City of Iron and Dust

Fast-paced and razor-sharp dark fantasy for readers of Nicholas Eames, Anna Smith Spark and Robert Jackson Bennett"A fantastic book, full of wit and sharp humor, City of Iron and Dust careens through a modernized faerie at a breakneck pace, full of verve and unforgettable characters. Oakes spins a smart, electric, and sometimes snarky tale, showing that the beating heart of modern fantasy is alive and well." – John Hornor Jacobs, author of A Lush and Seething Hell and The IncorruptiblesThe Iron City is a prison, a maze, an industrial blight. It is the result of a war that saw the goblins grind the fae beneath their collective boot heels. And tonight, it is also a city that churns with life. Tonight, a young fae is trying to make his fortune one drug deal at a time; a goblin princess is searching for a path between her own dreams and others’ expectations; her bodyguard is deciding who to kill first; an artist is hunting for his own voice; an old soldier is starting a new revolution; a young rebel is finding fresh ways to fight; and an old goblin is dreaming of reclaiming her power over them all. Tonight, all their stories are twisting together, wrapped up around a single bag of Dust—the only drug that can still fuel fae magic—and its fate and theirs will change the Iron City forever.

John Hornor Jacobs, author of A Lush and Seething Hell and The Incorruptibles

“A fantastic book, full of wit and sharp humor, City of Iron and Dust careens through a modernized faerie at a breakneck pace, full of verve and unforgettable characters. Oakes spins a smart, electric, and sometimes snarky tale, showing that the beating heart of modern fantasy is alive and well.”

T. Frohock, author of the Los Nefilim series

“I truly wish there were more fantasies written with this verve and steel. I don't think I've loved a book this hard in quite a while.”

Django Wexler, author of Ashes of the Sun

“A wonderful mash-up fantasy with a dash of Carl Hiaasen, a mad scramble through a burning city for the ultimate prize. Fans of Daniel Polansky’s Low Town or Robert Jackson Bennett’s City of Stairs will enjoy this one.”

Dale Lucas, author of The Fifth Ward series

“A hard-boiled, phantasmagoric fable of blasted myths and desiccated dreams exploding into bloody revolution. Epic, intimate and one-of-a-kind!”

Tim Lebbon, author of Eden

“City of Iron and Dust is a bloody, brutal and bold novel featuring all manner of fantastical creatures . . . but it's really about being human. Oakes has crafted a tale that is as entertaining as it is wonderfully original.”

Natania Barron, author of Queen of None

“Oakes delivers wit, grit, and magic in spades, all mixed together with a heap of heart-stopping action and relentless humor. Unforgettable.”

Mark Teppo, author of The Cold Empty

“I was sold on this 'grim for all the cynical reasons' fantasy novel by J.P. Oakes with the six words of the first chapter title. Well, two of the words weren’t that important. The point is that Oakes knows we’re tired of all the heroic and earnest and uplifting tropes, and that what we really want is something nasty and funny and thrilling to read.”

Paul Jessup, author of The Silence That Binds

“The Iron City is a singular dark fantasy creation that breathes with menace and decay. J.P. Oakes' gallows humor and wit bring a sharp levity to the story that will leave you laughing, and then horrified at just what you were laughing about.”

Publishers Weekly

“This darkly idealistic world offers lovers of the bloody and fantastical plenty to enjoy.”

Locus

“Ultimately, I’d dub Oakes’s lusty, brutal, philosophical excursion a subspecies of New Weird, one part China Miéville, one part Andrew Lang, one part James M. Cain.”

Girl Who Reads

“It pulls no punches with the horrors that can happen in a chaotic ruin, the devastation left in its wake for the ordinary people left behind. This is a fascinating read, full of twists and turns along the way.”

About the Author

J.P. Oakes is a writer and creative director living on Long Island, where he drinks too much tea, overthinks dumb action movies, and indulges in profound nerdery. Follow him on social media @jp_oakes for flash fiction and thoughts on the writing process, or if you want to engage someone for many long hours on the topic of Bioware Games.

Reviews

News