, well developed characters and settings, a few discrepancies but nothing that can’t be overlooked. Some aspect of the story was new/refreshing to me and/or intriguing. Recommended for everyone.
[ *** ] Good Read - Solid story with a 'good' ending, or has some other redeeming feature. Limited character development and/or over reliance on tropes. Noticeable discrepancies in world building and/or dialog/behavior that were distracting. I connected enough with the characters/world to read the entire series. Most of the books I read for fun are here. Recommended for fans of the genre.
[ ** ] Okay Read - Suitable for a brief, afternoon escape … flat or shallow characters with little to no development. Over the top character dialog and/or behavior. Poor world building with significant issues and/or mistakes indicating poor research. Excessive use of trivial detail, info dumps and/or pontification. Any issues with the story/characters are offset by some other aspect that I enjoyed. Not very memorable. May only appeal to a niche group of readers. Recommended for some (YMMV).
[ * ] Bad Read - Awkward and/or confusing writing style. Poor world building and/or unbelievable (or unlikeable) characters. Victimization, gaslighting, blatant abuse, unnecessary violence, child endangerment, or any other highly objectionable behaviors by Main characters. I didn't connect with the story at all; significant aspects of this story irritated me enough that I struggled to finished it. Series was abandoned. Not recommended.