Copper Chain

The Shifting Tides #3

by James Maxwell

When a desperate king threatens Dion and everything he loves, only dangerous magic can keep him safe.

Dion, now king of Xanthos, is finally in command of the naval fleet he’s always dreamed of. But his hopes for peace are jeopardized when King Palemon, in dire need of ships to rescue his starving people from the frozen wastelands of the north, invades the Salesian city of Malakai.

Too weak to confront Dion directly, Palemon turns to magic: mysterious copper chains from the lost civilization of Aleuthea, which have the potential to control dragons…and Dion.

With the people he loves in danger, and his own freedom at risk, Dion’s only hope is Chloe and the power she struggles to tame.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Audiobook, Dragons, Ebooks, Amazon, Magic

382 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 3, 2017

About the author

James Maxwell is a British-Australian best-selling author of epic fantasy novels, with millions of copies sold in multiple languages worldwide. With over a dozen acclaimed novels, including Enchantress, Golden Age, and A Girl From Nowhere, he is celebrated for his richly imagined worlds and epic, interwoven plots. His books have received multiple award nominations, including the World Fantasy Award, the Aurealis Awards, and three Arthur C. Clarke Award nominations, as well as garnering tens of thousands of reviews on Amazon.

Born in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand, and raised in Brisbane, Australia, James attended Brisbane’s Anglican Church Grammar School and the University of Queensland, where he studied a diverse mix of arts and sciences.

Since becoming a full-time author in 2012, he has made his home on Australia’s Sunshine Coast, where his writing is accompanied by the rumbling sound of the sea and the antics of his capricious white cat.

Blood and Empire, published in March 2025, begins James Maxwell’s latest gripping series, The Gateway Saga.

Reviews

[Zitong Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one a little bit more than the first 2 and liked some of the steps the author took with it. The entire series, whilst not exactly dark has slowly been getting a bit more brutal as the series has gone on. I haven't written full reviews for the first two books in the series so I can't really be bothered to either for this one. The characters are largely average with some typical poorly built fantasy romance.

[Starr (AKA Starrfish) Rivers · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stars keep lowering the more I read in this series. The main reason: WEAK Heroes.

Here are the characters I like in this series:
- Kargan: cuz he's no fool, nor is he strictly evil/ good, in other words, not one-dimensional
- Zachary: cuz he's strong and good. He does what needs to be done (e.g., killing his wife gone wild), and he's true and loyal
- Chloe is OK. She's at least making herself better and more powerful as time goes on. In other words, she's growing.
- Roxana and Cob
- Liana improved with time

And that's kinda it. Notice only one MC is in my "like" list.

Here are the characters I dislike, which is the overwhelming majority:
- DION!!! He's supposed to be the co-MC! But whereas he started out OK, kind of like Lazlo in , kind, not a warrior, not quite belonging, starting to fall in love with Chloe... He went downhill rapidly from there.
Book 2, we see him kiss Chloe, then she got betrothed to his bro (or rather she was already), and he goes get deflowered (I'm assuming he was a virgin since she apparently didn't have fun) by a whore. Then in book 3, this one, he gets himself trapped in a marriage after getting drugged and trapped to have sex with a scheming girl and her father, then impregnates her, she gets captured, he gets captured, he can't save her and the girl and baby dies, then he meets Chloe again (like just a LITTLE WHILE LATER! kisses her like mad and pushes her away cuz he blames himself and feels useless and isn't Chloe safer without him and so maybe he'll go have sex with more women he doesn't really love rather than figure out a way for the strongest woman that he does supposedly love to be with him and give him strength because holy shit he's WEAK!!!!!

- Ehric isn't much better

Don't feel like talking about the others.

The strongest characters in this series are the women. The stupidest and weakest ones are the men. I don't know if this was intentional, but it doesn't make for pleasant reading. I want to hurl my ipad all the time.

As it is, I "read" this thing in <1 hour because I skipped and fast-read just to see the plot moving along. Nothing terribly surprising happening. Can't stand Dion and Ehric. Like little teenagers!!!

Is this a YA fantasy? Was I misled to think this is epic fantasy with more rounded, compelling characters??

But I will push on with Book 4 just for the plot. One more chance for redemption...

Not holding my breath.

[Candy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chloe finds herself on an isolate island being taught how to use her magically powers. Dion has become king & continues to mourn Chloe's death. He was told she died while trying to find her father. Chloe wants more than anything to go back home but the magi teaching her say she needs to learn to control her power before she can leave. Dion is urged by his uncle to get on with his life & meets a woman he finds himself at ease around. All while an ancient civilization returns to claim the lands that were once theirs before they where forced to flee some 300 years ago. With them they bring war to the kingdoms that have been living in a hard sought after peace. Chaos for control soon takes hold & everyone seeks to rid themselves of this new threat.

James Maxwell continues the Shifting Tides series with an epic struggle to keep harmony in the kingdoms. It is another grand journey Chloe & Dion both find themselves on again only this time they have to fight to find their way back to one another. Mr. Maxwell writes about this fantasy world with great detail & brings it back to life in this third installment. I can't wait to find out what happens next........

I voluntarily reviewed a NetGalley.com copy of this book.

[Katrina Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG

I loved everything!

Okay so spoiler alert

I really don't think that little Isobel was pregnant. It just seems too convenient. I'm team Chloe all the way. So suffice to say I'm glad she died and I think that's what she was going to say to Dion that she wasn't or the baby really wasn't his.

Palemon, that dude needs to meet his end and soon! When he was first introduced I felt sorry for him but reading more and more about him, now I just want to see him meet his demise!

Chloe!!!! You should've broken the spell sooner but alas we wouldn't have this nail biting story with a cliffhanger. Okay so James, as always, well done! I anxiously await the next installment.

Please HURRY!!

[BraienaK · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first two books in the series, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on the third one - but this one left me quite disappointed. I still read it all, but there were many points where I almost gave up on it and only kept going because I don't like to stop halfway through. As an avid reader I feel quite offended when a book skips logic and reason just to twist the plot, expecting me not to notice. It seemed that Chloe and Dion had dumbed down overnight and kept making disastrous decisions which they would not have made in the previous books. Only because of those bad decisions was there a third book to write about - and even more so a fourth book yet to come.

Normally I don't mind my books stretching the reasonable a bit (I am a fan of the fantasy genre after all), but in no world could a king be kidnapped by a single man from his own (supposedly heavily guarded) palace. That said king would also not go along meekly and just do whatever he's told instead of attempting a bold rescue mission as he did in previous books. And in what universe does a king get kidnapped and the entire kingdom just happily goes on without a care, with only several closest friends going after the king?? Not to mention the complete stupidity of the idea by a MAGE that it's better to let your enemies reach magical artefacts and THEN try to kill them rather than before... All in all, I have never turned away from series in the middle of it, but this book has managed just that.

[chloe-phloe ₊ · Rating 2 out of 5]

“‘War is coming,’ he said. ‘We must be ready to face it.’”

is the phrase and the only thing this book existed to say.

If November is the Thursday of the months, then Copper Chain is the Thursday of the entire series. Literally. I’m so sure that the author could’ve cut this novel out entirely.

There is a lot of buildup in the book that ultimately came up to something that would have happened anyway if the events of book #3 had never occurred. It just felt like a waste of time.

Other reviewers mentioned how Dion was kinda stupid. At first, I was like “well… he’s young what do you expect?” But Copper Chain just wacked me in the face. Yeah, maaaaaybe Dion was just not mentally ok after y’know-what-happened. The problem is that the state of his mental health is never fleshed out properly, so I DON’T EVEN KNOW.

Also the young women in this series are being screwed over a lot… just a thought I wanted to say.

Just disappointed, but I’ll stick around because I’ve spent too much time with these characters.

[Boosmummy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great third book in the series, can't believe I have to wait for book 4 to come out! I did think Chloe would return to complete her training on the island but I'm glad 'Uncle' Amos has Sophie. The characters are so well written that you really get to know them and want them to succeed. James Maxwell is definitely becoming one of my favourite authors when i want a good series to read.

[Elizabeth Connolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only complaint is that such a small amount of bad guys made such a massive difference so quickly. It didn’t really feel believable. A villain for the sake of a villain. You know?

[Andy Coleman · Rating 2 out of 5]

A SIMPLE MAN'S REVIEW:

Bleh. The middle book of a trilogy is usually low on substance, but since this is the third of four, it felt like the second, second book. Just moving a few more pieces into place and making sure the antagonist is a large enough threat.

Chloe and Dion might as well be on one of the countless TV shows dedicated to teenage relationship drama. Predictable and exhausting. Characters and situations are introduced to "change everything" just to be conveniently dealt with so we're back to how things started. Two steps forward, two steps back, but slightly to the left.

Beyond the unnecessary story, the book doesn't do the reader any favors by reminding them who all these characters are or how they got to be how/where they are. It has probably been a year and 60 other books since I read Silver Road, and while I remembered the gist of the story, some of the minor characters might as well have been new characters to me.

Honestly, even though I didn't enjoy this book (I found myself reading it just to get through it), I've already bought Iron Will, which I hope is the last in the series. Golden Age was so good that I am hoping the author channels that formula to give everyone the send-off they deserve.

If you've come this far, read it!

[JenBsBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started book three as soon as I finished book 2 ... and went on to the fourth and final book upon finishing this one. Sign of a good series, and I'm SO glad it was complete and I didn't have to wait between books. This is a complex story with tons of characters and it would be too easy to forget if I didn't read it straight through.

Here ... Palemon and his crew, introduced in book 2, arrive into the Realm of the Three Seas and immediately make their presence known. They play a huge part in this book. Kargan was enjoying his rule of Ilea until the Aleutheans took one of his cities. Dion, is now king of Xanthos, there is a new love interest, which creates complications ... and tragedy. Chloe's storyline had ended abruptly, (everyone thinks she is dead) and we find out what happened to her. Magic continues to play a large role in her life. She has some visions and returns to try to save those she loves. The Aleuthean sorceress Zara has magic as well, and the goal is to retrieve ancient artifacts to gain more power ... beyond trapping the dragons with copper chains. There is a huge confrontation between the characters near the end of the book. But alas, it's not the end. An artifact is uncovered. Red dragons in the sky. A fleet sent back to Necropelis ... war is coming.

[Rachel Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third book in James Maxwell's Shifting Tides series and I'm back int he game! Best book in the series so far.

Maxwell seems to do an odd thing with his 4-book series; they're almost two series in one. I found when reading the Enchantress series that after two books, there is a huge breath, I was a little confused why there were more books, he seemed done. The same happened here (though to a lesser extent, he's obviously refined it a little bit), but I'm so glad the series continued.

Maxwell has really dug into his character development in this book and also brought out the true 'fantasy' elements of the story. I love that it's not all about the romance - in fact that is really a minor subplot. The addition of the new characters was fantastic, they were introduced briefly in book two, but seemed a touch out of place there. They've now really come into their own story and were the driving force behind the main plot in this book.

I have actually already read book four in the series, Iron Will, as I write this and I say to you, keep reading!! 100% worth it!

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book 3 in the Shifting Tides series. 

Golden Age - 4/5 Shape-shifters
Silver Road - 5/5 Warships
Copper Chain - 5/5 Political Assassinations
Iron Will - Published January 16, 2018 - I have received an ARC for this from NetGalley and will be reading it soon. 

This Shifting Tides series is a story of kings and greed. It is a story of family and betrayal. It is a story of friends and revenge. It is a story of love and overcoming stereotypes. It is a story of destiny versus free choice. There is magic, shape-shifters, ancient civilizations, and crossing the world's oceans to save the people and the land you love. 

Most importantly, this has been one of the most consistently well written series I have had the pleasure of reading, and I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone. If my dog could read, I would recommend it to her. I can't wait for my kids to be old enough to read this. 

[Michael F. Zemlicka · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the 'shifting tides' continues, relationships are changing and coming together as they should to build to the inevitable direction that the story is taking the reader. It continues to drive forward, pulling on my emotions, as previous misdeeds, are brought to justice; shifting alliances are repaired and enhanced; and the ominous threat of Palemon is felt by all of Salesia.

Think what you will about Isobel and her ambitions (romantic or political), Dion's 'pure' nature drives his sense of duty and even his love for her. Her tragic end MUST happen, to ensure that the overall Karma of the series, spurs Dion & Chloe toward their individual & joint destinies.

Looking forward to the release of 'Iron Will' as Dion, Chloe, the Eldrons and the rest of the Salesia face their fate & destiny. Who will survive?

[J.D. DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diving right into Homeric action, author James Maxwell gives us a full-force story of war and magic. The first pages brought back flashbacks of The Iliad for this reader. The story pulls out all the stops, including magical beings, giants, warriors, furies, and dragons, giving a fully-rendered world of fantasy that is brimming with possibilities.

Maxwell navigates through all of this well and the novel never feels overstuffed. In fact, it feels like a feast for those who love this genre (like me). When we get to the last page, the story is concluded (for now) but we know there is more to come. And that's a good thing.

Copper Chain is part of The Shifting Tides series and is currently available.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 introduces a new threat for Chloe and Dion, the Alutheans (sp?), the race that used to rule all the kingdoms in their world through the use of magic and force. They are back in the neighborhood and want to rule it all again. Chloe learns a little more about the magic they wield and ends up with some powers of her own. Meanwhile, Dion is trying to protect his kingdom and ends up an Aluthean slave for a time. There is also big trouble for Eldren in this book.

OK, so initially I had this as a 3 star rating because I was upset with Chloe and Dion's shaky relationship. At the beginning of the book, Dion thinks Chloe is dead and moves on. I didn't want his character to do that! Now that I've had some time to process (and read to the end of this installment in the series), I can understand that it creates more drama and I've bumped my rating up to 4 stars. I DO enjoy the series, so I shouldn't dock it a star just because my emotions are unsatisfied. That said, I have "expectations" for the 4th book!

[Emily M. McGuirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking forward to the next book!

As with the Everman Saga where the third book was my favorite, this book is my favorite in this series. We'll see how the last one goes and if that changes. This book read the fastest and it focused more on the characters I cared the most about, Chloe and Dion. Sometimes I feel like there is so much going on and many different characters to focus on, and I can get bored when the focus shifts to characters I don't care about much. It's all important to the plot, but I don't always enjoy when the focus shifts. This book did a better job than the previous ones of moving the plot as it shifted the focus from character to character. I definitely wanted to keep picking the book up. I'm hoping for a great conclusion!

[Nathan J · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best in the series so far. The world continues to evolve. The characters act as they’ve been established to. The new menace is terrifying, and just becomes more so as the book progresses, and the true scope of what they can do is revealed.

The rules of how magic, and the use of artefacts works are set down, and used well within the plot. It’s just really good fantasy writing. I’m still loving that it isn’t medieval Europe with Tolkien’s races and some slight twist, too. It’s Grecopheonician Mediterranean, with a very interesting and nicely contained take on fantasy races, but apparently it’s been a bit different in its own history.

This series is up there with those which tend to be the author’s first, like Raymond E Fiest’s Riftwar saga. Very keen to follow this guy’s career.

[Cata Grui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced fantasy action and adventure

While a bit precipitous and sometimes lacking in details, this is a thrilling and entertaining read. It seems to skip steps sometimes, forcing actions and decisions sometimes unexpected in the sense that they seem to justify the fast pace rather than the narrative, making the story much shorter and straightforward than it could've been. In terms of storytelling, it seems more rushed than the first two books. Nevertheless, it was very captivating and not easy to put down. I enjoyed the adventure tremendously and am really looking forward to the conclusion and the fourth and final (?) of the materia: iron - symbol of fire and war.

[(Grace) Kentucky Bohemian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better and Better
This series is like a fine wine. It just keeps getting better. I am hooked on the amazing world-building and fantastic characters this author brings to life. While there are a lot of moving parts, and a huge cast, the author skillfully weaves this story in such a way that the reader is able to keep up with it all-- no easy feat. The story line itself is like a majestic tapestry made of so many threads: each thread is necessary for the grand design to be completely realized and appreciated.

If you are new to this series, don't jump in here. Start at the beginning of the series with "Golden Age" so that you're able to enjoy the entire masterpiece.

[Theresa Wade · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by the author James Maxwell. I didn't read the two prior books in the series. The book didn't provide a full previous caption from the first two books. If I had the first two, I wouldn't have felt lost on what was going on in a few of the chapters. There were a few chapters after the battle with the sand storm at the beginning where I did get what was going on. The later chapters I understood what was going on and the action of the story was moving. I think I will put on my list to read the first 2 books and then come back to this one and re-rate it.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This continues to be a very good book in the series, though not quite as good as its predecessor. The love interest of our main character is taken hostage, so our hero places himself into captivity as well. Am I brain dead or tell me that doesn't help, and even a young king with just a little sense would know better. That hurt the plot progression of this book, even though I know we needed to have our hero in trouble, so he could turn around and get out of trouble. Please tell me there was a better way to do this.

[Bo0kSLoth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I love this author's work and this series, this book seemed to move at a slower pace for me. It was harder to stay interested in the plot as it became more convoluted. I usually read books like this in a couple hours, but found it took me days as I kept setting it down or would read other books instead. I don't know if at this point the storyline is getting away from the author or if there are just too many characters' "voices" in the mix with all the bouncing back and forth. I hope the next book wraps it all up

[Megs C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid 5 star fantasy book for me! I can agree that some of the protagonists seem weak, but I think that’s fitting amd adds to the story. I look forward to Eiric and Dion fully coming into their own in book 4. I enjoyed the new elements from this storyline, and I think the coming alliance of erstwhile enemies (Eldrin vs human vs Ilean) should make for some great action sequences and interesting possibilities for resolution of the series.

It’s promising to me when the whole “romance” aspect is secondary to the political machinations.

[James Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining fantasy books

This third book in the The Shifting Tides serie holds the high quality as the previous and it is a bliss to follow they well painted caracters and this fantasy world in which our heroes fight for their lives and homes against an ancient foe using magic and creatures like dragons to conquer their surroundings, it is a well written installament and very entertaining and if this type of books and genre is your cup of tea these books by Maxwell are among the better, have fun reading

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

If the first was a 3.75, this would probably be a 3.5. Feels like a whole lot of setup for the next book, like it almost could be condensed into the first act of that and still have the same impact on the story as a whole. Lots of not very important things happening and big events for the sake of it which feel like they just pad out the story. When your big climax has nobody relevant die and no real change except one side gets some object, it’s overall not much different than if they had just picked it up and left. This isn’t always true, but here it definitely is.

[Anna Beste · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series just keeps getting more complicated and intense with every book. Copper Chain is the third book in The Shifting Tides series and lives up to us predecessors. Palemon is desperate to save his people so he invades Malaki in search of ships. While there he discovers the secret left by his ancestors, the magical copper chains that let them control dragons and uses them to control/imprison Dion. Chloe uses her new gifts, which she can now better control thanks to the magi and Oracle, to save Dion. I'm excited to see where this series goes.

[Rose Boyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally LOVED this book! The first book in this series starts out slow and I wasn't sure I wanted to keep reading but it kept my attention and before I knew it I was hooked. It ended with a bang and I really wanted to read book 2, which was awesome. This book, number 3 in the series has jaw dropping twists and turns. Where one is saying "no way! and Oh no!". haha - looking forward to book four, due out in January.

[Andrew Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

For some reason my review of this book didn't save! So here goes from memory...

Of the four books I think Copper Chain was probably my favourite. A lot of unanswered questions crystalise and a great deal of the context for the world is finally made clear. I enjoyed the twists and turns, as well as the narrative development, particularly exploring character's relationships with one another, often outside of the core protagonists.

Overall, jolly good fun.

[Karalyn Gibbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/ I am loving this series even more as each book goes on!! The characters are so great and their character developments get so in depth as the stories progress. The suspense in this series definitely throws me for a loop and I never see it coming sometimes. Chloe and Dion were meant to be and I hope that comes true in the next one!! I am so invested in this series and I love it so much!!! I'm excited to listen to the epic finale!!!

[Asl4u · Rating 4 out of 5]

overall i enjoyed this second book but there were times... i was amazed at the poor story line. i think that at the time of capture, Dion’s character was “person-less”. There is no way the Dion of the first book or of the second half of this book, would have succumbed in the way this character did. That piece of the story makes no sense- but i pushed through and after the complacent moments - the story picked up again. heading on to book 3.