Mad Max Fury Road amidst the simmering backdrop of Guild Wars and the searing wasteland of mother-daughter relationships.

I am thankful to David Wragg, HarperCollins/ HarperVoyager, and Netgalley for my review copy. Below are my honest thoughts on the book that possibly has fantastic covers all the way through.

“It only takes one mistake, one stroke of misfortune, to trigger catastrophe. Obscurity does not guarantee security.”

Tales of the Plain has been quite the fascinating series, and over the course of the previous two books (The Hunters and The Company of the Wolf), we have seen the world expand and relationships evolve. The series so far has also been quite interesting with its mediation on violence and what some people will do to run away from a life of violence, either for themselves or for the people depending on them. In a way, though, the first two books also reinforce the point that eventually violence does find a way back into their lives, and there are no easy options, be it fight or flight or freeze. The ending sequences of the character choices in Book 2 essentially lead to the actions of Book 3, The Iron Road.

“You win by destroying your enemy’s ability to fight. Look at what we’ve been doing to them: raiding them, robbing them, humiliating them, denying them peace and comfort, the chance to rest and rebuild. They never know where we are or where we may strike next”

The Iron Road essentially comes around to the consequences of those choices once the characters are triggered into fighting back. In what is reminiscent of Keanu Reeves as John Wick shouting “Yeah, I’m thinking I’m back”, the journey over the last two books pushes Ree back to the life she had supposedly run away from and Ree finds that while old habits die hard, older competencies geared towards strategic blood-letting, fomenting rebellion & being a general pain-in-the-ass die even harder. This shift towards her older self makes her a huge pest for the Guild that had become dominant and monopolistic in the time that she had been away, even more powerful than some of the ruling classes. This guerrilla warfare has her single-minded focus, resulting in negligence towards her other relationships, relationships that she has embarked on newly, a redefined relationship in one case, and a new relationship in the other.

“I suppose you can love someone but not actually like them very much”

The first part of the book simmers in the relationship tension between Ree and Javani. Javani, no longer a kid, wants to prove herself capable and worthy to Ree, but Ree just wants to keep her safe. These tensions ultimately break into several micro-confrontations that strain the relationship. With Ree busy manning the offensive against the notorious Guilds, she finds herself unable to reach common ground with the rebellious Javani. Ree also has to reckon with her abandoned past, which makes her tetchier and increasingly cantankerous. As it is with family, Javani pushes her buttons further with the best of intentions and the worst of executions. This part of the book also seamlessly introduces some fantastic characters, both from Ree’s past and from the Guild, with distinct idiosyncrasies & motivations – characters who will play an important part in the back end of the book

“Some of us are born to generalcy, others have it thrust upon us”

While the first half is all about the relationship tension with little action, the second half of the book explodes into breathless action sequences set aboard a train with shades of Mad Max Fury Road in the sheer relentlessness of its pace. Utilizing a trope that I am not particularly a fan of, it nevertheless positions Javani as the prime instigator of the action. And it is a breath-taking, exhilarating, inventive action sequence that is thrilling and dangerous in equal measures, with not many things going to plan. It’s easy to get lost in the action, but the author essentially peppers the narrative with interesting character pairings of usually Javani with characters from both her past and Ree’s. This combination of a breathless action narrative coupled with interesting conversation choices truly elevates the book, and it is quite unputdownable towards the back end.

“All advice is doomed by difference. The wisdom we wish to impart is only to our younger selves and the world has moved on in a way that can never be repeated. One cannot cross the same river twice”

The ending is another piece that works very well. Amidst all the action, there is room for cleverness and twists, which The Iron Road does well to deliver on. However, the true ending of The Iron Road again lies in its quiet reconciliation between not just Ree and Javani but also other characters who find their own purpose and meaning at the end of this book. The only drawback that I saw with the book is that it utilizes a trope that sidelines a main character substantially. That is a personal peeve of mine, even if that enforced absence does have interesting payoffs, in both an obvious and a non-obvious sense. I definitely rolled my eyes a bit when the trope played out

“People of your age are not historically the best makers of decisions.

And what age is that?

The murky landscape between childhood and a truly adult existence”

The Iron Road is a book that has it all – a fantastic narrative, thrilling, inventive extended action sequences, quiet character moments with some interesting pairings, difficult conflicts and choices for characters to work through, with some clever plotting and interesting weaving of threads to bring the series full circle. While The Iron Road doesn’t spend as much time pondering about the nature of violence as the previous books, its focus is more on the importance of addressing past traumas & parental choices – threading the thin line between allowing kids to make their own choices and mistakes while being there as a safety net and backup. This is a very strong book and caps what is a fantastic series. I would love to get back to this series and this world if the author so wants.

Book Rating – 4 Rebellions on 5

Series Rating – 4.5 Rebellions on 5

PS: I do wish the publishers would spend a bit more time before uploading the book on Netgalley. The copy I got had pretty bad formatting, almost putting me off the book.

The Iron Road is out now! You can order your copy from Bookshop.org