Review: The Iron Ghost
By Jen Williams Headline, out now Beware the dawning of a new mage… The Iron Ghost follows on from Jen Williams’ impressive debut novel, The Copper Promise. The protagonists of […]
By Jen Williams
Headline, out now
Beware the dawning of a new mage…
The Iron Ghost follows on from Jen Williams’ impressive debut novel, The Copper Promise. The protagonists of the first novel – Wydrin, Sebastian and Lord Frith, otherwise known as the Black Feather Three – feature once more, this time having been hired to retrieve a relic known as the ‘heartstone’ and return it to Skaldshollow. So far, so simple – but things are about to get a lot more complicated.
Skaldshollow is also the place of a mage’s burial – the infamous Joah Demonsworn. As the Black Feather Three seek to retrieve the Heartstone from the icy wastes, they face a battle against the inhabitants of the frozen lands, a resurrected Joah, and the dawning realisation that the Heartstone itself may not be what they thought.
The action is fast and furious in The Iron Ghost, but never at the expense of character – Wydrin, Sebastian and Lord Frith reveal more about their backgrounds and motivations, occasionally as much to their own surprise as to each other’s.
As the battle reaches a climactic conclusion, each of the three must face both their own demons and the magic thrown at them by a risen Joah Demonsworn, and who knows what will be left.
Verdict: A fast-paced magical adventure that will enthral you. 9/10
Marie O’Regan
Sci-Fi Bulletin: Exploring the Universes of SF, Fantasy, Horror and Spy-fi! 