Blurb:

As the freshest conscript aboard the walking fortress of Revance, Ryza forges a name for himself in battle. The enemy are the smelters, bandits that trade in reanimated corpses. But for Ryza, the bloodshed represents a path of redemption for an upbringing he’s just escaped.

His prowess with a rifle draws the interest of the Locusts, a clandestine faction within Revance’s ranks. It turns out that not all aboard the fortress seek to stamp out the plague of molten flux, the mysterious liquid metal that fills the bodies of the dead and makes them walk again.

Some seek to profit.

The reanimated corpses —known as autominds— are used to control enormous contraptions of magnetically enchanted metal, forming the backbone of The Droughtland’s factories. The only thing stopping the smelters from expanding their illicit industry is Revance.

The Locusts make Ryza an offer. Either help overthrow Revance to do the smelter’s bidding or reveal his father’s legacy as the very thing Ryza now fights against.

The former is unthinkable. The latter means death.

Ryza resolves to infiltrate them and expose the mutiny, plunging him back into the murky underworld of the smelters, testing his convictions, and even leading him to the ancient origins of molten flux itself.

“You carry (your rifle) with you everywhere you go. If I catch you without it, I will personally hurl you off Revance”

Review:

Character:

Molten Flux follows the fantasy-favorite trope of a reluctant hero named Rysa, as he is thrust into a new life to escape his old aboard the moving mechanical fortress Revance. To survive the harsh

landscapes of the Droughtlands, Rysa must adapt quickly to the strict disciplines onboard. Thankfully he has his small vial of precious ink to help him though.

Rysa is a likable POV. He is far from perfect and makes his fair share of mistakes, which I appreciate seeing in my characters.  Rysa has history and depth while still leaving some mystery for the reader to discover throughout the read.

Jonathan Weiss doesn’t just stop with Rysa, each character that becomes part of his journey is equally fleshed out, adding the detail necessary to make each secondary character just as compelling. Along with Rysa and his circle, you will come across other unique people such as Smelters, Locusts, and the Autominds giving this otherwise barren landscape plenty of life.

World-Building:

When the author sent out his book to me, he described it as Desertpunk, and you feel that vibe from page one. Under a coat of course sand, rustic metal, and desolate wastes lies a unique and beautiful desert dystopian sci-fantasy world just waiting to be explored.  

The moving fortress of Revance, a derelict monstrosity, is a claustrophobic labyrinth world itself filled with grime,  hazardous walkways, and constant mechanical noise you feel in the pages. You will certainly pick up impressions of Mad Max and even Arrakis from the Dune series, but I will say the elements are a bit darker in Weiss’ world, and I’m here for it.

Writing Style:

Jonathan’s prose is straightforward and consistent throughout. Jonathan knows how to invoke emotion in his storytelling.  I appreciate the balance of allowing the reader those deep character-building moments while not bogging down the overall narrative and keeping the plot moving.
  

Summary:

Molten Flux is one of those books that, I think, purposely takes its time to establish its characters and the world they live in.  Be that as it may, I was never bored as Jonathan provided many unexpected moments, elements of magic and mysticism,  and plenty of action sequences starting at the very beginning.  I’m glad I took my time to invest in the read as it pays off in the end and I'm ready to dive into book 2 and/or read the available prequel. Judging by his overall roadmap for the Droughtlands, it looks like readers will be set for an amazing ride.  Recommended Read.

Please Note: The author Jonathan Weiss provided me with an ARC of both Molten Flux and its follow up, Blazing Flux in exchange for an honest review.