 |
The Iron Warrior has vowed to defend the city of Carnage Coast, secretly the battleground between good and evil for humanity's ultimate fate. Luc's (the devil's) forces have already inflicted heavy damage on the Warrior and his friends, including causing the Warrior to give in to his own darkness. Now, after regaining his faith, the Warrior finds the city being ravaged by Candace Loveless. Her homicidal personality was formed from her upbringing under a very strict and conservative aunt, as well as being traumatized and scarred in one of the Warriors' first battles in the city. Candace sets about destroying the Warrior's name, sowing doubts in the hearts of the citizens, his allies, and his own family. But where is she getting all this inside information on him? Also, it appears he is making immoral business decisions and cavorting with other women besides his own. There are even videos. Sitting in a dark prison cell, with lives and souls on the line and his allies full of doubt, the Iron Warrior's toughest fight might be against his own despair.
Holiday's Iron Warrior series is urban fantasy full of powered heroes and villains fighting not only crime but also, secretly, the ultimate battle between good and evil for the fate of the world's souls. Themes of faith and spirituality are interwoven throughout. It is a gritty take on the comic book novel, much like the darker and bloodier comic hits The Boys by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson and Invincible by Robert Kirkman. All three of these hero-powered stories feature adult language, bloody violence, moral choices, and sexual themes. The biggest difference is that Holiday's narrative is tied to a secret battle between heaven and hell and includes angels and demonic forces.
The protagonist clearly gets his name from the various references to armor in the Bible. Stories about fighting the forces of evil have been around forever, and darker takes often appear in media, such as the movie Constantine and the show Supernatural. A common thread is the hero questioning his own faith. The forces of evil can be charismatic, and the hero often suffers great personal loss in order to save the many. Holiday uses these themes while adding over-the-top powered beings who sow chaos.
This is Holiday's third book in a series, which will likely conclude with the fourth. Despite a few small errors, the writing reads easily and focuses on providing a rapid-paced story that transitions between the major action pieces. Holiday has paid attention to the human side of the story by giving many characters complex emotions and backgrounds, fleshing them out, and providing the framework for the decisions they make. The large battle scenes may be his favorite to write, as they clearly seem to be invested with the most energy.
One of the hardest things about good superhero stories is having them be bombastic and outrageous while still feeling grounded and human. The dialogue is as expected for this type of narrative, and the writing is appreciatively explicit. The characters are drawn in a similar manner, while fraught at times with internal strife as an added dimension. Fans of the first two books, as well as this genre in general, know what to expect and will enjoy the drama once again. For readers who enjoy superhero novels and appreciate the added heaven vs hell aspect, this book may be just what they are looking for.