The Iron Ghost by Jen Williams

Title: The Iron Ghost (The Copper Promise, 2)
Author: Jen Williams
Genre: Fantasy, Swords & Sorcery
Publisher: Headline (26th February 2015)
Source: Bookbridgr/the Publisher
Blurb:

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 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 acient magic, with the most infamous mage of them all, Joah Demonsworn, getting ready to return, our heroes soon find themselves threatened by enemies on all sides, old and new. And in the frozen mountains, the stones are walking . . .

Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:

THE IRON GHOST by Jen Williams is the second book in The Copper Promise series. It continues the adventures of Wydrin of Crosshaven, Sir Sebastian and Lord Aaron Frith – the Black Feather Three. When they decide to take a job returning a stolen artefact, things rapidly become more complicated.

This is the first book by Jen Williams I have read – when I requested the book, I was not aware that THE IRON GHOST was the second book in the series. As such, I went into this book with little knowledge of the world and characters. Despite this, I really enjoyed reading this book. In The Copper Promise series Williams has created a really interesting world, as well as an adventure story that fantasy fans will love.

Williams plays with typical fantasy archetypes by having the main characters as a thief (I think), a noble, and a knight wondering through a world of swords and magic. Nothing is quite what it seems though. Wydrin (the thief) is looking for adventure and is willing to try anything, Lord Aaron Frith (the noble) is also a wizard, and Sir Sebastian (the knight) is plagued with guilt. I found them an interesting and intriguing trio, and I enjoyed watching their journey through the pages.

To begin with I did struggle a bit to get into the book. I found the movement of the narrative not just between different characters, but also through time to be quite confusing. Once I realised what was happening, I do think it added an extra dimension to the narrative as it allowed Williams to add details to the narrative that would have otherwise been difficult to let the reader know. The pacing of the book was typical for swords and sorcery fantasy books; and the climax of the story was brilliantly enacted.

THE IRON GHOST is a brilliant addition to the sword and sorcery genre; the series is something that you should definitely consider checking-out if you are a fan of the fantasy epic. Although I have not read THE COPPER PROMISE I did really enjoy this book, and I thoroughly recommend it.