Book of iron cover

Book of iron

by Elizabeth Bear

Subterranean Press is proud to announce Book of Iron, the standalone prequel to Elizabeth Bear's acclaimed novella, Bone and Jewel Creatures. Bijou the Artificer is a Wizard of Messaline, the City of Jackals. She and her partner--and rival--Kaulas the Necromancer, along with the martial Prince Salih, comprise the Bey's elite band of trouble-solving adventurers. But Messaline is built on the ruins of a still more ancient City of Jackals. So when two foreign Wizards and a bard from the mysterious western isles cross the desert in pursuit of a sorcerer intent on plundering the deadly artifacts of lost Erem, Bijou and her companions must join their hunt. The quest will take them through strange passages, beneath the killing light of alien suns, with the price of failure the destruction of every land--Jacket flap.

More by Elizabeth Bear

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?