The Iron Republic: Journey Through The Ice Wall artwork

Science Fiction · Maluckins Media Group

The Iron Republic: Journey Through The Ice Wall

by Maluckins Media Group

Is it fiction, or is it real? In 1902, a Florida newspaper published J. Edward Barrington's account of a hidden civilization beyond the Antarctic ice wall — and to this day, no one has definitively proven which. The origins of the IRON REPUBLIC are somewhat obscure. Its authorship is commonly attributed to Richard Bennett, also known as Richard James Morgan. Of course, other names have become associated with the book, like James M. Schurbarth and Dr. James Cleave Symmes Jr. But ultimately, there is no conclusive evidence that confirms any of these individuals as sole authors or contributors to the Iron Republic. The book also shares some sparse connections to the speculative fiction genre that began flourishing during the same time in the early 1900s. However, there is no definitive proof that thestory was written as PURE science fiction. The Iron Republic appears in 1902 as an article in the Florida Magazine, and for over 100 years since its publication, this body of work, so rich in technical detail, was able to predict technology we use today, yet did not exist then. How has this story been so grossly overlooked for so long? And in our modern world of ubiquitous information, how have the origins of this manuscript remained so unclear? Is it possible that the author was a clairvoyant genius and the most uncelebrated sci-fi writer the world never knew? Or is it also possible that the Iron Republic is a TRUE account of the events and discoveries of J. Edward Barrington, who bought a boat and set sail for the unknown mysteries of Antarctica? That is for you, the listener, to decide. New episodes drop every Tuesday at 9pm ET  ©2025 Maluckins Media Group (P)2025 Maluckins Media Group

Latest episodes

Showing 12 · updated from the feed

The Iron Republic Episode 12: Not A Bloodless Peace

Professor Morris has cleared his day to show Barrington the city, and the first thing he does is lend him a suit of clothes so he won’t draw crowds. Dressed like a local,

Oct 20
14 min

The Iron Republic Episode 11: The Matin & The Grapevine

Barrington lies awake in the Professor’s house, trying to decide whether the Iron Republic is real. The ship, the ice wall, the flying train and the girl downstairs all f

Oct 13
12 min

The Iron Republic Episode 10: An Evening's Entertainment

Barrington is offered an entire city's worth of entertainment on command — opera, lectures, a live orchestra piped straight into the room — and turns it all down for some

Oct 6
18 min

The Iron Republic Episode 9: Welcomed by a Countryman

Barrington steps off the train into a vaulted station in the heart of the Republic's capital — and straight into a city that runs on nothing he recognizes. No horses. No

Sep 29
20 min

The Iron Republic Episode 8: No Banks, No Money

Barrington sets out to deposit his fortune — $50,000 in American gold — and discovers there's nowhere to put it. In the Iron Republic, gold isn't money at all, and everyt

Sep 22
21 min

The Iron Republic Episode 7: The Man Who Stayed

Barrington is still reeling from a broadcast unlike anything he's heard — real-time news, delivered across the Republic as if by magic — when he's introduced to Professor

Sep 15
22 min

The Iron Republic Episode 6: First Contact

A strange, impossibly fast vessel tears out from the hidden harbor to meet them — and its pilot has never heard of the outside world Barrington calls home. For the first

Sep 8
11 min

The Iron Republic Episode 5: Through The Straight

Caught between towering walls of ice, Barrington's ship is swept forward by a current with no way to turn back. Whatever lies ahead, there's no going back now. Performed

Sep 1
9 min

The Iron Republic Episode 4: Beyond The Wall

Barrington climbs alone to get his bearings — and sees something that shouldn't exist. Beyond the "impenetrable" ice wall: open water. Want weekly commentary from Jason

Aug 26
8 min

The Iron Republic Episode 3: Into The Ice

The voyage south brings Barrington face to face with something no map prepared him for — walls of ice rising like cliffs from the sea. Episode 4 is live now, and it's whe

Aug 26
8 min

The Iron Republic Episode 2: A Change Of Course

Disgraced and adrift, Barrington makes a decision that will change everything — turning his planned voyage away from the Arctic, and toward the ice fields of the South. P

Aug 26
3 min

The Iron Republic Episode 1: The Disgrace

In 1902, an account was published under the name J. Edward Barrington — one that has never been proven fiction, and never been proven true. The Iron Republic brings that

Aug 26
16 min

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#147 NEW Science Fiction US

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