The Brotherhood of Shadows: a chronicle from The Invisible College

by Jeff Wheeler

Within the Invisible College, there is an organization trained to hunt down Semblances. These are not just imposters; they are living souls with a connection to an ancient Aesir being inside them. They are not even conscious that they have been subverted. This league within the military is called the Brotherhood of Shadows. Only the most skilled, the most ruthless, the most committed are chosen to bear this burden in society.

This is the story of Joseph Crossthwait. And how his first mission to hunt a Semblance went terribly wrong.

Genres: Fantasy

43 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 2, 2025

About the author

Wall Street Journal bestselling author Jeff Wheeler took an early retirement from his career at Intel in 2014 to write full-time. He is a husband, father of five, and a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jeff lives in the Rocky Mountains.

Learn about Jeff’s many worlds at www.jeff-wheeler.com, or participate in one of his online writing classes through Writer’s Block (www.writersblock.biz).

Reviews

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the history of Joseph Crossthwait's beginning and how he joined the Brotherhood of Shadows. We met Joseph in book 1 Invisible College where he was the third character in the story, and was constantly pursuing Robinson thinking that he was a Semblase.
In this book, you can sense how his character changes from beginning to end, from a 17-year-old to a young adult. He was excellent at his training in the Invisible College and showed the capacity to defend himself. He was told that he would be transferred to the main headquarters of the military which was located at Gresham College in Bishopsgate. There he met General Colsterworth who explained the reason for Joseph to be there, to become part of the Brotherhood of Shadows to eliminate Semblance.
After years of training, he is assigned a mission at Auviven with Clark Wildon, who used to bully Joseph, Wildon wants to win his first medal for killing the Semblase that is causing damage and death in the town. After searching and finding the Semblance he realized how hard it was going to be.

[Emma K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short story telling how Joseph Crossthwait joins the Brotherhood of Shadows and what that really means.
I really liked Joseph Crossthwait in the Invisible College, he’s a very interesting character; skilled, determined and emotionally cool, but not particularly pleasant. He has an extremely difficult job but one that is necessary in their society. It was great to see how he became the person we meet in the Invisible College. I think it takes a lot of skill to write a character who is so interesting that the reader wants to learn more about them, when they're not a particularly likeable personality.
This story can be read before or after the Invisible College as there are no spoilers for the main storyline.

[Mary Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the origin story of Joseph Crossthwait whom we have met in the Invisible College series. Coming from humble beginnings, his character was shaped from an early age with the innate desire to be someone, to not back down, to stand up and vanquish those who bullied him. As he becomes a member of the Brotherhood of Shadows, we see the distinct difference in their role as opposed to those in the Invisible College, a dark offshoot if you will. If you have not read The Invisible College, please do read book one at least, and then read this as it will give you a clearer picture, and you will have a better look at and understanding of Joseph and his zeal to eradicate Semblances.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story dives into Joseph Crossthwait’s beginnings in the Brotherhood of Shadows. We see the brutal training he endured, his first semblance kill, and his progression from a 17-year-old into a young adult. I’ll be honest—I didn’t like Joseph at all when I first met him in The Invisible College. He came across as cruel and harsh, and I couldn’t connect with him. But after reading this, I can see why he turned out that way. The Brotherhood pushed him through inhumane trials that shaped every part of who he became. Even with this new understanding, I still don’t like him, but I do appreciate the depth this backstory adds to his character.

[Monica Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good backstory on Joseph

But Jeff did such a good job at making me dislike the man in the first book, (thank goodness I made it past the first chapter and became enthralled with the story) that I'm not sure this story made him any more likeable! But there were other tidbits that made it worthwhile, and was a nice gift just before the next two books come out in seven days (and counting...)

[Michele Hermansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joseph Crossthwait has quite an important role in the Invisible College. This is his origin story. As a member of the Brotherhood of Shadows he is expected to hunt and exterminate Semblences (Aesir spirits who have died and are searching for a human body to inhabit and make mischief with). His feelings about this matter, the motivations behind the Brotherhood and how they fit into the world of the Invisible College were fascinating.

[Todd Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthy addition to the backstory of the Invisible College

From this story, we learn a bit about the man who would become one of the most highly regarded agents of the Brotherhood of Shadows, Joseph Crossthwait. We learn about what drives him and what made him the feared tracker of Semblances we meet in Book 1. We also get to see the master manipulator, General Colsterworth, doing what he does best — using psychology to adeptly gain power over others.

It’s a quick read, and one I would recommend only after books 1 and 2, but well worth it for the insights it gives.

[C.A. Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this awhile after I'd read the previous installment of the Invisible College saga, so I didn't exactly remember who Joseph was--he was a minor character in the series, and this is his back story. But I read this one after I'd read The Alchemy of Fate, so the novella helped to solidify some of the rules of the world which were established earlier (plus I got a little more of the world in which I was already immersed!)

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

Semblance

This is a short story that belongs to The Invisible College stories.
It sheds more life on the Semblances who are a thread throughout the stories. I enjoyed knowing more about the Semblances & what would go through the people who seek them. Though short I was as always drawn into that world and made me even more look forwrd to the final 2 books in the cycle.

[Trudy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting short story!

A very interesting story about Joseph Crossthwait and how he became a member of the Brotherhood of Shadows. The story gave a great description of the Semblance. The Invisible College is based on multiple secrets and is suppose to have strict rules or guidelines🤷🏽‍♀️
I found this short story insightful.

[Natasha Bovee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and compelling read. I love little insights into characters that are the villian in the main story. This shows us how Joseph was trained and how he struggled with his hunt. His emotions show that it isn’t quite as black and white as he makes it seem in the series.

[Seeker · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a short story that fills in gaps

This short story explains a bit about the brotherhood. Read it after the invisible college series although it won’t spoil anything either way.

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very short taste of the invisible college for those who haven't read any of the books or a brief snapshot of the character of Joseph Crossthwait that does not have any spoilers and can be read at any point in the series for those who are looking for a very quick read.

[Gale Costa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great novella

Definitely a great novella. It needs so much more though! I started it and if I know it was already done.

[Extraordinary_book_lover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting look into the history of the Brotherhood of Shadows and how Joseph Crossthwait started his journey within their ranks. It was definitely an enjoyable prequel novella.

[Richard Bickerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Like all Jeff Wheeler books this was an engaging read. I started the Invisible College series with book 3. I am looking forward to reading them in order.

[Lisa-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m intrigued. I guess this is a short story set in an existing world, which I didn’t realize, but it was definitely interesting

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Invisible College

This is a chronicle about ons of the sections of the invisible college and 1 of the characters in the series and how he started in his career.

[Robin Havird · Rating 5 out of 5]

able to understand what’s going on and why.

Able to understand what’s going on and why and fix it explanation of characters well done characters explained very well