Dean F. Wilson was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1987. He started writing at age 11.

He is the author of the Children of Telm epic fantasy trilogy, the Great Iron War steampunk series,

the Coilhunter Chronicles science-fiction western series, the Hibernian Hollows urban fantasy

series, and the Infinite Stars space opera series.

The Great Iron War - Book One: Hopebreaker by Dean F. Wilson

In the world of Altadas, there are no more human births. The Regime is replacing the unborn with demons, while the Resistance is trying to destroy a drug called Hope that the demons need to survive.

Between these two warring factions lies Jacob, a man who profits from smuggling contraceptive amulets into the city of Blackout. He cares little about the Great Iron War, but a chance capture, and an even more accidental rescue, embroils him in a plot to starve the Regime from power.

When Hope is an enemy, Jacob finds it harder than he thought to remain indifferent. When the Resistance opts to field its experimental landship, the Hopebreaker, they find they might just have a chance to win this war.

CURATOR'S NOTE

In a dystopian steampunk world where a militant foreign power has taken over and there are no more human births, a contraceptive amulet smuggler finds himself sucked into the Resistance. This genre-bending tale combines fast-paced action with intimate character moments, all with a signature style and witty, film noire-style dialogue.

In a dystopian steampunk world where a militant foreign power has taken over and there are no more human births, a contraceptive amulet smuggler finds himself sucked into the Resistance. This genre-bending tale combines fast-paced action with intimate character moments, all with a signature style and witty, film noire-style dialogue. – Dean F. Wilson

 

REVIEWS

  • "Action scenes left me gasping—sometimes for more, sometimes for a blessed reprieve to draw breath—and dialogue was clever and cutting. Wilson knows just where to stop, to create the best impact with fewest words. Landscapes, especially of the desert, are evocative and real, as are the paintings of landships, cities and—no less, the 'landscape' of interwoven relationships. ... If you enjoy a novel with a clever interplay of fantasy and realism, with action, quandary and emotion, this will hook you and I am sure you will be unable to put it down."

    – e-Scribes

  • "Great character development, a memorable and unique plot, and vivid world building… what's not to love?"

    – RCLDJ (Amazon Review)

  • "Wilson's writing is spectacular. ... He has a way of building characters and settings that are both considerate to the readers and endearing. Altadas, although a horrible place that I would never want to live in, is a dystopic wonderland for fans of books like "Hunger Games" or anything Steampunk. ... There were a few action sequences in this book that felt like I was watching a Hollywood blockbuster, as well. Near the end of the story, I found myself glued to my Kindle, hoping it'd never end."

    – VC Remus (Amazon Review)
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

In the world of Altadas, in the year 1888 of the Second Era, women everywhere dreamed of a coming desert. Those who were already pregnant miscarried, and those who became pregnant didn't give birth to human children. An invasion had begun.

The newborns had no horns or marks, and so they were loved and reared like all the others. It'd take time before anyone realised what they really were, before anyone would call them demons.

These events were marked by the arrival of strangers claiming to be from a distant land. The people of Altadas called them Pilgrims, but they didn't know just how far they'd come, nor by what strange doors they'd entered, nor exactly what they'd come for.

The first Pilgrims were scouts, but subsequent waves were soldiers, sent by a man who'd later call himself the Iron Emperor. He promised his people iron. He gave them war instead.

They called that year the Harvest, and it became the first year of a new, darker calendar. Sand swept through the great chasms in the sky from where the demons came, the dust of a world they'd dried up. Ahead of the landships went great sandstorms, until the green grasses became an endless, red desert.

In Altadas, steam powers industry, but iron powers war. The abundant metal, idolised by the invaders, and depleted in their home world, became a beacon to the demons, and was the foundation upon which they'd build their new civilisation. They called themselves the Iron Empire. Their enemies simply called them the Regime.

As war began in the east, few among the Resistance knew that their own children weren't really theirs. The invaders had mastered a magical technique to control the birth channels of a people they desired to conquer. Thus with one hand they'd wield might, and with the other they'd use guile, infiltrating and eradicating their enemies, anyone who'd dare defy the Iron Emperor, who had brought his people to this promised land.

Yet iron is more to the demons than just a metal. It provides the key ingredient for the sustenance of the invaders. To some it's a drug. To them, symbolising everything they were promised, and everything they were leaving behind, it's Hope.

As one civilisation crumbled, and a new empire was founded on its remains, there were some who refused to live out their last days under the iron grip of their new ruler. They made a promise of their own: to fight, with everything they had, for the fate of humanity.

Thus began the Great Iron War.