Heart of Iron by Ekaterina Sedia

Heart of Iron Reviews

• 
  K.J. Charles

  Alt-hist Russian steampunk, as a well-born Russian young lady attempts to broker an alliance with China against the perfidious English, with the help of English spy Spring-Heeled Jack. It's a great idea but the execution is just a bit lacking--not that much actually happens and though both the police state and the English villains are everywhere, the threats never really touch the protags. Terrific setting though, very vividly done.
• 
  Moony (Captain Mischief) MeowPoff

  Actual raiting: 1.75 stars.
  Meh. I didn`t find Sasha or Jack that interesting, they had some good quotes but that was really about it. I was intruiged by the blurb and had such high hopes, but the book fell flat very quickly.
• 
  Anzû

  Ekaterina Sedia is an amazing writer. I absolutely fell in love with her style after reading
  The Alchemy of Stone, and I was expecting Heart of Iron to be the same. Sadly, it wasn’t. I mean writing-wise it was pretty good, Sedia does have some mad writing skills, but the story wasn’t really my cup.
  
  I also liked the characters, especially Sasha and Jack, who made a great team imho. The rest of them didn’t really impress me much, but they were still cleverly built.
  
  …
  
  Yeah. I’m absolutely out of ideas so I’m gonna end this here. Mini reviews ftw!
  
  
  
  2.5 stars
  
  Review also posted on
  
  
• 
  Megan Baxter

  I don't know what it is about Sedia's books. I like them enough to keep reading them when they cross my plate, but not enough to seek them out. She's never irritated me enough to want to say that I'm done, but there just always seem to be a little bit missing. It's like they're *this* close to being great, but end up settling in merely satisfactory. (With the exception of at least one of the stories in Moscow But Dreaming, which was finally, finally, a perfect little gem.)
  
  Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision
  here.
  
  In the meantime, you can read the entire review at
  Smorgasbook
• 
  Maria V. Snyder

  This book sounded SO GOOD! I really really wanted to love it. It had steampunk elements, romantic elements, a mystery, and a cool alternate historical setting. The writing was strong. However, I couldn't connect with the main protagonist. In fact, I started to dislike her and think she had it too easy with everyone helping her on her mission. I hoped eventually she'd learn to stand on her own and realize just how lucky she'd been, but...er...no the ending was disappointing and rather unbelievable.
• 
  usagi ☆ミ

  If there’s no other genre I love, it’s alternate history/steampunk. Why? It lets us dream about what could have been had we chosen another path. And one of the most recent masters of alt-history lit is Ekaterina Sedia, who I’ve been hearing nothing but good things about. Her newest book, “Heart of Iron” does not disappoint, and if you like historical fiction and/or sci-fi, you should definitely give it a read.
  
  One thing that Sedia does well (to put it lightly) is immersing her readers in the scene and characters. I’ve never been to Europe, much less Eurasia/Russia, yet I felt as if I were right there with Sasha, Jack, and the rest. Her prose is lush and gorgeous, and so comfortable that it’s like one of those old couches that you’ve worn a butt grove into that you’re loathe to leave after you sit down. It sucks you right in, and you don’t want to leave.
  
  However, one of the pitfalls of the novel early on is that there is a bit more telling instead of showing than I could tolerate, but that was soon fixed as the novel went on. I guess, in an alt-history book a certain amount of telling is something that can’t be entirely avoided, so I will give that to Sedia. But at least it’s not ALL telling, and once we’re with Sasha in school, the telling stops and the showing goes into glorious overdrive.
  
  And then there’s another added element which she kind of sneaks in under the reader’s nose – the paranormal. Paranormal in alt-history and steampunk genre books isn’t at all rare, but the way Sedia wove it into her story was so subtle, I actually had to go back and reread a small portion to catch it. One of the problems with being an aspie is to over-notice things, and the fact she got it by me is an achievement in of itself. And the best part? It’s not overbearing, nor is the budding romance between two of our heroes (I won’t say who, that’d spoil things), which made me extremely happy.
  
  In short? Sedia is an author not to be missed, nor is “Heart of Iron” a book you should ignore. It’s awesome. It has something for everyone, and isn’t derailed into any one genre or market for gender, age, or nationality. It includes everyone, and it felt great to be so welcomed into a world of words.
  
  I definitely now want to go back and read anything and everything Sedia’s written so far, you can be sure of that. She’s a quiet voice in sci-fi/fantasy genre lit, but she deserves far more attention than she’s getting. So if you want something new and awesome, try out “Heart of Iron”, and savor the difference between this story and all of the others told so many times before.
  
  (posted to goodreads, librarything, shelfari, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)
• 
  Liviu

  This novel tries to mix steampunk action with "realism" about race, gender, etc in the 19th century and it fails at that, being in fact a YA adventure with an enchanting heroine, but action without tension or danger in pulp mode, while said 'realism" about women in the 19th century society and to a lesser extent about races is very simplistic and soom essentially forgotten in the quest if our heroine to make everyone happy, the world a better place and the baddies repent,
  
  Very fairytale and the last half is pretty boring since despite that supposedly things happen at an accelerating pace, there is no tension, no sense of danger, you know all will be cheery/peachy and even the bad guys may be redeemed so to speak, while the characters remain one dimensional throughout.
  
  The one thing that kept me reading and for which I would give this a B- rating is the narrator who is engaging to the end and it was a pleasure; sadly this novel could have been so much better were it to either embrace steampunk in its essence - wish fulfillment adventure - or if it would have been darker and indeed realistic and one in which actions have consequences.
• 
  JP Capili

  Summary: Heart Of Iron is a story about a Russian girl who traveled across the continent to seek an alliance against an emerging empire.
  Good: book's only strength is in the narrator's voice; nice book cover art
  Bad: too much ideas but little exploration; Florence Nightingale isn't threatening enough
  
  The book presents so many ideas: politics, religions, races, genders, historical events, that they become too cumbersome for me, and yet still come up short. I also wish it has more sci-fi to it since the book is being pegged as a steampunk novel. I dislike that Florence Nightingale (antagonist) does not do anything evil. She is imposing and intimidating but not enough evilness in her to make me actually hate her. There's also little character development for the two heartthrobs in the story. A fail attempt by the author in romance department. However, I do appreciate Sasha (the protagonist) and her auntie for their perspective on life, their resourcefulness, empowerment, independence and judge of character. Girl Power!
• 
  Marcus

  With the exception of Lavie Tidhar, I have thus far only read steampunk novels from countries which were at one time or another part of the British Empire, most are still part of the Commonwealth. So, I was rather interested in Hearts of Iron, since Ekatarina Sedia is from what used to be the Russian Empire. The Russian Empire under the Czars also forms the backdrop of the story.
  
  Heart of Iron CoverHeart of Iron is a very different reading experience to any of the other steampunk novels I have read so far. For one, it is far less fantastic, it is rather low-tech steampunk. The protagonists are with one notable exception are all regular people, all accidental heroes.
  The central character and narrator, Alexandra “Sasha” Trubetskaya, is a young girl of minor noble background forced to fight several personal wars. First, due to intervention by her aunt, she is admitted to university, as a member of the first group of women ever to study at a Russian university. She has to battle the sexism, chauvinism and elitism of her male fellow students and professors and the stance of some of some of the other girls who would rather get married than study.
  Ekatarina Sedia describes Sasha’s situation as a matter of fact. There is no feminist message there, just the harsh reality of a male dominated society. It makes you cringe and angry, but this is how it was and sometimes still is.
  The characterisation of the Russian males is also simply accurate, they are so certain of their superiority as males and Europeans, it hurts. Yet, if you know your history, you know this was the mindset of the white male at the time. Male and white superiority was a law of nature.
  Again, Ms Sedia states facts, no moral message, but none is needed. The facts speak loudly.
  In contrast to this white male racism and chauvinism stand the Chinese students ath St. Petersburg University. Hard-working, gentle, civilised and prevailing despite harassment by Russian students, professors and the Russian secret police. They form a stark contrast to Russian society, yet, they are not used as a mirror, the Chinese have their own troubles, they are far from perfect.
  Through her contact and friendship with the Chinese, Sasha is dragged into a series of events which lead to an adventure and an epic mission she had never imagined possible. She makes some very interesting friends, among them the one truly fantastic character of the novel (no, I will not spoil anything), a well known English gentlewoman in a thoroughly different role, several Chinese fur traders with a more aces up their sleeves than one would expect and some very friendly and remarkably philosophical Russian hussars.
  But Sasha’s main enemy remains the time she lives in. She is a young girl setting out to save two empires at a time when young girls are supposed to get married. She has to hide, she has to pretend. She faces the constant threat of discovery and disgrace, yet she prevails, she grows with her tasks.
  Ekaterina Sedia has created a wonderful tale of a normal girl going on an epic adventure in a believable, highly realistic alternate version of mid-19th century Russia. There are some steampunk elements, notably airships, which are crucial to the story, and submarines but Hearts of Iron is not about technology, it is about the heroine’s journey.
  Ekatarina Seida has also avoided a lot of the tropes common in steampunk novels. Neither English nor Americans are central or the true heroes. Instead, she offers a wonderful view on a completely different part of the world and the picture she shows is realistic, enthralling and beautiful.
  If your ideas about 19th century Russia and China hail from TV series and films made for western audiences, you will be in for a few surprises. If you know what really happened, it will add to your enjoyment.
  Although Heart of Iron is completely different to Lavie Tidhar’s Camera Obscura, it ranks right up there at the top with it.
• 
  Alytha

  Finished Heart of Iron by Ekaterina Sedia.
  
  After readin The Secret History of Moscow, and The Alchemy of Stone, I thought that Sedia was one of those authors who reliably publish highly imaginative and interesting novels. Unfortunately, it turns out I was wrong, as this one is very disappointing.
  
  
  The heroine, Sasha, is a terrible Mary Sue, to whom the most unlikely and nice things happen on her dangerous, solitary journey to China. Everytime she gets a bit stuck, immediately there's a bunch of Chinese kung-fu artists, convenient rough but hearty hussars, her aunt, or Jack around. Through all her adventures, she's still arch-conservative, and despite everything sees women in general, her servants, and the Chinese as second-rate humans, and still has unquestioning faith in the Czar and Christianity. There's just far too little introspection in her.
  
  Talking of Jack...so, totally randomly, Spring-heeled Jack appears in St. Petersburg. Now, if there had been any kind of indication, that there's more of these mysterious supernatural creatures about, and that they're all spying or working for Queen and country, that might have made his presence a bit more logical. But as it is, he's totally random, and the story of how he got his powers is a bit weak too. Then again, he tells that, so it might not be true.
  
  There only seem to be about a dozen people in the world, because she keeps running into all of them, all the way from Petersburg to Beijing. Especially annoying is Florence Nightingale, who, in this version of history, is not a gentle nurse, but a sadistic spymistress with bad manners and the habit of showing up all over the place.
  
  In addition to that, the pacing is pretty bad. The beginning, her first semester at university, is still quite ok, but once she embarks on her rather silly endeavour to save the world, there's just about 150 pages of train scenes, problems, running into unexpected friends, fighting, more train, and so on. The resolution happens in the last 30 pages of the book, via auntie ex machina.
  
  As if that wasn't enough...technology. Ok, tech is a bit more advanced in this timeline, because the Czar's brother is now Czar instead of him (?!), so they have submarines, the Transsiberian Railway with very regular service 50 years early, and airships (which would also a bit early, but that's beside the point, as they're not actually airships, as they don't have balloons, they're ornithopters.)
  Now, in reality, no matter which timeline, a giant, metal ornithopter like the one in the book simply wouldn't work, unless aerodynamics and gravity are radically different over there. Such things annoy me. Professional deformation. I have no clue about submarines, otherwise I might rant about those too.
  
  
  In conclusion: pretty boring, unrealistic plot with a really Sue-ish protagonist.
  4/10
• 
  Alice

  This is the fourth book I've read by Ekaterina Sedia, and it's the most fast-paced. It's steampunk, set in an alternative 1800's Russia, and it borrows from the penny dreadful style one of the characters reads avidly.
  
  The story follows Alexandra (Sasha) Trubetskaya, whose aunt shames the emperor into letting women into the university at St. Petersburg. Sasha meets a great cross-section of Victorian society there, including the English spy Florence Nightingale, Spring-Heeled Jack, and Chiang Tse, a scholar from China. Sasha's friendship with Chiang Tse leads her across Siberia on the newly built Trans-Siberian railroad, chased by British agents and the deathly cold of Russian winter.
  
  The steampunk trappings (airships, submarines, trains before their time, machines that can play music) are mostly background, as well they should be. I'm always annoyed by narratives threads that break just to marvel at how cool the world-building is. Sasha is impressed by the modern age she lives in, but she has greater concerns.
  
  What I really love about the setting is that it changes the focus from where we usually see Victorian or alternate-Victorian literature. This isn't set in Britain, or the western portion of Europe. This book resists British influence, and the characters are struggling against colonialism. If you can't get the notion out of your head that steampunk equals Victorian, this book may give you some cognitive dissonance. As for myself, I loved the alternate take.
  
  I also loved the characters. Sasha has no powers or special strength to protect her, aside from an upbringing that gave her freedom to learn what she wanted. She's treading new ground, literally and figuratively, in a world not built for her. She disguises herself as a young soldier for her journey, but many of the people who help her see through her costume. They help her, anyway, because she shows strength and intelligence that earns their respect.
  
  I liked how the romantic subplot turns out, too. There's some uncertainty, in the end, though it's clear she prefers Chiang Tse. Jack, who's good and deserving of love, doesn't win her just because he's the dashing, brave hero. Sasha wonders what's wrong with her, that she can't love him back, but she never forces it. Though Jack obviously wishes it were otherwise, neither does he. It's a far wiser and more mature outlook on love than I've come to expect in books with a romantic subplot, and I wish more books employed it.
  
  Goodreads tells me I'd have to flip through some short story anthologies to read anything else Sedia has written to date. I may do just that.
• 
  Jesse Bullington

  I was fortunate enough to get an advance copy of this, and then July exploded in my face and I dropped the ball on posting a proper review when it launched. Better late than never, granted, but still--this book deserves attention, and a lot of it. Sedia's one of those authors who mines something new with every project rather than working the same material ad nauseam, and this one should have the broadest appeal yet while still tackling the weighty issues Sedia's never shied away from. Her fiction always deftly balances escapism with engagement, and the juggling act she pulls off here is tremendous. Although not marketed as such, it should appeal every bit as much to young-adult readers as the grown folks, and serve as a grand introduction to Sedia's work for audiences of all ages and predilections.
  
  I won't get into into the plot, as I prefer to go into book's as clueless as possible, but the AV Club's review of the novel hit the nail on the head in pointing out that the main draw of the book isn't the plot but our narrator Sasha Trubetskaya. She's such a great, perfectly-realized protagonist that even without any plot whatsoever Heart of Iron would be an engaging read, but I enjoyed Sasha's literal journey every bit as much as her internal one. The supporting cast, in particular Sasha's aunt Eugenia, are deftly rendered and enjoyable, and Sedia's tweaking of history is both clever and ingenious--rather than assuming that actual persons would be the same individual in any mildly altered version of our history, Sedia twists familiar figures into intriguing new shapes. It's a great subversion of our expectations, and enjoyably raises more questions than it answers regarding other discrepancies between our historical record and Sasha's world.
  
  Heart of Iron takes its time in carefully detailing its characters, world, and action, and yet still whizzes by at such a tremendous clip that the the reader can scarce believe it's over when the story rolls into its final destination. It's a great piece of storytelling that is every bit as beautiful and elaborate as the costumes and locales that Sedia describes in loving (but never excessive) detail, and one that is a testament to the author's prodigious prowess. This smart and relevant literary progeny of the wuxia adventure and the penny dreadful is a grand tale for fans of history, steampunk, and anything and everything in between.
• 
  Christine

  Train rides are wonderous things. The sound of the machine, the scenery, the quiet, the conversation, the fact you can read without throwing up. Wonderful things train rides. No wonder that there have been several romantic, mystery, action, and what not written involing trains, including this book, which concerns the Transsiberian express (Yeah, I thought it was just the orchestra too, go figure).
  
  Sedia does a good job of catching the feeling of a train ride in this novel, at least in some points.
  
  Sasha has a problem, but then she has Aunt Eugenia. Then she has another problem, but then a bigger one. It's a biggie. It's Florence Nightingale.
  
  Honestly what did Florence do that got steampunk p.o.ed at her?
  
  This isn't Sedia's best. Part of it, the parts at the university and in Moscow are very good, some parts of the train ride are good, but at no point did I ever feel that anyone was truly in danger. I also didn't get any type of feel for the places where the train stopped (though I did read The Tiger, which takes in some of the same area. BTW, go read THe Tiger. Now! Good person!).
  
  Idea is good though. I liked the inclusion of a certain historical figure.
  
  Sedia does make me want to read more about the Decemberists, however.
• 
  Laura Davis

  I was so excited about this book. The premise is great! What if the Decembrist Revolt had gone the other way? I love steam punk, I love Russian history, and I love alternate history. I had every reason to expect that I would love this book, and I wanted to. In the end, though, I felt robbed in a "The Cake is a Lie" kind of way. Writing this review is really saddening.
  
  I think that a more skilled editor would have benefitted the book greatly. There are many places where the author takes off on tangents which include good writing and are interesting, but ultimately, they only serve to pull the book more off course. The first half of the book trudges along at a snail's pace. There are some great character sketches and world building portions, but they don't work together to serve the story. The pace improves in the second half, which is why I kept reading. I kept hoping it would finally all come together. It never did. I felt more like I was reading a promising manuscript than a published book.
  
  I hope to see a future book from this author which is properly developed and edited. I think she's got serious potential, but this book really failed to bring it to fruition.
  
  
• 
  ambyr

  I don't even know where to start with this mess of a book. I like Sedia's writing (though it would have benefitted from another round of copyediting or three), but I think I prefer her when she's writing smaller, more domestic tales. Here, the attempt at political intrigue between nations falls utterly flat. It's never clear why the protagonist believes she has any hope of succeeding in her quest to convince China to ally with Russia, given that she has no standing to represent Russia whatsoever. Fortunately, this doesn't matter, because the book ends with her thrown into prison while her aunt turns up in the 11th hour to make the overture in her place. It's part of a trend of people showing up out of nowhere to rescue the protagonist, and most of them, unlike her aunt, have no earthly reason to want to help her. (This is lampshaded a bit, but it doesn't make it less annoying.) The antagonist's dislike for the protagonist, meanwhile, seems almost as random. Even on the domestic level, the book makes strange choices; the less said about the romantic subplot and its pacing, the better.
  
  Not recommended, although the descriptions of Russia in winter are lovely.
• 
  Heather

  I was really disappointed by this book. I read some good reviews, and the blurb was really interesting...but it turned out to be the most interesting part of the story. The problem is the deadly dull narrator. She is so boring and perfect, and lots of men come to her aid at every turn. Her "quest" is completely pointless (I kept trying to figure out what reason she had for deciding it was her duty to cement an allegiance between Russia and China...turns out it was her "youthful indiscretion"?) The plot was utterly predictable at every turn, and it's in desperate need of a copyeditor (I lost track of the typos, fragmentary sentences, and misplaced commas. Really simple errors were completely glossed over). It showed promise, but didn't live up to it.
• 
  Shawn

  I wanted to like this book, I really did, but I just could not get over how simple and unrealistic it was (Even for steam punk)
  
  Personally, I wish Ekaterina Sedia would just go back to her roots with novels like 'The Secret History of Moscow' and forsake this stupid steam punk bullshit once and fore all. Because all the airships and submarines in the world could not make this book worth reading. She has a wonderful chance to teach us so much about Russian history and culture and it's tainted by this steampunk garbage. Also, we get it Ekaterina Sedia, you have a self-esteem problem, that doesn't mean all your leading female characters need to as well.
  
  PS: I only give her two stars out of respect.
  
  I still love you ES!
• 
  Jenny

  I have too many books that I want to read to invest myself in a boring one. I gave myself 70 pages. "But Jen, why so far?" because I made the mistake of actually being interested in the plot description and buying it at Half Price. Guess where it's going back to?
  
  Ah yes, my favorite plots, racism, sexism, and a character that has a mYYYYSSSSterryyyYYYYyyy. I understand, sexism and racism are real issues, but I read to forget about the world, not to be reminded of how shit it is. Didn't see those coming, and I'm just not a fan and I'm really tired of them being themes. Not for me. Boring, and way too slow. Also Sasha narrates like a person that is dead inside and has no feeling. Not fun.
  
  Back to Half Price this goes. Because I've got better shit to spend my time on. NEXT!
• 
  Nighteye

  Intresting storyline, don't know much about russian history, and a bit non-normal read for me as I don't normally read a book with university setting. The Reason for my choise was due to her book Alchemy of stone whom is such an amazing book that I just had to read another :) Still happy I read this alternative history Russia.
  It has a nice steampunkish setting with believable how they saw on women and other nationalities in university for that time. A bit Lady Trent over the aunt of our main Sasha and liked the storyline.
• 
  Maša

  Sasha finds herself in a university in an alternate history Russia. When her Chinese friends start to disappear, she goes on an impulsive mission, with the help of some friends.
  
  The book was a cosy adventure with pretty high stakes, but a low threat to either the protagonist or the main objective. I found Sasha to be neurodivergent, without deep connections to other characters - so I didn't connect that much either. The book felt short and I'd like themes of colonialism and misogyny explored more, although I found it done subtly and tactfully.
• 
  Zoriah Ashbrook

  Overall it was pretty boring. I have definitely read worse, but it was so hard for me to care about any of the characters or the plot. The cover of the book gave me the impression that it would be steam/diesel punk and other than the last few chapters it does not really have that feel at all. Almost like the author decided at the last minute that they wanted to make a strampunk novel and honestly fell very short.
• 
  BookmarkedOne

  Fantastic concepts, but frankly they just don't materialize into a good story. The book is dry, like it was rushed from its earlier drafts to the publisher too soon.
  Pity. It really could have been something spectacular.
  Rantish, grumpy review for the curious:
  https://bookmarkedone.home.blog/2020/....
• 
  Rivqa

  An enjoyable alternate history/steampunk tale. Although I know little about the period in Russian history, I enjoyed the setting and the approach to modern ideals within it. Great characters, too, although ultimately I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second.
• 
  Salimbol

  3.5 stars
• 
  Tintaglia

  3.5
• 
  rixx

  Russian steampunk-ish
• 
  Meredith

  I found the insight of how Russians are neither east or west and why Sasha feels a sense of camaraderie with the students from China.
  
  Otherwise the story was alright but not super compelling.