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The Copper Cat #0.5
Sorrow's Isle
An exclusive digital short story by dazzling epic-fantasy talent, Jen Williams, author of THE COPPER PROMISE.
Reckless adventurers Wydrin of Crosshaven and her companion, Sir Sebastian, never turn down a quest that bears the promise of coin.
So it is that they find themselves mooring on the jagged rocks of the desolate Sorrow's Isle, in search of an oarsman's sister missing somewhere on its cursed shores.
Now they must navigate amid the deathly tales that haunt the isle, or else be swallowed for ever into the depths of magic and danger that lie within...
SORROW'S ISLE follows Wydrin of Crosshaven and Sir Sebastian on a quest that takes place before the events of their first full-length novel, THE COPPER PROMISE.
*Contains a preview of Jen Williams second Crosshaven novel, THE IRON GHOST, out February 2015*
Reckless adventurers Wydrin of Crosshaven and her companion, Sir Sebastian, never turn down a quest that bears the promise of coin.
So it is that they find themselves mooring on the jagged rocks of the desolate Sorrow's Isle, in search of an oarsman's sister missing somewhere on its cursed shores.
Now they must navigate amid the deathly tales that haunt the isle, or else be swallowed for ever into the depths of magic and danger that lie within...
SORROW'S ISLE follows Wydrin of Crosshaven and Sir Sebastian on a quest that takes place before the events of their first full-length novel, THE COPPER PROMISE.
*Contains a preview of Jen Williams second Crosshaven novel, THE IRON GHOST, out February 2015*
38 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 29, 2015
3 people are currently reading
495 people want to read
About the author
Jen Williams
38 books1,643 followersJen Williams lives in London with her partner and their small ridiculous cat. Having been a fan of grisly fairy tales from a young age, these days Jen writes dark unsettling thrillers with strong female leads, as well as character-driven fantasy novels with plenty of adventure and magic. Her debut novel, The Copper Promise, kicked off the Copper Cat trilogy in 2014, and since then she has twice won the British Fantasy Award for her second trilogy, the Winnowing Flame. Her first thriller, Dog Rose Dirt, was published with HarperCollins in July 2021. Jen has two upcoming releases in 2023: Games for Dead Girls with Harpercollins, and Talonsister with Titan. When she’s not writing books she enjoys messing about with video games and embroidery, and also works as a part-time bookseller and a freelance copywriter.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 5, 2021
A perfect introduction to Wydrin of Crosshaven and her companion, Sir Sebastian, the main characters of Jen Williams, The Copper Cat trilogy, which begins with, The Copper Promise.
January 30, 2015
I don't tend to give 5 star ratings to short stories but in this case I'm making an exception. The reason behind this is simple - this story, set before the events of The Copper Promise, is just what a good short should be. The characters, Sir Sebastian and the wonderful Wydrin of Crosshaven fit comfortably into the narrative, making it feel like time spent with old friends, and the story itself doesn't try too hard to be too clever and deep.
It is a straightforward quest story with our heroes hired to find a girl missing on the titular island. You get action, peril, all in the right amounts. I've said before that The Copper Promise was very much in the style of the old Dungeons and Dragons game. That being the case both this short and the forthcoming sequel are like expansion packs - new lands, new creatures etc .
The writing and storytelling of Jen Williams is an absolute joy so treat yourself to Sorrow's Isle and join Sebastian and Wydrin on their quest - you'll be glad you did
It is a straightforward quest story with our heroes hired to find a girl missing on the titular island. You get action, peril, all in the right amounts. I've said before that The Copper Promise was very much in the style of the old Dungeons and Dragons game. That being the case both this short and the forthcoming sequel are like expansion packs - new lands, new creatures etc .
The writing and storytelling of Jen Williams is an absolute joy so treat yourself to Sorrow's Isle and join Sebastian and Wydrin on their quest - you'll be glad you did
March 27, 2018
Loved this wee novella - it reminded me how much I had enjoyed the Copper Cat trilogy. Will definitely grab so more Jen Williams!
March 5, 2016
Final rating: 4/5 stars
This is a short story which is related mostly to the last book in the trilogy The Silver Tide - so it's best to be read before the last book. One of the events in the third book refers to this event here, but even if you don't read it, you won't be at loss. But still, it's a good short story and lovely and I highly recommend it, but not as a starting point and rather as book #2.5.
◈ Sorrow's Isle (The Copper Promise #0.5)
◈ The Copper Promise (The Copper Promise, #1)
◈ The Iron Ghost (The Copper Promise, #2)
◈ The Silver Tide (The Copper Promise #3)
This is a short story which is related mostly to the last book in the trilogy The Silver Tide - so it's best to be read before the last book. One of the events in the third book refers to this event here, but even if you don't read it, you won't be at loss. But still, it's a good short story and lovely and I highly recommend it, but not as a starting point and rather as book #2.5.
►REVIEW(S) RELATED TO THIS BOOK:
◈ Sorrow's Isle (The Copper Promise #0.5)
◈ The Copper Promise (The Copper Promise, #1)
◈ The Iron Ghost (The Copper Promise, #2)
◈ The Silver Tide (The Copper Promise #3)
February 3, 2015
Brilliant short story set before the events of The Copper Promise featuring Wydrin and Sebastian, a haunted island and some creepy goings on. As an added bonus there is also an excerpt from the forthcoming The Iron Ghost.
Cant wait!
Cant wait!
December 20, 2018
2 / 5
Sorrow's Isle is a very short story, probably serving as an introduction or tiny prequel to Jen Williams' Copper series. I've read many short stories serving as intros for various series and I was a bit disappointed from this one. I understand that for such a short story, word-count and story size is limited and as such many things have to be cut down, but even then, there are some things that should be expected.
Characterization was severely lacking; we get two names, one of them has two daggers (oh two more names...) and the other a sword and a cloak and that's that. It ends there, honestly, I'm not kidding!!!
Plot is as basic, bare and bland as it can get. No adventure hook, no motivation, no real justification behind any action. The action was dull and trite. The descriptions were nothing to be impressed over. The resolution was disappointing. The world-building... oh ok, we actually get no info about the world other than a short tale of a King, which may or may not be true.
I really really hate being so negative in my reviews but I feel that my remarks point out things that should not be excusable for professional authors, especially experienced ones. Was writing this a contractual obligation for Williams? Was she so totally restricted or unwilling to produce something more worthwhile ? In any case, this story hardly serves any purpose I'm afraid. I'm not left wanting or needing more, and definitely none the wiser about the characters, the overarching plot, the world... or anything at all.
If you can somehow read or get this story for free, then I suppose there's no reason to hold back, seeing it will not take more than half an hour to read it. But barring that, I definitely do not recommend this one. I suppose the books are better... but those will have to wait for a later review!
2 / 5
Sorrow's Isle is a very short story, probably serving as an introduction or tiny prequel to Jen Williams' Copper series. I've read many short stories serving as intros for various series and I was a bit disappointed from this one. I understand that for such a short story, word-count and story size is limited and as such many things have to be cut down, but even then, there are some things that should be expected.
Characterization was severely lacking; we get two names, one of them has two daggers (oh two more names...) and the other a sword and a cloak and that's that. It ends there, honestly, I'm not kidding!!!
Plot is as basic, bare and bland as it can get. No adventure hook, no motivation, no real justification behind any action. The action was dull and trite. The descriptions were nothing to be impressed over. The resolution was disappointing. The world-building... oh ok, we actually get no info about the world other than a short tale of a King, which may or may not be true.
I really really hate being so negative in my reviews but I feel that my remarks point out things that should not be excusable for professional authors, especially experienced ones. Was writing this a contractual obligation for Williams? Was she so totally restricted or unwilling to produce something more worthwhile ? In any case, this story hardly serves any purpose I'm afraid. I'm not left wanting or needing more, and definitely none the wiser about the characters, the overarching plot, the world... or anything at all.
If you can somehow read or get this story for free, then I suppose there's no reason to hold back, seeing it will not take more than half an hour to read it. But barring that, I definitely do not recommend this one. I suppose the books are better... but those will have to wait for a later review!
2 / 5
April 25, 2023
A great short story following Wydrin and Seb prior to events of The Copper Promise. They are sell-swords and this follows a job where they visit a supposedly cursed island to find a wayward princess. Not everything is what it seems, and there is action, tension, and emotional moments a plenty in this short read.
I ADORE the way Jen Williams writes and it is a style I am always inspired by!
Love it!
I ADORE the way Jen Williams writes and it is a style I am always inspired by!
Love it!
June 2, 2017
I stumbled on this short story today and bought it for 1 euro on my ereader. Perfect short story to read in the train! God, I love Wydrin and Sir Sebastian so much. I reminded me that I should start the third and last book of the copper promise soon!
January 21, 2019
I read this to try and prolong my time with the characters really, I’ve got one more book left in the trilogy and I just don’t want it to end! This short piece is set before the events of the trilogy and it’s just so refreshing to see them up to their “normal” lives before the series began
April 13, 2018
Meh. Given that the Copper Promise was basically a collection of short stories the strength of which almost made their conversion to a full novel seamlessly the sheer dullness of this short story is a little annoying. N
September 10, 2024
I don’t usually give a novella more than 3.5 stars but this was so good and despite being less than 50 pages, still managed to have me engaged with the story, interested in the characters and ended in a way that has me really excited to read the copper cat series.
September 3, 2018
What great little short introducing you to the main characters from the copper cat trilogy
Read
April 6, 2023to-read
October 12, 2023
An interesting little tale from the world and characters of The Copper Promise. Short enough to skim through in a quick sitting, but with enough depth to make the read worthwhile.
March 26, 2023
"Sorrow's Isle" is a short story set in the world of The Copper Cat trilogy, more specifically, before the first book.
This was a quick read and a fun one. We follow two of the three main characters in the trilogy, Wydrin and Sebastian, as they go to find a missing girl on an island.
I really enjoyed this story because I could be with these two characters again and following them is always entertaining.
The story doesn't bring any new information to the table regarding the trilogy, but it is a fun read and I would recommend it if you liked the main trilogy.
This was a quick read and a fun one. We follow two of the three main characters in the trilogy, Wydrin and Sebastian, as they go to find a missing girl on an island.
I really enjoyed this story because I could be with these two characters again and following them is always entertaining.
The story doesn't bring any new information to the table regarding the trilogy, but it is a fun read and I would recommend it if you liked the main trilogy.
June 25, 2018
Very short story, even if it is already mentioned.
Still enjoyable, but not needed to get any more information about of bonding wiht the main characters.
Still enjoyable, but not needed to get any more information about of bonding wiht the main characters.
June 28, 2016
Too short to be of much of a taster I thought, nevertheless I'm want to read THE COPPER PROMISE anyway and have high hopes. Might be better as a bonus text for readers of the other books rather than cold introduction?
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews