Marking Jamie Crisalli’s first longer-form Black Library story (after a couple of short stories), The Measure of Iron is an action-packed Age of Sigmar novella exploring the Warcry setting. Dominar Syzek Govius of the Iron Golems leads his warband on a quest to find glory and honour, seeking out suitable components to forge a weapon fit for the Everchosen himself. More used to his old role as a forge-master than leading a warband, if Syzek is to succeed then he’ll have to survive not just the dangers of the Eightpoints and its inhabitants but also the attentions of his own warriors.
There’s a fairly straightforward but enjoyable plot here, told mostly via episodic sub-quests involving the Golems battling their way towards retrieving various items, with pauses for breath in between which reveal a little of the key characters’ backstories and history, and help balance out the pace of the story. Crisalli portrays Syzek and his warband as an interesting mix of stoic, brutal warriors and proud artisans, clearly Chaos-influenced but honourable in their own way and notable for their veneration of physical aptitude and prowess over any overt sense of worship. There’s not a lot in the way of development for individual characters, but plenty of insight into the stubborn, resilient Iron Golems as a concept, from both their own perspective and that of Ias Vo of the Coruvs Cabal, the story’s antagonist.
Syzek himself is surprisingly, satisfyingly relatable, with a veneer of lumbering brawn concealing a thoughtful, at times philosophical character who’s determined to overcome his humble origins and prove his strength, but also plagued by self-doubt. The various tasks he leads his warband on challenge him both physically and (especially) mentally, constantly testing him and keeping him under the scrutiny of his followers, who expect their dominar to behave in certain ways which he isn’t necessarily used to. Driven by prophetic visions and the almost abstract concept of Archaon as a goal to reach and a lord to impress, he takes (and dishes out) an absolute beating but just won’t quit, and for all his course brutality – shaped by the world he inhabits – he’s no blood-crazed madman. Ias Vo, meanwhile, is driven by visions of his own but acts as an interesting counterpoint to Syzek, as the Cabal are pretty much the polar opposites of the Golems.
With a pretty simple narrative, a compelling(ly bloody) protagonist and an absolute bucket load of bone-crushing action, this is an unashamed pulpy story which rewards the reader who’s happy to just sit back, relax and enjoy the violence. Syzek is a lot of fun to follow, and even if the secondary characters are somewhat thinly drawn they’re still entertaining, especially sarcastic drillmaster Eziel, and suit the story very well. As long as you don’t mind the odd minor continuity gripe (where did that warhammer go? How did he know that character’s name?) and a slightly convenient narrative setup, there’s a lot to enjoy here in terms of visceral action and cool world building in the crazy realm of the Eightpoints (the daemonskin, in particular, is disgustingly brilliant). There are underlying themes of authority, self-belief and endurance running through the story, but mostly you can just enjoy the fun!
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