The Iron Tyrant | LitRPG Review
Chain of Feathers
I’ve been trying to read more modern fiction lately for several reasons. The first is natural curiosity. The second is that I’m an author, and I’m curious to see what types of stories are selling. The third is that I love books, and the more good stories I read, the better.
This happens to be one of them.
Going into this book, I wasn’t a big fan of LitRPG. I’ve mentioned it a few times in this newsletter. I’ve looked into it and studied what it is, as well as what people find appealing about it. Then I decided not to worry about what other people liked about it and dive right into it. I started with The Primal Hunter, and… I hated it.
The protagonist wasn’t likable. The story focused more on numbers than on characters. The plot was interesting, and I’m curious to know where the author took it. However, I’m not curious enough to invest hours in watching the story progress.
I tried other stories afterward. I tried a couple of serials on Royal Road and a series called The Last Paladin. I didn’t enjoy the Royal Road stories. The Last Paladin was fun, but I didn’t finish it because I may or may not have forgotten about it. That goes to show how important it was to me. I had a good time reading what I did, and the characters were interesting. But it still felt amateurish.
Then I stumbled across this author on YouTube named Seth Ring. He’s a full-time LitRPG author, and he talks about how to make it in the indie world and how to write good LitRPG stories. I figured I’d check out his work to see if he knows what he’s talking about.
He does.
Mostly.
Let’s set the scene.
What is The Iron Tyrant?
The story follows Mateo, an apprentice of a mysterious scholar named Solomon. When Mateo is stolen away by slave traders and sent to a brutal military camp, he knows the only way to survive is to become a Dualist and train with the ability of his cards.
But Mateo finds himself stuck with an Iron Rank Root Card, the lowest rank that can be achieved. Progress will be slow, but Mateo will do whatever he can to survive.
With his newfound friends Eric, Rose, and Corvus, the spirit crow tethered to Mateo’s heart, Mateo trains hard to rise to the top and survive the brutal military camp.
As previously mentioned, this is a LitRPG story, which means the rules of the world operate the way an RPG game would. Characters have stat sheets they can examine, and the magic system is completely structured, revolving around the cards characters acquire. It’s an interesting mechanic for a magic system, and I think it’s done really well.
If you’ve never read LitRPG or find the stats intimidating, don’t worry. This book is very stats-lite with a far bigger focus on the characters than the numbers. Of course, the numbers aren’t ignored. They’re used as a way to enhance the story and further illustrate Mateo’s progression. Numbers don’t even play much of a role in the story. In their place is the card system. The magic system feels more akin to a deck-building game like Magic: The Gathering than it does an RPG, and I like that.
The plot
The plot of this novel is a ton of fun and doesn’t hold back. The environment is tough. The antagonists are brutal. I felt myself often fearing for the characters. The danger was real, and the characters were rarely safe.
The sense of urgency the plot created made things far more interesting and exciting. For Mateo, there’s no time to waste. Even a good portion of his nights, where all he wants to do is hit the hay, must be spent meditating if he’s to rise to the top and survive the camp.
The card system is really fun and adds a lot more entertainment to the plot. Characters have different abilities depending on what cards they have slotted. A character’s Root Card cannot be changed, but the other four cards in their deck can. If a card is slotted into their arms, it’s an active ability that the character must consciously use. If it’s slotted into their legs, it’s a passive ability that remains active. The ranking of the Duelists and their cards determines the power of their abilities. But a Duelist cannot slot a card that’s higher ranked than their Root card without facing severe consequences.
These abilities create dangers and goals for the characters that couldn’t exist in a typical fantasy story, and I really enjoyed that. It’s an interesting mechanic that added a lot of depth to the plot. But despite the gamey systems of the world, the story still felt like an honest to goodness narrative. It didn’t feel like a story ripped out of a video game, and that’s a weakness I’ve found in most LitRPGs I tried reading.
(Granted, good story-based games also have narratives that don’t feel like “video game stories,” but I digress.)
My only problem with the plot was near the end. It might have been a good idea to end the story a little sooner. Maybe just after the Beastmaster. As it is, the last third of the book feels pretty disconnected, but it did come together in the end for an exciting climax.
The characters
Each of the characters feels unique. They each have their own personalities, strengths, weaknesses, and goals. Eric and Rose are fantastic supporting characters, and I loved watching the trio grow closer together and work hard in the military camp. They both grew a lot from who they were in the beginning, and that growth was entertaining and felt very natural.
My biggest problem with the LitRPGs I’ve tried before is that most of them didn’t have interesting characters. The authors were too focused on the plot or the systems that they forgot to add personality, goals, or human emotion. A lot of LitRPG authors write the cool and edgy anti-hero who’s the protagonist, but with a selfish moral code. But I don’t think they’re cool. I think they’re annoying wish-fulfillment for the authors. Those characters have no real personalities. They’re nothing but power fantasies. The real characters in The Iron Tyrant series strive to do the right thing, work hard, and persevere.
Conclusion
Is The Iron Tyrant a book for you?
I don’t know. Do you enjoy captivating stories with thrilling action, engaging characters, and a fascinating magic system utilized in inventive ways? Then yes, this book is for you.
Seth Ring has become one of my favorite authors, and I cannot wait to read more of his work. The second Iron Tyrant novel has been a blast so far, and I’m looking forward to all the sequels for years to come.
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