There was a time not so long ago when I'd open up an epic Fantasy tale half-expecting to abandon it before the end of the first chapter, as yet another turgid trek through a medieval landscape with a bunch of charmless Tolkien wannabes trudged across the pages. But that was before I encountered the passionate writing of Sophie E. Tallis, the vivid characters depicted by Sammy H.K. Smith, the intelligent plotting of Joanne Hall. And Jen Williams' The Copper Promise. So does this sequel sustain the high standard Williams set in her success debut?
After their defeat of the dragon-god Y'Ruen, the trio of mercenaries who call themselves the Black Feather Three find that demand for their services as swords for hire is high, and it's the lure of money (the copper promise) that entices them to the northern city of Skaldshollow, high in the mountains. They have been asked to retrieve a stolen artifact, but this relatively simple job takes on multiple levels of complication as our sell-swords find themselves embroiled in a war between the stone-crafting Skalds and their neighbors and rivals, the cold-blooded Narhl. They are fighting an ideological war for the very soul of the mountains, in a land steeped in ancient magic, while below the surface of the earth something even more ancient, more magical, and more evil, is stirring...
The Iron Ghost, by Jen Williams Book Review
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