Fighting Iron

This book was a science fiction and western, set in a post-apocalyptic time and centered around fighting robots. There was lots of action, great detail, and overall, a fun read. It is not for the faint of heart because some of the scenes did get a little gory .

I've enjoyed this authors zombie series.The author is really talented at creating witty and unique characters and the world building is amazing.The author left me wanting to know more about the world and characters he created. The narration is also great.

A futuristic western with huge robots and an even bigger story

4.5 out of 5 stars

Fighting Iron is a story about Clay and his Fighting Iron. They want it and he will do almost anything to prevent them from taking it. I wish I could explain it better than this line from the synopsis, but I cannot: "A far-future mech western, Fighting Iron is a rip-roaring sci-fi adventure filled with six-shooters, plasma canons, rough and rowdy saloon brawls, showdowns, corrupt landowners, and 50-foot battle machines ready to crush everything in their path!"

Fighting Iron was narrated by J. Scott Bennett who does a really nice job. The book sounded great, with no issues or problems at all. Bennett's voice allowed this futuristic western play out just the way I think that Bible had intended it to.

This was an interesting book. Part science fiction and part western. Fighting Iron really had a lot going on. And it was coming from all fronts. The character development was really thought out allowing each important person to have their own backstory without taking away from the narrative too much.

The action was fast-paced and made sense, and there was a lot of it. Jake Bible knows how to write intricate stories like this that have lots of action without making it feel like there is too much action.

Western's aren't really my thing, but I still found myself really enjoying this. The way that Bible writes really draws you in and keeps you there.

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I didn't know what I was getting into with this download but man, oh man, what a great listen this was!!!

I love futuristic worlds and this one does not disappoint. It's a dark and scary world but the narrator and the main character combine to keep things light and enjoyable. That's really hard to do but this book succeeds in spades.

Loved it!

Clay and Gibbons are a couple of cowboys wandering through the Mexicali scrub desert. Like many nomads they are low on fuel and need someplace to cool their heels. Normal dudes in a western story, except Clay is the toughest mech pilot alive and Gibbons is his AI copilot. Did you like the 80s movie Robot Jox? This book is Robot Jox set in a spaghetti western, and focused on a tournament like Mortal Kombat but with giant robots!

Bible was smooth about revealing the world to the reader in chapter 2. Clay is on the hunt to gas up his mech and as he’s walking through the desert a post-apocalyptic society emerges where some technology survived, but people mostly live like they did in the cowboy days.
Three opposing forces are competing against one another in a mech battle tournament with territory, cattle, and workers at stake. Each sets their sites on Clay and the mech. Will he fight? Who will he fight for? Will he get out in one piece? I’m not telling! Read for yourself. Or listen to J Scott Bennett read it for you. That’s what I did. His distinct character voices really brought the story to life. The guy is talented!

I received a free audible copy in exchange for a review. Any review. That fact that it’s a good one is because the book is good. Which has nothing to do with how awesome I am. You’ll have to find that out for yourself @S_Shane_Thomas on Twitter.

There are a few adult themes and plenty of violence so I think you should give this book a go for yourself before giving it to the kiddies or people who dislike themes involving sex, torture, and violence.

I was driving around the southern tier of Upstate NY looking at a snow spotted landscape while listening to this great book. I grew up in the outskirts of the Phoenix Metro area and spent my free time roaming the desert, looking for trouble. It was like a trip down memory lane. Especially since I used to wake up extra early, flip on the scifi channel and watch the old anime Gigantor. It was a story about a boy and his huge fighting robot.

I know there where a lot of personal connections, but I think anyone who likes 80s sci fi classic Robot Jox, Cowboy Western movies, giant robot anime, post-apocalyptic books, or good writing should give this book a go!

This is a really enjoyable, exciting and funny story set a dystopic Western type future. Giant robots (Mechs), quirky characters, revolutionaries, dictators and some insane characters make this story both entertaining and thrilling. The narrator does a first class job of the various accents and personalties, both his male and female voices are believable and he is able to draw you into the story and keep you captivated, creating movie like images in your mind with his voice. This story has adventure, megabot battles, ruthless villeins, romance and a good few twists. The characters all have great personalties but I especially liked Gibbons, Clay McCauley's AI Mech co-pilot, he was sarcastic and amusing. The effects the narrator used gave him a more sci-fi than Western feel which enhanced the futuristic side of the tale. I enjoyed the storyline, the characters and the narration in this futuristic Western, and I will look forward to listening to book two. I received the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion

Very well told tale that truly brings the characters to life and makes them believable and puts them in unbelievable situations

Clay, Every time he turned around thinking he was out of trouble he was in it up to he's neck again

Clay

Mech Mayhem

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com

The new west has arrived in this post-apocalyptic tale with a tour de force! Although I must admit that I don't typically read/listen to this genre, but this story slowly dragged me in to the point I found myself enthralled. The narrator did a wonderful job and I never had trouble trying to distinguish who was speaking. Each voice was well developed and consistent. The computerized voices of the MECKs speak volumes as to the level of this narrator's professionalism. The sprinkles of humor throughout the novel added some much needed relief to an otherwise tense scenario. This was a well written enjoyable story by the author and the narrator! Congratulations.

Loved this book, the book was well written and the narrator interpretation of the characters was spot on.

Fighting Iron really caught me by surprise with how good it was. Going by the synopsis, I was expecting a post-apocalyptic story. I was not expecting “Into the Badlands” starring Clint Eastwood’s ‘Man With No Name’ directed by Quentin Tarantino.

*mild spoiler ahead*

I love a good story with battle-mechs raising hell, but there just ain’t many to choose from. Fighting Iron seemed a good choice in a limited field and I was excited to listen to it. So imagine my dismay when the story opens with the mech running out of fuel. I thought I would be giving up on the story after 5 minutes. That’s where the story really starts and I was immersed in a very good old-west story seemingly adapted from the “Into the Badlands” series mentioned earlier. This is such a genre-bending story that I didn’t know what to think and just held on to the earphones as I was whisked away on this roller coaster ride. I was enjoying the surprisingly good story when I hit a speedbump of (what I thought was going to be) predictability. The hero beds the beautiful leader. I’m thinking “Ok, our hero becomes the new ‘Law of the Land’ and everyone lives happily ever after”. Frankly, I was 5 minutes away from turning it off again because of the upcoming cliché. I should mention I am still in the first hour or so of the audiobook. Well, I am happy to say that the beautiful leader proves very quickly to be a psychopathic torture freak and our hero is off doing hero things…like running away fast rather than staying to fight it out with the tyrant. Needless to say, the story is happily unpredictable and I found the actions of the characters, good and bad, to be realistic rather than idealistic. For example, running away when a weapon is pointed at you is always the smarter option, despite what Hollywood would have you believe.

What really caught me by surprise, more than anything else, was the “Old-West” feel of the story. I wouldn’t say I have read many westerns, but I enjoyed the story setting and the whole vibe leant itself well to the tale. Land barons doing battle in a wasteland, people just trying to survive, lawlessness… it all suited the unique story setting and, frankly, I am just “wowed” that the story was so unique and fresh, yet enjoyable and relatable. And the Mechs kick butt!

The narrator, J. Scott Bennett, really brought the story to life and provided the ambiance of this western. His “po-dunk” accents and affectations were the key element, in my opinion, of elevating Fighting Iron from “just another apocalyptic story” to a unique and enjoyable audio experience. His performance was simply masterful and integral to the overall feel of the story. Mr Bennett’s performance was key to me being blown away by Fighting Iron. I haven’t heard another of his performances before but he was the absolutely perfect choice for this book.

Bottom Line: This is an excellent “Old-West” story with 50ft battle-mechs fighting for and against all-powerful land barons amid a post-apocalyptic world. The great narration provides that rare “movie of the mind” experience that we all look for but rarely get. This genre-bending story has something for everyone and you will enjoy the plot twists and characters as much as the battle mech action.

I was provided a free copy of Fighting Iron in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.