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The Iron Ghost

(The Copper Cat #2)

Jen Williams (Goodreads Author)

4.12 · Rating details · 1,026 ratings · 139 reviews

Beware the dawning of a new mage...

Wydrin of Crosshaven, Sir Sebastian and Lord Aaron Frith are experienced in the perils of stirring up the old gods. They are also familiar with defeating them, and the heroes of Baneswatch are now enjoying the perks of suddenly being very much in demand for their services.

When a job comes up in the distant city of Skaldshollow, it looks l ...more

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Paperback, 544 pages

Published February 26th 2015 by Headline

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Dec 14, 2019 Charlotte May rated it really liked it

Shelves: epic-fantasy, romance

“ I take it you have a plan, then?”...”Of course I do. It involves sneaking about, the cover of night, and good old fashioned beating people up.”

3.5 ⭐️

I’ve really been enjoying this series. My only gripe that keeps it from 4 stars is that near the end far too much stuff seems to happen all at once and it’s too much for my poor brain. I’m never really sure what’s going on.

But throughout the story I love the adventures, the characters, the sass! All of it, the world building is excellent and v ...more

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Oct 24, 2016 Lady Luna. ✨ rated it really liked it

Shelves: badassery, great-books, epic-fantasy

4.5 STARS ✩✩✩✩

Buddy read with my homies at BB&B

“Ye gods and little fishes!”

This book gave me the feels & made me want to do a happy dance after finishing it. So here's my happy dance, I kinda wanna sing "I loooove everything I l-l-love everything I do" while doing it!

description

Okay so I'm going to start this review off by talking about my rating, so I absolutely loved this book.. Why didn't I give it 5 stars than? Well firstly it isn't one of my 'favorites', I can't compare this book to some other books ...more

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Oct 24, 2016 Choko rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, kick-ass-ladies, advanture, dragons

*** 4.35 ***

A buddy read with the Fantasy Addicts at BB&B! This Demon has to DIE!

Wonderfully imaginative, a bit of a throwback to the cool 80's Science Fiction and its world building and creatures. This is a compliment, because I loved that stuff :-)

The second book in the series is a definite improvement on the first. Not that anything was truly wrong with it - it just had some continuity issues and did not read as a cohesive unit. In this volume we get some back and forth in the form of memorie *** 4.35 ***

A buddy read with the Fantasy Addicts at BB&B! This Demon has to DIE!

Wonderfully imaginative, a bit of a throwback to the cool 80's Science Fiction and its world building and creatures. This is a compliment, because I loved that stuff :-)

The second book in the series is a definite improvement on the first. Not that anything was truly wrong with it - it just had some continuity issues and did not read as a cohesive unit. In this volume we get some back and forth in the form of memories or action developing outside of the main timeline, but the author does not lead us astray and we get a logical resolution, which is always what we as readers desire in order for our world to be as we need it to be:-)

The writing is very good, the pacing a bit slow in the beginning, but gained speed as the book went along. What I really, really loved were some of the characters and the way they made me root for them, despite their imperfect nature and many mistakes. I actually ugly cried at one of the scenes involving a returning Knight and my beloved brood sisters!!! I felt like my heart was being sliced into pieces, and if anyone had told me that I will experience such emotional turmoil over not essential characters in this book, I would have not believed it.

There were so many bright moments, moments of pain, destruction, hope and despair, that I had to take some breaks in order to savor every moment. This is an adventure, a story of a rag-tag gang who always start off a job for the "Copper Promise", or the money, and end up fighting for their lives and turn into reluctant heroes. The Evil ones are truly EVIL, while all the rest suffer with the human condition of clashing values, dubious decisions, and strengths and weaknesses typical for all of us.

I would absolutely recommend this series to all lovers of the genre and those who like to spend some time in lands unknown, fighting the never ending battle of Good and Evil!

I wish you all Happy Reading and may you never tire of grand adventures found in books!!! ...more

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Jan 09, 2015 Eon ♒Windrunner♒ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites

The 2016 re-reread of book two is done and it was just as good as before. I love this series!
------------------------------------------
It's re-re-reread time with my friends over at BB&B!
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Re-read before The Silver Tide.

Jen Williams has really upped her game with this sequel to her debut novel, the Copper Promise.

The first book originally started as a bunch of novellas that melted together to form the whole that is The Copper Promise and I loved it. Even t ...more

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Jan 18, 2018 TS Chan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Iron Ghost is a strong sequel to The Copper Promise. We have the necessary development of the main characters, whom I have grown to like quite a fair bit. Then there are higher stakes at hand and expanded worldbuilding. And to top it all off, a whole lot more magic is involved in the storytelling.

The narrative structure alone made it a better book just because, unlike its predecessor which was made up of four novellas, it is a single continuous plotline. Given that the story starts with a ti The Iron Ghost is a strong sequel to The Copper Promise. We have the necessary development of the main characters, whom I have grown to like quite a fair bit. Then there are higher stakes at hand and expanded worldbuilding. And to top it all off, a whole lot more magic is involved in the storytelling.

The narrative structure alone made it a better book just because, unlike its predecessor which was made up of four novellas, it is a single continuous plotline. Given that the story starts with a time jump after The Copper Promise, there are some chapters which occasionally go back in time to provide some continuity to the events from the end of the first book. Jen Williams demonstrated a higher standard of writing in this instalment while retaining prose that is still direct and easy to read.

Maintaining its classic fantasy slant of sword and sorcery, and great adventures, the tone of The Iron Ghost takes a darker edge as it increasingly deals with concepts of power, suffering, death and madness. With the return of the most celebrated mage ever to live in Ede, there is significant exploration and discussions of the magic system employed in this world. There is a sense that "I might have seen this before" as far the magic is concerned. It entailed both hard and soft aspects with two different types of magic that can be tapped and channelled - one from nature itself and the other being pretty much a gift from the Gods.

The Copper Cat, Sir Sebastian and Lord Frith return, now known as the Black Feather Three, undertaking potentially dangerous quests in return for a reward, preferably monetary. Their latest adventure brings them to distant cities, nestled within haunted and frozen mountains, to retrieve a stolen artefact of great import. Although I find the worldbuilding to be sufficiently intriguing, the series is sorely in need of a map! This absence felt even more apparent in the sequel as the narrative moved to new locations and I have no clue where these places are relative to one another. In a fantasy world, this detracts from being fully immersed when all I can do is to conjure in my mind a vague image of the world.

I also noted improvements in the characterisation, especially in the case of Frith and Sebastian where we spent more time delving into their thoughts, emotions, conflicts, insecurities and all. Even though I do like her, Wydrin still felt slightly detached to me for the most part – her quips and bravado seeming to hide her true self even from the reader. The author also incorporated cultural and sexual diversity into her characters, with love and acceptance being key themes.

With plenty of good action scenes and decent pacing, I never found myself bored while reading this book. I do, however, have some minor issues. Aside from my earlier grouse on the absence of a map, I also found a lack of firm footing of which fantasy sub-genre the author is trying to write for this series, so far. It seemed to, more or less, have a dose of everything. Don't get me wrong, it is not necessarily a bad thing, but it unsettled me whenever the tone varies from what I was expecting at times. There are also certain plot devices, particularly around the magic system which I find to be almost too convenient, to help our protagonists along. And this is where the co-mingling of the hard and soft magic aspects appears detrimental to the overall narrative.

Nit-picking aside, I did enjoy reading The Iron Ghost. It is entertaining and well-paced with likeable and interesting characters. With the final instalment to go, let's see what is in store for the Black Feather Three.

This review can also be found at Booknest ...more

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Mar 10, 2019 ✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) added it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, set-sail-for-disappointment, br-2019, deadly-land-of-meh, 2019, machalo-tbr-cleaning-challenge-2019, boredom-fest, back-burner-of-doom

✘ A MacHalo Buddy Read That Nearly Was But Mostly Wasn’t (MBRTNWBMW™) with ~~Elena and Shelly~~ my nefarious little self ✘

It took me FIVE bloody shrimping days to get to the 45% mark in this book, ergo I think it’s time to put it on the Back Burner of Doom (BBoD™) (view spoiler). Why take such a ruthlessly radical step, you ask? Because:

① In terms of characterization, this feels way too much like a Winnowing ...more

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Nov 24, 2015 Kristalia rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Kristalia by: Eon ♒Edgedancer♒ & part-time Warder ☯

Shelves: reviewed, dark, lgbt, be-my-heroes-please, it-s-so-hot-in-here, lgbt-secondary, favorite-couple, favorites-absolute, cut-my-heart-out, dark-so-daaark

Final rating: 5/5 stars

‘You are willing to die for love, but not to live for it. What are you afraid of?’

This book was... 5 words.
TERRIFYING. FANTASTIC. EPIC. HEARTBREAKING. FUN.

THIS BOOK was everything I needed and more. Perfect balance of angst, world building, funny moments, serious moments, cute moments, hot scenes, definitely hot and cold scenes like wow, epic fights, fantastic ideas, but I could do without absolute horror scene at the end of the first part of the book (out of ...more

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Jan 20, 2015 Matthew rated it really liked it

When I think of Jen Williams and her writing a few words spring to mind... adventurous... fun... and balanced. The Iron Ghost, the sequel to the very successful The Copper Promise, is all of these and so much more.

The Iron Ghost picks up on the adventures of protagonists Lord Frith, Sebastian, and Wydrin as they find themselves in high demand following the events of The Copper Promise. When a job comes up in the distant city of Skaldshollow it looks like an easy way to make money. But things ar When I think of Jen Williams and her writing a few words spring to mind... adventurous... fun... and balanced. The Iron Ghost, the sequel to the very successful The Copper Promise, is all of these and so much more.

The Iron Ghost picks up on the adventures of protagonists Lord Frith, Sebastian, and Wydrin as they find themselves in high demand following the events of The Copper Promise. When a job comes up in the distant city of Skaldshollow it looks like an easy way to make money. But things are never easy, and an infamous mage appears alongside enemies old and new to threaten the heroes in ways they could never imagine.

I loved many things about The Iron Ghost. Like The Copper Promise, it is a very fresh and modern take on the classic fantasy adventure that we all know and love. Firth, Sebastian, and Wydrin are as rich and vivid as I remember them, and the cast of new characters (Joah Demonsworn especially) have added a real depth to the adventure. The story is propelled along at a cracking pace, with action aplenty and magical and bestial mayhem on every page. Williams has also managed to weave a sense of purpose and meaning into this book, and you find yourself immersed not only in the action that leaps out from the pages but also in the thoughts and motivations of the characters. I especially loved gaining an insight into the mind of Joah Demonsworn, and his slip into madness was depicted brilliantly by the narrative. The world building again is filled with detail and depth, and Williams has taken her writing to another level by incorporating a sense of grit and realism that wasn't as present in The Copper Promise. I adored reading this book as my eyes lit up at the many mage battles, demon infused children, dragons and walking stone statues! The Iron Ghost has literally taken all that is good about Dungeons and Dragons and added an enthralling sense of character and fun to it that has brought the genre of quest fantasy into the 21st century. I finished this book in one sitting, and the ripping and fun filled banter between the characters kept me glued from start to finish.

Jen Williams has an amazing gift for storytelling, and The Iron Ghost highlights this. It is amazing to think that she is still a relatively new writer on the scene, with only two books under her belt. All in all The Iron Ghost is a vibrant and inventive fantasy filled with addictive characters and action. The Dungeons and Dragons for a new generation, I would highly recommend this book to anyone with even a remote interest in speculative fiction.

4 out of 5 stars.

smashdragons.blogspot.com.au

A review copy was provided. ...more

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Mar 20, 2016 Alissa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-ebooks

What a follow-up to the Copper Promise! This second installment is utterly riveting and I’m very happy I’ve given the whole series a try after the conclusion of the first book, which felt a bit too much like standard fantasy Quest fare even if I had fun reading it.

The characters are, uncompromisingly, one of the best features of this trilogy. They are very intriguing and full of promise so what particularly worked for me in The Iron Ghost is that, along with nonstop action, the characters live u ...more

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Nov 02, 2020 Cindy S. rated it it was amazing

Even though I did like the first book, this is clearly a huge improvement mainly because this one is a full on novel that was written as such and not four novellas put together into one book like the first one was. This made the pacing way better and the overall story more enjoyable to follow. I also loved all the added lore about this world that we get to see in this book. The werkens and the Narhls were extremely interesting and made the book feel different from The Copper Promise while still ...more

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Mar 30, 2020 Eric rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

3 Stars

In some ways better than the first book, in some ways not quite as enjoyable.

Our three main characters have become famous adventurers and their services are now in high demand. They take what looks to be an easy job in the northern city of Skaldshollow. Once there, they get pulled into a conflict between warring cities and the awakening of an ancient evil.

Like I said, in some ways I enjoyed this book better than the first book of the series. It flowed better as a single story instead of ...more

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Apr 11, 2015 Joey Woolfardis rated it it was ok

Shelves: pr, myths-magic-and-mordor, bookshelf, 2015, intriguing-but-ultimately-naff

[Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for my copy.]

Lord Frith, Wydrin and Sebastian, after their dragon-slayer escapades in The Copper Promise are now known as The Blackfeather Three and are roaming the land, sorting out people's other-worldly problems and loving all the attention and coin they're receiving as a result. However, an age-old mage is re-awakened and it seems Lord Frith is not the only mage with an ego problem any longer...

This is the second book in The Copper Promise series, but it can act ...more

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Jun 29, 2017 Hailee rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.5 stars!

Review to come...

I haven't forgot about this review. It's mostly written up but there are a couple of names I don't know how to spell. Fantasy character name... urgh! I write my reviews at work (broken laptop) and the book is at home. Combine this with a bad memory and... well you get the idea. ...more

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Nov 26, 2020 L.L. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Bloody amazing read. Jen Williams has fast become one of my favourite authors!

I'm on mobile so shan't be writing a full review, but let's just say it has so much more of what made The Copper Promise brilliant, and I am IMMEDIATELY starting the third book in the trilogy: The Silver Tide

Read this if you love great characters, epic magic, demons, gods, and dragons!!! ...more

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Nov 26, 2019 Olivier Delaye rated it liked it

The Iron Ghost, book 2 in the Copper Cat trilogy by Jen Williams is, well, how can I put it nicely—alright, I guess. I don’t know. I’m a bit lost here. And maybe a little pissed, too. Thing is, I’m super conflicted about this book right now. I totally loved book 1 The Copper Promise, but this sequel seems to me a bit too, for want of a better word, one-sided. Like Williams tried her damnedest to cram in as much action as she could, forgetting in the process to put any effort in, well, everything ...more

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Dec 22, 2016 Shelley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: epic-fantasy, arc-netgalley, 2017-release

*Source* NetGalley/Publisher
*Genre* Fantasy, Magic
*Rating* 4

*My Thoughts*

The Iron Ghost, by author Jen Williams, is the second installment in The Copper Cat series. The series features three primary characters; Wydrin Threefellows aka the Copper Cat of Crosshaven, Sebastian Carverson, & Lord Aaron Firth. Following the adventures of The Copper Promise, the three have become the go to trio to call on whenever something strange and magical raises its ugly head. The three have even started calling t ...more

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Dec 23, 2014 Lisa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: net-galley

This book is the second volume in the Copper Promise series; this review may contain mild series spoilers.

You know those books you read when everything else you’ve had to do is really stressful or tedious, and the world and characters between the covers of those books just instantly take you away and let you forget about all the crap for a while? You open it up and everything’s magic, and even though you’ll eventually have to close it again, life is a bit sparklier afterward because you read it. This book is the second volume in the Copper Promise series; this review may contain mild series spoilers.

You know those books you read when everything else you’ve had to do is really stressful or tedious, and the world and characters between the covers of those books just instantly take you away and let you forget about all the crap for a while? You open it up and everything’s magic, and even though you’ll eventually have to close it again, life is a bit sparklier afterward because you read it. For me, this is the draw of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, and of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files – life and the world might getting you down, but here are the kind of people who poke it with sticks and give you a wink, and it really does help.

Now, two books into The Copper Promise series (a trilogy, if I’m not mistaken), I am all but certain I can add Jen Williams to that list. In my review of her first book I praised her writing for bringing good old-fashioned fun back to epic adventure fantasy, without bringing any of the tired old sexist baggage with it. Wydrin of Crosshaven is our strong female lead, and she embodies this in all of the best ways, thoroughly befitting a modern fantasy tale that just happens to have an epic, secondary-world setting. She’s the reason I laugh out loud when I’m reading these books, and I love her utterly for it.

Then there are her fellow adventurers. Aaron Frith and Sebastian Carverson are each the night to Wydrin’s reckless, saucy-minded day, but rather than any of them being outshone or shunted off to one side of the plot, the overall strength of all of Williams’ characters is that they can work well together and on their own. They carry the plot from point A to point B, but with each of them having a chance to tell their own stories and face their own troubles, that plot is wonderfully enriched along the way.

Another notion that Williams seems to have a firm grasp of is how to balance the fun with drama, because good grief, there is so much of it here. Under the snickering, eyebrow-waggling surface, this is not a lightweight kind of story, and the problems that each of these adventurers face, either together or apart, are not the kind you simply check off on a list when you’re done. Frith, in particular, goes through the emotional wringer this time around (as if all the torture that opened the first book wasn’t bad enough) – and without spoiling any of the plot, I have to say that the reasons he does so this time have melted my fangirlish little heart like it’s made of sugar and got left out in the rain. Put that together with the personal journeys undertaken here by Wydrin and Sebastian as well, and I am one hooked little drama-chewing bunny.

Then there are her bad guys. We get a new villainous face as well as a familiar one here, and I don’t want to say too much because of spoilers, but holy handbaskets, Batman. SO MUCH HANDBASKET. Joah Demonsworn is one terrifyingly cold bastard. And yet… He’s not entirely incapable of evoking sympathy, which is honestly making me wonder if there’s anything Jen Williams can’t do right here…

Flag-waving villains aside, and because she is apparently all about the balance, there are new faces in this book that had me scowling with the disapproving “damn it, humanity!” thoughts between the laughs and the dramatic gasps, and some returning characters who earn my applause on account of how interestingly un-villainous they’ve turned out to be. Again, I won’t get spoilery, but there is some real food for thought here regarding those dividing lines, and with good use of point-of-view switches, it’s all handled admirably.

This is how it’s done, quite frankly. If I was ever to find myself undertaking an epic quest, I’d want it to be one like this. (Though I do hope I’d know better than to attempt to drink Wydrin under a table.)

I have to sum up now, lest I simply ramble on forever about how fricking awesome this book is. I almost don’t want this trilogy to come to an end, and yet I cannot wait for part three. So, it’s very much like I said at the start – I have found a new source of comfort reading, and it is fabulous! ...more

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Jul 20, 2016 Jason rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: e-books, read-2016

4.5 Stars

The Iron Ghost (Copper Cat #2) by Jen Williams is a fantastic followup to a really good first book. I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in The Copper Cat trilogy and was looking forward to reading the next one and I found it to be even better.

This is a traditional fantasy series with a very strong female lead named the Copper Cat. The Iron Ghost is a magic centered story about the Black Feather Three and a madman. There are some awesome magical fights and spells. There are sword fight ...more

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Aug 21, 2016 Lanko rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, 2016

Really good, with surprising twists along the way. If the first book was pretty straightforward, this one has many careful layers and foreshadowing built in.

Wydrin, Sebastian and Frith got a lot more depth here. If in the first book Sebastian was the one who took the brunt of the hard and moral decisions, here this is more evenly spread between them, although Frith has the lead on this one.

Also, there are many more secondary characters, and they also always have at very least their fifteen lines Really good, with surprising twists along the way. If the first book was pretty straightforward, this one has many careful layers and foreshadowing built in.

Wydrin, Sebastian and Frith got a lot more depth here. If in the first book Sebastian was the one who took the brunt of the hard and moral decisions, here this is more evenly spread between them, although Frith has the lead on this one.

Also, there are many more secondary characters, and they also always have at very least their fifteen lines of fame, a lot growing in importance and doing memorable deeds as the story progresses. Unfortunately, Ephemeral, my favorite character since the first book, wasn't one of them and she didn't appear much either. But the other new characters made up for it. The villains are pretty good too.

Another change from the previous book is the tone and atmosphere. The first had a more adventurous feeling, and here, while having heart touching moments between some characters, also have a very grim tone in others.
There are lots of deaths, injuries and sacrifices, as there are two nations at war, a demon, a mad mage and an assassin on the loose, and the heroes also don't shy away from giving the enemy the sharp ends.
In the first book probably there were many more deaths than in here, as Y'ruen wiped out entire cities and orders, but this was told through reports, something that felt too distant and impersonal. Here the characters are always at the center of events, raging and mourning their losses, now all characters we got to know, even if briefly, and the deaths always happens in front of at least one character, shown to us, a much more powerful and welcome change.

This is balanced by Sebastian's doubts and feelings towards his daughters and someone special, Frith remains insufferable and since they tend to be serious, Wydrin's humor really shines.

I also liked that events of the first book are used to remind us of those events. They don't appear just in the beginning as some failed attempt to disguise a summary of the previous book like I've seen some trying to do, but appear throughout the story in small dosages. This is good for those who remember them and for those who don't it will bring the memory back.

Two things that I found strange, though: (view spoiler)

Great read, and there are hints of even greater things to come in the next volume. ...more

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Apr 02, 2015 Aoife rated it really liked it

Shelves: brilliant, fantasy, favourite-author, library, action-packed, magic-spells, favorites, dragons

This series is such a great high fantasy series. I loved returning to Sir Sebastian, Wydrin and Lord Frith. They are so much fun with a great chemistry between them all not to mention that each character has a real depth to them (though I'd love to find out more about Wydrin's past). The Iron Ghost brought us into different lands than The Copper Promise. The first book was very much set in a part of the world that was highly populated and a warmer, more forestry environment and climate.. The Iro ...more

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Oct 09, 2017 Jacqie rated it liked it

Shelves: didnt-finish, netgalley, not-right-now

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I was disappointed in this one, but it could have just been me. I liked the first book in the Copper Cat series- it had been stitched together from shorter stories but it worked well as a novel. For whatever reason, I could not get into this one, though. It felt like there was a lot of jumping around. First we're with Wydrin and the gang in current time, trying to decide if they want to take a job in the icy ...more

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Mar 08, 2015 Milo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, epic-fantasy, notable-2015-releases, 2015-releases-read, 25-best-2015-releases

The Review: http://thefictionalhangout.blogspot.c....

"Beware the dawning of a new mage...

Wydrin of Crosshaven, Sir Sebastian and Lord Aaron Frith are experienced in the perils of stirring up the old gods. They are also familiar with defeating them, and the heroes of Baneswatch are now enjoying the perks of suddenly being very much in demand for their services.

When a job comes up in the distant city of Skaldshollow, it looks like easy coin - retrieve a stolen item, admire the views, get paid. But The Review: http://thefictionalhangout.blogspot.c....

"Beware the dawning of a new mage...

Wydrin of Crosshaven, Sir Sebastian and Lord Aaron Frith are experienced in the perils of stirring up the old gods. They are also familiar with defeating them, and the heroes of Baneswatch are now enjoying the perks of suddenly being very much in demand for their services.

When a job comes up in the distant city of Skaldshollow, it looks like easy coin - retrieve a stolen item, admire the views, get paid. But in a place twisted and haunted by ancient magic, with the most infamous mage of them all, Joah Demonsworn, making a reappearance, our heroes soon find themselves threatened by enemies on all sides, old and new. And in the frozen mountains, the stones are walking..."

One of the debut books of 2014 that I really enjoyed was Jen Williams’ awesome The Copper Promise, so when I heard about the sequel The Iron Ghost, there was no way that I wasn’t going to read it, having been so impressed by the first book. It was good to see that the follow up was just as good, offering a suspenseful, action packed and fun sequel that fans of the first book should really enjoy.

Following the events of the first novel, Sir Sebastian and Lord Aaron Frith now find themselves with plenty of suitors for their services, and are experiencing the perks of being in high demand, and then, they make the mistake of taking up an easy job in the distant city of Skaldshollow. Of course, this job isn’t as easy as it sounds on paper, and soon the characters are thrust back into a conflict where they’re beset from enemies on all sides, allowing for a very interesting second act, that’s well plotted an keeps up the pace of the first novel delivering another strong impression on the reader. Far too often, fantasy trilogies fail at the second hurdle, but I’m happy to say that The Iron Ghost is certainly not one of those.

The characters themselves continue to remain some of the best parts about this book. Sebastian and Aaron Frith are great fun, and it’s good to be reacquainted with them in the sequel. Joining them are the equally excellent additions of characters like the most infamous mage of them all, Joah Demonsworn, who makes a worthy antagonist for the two characters. They are given more depth here and pushed into new and exciting situations that helps keep the book feeling very entertaining indeed.

The pace of the book is excellent and there is never a dull moment. The story is well plotted with confidence and the detail to the world that we’re presented with really helps readers immerse in the story and you’ll be left wanting to read even more. The detail in some of the action sequences is fantastic to see and the focus on the characters, particularly Joah Demonsworn, allows for a very interesting read. The Iron Ghost has a bit of everything that you could want to a sequel of a book that was already a strong debut.

The Iron Ghost was easy to get through, and was something that you don’t have to put too much effort into reading as you’ll find that the pages quickly fly by. The writing is incredibly solid and the book once again keeps the feeling of old, good epic fantasy that remains very fun to read. Williams has solidified a place on my must-read list going forward with a very strong second act, and if you haven’t yet had the chance to read The Copper Promise trilogy, then you should certainly give the first novel a try, because there are a lot of things to love about them both, and I really wouldn’t be surprised to find the sequel on my best of list come the end of the year.

VERDICT: 9/10 ...more

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Jan 09, 2018 el rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

idk why y’all are sleeping on these man,, they’re SO fkn Good

full rtc but just know this is my new favouritest favourite series

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Dec 10, 2014 Liz Barnsley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: received-via-netgalley, highly-recommended

Lets start with “Beware the dawning of a new mage”…ha! Brilliant tagline for a brilliant book full of adventure and blinking good characters.

I was a HUGE fan of The Copper Promise, the first outing for our protagonists, it was great fun and a bit like a swashbuckling old school pirate movie in its feel and The Iron Ghost is no different, if anything its even more adventurous as our gang come into their own.

I’m a bit of a funny one with fantasy – the biggest fantasy series out there, The Lord of ...more

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Nov 22, 2016 Jaclyn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, magic, fantasy, net-galley, adventure

I really enjoy Williams' first installment featuring the Copper Cat and her disreputable companions, and like its predecessor The Iron Ghost is filled with excellent characters who embark on fantastic, yet morally ambiguous adventures in which our heroes learn that they should yet again be asking more questions before agreeing to taking on a job.

The only complaint that I have with The Iron Ghost is that it didn't seem different enough from the first book. I would have liked to have seen more fo ...more

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Feb 17, 2015 Caroline Mersey rated it liked it

Shelves: review-copies, readwomen

Jen Williams's second novel, The Iron Ghost, is published this Thursday (26 February 2015) and I was lucky enough to get an advance review copy through NetGalley.

The Iron Ghost is a much stronger novel that The Copper Promise. The plot is more coherent, with a single narrative thread running through the book. Instead of a series of dungeon raids culminating in boss battles, our three adventurers are hired for a specific job. Only it transpires that they were hired on false pretences by an old a ...more

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Feb 09, 2015 Phil rated it it was amazing

The Iron Ghost is to The Copper Promise what The Wrath of Khan is to The Motion Picture or The Empire Strikes Back to A New Hope. It is a sequel/follow-up/second part that equals and overtakes the original. Yet again Jen Williams has caught lightening and channeled the spirits of the pulp greats of the 1920s & 30s to create a gripping, funny and entertaining story that not only expands the world she has created but makes it a whole lot more kickass.

I remember reading an interview Ron E Howard di ...more

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Mar 25, 2015 Andy Robson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, favourites

I loved the Copper Promise so i was looking forward to this,and it didn't disappoint. Jen Williams ups the action and suspense to massive levels,making it feel relentless,especially in the last half of the book. New places to visit in Ede,new characters (and old) and new beasties makes this a must read. And Joah Demonsworth...what a bastard.I love a good baddie and he certainly is.Power corrupts! All this makes for a brilliant read at a neck-breaking pace.Loved it. ...more

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Oct 27, 2014 Leontiy Cristea rated it it was amazing

The absolute best thing about Jen Williams – aside from being hilarious, entirely aware of the genre she writes in (allowing her to make and break rules however she pleases), and one of the best new writers of SFF at the moment – is the fact that her books are classics. Not, “they’ll one day be classics”, but rather, they already are. The way she subverts the expected tropes and themes of SFF, introducing new elements alongside and welcoming tried and tested (and fun!) old ones, is nothing short ...more

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Jan 29, 2018 Bethan Hindmarch rated it really liked it

You’ve been trudging through the slush and cold for days. You’re shaking with exhaustion, your extremities tingling in a sensation akin to burning.
Stumbling into base-camp, you’re grateful you made it before nightfall. The flames of the camp fire are a welcome sight after endless days of blinding snow, of mountains looming over you, of questioning your sanity.
A softly steaming tin mug is thrust into your hands and a familiar voice purrs,
“You don’t half travel far for a good story, do you?”
“You? You’ve been trudging through the slush and cold for days. You’re shaking with exhaustion, your extremities tingling in a sensation akin to burning.
Stumbling into base-camp, you’re grateful you made it before nightfall. The flames of the camp fire are a welcome sight after endless days of blinding snow, of mountains looming over you, of questioning your sanity.
A softly steaming tin mug is thrust into your hands and a familiar voice purrs,
“You don’t half travel far for a good story, do you?”
“You? How are you – No, that’s not why I’m – ”
“Sit down before you fall down. This time, I reckon you need a special kind of story. A story for your very soul. You treasure your soul, don’t you? What price would you pay for yours? Would you strike a bargain with a mage? A demon? Or would you entrust it to the very spirit of these mountains? Let me tell you of wyverns, mountains that move, cities sunk below waves, grief and loss and vengeance…”

That’s right, Wydrin, Sebestian and Frith are back and are on “one last job”.

I have a confession. I didn’t fall as deeply into this one, Jen Williams’ second book of her Copper Cat Trilogy, as I did The Copper Promise.

The first book was like a fever, but this was more like a slower burn.
It did take me a while to feel as invested as last time. I think my problem may have been that during the first part of the book, there were lots of little reminders of what happened in the last book (e.g. during dialogue), that I didn’t feel I necessarily needed (as I’d only just read the last book) and so slowed the flow of the narrative a little.

Another thing I struggled with at first was the jump in time; events in the second book do not continue immediately on from the first, and you are given hints of things you missed. The characters suddenly have a different chemistry because of these events, and I found it a little disorientating.

But the flow soon picked back up again as the action begins to kick in. And that’s something you can certainly commend Jen for; her books are rammed with plenty of action. The combat is exciting and you genuinely don’t know where Jen is going to take you next, or what the characters will be pitted against. Jen has a wonderful, broad, sometimes bizarre, imagination and the things she brings to life in her pages never cease to amaze. I’d be hard pressed to think of another instance where I’ve read a line like “follow that centipede”.

Don’t worry though, just like The Copper Promise, this isn’t a book which focuses all its attention on the action and so produces shallow characters. Jen balances the book beautifully; our heroes are truly put through their paces emotionally, with hangovers carried forward from the first book (big tick for continuity) and plenty of reflections upon their actions. Their drives and desires are explored but never become tiresome. We marvel in their strengths but their vulnerabilities are equally as important. ...more

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About Jen Williams

Jen Williams

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Jen Williams, fantasy writer and Lego obsessive, is the author of The Copper Cat Trilogy and The Winnowing Flame series. She is represented by Juliet Mushens, and is partial to mead, if you’re buying.