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Gods of Blood and Powder #2
Wrath of Empire
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Fantasy (2018)Magic and gunpowder collide in Wrath of Empire, the explosive second novel in the Gods of Blood and Powder series.
The country is in turmoil. With the capital city occupied, half a million refugees are on the march, looking for safety on the frontier, accompanied by Lady Flint's soldiers. But escaping war is never easy, and soon the battle may find them, whether they are prepared or not.
Back in the capital, Michel Bravis smuggles even more refugees out of the city. But internal forces are working against him. With enemies on all sides, Michael may be forced to find help with the very occupiers he's trying to undermine.
Meanwhile, Ben Styke is building his own army. He and his mad lancers are gathering every able body they can find and searching for an ancient artifact that may have the power to turn the tides of war in their favor. But what they find may not be what they're looking for.
693 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 15, 2018
1055 people are currently reading
10959 people want to read
About the author
Brian McClellan
35 books8,779 followersBrian McClellan is an American epic fantasy author from Cleveland, Ohio. He is known for his acclaimed Powder Mage Universe and essays on the life and business of being a writer.
Brian now lives on the side of a mountain in Utah with his wife, Michele, where he writes books and nurses a crippling video game addiction.
Brian's novels include the Powder Mage Trilogy (Promise of Blood, The Crimson Campaign, and The Autumn Republic), Gods of Blood and Powder (Sins of Empire, Wrath of Empire, and Blood of Empire), and Valkyrie Collections (Uncanny Collateral)
Brian now lives on the side of a mountain in Utah with his wife, Michele, where he writes books and nurses a crippling video game addiction.
Brian's novels include the Powder Mage Trilogy (Promise of Blood, The Crimson Campaign, and The Autumn Republic), Gods of Blood and Powder (Sins of Empire, Wrath of Empire, and Blood of Empire), and Valkyrie Collections (Uncanny Collateral)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 737 reviews
April 2, 2020
Bloody fracking hell!! I love these books so much. I love them better than the first trilogy!
Ben, Celine, Ka-Poel, Ilbana, Emrec.. they are my favorites! I love them sooo much! But I do love other characters as well. My nerves were shot every time there was a fight or battle. I hope it ends well in the next book!! 😫
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Ben, Celine, Ka-Poel, Ilbana, Emrec.. they are my favorites! I love them sooo much! But I do love other characters as well. My nerves were shot every time there was a fight or battle. I hope it ends well in the next book!! 😫
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
December 14, 2019
Incredible character development given to Ben Styke and Michel; a bit conflicted regarding Vlora’s. Wrath of Empire sets up the stage nicely for the hopefully satisfying conclusion of the series.
I’ve mentioned in my review of Sins of Empire that the hype and the positive reviews for both Sins of Empire and Wrath of Empire were the main reason why I ended up giving this trilogy a go. Seeing that I absolutely loved Sins of Empire, I was excited to hear from everyone that Wrath of Empire, Brian McClellan’s highest-rated book so far, exceeded Sins of Empire in terms of overall quality. Admittedly, despite how much I enjoyed this book, I can’t agree with that notion.
Wrath of Empire begins three weeks after the end of the events in Sins of Empire, and the story revolves around the hunt for the godstones. Technically, the book can be considered as a mission-based storyline; the three main characters have their own designated mission that’s centered for the entire novel, and I believe that McClellan made a bold decision of separating the three main perspective characters from each other for almost the entirety of the book. Did it work? Well, Ben Styke’s and Michel’s storyline were great, but I have to admit that I struggled through reading Vlora’s story in this book. I’m actually surprised by the reviews that claimed that this book was fast-paced and devoid of fillers, I found that it’s the slowest paced out of all McClellan’s work and Vlora’s story was full of unnecessary content. I’ll get into that later, but first, let’s start with what I loved most about this book and series: Ben Styke and The Mad Lancers.
Now, I have mentioned how much I loved Ben Styke in the first book. In my opinion, Styke is McClellan’s best character, right up there Taniel Two-Shot and Ka-poel. There’s a lot of internalization exploration going into Ben Styke here. We have always known Styke as Mad Ben Styke, the brute who’s immaculate in the art of killing. The first book has shed light on his combat skills and prowess, and the first book also has shown the contrast in his characterizations when he’s with Celine and The Mad Lancers. In Wrath of Empire, McClellan truly dissects the characterizations and background of Styke wonderfully. I loved that Styke isn’t just a pure brute who’s born for killing non-stop; Celine brought the best of his personality to the surface. It was incredibly enjoyable and heartwarming to read about Styke’s development as a character and to see how much Celine means to him. The theme of revenge, friendship, duty, and family runs strong in Styke’s plotline, and It turned him into a more badass and empathizing character.
As for Michel, this guy just can’t seem to catch a break. After what happened in the previous book, the new assignment he receives from his boss requires him to find a person named Mara, all by himself. It’s a brutal task full of hardship, mysteries, and challenges. I feel like Michel’s story is where McClellan’s improved so much as a writer; McClellan writes mystery and investigation plotlines superbly now compared to how he did with Adamat in the first trilogy, which I honestly didn't care for. I was constantly hooked and compelled to find out how Michel will fulfill the mission assigned to him while being surrounded by enemies from all sides. I loved how the secrets and revelations he unraveled along his investigation ends up being inextricably linked to the overarching storyline.
Unfortunately, I have to admit that I didn’t enjoy reading Vlora’s storyline due to most of it feeling like a filler. Throughout the entirety of her POV chapters, especially after she’s separated from the other main characters, I was bored from reading the subplot included in her story. By the end of this book, I still think that most of her story could’ve been cut off. I need to mention that I’ve never been a fan of Vlora; she was more tolerable in Sins of Empire but I wouldn’t call myself a fan of her character. Plus, I’ve heard from several readers that Wrath of Empire has no filler sections at all, this led me to false expectations because I found Vlora’s story—excluding the final quarter of the book—to be full of fillers.
That being said, the final quarter of the book was just brilliant; it was exciting and full of bloody intense action sequences for all three main characters’ stories. We have learned more about the Dynize, Ka-poel, Godstones, and Ben Styke; the entire novel, especially the last quarter, has established the necessity of having Wrath of Empire as a great prelude for the final installment of the series. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all ends, hopefully Blood of Empire will be the best book that McClellan produced because I’ve heard that it will be the final novel in Powder Mage universe, at least for six years or more.
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
I’ve mentioned in my review of Sins of Empire that the hype and the positive reviews for both Sins of Empire and Wrath of Empire were the main reason why I ended up giving this trilogy a go. Seeing that I absolutely loved Sins of Empire, I was excited to hear from everyone that Wrath of Empire, Brian McClellan’s highest-rated book so far, exceeded Sins of Empire in terms of overall quality. Admittedly, despite how much I enjoyed this book, I can’t agree with that notion.
Wrath of Empire begins three weeks after the end of the events in Sins of Empire, and the story revolves around the hunt for the godstones. Technically, the book can be considered as a mission-based storyline; the three main characters have their own designated mission that’s centered for the entire novel, and I believe that McClellan made a bold decision of separating the three main perspective characters from each other for almost the entirety of the book. Did it work? Well, Ben Styke’s and Michel’s storyline were great, but I have to admit that I struggled through reading Vlora’s story in this book. I’m actually surprised by the reviews that claimed that this book was fast-paced and devoid of fillers, I found that it’s the slowest paced out of all McClellan’s work and Vlora’s story was full of unnecessary content. I’ll get into that later, but first, let’s start with what I loved most about this book and series: Ben Styke and The Mad Lancers.
“Mad Lancers are as kind to our allies as we are cruel to our enemies. We take in the broken and we turn them into warriors. We crush those who think themselves invincible. We thrive on the ravages of war. The Mad Lancers protect Fatrasta—even from itself. Whenl all this is over, Lady Flint has assured me that all the survivors will be rich. But mark my words: If you disobey my orders, I will kill you myself.”
Now, I have mentioned how much I loved Ben Styke in the first book. In my opinion, Styke is McClellan’s best character, right up there Taniel Two-Shot and Ka-poel. There’s a lot of internalization exploration going into Ben Styke here. We have always known Styke as Mad Ben Styke, the brute who’s immaculate in the art of killing. The first book has shed light on his combat skills and prowess, and the first book also has shown the contrast in his characterizations when he’s with Celine and The Mad Lancers. In Wrath of Empire, McClellan truly dissects the characterizations and background of Styke wonderfully. I loved that Styke isn’t just a pure brute who’s born for killing non-stop; Celine brought the best of his personality to the surface. It was incredibly enjoyable and heartwarming to read about Styke’s development as a character and to see how much Celine means to him. The theme of revenge, friendship, duty, and family runs strong in Styke’s plotline, and It turned him into a more badass and empathizing character.
“Fearing your death because you won’t go on living versus fearing you death because someone else needs you is just semantics. You fear for Celine, and I’ve never known you to fear. You look at her in a way you’ve never looked at a friend or a lover, including me.”
As for Michel, this guy just can’t seem to catch a break. After what happened in the previous book, the new assignment he receives from his boss requires him to find a person named Mara, all by himself. It’s a brutal task full of hardship, mysteries, and challenges. I feel like Michel’s story is where McClellan’s improved so much as a writer; McClellan writes mystery and investigation plotlines superbly now compared to how he did with Adamat in the first trilogy, which I honestly didn't care for. I was constantly hooked and compelled to find out how Michel will fulfill the mission assigned to him while being surrounded by enemies from all sides. I loved how the secrets and revelations he unraveled along his investigation ends up being inextricably linked to the overarching storyline.
Unfortunately, I have to admit that I didn’t enjoy reading Vlora’s storyline due to most of it feeling like a filler. Throughout the entirety of her POV chapters, especially after she’s separated from the other main characters, I was bored from reading the subplot included in her story. By the end of this book, I still think that most of her story could’ve been cut off. I need to mention that I’ve never been a fan of Vlora; she was more tolerable in Sins of Empire but I wouldn’t call myself a fan of her character. Plus, I’ve heard from several readers that Wrath of Empire has no filler sections at all, this led me to false expectations because I found Vlora’s story—excluding the final quarter of the book—to be full of fillers.
That being said, the final quarter of the book was just brilliant; it was exciting and full of bloody intense action sequences for all three main characters’ stories. We have learned more about the Dynize, Ka-poel, Godstones, and Ben Styke; the entire novel, especially the last quarter, has established the necessity of having Wrath of Empire as a great prelude for the final installment of the series. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all ends, hopefully Blood of Empire will be the best book that McClellan produced because I’ve heard that it will be the final novel in Powder Mage universe, at least for six years or more.
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)
You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
February 19, 2025
This second book is so good I'm speechless.
I can't wait to start book three to confirm this is one of the best fantasy trilogy of all time.
I can't wait to start book three to confirm this is one of the best fantasy trilogy of all time.
September 25, 2019
Landfall has fallen. The Dynize have taken over and are bringing in their armies. Lady Vlora Flint and Ben Styke are fleeing with their troops while protecting the refugees. Michel Bravis remains in Landfall attempting to help refugees escape the city. The Red Hand and his forces have enacted a plan that will require Vlora, Ben, Michel, and their allies to do their part and perhaps end the Dynize threat for good.
Wrath of Empire is a solid sequel to Sins of Empire. Anyone who has read the Powder Mage trilogy or Sins of Empire will undoubtedly have a great feel for how the story will go. The story has multiple point of view characters, intense army battles, espionage, and more than it's fair share of arrogant pricks.
The best part of the story for me is that Brian McClellan really delved deep into the psyches of Ben Styke and Michel Bravis. The reader gets to learn of both of them as men fully and they each go through intense quests externally and internally. Ben starts to look at himself and who he was and does not like everything he sees. Michel is forced into a massively uncomfortable spot on minimal information and the results aren't entirely what I expected. I didn't care for him at all at the end of the first book so the change was enjoyable.
The third point of view character, Vlora, I wasn't entirely thrilled with. Vlora had a quote about herself that summed up her storyline in this book,
Vlora truly since the start of the story has done a magnificent job of making enemies instead of friends. She did a reasonable job making a few friends, but a bit of diplomacy would have saved her untold amounts of turmoil. I can say that Vlora does care deeply about her troops and she's willing to do whatever she can to protect them. Her growth just seems minimal.
The strange part about the book that continues to bother me slightly is the Dynize. They seem to behave as stereotypically Asian people despite being a bunch of red headed characters. They have their family name before their name like Asians like Ka-Sedial. Their dress is a more Asian style. Seemingly everything about that reads as though they should be Asian. I just find the choice to be odd. I have to continually remind myself they are a bunch of redheads as I continually picture Asian people when I read about their interactions.
Wrath of Empire suffers from the same shortcomings as it's predecessors as the villains are largely unexplored. In the Powder Mage trilogy there was no particularly main villain rather than a nation against another nation. The occasional villain would appear such as Duke Nikslaus or Kresimir, but the story never delves into these individuals enough to make them the enjoyable adversaries they should be. The same problem exists in this series. Outside of the elderly Ka-Sedial and a few of his minions there is no one to specifically root against. It just focuses on the nameless Dynize who are out to get the protagonists. I wish the story would delve into a strong antagonist or two as it would increase the tension for me.
Wrath of Empire was solid, it's best trait however is it left me excited to read the conclusion of the trilogy.
Wrath of Empire is a solid sequel to Sins of Empire. Anyone who has read the Powder Mage trilogy or Sins of Empire will undoubtedly have a great feel for how the story will go. The story has multiple point of view characters, intense army battles, espionage, and more than it's fair share of arrogant pricks.
The best part of the story for me is that Brian McClellan really delved deep into the psyches of Ben Styke and Michel Bravis. The reader gets to learn of both of them as men fully and they each go through intense quests externally and internally. Ben starts to look at himself and who he was and does not like everything he sees. Michel is forced into a massively uncomfortable spot on minimal information and the results aren't entirely what I expected. I didn't care for him at all at the end of the first book so the change was enjoyable.
The third point of view character, Vlora, I wasn't entirely thrilled with. Vlora had a quote about herself that summed up her storyline in this book,
"She wasn't going to fight her way out of this -- her only chance was to talk. Unfortunately, she was not good at talking."
Vlora truly since the start of the story has done a magnificent job of making enemies instead of friends. She did a reasonable job making a few friends, but a bit of diplomacy would have saved her untold amounts of turmoil. I can say that Vlora does care deeply about her troops and she's willing to do whatever she can to protect them. Her growth just seems minimal.
The strange part about the book that continues to bother me slightly is the Dynize. They seem to behave as stereotypically Asian people despite being a bunch of red headed characters. They have their family name before their name like Asians like Ka-Sedial. Their dress is a more Asian style. Seemingly everything about that reads as though they should be Asian. I just find the choice to be odd. I have to continually remind myself they are a bunch of redheads as I continually picture Asian people when I read about their interactions.
Wrath of Empire suffers from the same shortcomings as it's predecessors as the villains are largely unexplored. In the Powder Mage trilogy there was no particularly main villain rather than a nation against another nation. The occasional villain would appear such as Duke Nikslaus or Kresimir, but the story never delves into these individuals enough to make them the enjoyable adversaries they should be. The same problem exists in this series. Outside of the elderly Ka-Sedial and a few of his minions there is no one to specifically root against. It just focuses on the nameless Dynize who are out to get the protagonists. I wish the story would delve into a strong antagonist or two as it would increase the tension for me.
Wrath of Empire was solid, it's best trait however is it left me excited to read the conclusion of the trilogy.
December 19, 2019
I really enjoyed this from about the halfway point on. It took me a while to get into it at the beginning. I will explain in my full review. I'm really looking forward to the final book to see how everything is wrapped up. Full RTC!
Actual Rating: 4 stars ****
Actual Rating: 4 stars ****
Read
August 22, 2020Amazing book. Full review to come.
May 31, 2018
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2018/05/31/...
It’s good to see Brian McClellan’s second trilogy is coming along nicely. Wrath of Empire is the second installment of Gods of Blood and Powder, which picks up from the end of Sins of Empire, so bear in mind this review may contain possible spoilers for the first book if you aren’t caught up yet. In this sequel, the author continues to develop one of the major plot points from the previous novel concerning the ancient, magic-infused obelisks known as godstones. Intent on unifying his people, the leader of the invading Dynize army is seeking to claim these powerful artifacts for himself, with the goal of creating a new god.
Desperate to prevent this from happening, Taniel Two-Shot and Ka-Poel team up with General Vlora Flint, who along with her Riflejack mercenaries are currently assisting in the evacuation of refugees from the conquered Fatrastan capital of Landfall. With the help of Ben Styke and his Mad Lancers, our characters must divide their attention between fighting the enemy and finding the godstones before the Dynize can. Meanwhile, former Blackhat spy Michel Bravis has been tasked by Taniel to infiltrate the now Dynize-occupied capital. His mission: to locate the one known as “Mara” and to get them out of the city.
Once again, McClellan combines the action of battle, the intrigue of politics, and the magic of fantasy to bring us another stunning addition to the Powder Mage universe. However, I must confess I was a little skeptical at first. Despite recalling a fond experience with Sins of Empire, I was surprised to see how much of its plot I had forgotten, and being thrown headfirst into the events of this sequel without any preamble served only to increase my confusion. Thankfully, when all is said and done, I think Wrath of Empire will end up being a more memorable book for several reasons.
First of all, this sequel features a better balance between the characters. Despite my fondness for Vlora, who might be my favorite character this time around, I was nevertheless happy to see more attention devoted to Taniel and Ka-Poel. Their involvement in the first book was something of a surprise treat, though now it appears they have become fully integrated into the plot. There are some truly excellent scenes between Taniel and Vlora and even Ka-Poel and Styke as the characters begin to form new relationships or strengthen old ones. My second favorite character was probably Celine, even though she was a relatively minor figure. Through her interactions with both Ka-Poel and Styke, readers are able to get a deeper feel for these two characters, whose back stories were also greatly expanded in this novel via interesting side plots like Styke’s personal revenge tour or the revelations behind Ka-Poel’s secret origins. Truth be told though, while I may point out only a few examples, I think we got to see strong improvement in character development for everyone. In fact, the only POV I couldn’t really get into was Michel’s, simply because I wasn’t feeling as interested in his espionage storyline.
That being said, Michel’s mission in Landfall does help increase the urgency of the novel, with the higher stakes making this one a worthy follow-up. The story also continues to add depth to the situation surrounding the Dynize invasion of Fatrasta, underscoring the importance of finding the godstones. Still, as it is soon revealed, destroying these mysterious monoliths is only a piece of the puzzle. At the risk of sounding like a horrible tease, I am intentionally being vague in order to avoid revealing too much about the plot, but just when you think you have the ending figured out, hidden deep behind enemy lines are even more secrets and conspiracies, proving there is so much more left to discover. Wrath of Empire ends with another momentous showdown containing plenty of surprising twists and unexpected difficulties for our protagonists, which makes me think we’ll be getting even more bombshells before long.
Now to wait and see if McClellan can stick the landing, though with his winning trend continuing so strongly, I’m not too worried. I’ll be keeping an eager eye out for Blood of Empire to see how this epic journey plays out.
It’s good to see Brian McClellan’s second trilogy is coming along nicely. Wrath of Empire is the second installment of Gods of Blood and Powder, which picks up from the end of Sins of Empire, so bear in mind this review may contain possible spoilers for the first book if you aren’t caught up yet. In this sequel, the author continues to develop one of the major plot points from the previous novel concerning the ancient, magic-infused obelisks known as godstones. Intent on unifying his people, the leader of the invading Dynize army is seeking to claim these powerful artifacts for himself, with the goal of creating a new god.
Desperate to prevent this from happening, Taniel Two-Shot and Ka-Poel team up with General Vlora Flint, who along with her Riflejack mercenaries are currently assisting in the evacuation of refugees from the conquered Fatrastan capital of Landfall. With the help of Ben Styke and his Mad Lancers, our characters must divide their attention between fighting the enemy and finding the godstones before the Dynize can. Meanwhile, former Blackhat spy Michel Bravis has been tasked by Taniel to infiltrate the now Dynize-occupied capital. His mission: to locate the one known as “Mara” and to get them out of the city.
Once again, McClellan combines the action of battle, the intrigue of politics, and the magic of fantasy to bring us another stunning addition to the Powder Mage universe. However, I must confess I was a little skeptical at first. Despite recalling a fond experience with Sins of Empire, I was surprised to see how much of its plot I had forgotten, and being thrown headfirst into the events of this sequel without any preamble served only to increase my confusion. Thankfully, when all is said and done, I think Wrath of Empire will end up being a more memorable book for several reasons.
First of all, this sequel features a better balance between the characters. Despite my fondness for Vlora, who might be my favorite character this time around, I was nevertheless happy to see more attention devoted to Taniel and Ka-Poel. Their involvement in the first book was something of a surprise treat, though now it appears they have become fully integrated into the plot. There are some truly excellent scenes between Taniel and Vlora and even Ka-Poel and Styke as the characters begin to form new relationships or strengthen old ones. My second favorite character was probably Celine, even though she was a relatively minor figure. Through her interactions with both Ka-Poel and Styke, readers are able to get a deeper feel for these two characters, whose back stories were also greatly expanded in this novel via interesting side plots like Styke’s personal revenge tour or the revelations behind Ka-Poel’s secret origins. Truth be told though, while I may point out only a few examples, I think we got to see strong improvement in character development for everyone. In fact, the only POV I couldn’t really get into was Michel’s, simply because I wasn’t feeling as interested in his espionage storyline.
That being said, Michel’s mission in Landfall does help increase the urgency of the novel, with the higher stakes making this one a worthy follow-up. The story also continues to add depth to the situation surrounding the Dynize invasion of Fatrasta, underscoring the importance of finding the godstones. Still, as it is soon revealed, destroying these mysterious monoliths is only a piece of the puzzle. At the risk of sounding like a horrible tease, I am intentionally being vague in order to avoid revealing too much about the plot, but just when you think you have the ending figured out, hidden deep behind enemy lines are even more secrets and conspiracies, proving there is so much more left to discover. Wrath of Empire ends with another momentous showdown containing plenty of surprising twists and unexpected difficulties for our protagonists, which makes me think we’ll be getting even more bombshells before long.
Now to wait and see if McClellan can stick the landing, though with his winning trend continuing so strongly, I’m not too worried. I’ll be keeping an eager eye out for Blood of Empire to see how this epic journey plays out.
August 13, 2018
Honestly, this one was just great! I really enjoyed reading the second instalment in the series (or rather audio-booking it) and I have to say this one is definitely not falling into any second-book pitfalls...it's fab!
What I love about this one is that it felt fast. All of the PoV characters are ones we already know and love from the first book and so we instantly set off the story on a good pace and that is maintained throughout the whole thing. Again this book is focusing on a very large-scale invasion by the Dioneye nation, and this is something I often wouldn't find that interesting, but the character make it great. Having their sentiments, their morals and their motives meant that I as the reader was able to connect fully and really care about when people were in danger and if the land would be overrun. I do believe McClellan has come on leaps and bounds just from book 1 to book 2!
Once again my favourite characters were hard to call because all of them are great but I think that in this one Michel and Ben probably had the most character growth. I really enjoyed seeing how each of them adapted to their surroundings and to spying and killing in order to save those they most care for. I definitely believe that Michel's job was one of the most tricky in the book, and yet he remains charismatic and steadfast against all odds and I loved that.
In terms of Vlora and Two-shot, I think their story was probably not quite as exciting at first in this one, but it definitely grew into a very vital part of the plot. We have a lot of artefacts which could be incredibly dangerous in Dioneyes hands, and they are integral to the plan to stop this from happening, which I loved.
The story and the magic are very much blended here, and we see a lot of Powder-Mage magic mixed with Sorcery. I have really enjoyed learning more about how the Sorcery works and just who has such mighty powers in this world, and again I think this was expanded upon here.
Overall, a stellar continuation and a lot to love. I am mightily excited for the next (especially as it's left with SO MANY cliff-hangers) and I cannot wait to see where the plot will go as I think the next one is the final one! 4.5*s from me!
What I love about this one is that it felt fast. All of the PoV characters are ones we already know and love from the first book and so we instantly set off the story on a good pace and that is maintained throughout the whole thing. Again this book is focusing on a very large-scale invasion by the Dioneye nation, and this is something I often wouldn't find that interesting, but the character make it great. Having their sentiments, their morals and their motives meant that I as the reader was able to connect fully and really care about when people were in danger and if the land would be overrun. I do believe McClellan has come on leaps and bounds just from book 1 to book 2!
Once again my favourite characters were hard to call because all of them are great but I think that in this one Michel and Ben probably had the most character growth. I really enjoyed seeing how each of them adapted to their surroundings and to spying and killing in order to save those they most care for. I definitely believe that Michel's job was one of the most tricky in the book, and yet he remains charismatic and steadfast against all odds and I loved that.
In terms of Vlora and Two-shot, I think their story was probably not quite as exciting at first in this one, but it definitely grew into a very vital part of the plot. We have a lot of artefacts which could be incredibly dangerous in Dioneyes hands, and they are integral to the plan to stop this from happening, which I loved.
The story and the magic are very much blended here, and we see a lot of Powder-Mage magic mixed with Sorcery. I have really enjoyed learning more about how the Sorcery works and just who has such mighty powers in this world, and again I think this was expanded upon here.
Overall, a stellar continuation and a lot to love. I am mightily excited for the next (especially as it's left with SO MANY cliff-hangers) and I cannot wait to see where the plot will go as I think the next one is the final one! 4.5*s from me!
May 11, 2025
Second read (April 2023)
Have to admit I focused on Vlora's POV chapters. I just missed her. It's not often to find a kickass competent but convincingly flawed female (mercenary) general with both awesome duels (with magic or not) and cool battle maneuvres. If Tamas were still alive in this book he would be so proud with his protegee.
First read (May 2018)
I have always enjoyed Brian McClellan's writing and this book is a testament on how he has grown as a writer. It seems that he actually listened to his readers and gave us what we want. McClellan is a master storyteller. His plots are tight, intricately designed. His POV characters are very layered and will make you root for them.
Wrath of Empire does not feel like a 600 page book. Unlike some fantasy tomes, it barely has any fillers in it. The pacing, oh my, the pacing is just right. It makes a flawless reading experience and in my case, a sure case of sleep deprivation.
Mind you that the five stars I gave to this book have some bullet holes in it. I do have some nitpicks, such as the rather useless Taniel and Ka-Poel and the dragonmen, but they were miniscule compared to my enjoyment of the book.
Seriously can not wait for the next one. *snorting gunpowder*
Have to admit I focused on Vlora's POV chapters. I just missed her. It's not often to find a kickass competent but convincingly flawed female (mercenary) general with both awesome duels (with magic or not) and cool battle maneuvres. If Tamas were still alive in this book he would be so proud with his protegee.
First read (May 2018)
I have always enjoyed Brian McClellan's writing and this book is a testament on how he has grown as a writer. It seems that he actually listened to his readers and gave us what we want. McClellan is a master storyteller. His plots are tight, intricately designed. His POV characters are very layered and will make you root for them.
Wrath of Empire does not feel like a 600 page book. Unlike some fantasy tomes, it barely has any fillers in it. The pacing, oh my, the pacing is just right. It makes a flawless reading experience and in my case, a sure case of sleep deprivation.
Mind you that the five stars I gave to this book have some bullet holes in it. I do have some nitpicks, such as the rather useless Taniel and Ka-Poel and the dragonmen, but they were miniscule compared to my enjoyment of the book.
Seriously can not wait for the next one. *snorting gunpowder*
April 1, 2020
[4.5/5 stars] Mini Review: I’m not going to gush again. Okay, I’m not going to gush more than a paragraph. Wrath of Empire continued to solidify this saga as one of my new all-time favorites. I elaborate quite a bit in my reviews of Promise of Blood (where it all starts) and Sins of Empire (where it all continues), so suffice to say here that the level of quality in these books never diminishes. It has phenomenal characters, excellent relationship dynamics (non-romantic, just great human connections), on-point pacing, rounded world-building, and brilliant dry humor. It’s my favorite series to recommend at the moment, and I can only hope the final book in this second trilogy knocks my socks off too. :)
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
May 21, 2018
This didn't feel like a 639 page book. The action occasionally let's up just enough for you to breathe. Excellent.
January 16, 2020
Wrath of empire , what a suited name for this book.
A real pleasure to find again the three previous characters from the first book and let me say one thing Brian McClellan have a lot of surprises...
Vlora Flint, Mad Ben Styke and Michel Bravis will have to face bad odds In this book and even their worst fears.
Wrath of empire is mostly about the strength of loyalty in face of the worst ordeals.. will they stand or fray?
A real pleasure to find again the three previous characters from the first book and let me say one thing Brian McClellan have a lot of surprises...
Vlora Flint, Mad Ben Styke and Michel Bravis will have to face bad odds In this book and even their worst fears.
Wrath of empire is mostly about the strength of loyalty in face of the worst ordeals.. will they stand or fray?
October 16, 2023
Sins of Empire ★★★★
Wrath of Empire ★★★ 1/2
Unfortunately, I enjoyed this book less than the first entry. I see that in this series, this entry has the highest rating, but I can't agree very much with that notion.
There was something weird about this book; the writing and pacing are similar to the first book, but I found myself impatient with the slow pacing and I kept getting in and out of the story. I considered DNFing the book at one point, but I decided to push through, and the last part was kind of satisfying.
The characters are interesting but while in book one I found myself enjoying them all equally, this time there was a difference and I enjoyed Ben's POV more than the other two characters. Vlora is not bad but for some reason Michel was kind of boring and he kept getting tortured and then falling into unconsciousness which felt repetitive and even the character mentions that at one point.
So, I don't have much to say here, I enjoyed book one more. This entry focused more on the war schemes, and it was less exciting overall with a slower pacing. The characters did not provoke the emotions they did in the first book, and it took me double the time to finish it compared to Sins of Empire.
Wrath of Empire ★★★ 1/2
Unfortunately, I enjoyed this book less than the first entry. I see that in this series, this entry has the highest rating, but I can't agree very much with that notion.
There was something weird about this book; the writing and pacing are similar to the first book, but I found myself impatient with the slow pacing and I kept getting in and out of the story. I considered DNFing the book at one point, but I decided to push through, and the last part was kind of satisfying.
The characters are interesting but while in book one I found myself enjoying them all equally, this time there was a difference and I enjoyed Ben's POV more than the other two characters. Vlora is not bad but for some reason Michel was kind of boring and he kept getting tortured and then falling into unconsciousness which felt repetitive and even the character mentions that at one point.
So, I don't have much to say here, I enjoyed book one more. This entry focused more on the war schemes, and it was less exciting overall with a slower pacing. The characters did not provoke the emotions they did in the first book, and it took me double the time to finish it compared to Sins of Empire.
January 20, 2019
‘He was upon them in a blink of an eye, his sword moving like wings of a hummingbird, soldiers collapsing as he passed like some kind of avatar of death sweeping his scythe through the souls of the damned.’
~
Wrath of Empire by @brian.mcclellan is the second book in the Gods of Blood and Powder trilogy, and was definitely a worthy sequel. Once again McClellan enriches the story from the first book, but also makes his characters grow in such a fantastic way.
~
Mad Ben Styke was one of my favourites, and although I didn’t think it was possible, I grew to love him so much more in this book. Styke’s is a killer, he thrives on battles but in this book we see he had to face his inner demons and begin to accept that he is more than just a killer; he has morals, and through his bond with Celine (a child he has rescued) he now has something to live for. I love the way Celine brings out the best in Styke, and how she challenges him. I believe McClellan is so skilled at portraying realistic father figures, and it’s something I love in his books.
~
McClellan always portrays female characters in such a remarkable way too. They’re shown to be strong, intelligent but they also always have a fair bit of heart. I’m not a fan of powerful women being represented as spiteful and cold hearted, so I’m glad about this. Two of my favourites were Vlora and Ka-Poel and once again they shined in this instalment. Vlora showed herself to be an awesome General of her army, and Ka-Poel was still as badass as ever but we got a glimpse of her vulnerable side too.
~
I found this one a bit slower than the previous books, but just after halfway it does pick up. For example Michel’s spy mission takes a while to move forward, while he lingers with the enemy Dynize. I see the point of these moments though was to bring the reader a glimpse of the Dynize and their social structure. It showed us that they weren’t as savage as they appeared and weren’t all innately evil. Therefore even when the characters were not doing much it was still insightful to read their interactions.
~
Overall this was another impressive novel from McClellan, and gah that ending left me wanting more!
~
Wrath of Empire by @brian.mcclellan is the second book in the Gods of Blood and Powder trilogy, and was definitely a worthy sequel. Once again McClellan enriches the story from the first book, but also makes his characters grow in such a fantastic way.
~
Mad Ben Styke was one of my favourites, and although I didn’t think it was possible, I grew to love him so much more in this book. Styke’s is a killer, he thrives on battles but in this book we see he had to face his inner demons and begin to accept that he is more than just a killer; he has morals, and through his bond with Celine (a child he has rescued) he now has something to live for. I love the way Celine brings out the best in Styke, and how she challenges him. I believe McClellan is so skilled at portraying realistic father figures, and it’s something I love in his books.
~
McClellan always portrays female characters in such a remarkable way too. They’re shown to be strong, intelligent but they also always have a fair bit of heart. I’m not a fan of powerful women being represented as spiteful and cold hearted, so I’m glad about this. Two of my favourites were Vlora and Ka-Poel and once again they shined in this instalment. Vlora showed herself to be an awesome General of her army, and Ka-Poel was still as badass as ever but we got a glimpse of her vulnerable side too.
~
I found this one a bit slower than the previous books, but just after halfway it does pick up. For example Michel’s spy mission takes a while to move forward, while he lingers with the enemy Dynize. I see the point of these moments though was to bring the reader a glimpse of the Dynize and their social structure. It showed us that they weren’t as savage as they appeared and weren’t all innately evil. Therefore even when the characters were not doing much it was still insightful to read their interactions.
~
Overall this was another impressive novel from McClellan, and gah that ending left me wanting more!
June 4, 2018
There are authors with the ability to whisk me away in less than a chapter. Brian McClellan (I wonder if related to the Union general) is amongst them.
He has an ability to tell you a story that is complex and compelling and he locks you in since the very beginning. He can also create characters that, despite being horrible monsters and killers, you care and cheer for.
Just an impressive continuation to Sins of Empire. So many angles, so many stories uncovered and some returns to the scenes that made me want for more immediately. I will have to wait another year before Blood of Empire and I am already hyped!
He has an ability to tell you a story that is complex and compelling and he locks you in since the very beginning. He can also create characters that, despite being horrible monsters and killers, you care and cheer for.
Just an impressive continuation to Sins of Empire. So many angles, so many stories uncovered and some returns to the scenes that made me want for more immediately. I will have to wait another year before Blood of Empire and I am already hyped!
November 13, 2019
Really good middle book. The conflict escalates and characters grow very nicely. Ben Styke at the moment is one of my favourites. There are some surprises and twists which I wont get into because of spoilers but ill just say that some badass characters from the first trilogy come back:)
Good setup for the final book which I will be reading as soon as its available in Poland.
Solid 4 stars.
Good setup for the final book which I will be reading as soon as its available in Poland.
Solid 4 stars.
June 3, 2018
Peti naslov, ne računajući novele, u Maklelanovom serijalu o barutskim magovima, Wrath of Empire je njegov do sada najbolji roman. Štaviše, jedan od najboljih fantazijskih romana koje sam ove godine pročitao. Maklelan se u ovoj knjizi oslobodio i premda je i ranije njegov stil bio utegnut i nije mu se imalo šta zameriti, s ovim romanom je poleteo kao pisac i ušao u prvu kategoriju fantazijskih autora. Ono što mu u prethodnoj trilogiji nije pošlo za rukom - da napiše impresivnog protagonistu, koji će ostati urezan u čitalačke umove - ovde mu je vrlo uspelo, pa je tako Ben Stajk lik koji će se pamtiti barabar s Aberkrombijevim Loganom ili Eriksonovim Karsom. Maklelan u ovom naslovu počinje da eksperimentiše s društvenom angažovanošću, ali to radi mestimično i nadasve uspešno, ali nimalo napadno, što je retkost u današnje vreme. Njegova angažovanost je posvećena republikanstvu, doduše, što je takođe prijatno osveženje. Roman ima jedan deus ex machina momenat, ali može mu se oprostiti pošto je najavljen bezmalo od prvih stranica. Sve u svemu, užitak za čitanje napisan više nego solidno.
5/5
5/5
May 23, 2018
Book 1: 3.75
Book 2: 3.75
3.75 is the rarest of my ratings. A 3.5 is probably the most common and I always round down. With a 3.75 I just can't give it a 3* but still don't believe it deserves a four.
This is a good series. The problem is its competing against it's predecessor. The characters in this series lack the personality of Tamas, Adom and Adamant along with a lot of the antagonists. They're good characters just not great ones.
Because of that these two books have never had that frantic need to get to the next page which The Crimson Campaign did, which was the best book of either series by far. Vlora hasn't developed enough for me. Taniel who was a star in the first series seems tethered in this one. Styke is a great character but he's the gruff begrudging hero who needs a great pairing. Like a Samar Dev to Karsa Orlong or the combination of Loopin and Rock to Kaladin to offset the brooding.
Still it's an entertaining series and both endings were quite good.
Book 2: 3.75
3.75 is the rarest of my ratings. A 3.5 is probably the most common and I always round down. With a 3.75 I just can't give it a 3* but still don't believe it deserves a four.
This is a good series. The problem is its competing against it's predecessor. The characters in this series lack the personality of Tamas, Adom and Adamant along with a lot of the antagonists. They're good characters just not great ones.
Because of that these two books have never had that frantic need to get to the next page which The Crimson Campaign did, which was the best book of either series by far. Vlora hasn't developed enough for me. Taniel who was a star in the first series seems tethered in this one. Styke is a great character but he's the gruff begrudging hero who needs a great pairing. Like a Samar Dev to Karsa Orlong or the combination of Loopin and Rock to Kaladin to offset the brooding.
Still it's an entertaining series and both endings were quite good.
February 12, 2019
Picks up where the last book left of in the aftermath of the Dynize landings & assault.
The style is POV (as always) & within a few short chapters I was acclimatised with the story having struggled to remember at the start the prior book (age I guess!?) what had occurred prior to our point of entry.
General Flint (Flora) is still front & centre of everything along with her man Colonel Olem as is Ben Styke of the Mad lancers, who became a favourite from the first book for me as all the ol’ gang from the first trilogy had disappeared (mostly). Flint is soon in a spot of bovver & battles ensue vary early on giving her summit to do in the story which sits better with me as I always felt her politicking left a lot to be desired, she’s no Field Marshall Tamas for sure!
Styke certainly earns his prior reputation (which we’re only preciously heard about) as his bloodlust for the ongoing war increases.... but he’s not all cut & thrust as his role/character widens out in this tale.
Michael is back along with the blackhats & the Roses that didn’t flee the oncoming Dynize armies, his story takes a rapid turn of events early doors & is a POV of interest for that reason as he comes more to the fore, his mission/reasons being made clear come the end of the opening book. It then takes another twist (or three!) – One to follow for sure. I really enjoyed how his POV played out, definitely grew on me from the opening book where I found him middling, in this he comes into his own & his path was my favourite throughout with the intrigue & new characters/world that was unveiled.
From the original trilogy, Taniel & Ka-Poel are with us (in spirit at least), with Ka-Poel’s backstory ever so slowly teased out for the reader, every time she is mentioned I wish for some MORE as I know there is a story to be told there, but its REALLY a slow burn..... we do however get to see more of her & her developing friendship with Celine who also evolves as a character in a small way. As I said it’s a sloooooow burn.
As to the story, well...... after the opening scenes, we fall into “middle book epic fantasy trilogy standard fare” where they all split up & go their separate ways on missions...... it’s not a bad thing I say it’s jus that it seems to happens in EVERY Epic fantasy trilogy! And this is no exception. If you’ve read the blurg you’ll know that the Godstones (from the first book) feature heavily, as there are more! Dragonmen make a welcome return sinisterly flitting in/out of the story & the Dynize Empire opens up to the reader which is a great addition to the plot & enriches the story no-end for me. In fact I’d say it MAKES the story & breathes life into the trilogy after a so-so opening book.
Enjoyed immensely, a full 5 stars even if General Flint isn’t one I enjoy following.
The style is POV (as always) & within a few short chapters I was acclimatised with the story having struggled to remember at the start the prior book (age I guess!?) what had occurred prior to our point of entry.
General Flint (Flora) is still front & centre of everything along with her man Colonel Olem as is Ben Styke of the Mad lancers, who became a favourite from the first book for me as all the ol’ gang from the first trilogy had disappeared (mostly). Flint is soon in a spot of bovver & battles ensue vary early on giving her summit to do in the story which sits better with me as I always felt her politicking left a lot to be desired, she’s no Field Marshall Tamas for sure!
Styke certainly earns his prior reputation (which we’re only preciously heard about) as his bloodlust for the ongoing war increases.... but he’s not all cut & thrust as his role/character widens out in this tale.
Michael is back along with the blackhats & the Roses that didn’t flee the oncoming Dynize armies, his story takes a rapid turn of events early doors & is a POV of interest for that reason as he comes more to the fore, his mission/reasons being made clear come the end of the opening book. It then takes another twist (or three!) – One to follow for sure. I really enjoyed how his POV played out, definitely grew on me from the opening book where I found him middling, in this he comes into his own & his path was my favourite throughout with the intrigue & new characters/world that was unveiled.
From the original trilogy, Taniel & Ka-Poel are with us (in spirit at least), with Ka-Poel’s backstory ever so slowly teased out for the reader, every time she is mentioned I wish for some MORE as I know there is a story to be told there, but its REALLY a slow burn..... we do however get to see more of her & her developing friendship with Celine who also evolves as a character in a small way. As I said it’s a sloooooow burn.
As to the story, well...... after the opening scenes, we fall into “middle book epic fantasy trilogy standard fare” where they all split up & go their separate ways on missions...... it’s not a bad thing I say it’s jus that it seems to happens in EVERY Epic fantasy trilogy! And this is no exception. If you’ve read the blurg you’ll know that the Godstones (from the first book) feature heavily, as there are more! Dragonmen make a welcome return sinisterly flitting in/out of the story & the Dynize Empire opens up to the reader which is a great addition to the plot & enriches the story no-end for me. In fact I’d say it MAKES the story & breathes life into the trilogy after a so-so opening book.
Enjoyed immensely, a full 5 stars even if General Flint isn’t one I enjoy following.
November 22, 2021
Wrath of Empire is f'ing awesome - and this shouldn't surprise you if you've read everything up to this point - I would be surprised if I'm not preaching to the choir...
I am already looking forward to a re-read - and maybe that sums it up... this is an author that you can read over and over again - the chapters are manageable in size, the pacing is super fast, the characters are the best of the best - I mean, how can you not want to spend more time alongside Taniel and Ka-poel? Vlora and Olem? Michel and Ichtracia? And Bo!!!!!!!!! I am obsessed....
I recommend all of McClellan's stories to anyone that loves fantasy - even perfect for someone who wants to get started on fantasy... so damn accessible in every way.
YES!!!!!
I am already looking forward to a re-read - and maybe that sums it up... this is an author that you can read over and over again - the chapters are manageable in size, the pacing is super fast, the characters are the best of the best - I mean, how can you not want to spend more time alongside Taniel and Ka-poel? Vlora and Olem? Michel and Ichtracia? And Bo!!!!!!!!! I am obsessed....
I recommend all of McClellan's stories to anyone that loves fantasy - even perfect for someone who wants to get started on fantasy... so damn accessible in every way.
YES!!!!!
June 19, 2018
An non stop action spectacular fantasy story from an author at the height of his storytelling skills.
Good strong female characters and excellent characters maturing as the story goes along.
Brian to me is the best grimdark gunpowder fantasy author we have at the moment.
Good strong female characters and excellent characters maturing as the story goes along.
Brian to me is the best grimdark gunpowder fantasy author we have at the moment.
April 26, 2020
Even better than Sins of Empire!
May 23, 2018
Ima ova knjiga dosta problema, rupa, mana, ali ne znam da li išta sem nešto suštinski zabavno kao ovo može da mi ukrade ceo dan u sred regularne fakultetske apokalipse, natera me da pročitam četristo stranica u cugu i ostavi me da se smejuljim kao detence posle maltene svakog poglavlja. Mislim da je to dovoljna naknada za sve ostale nedostatke; tako nešto makar za sad kaže stomak. Nabudženo do besvesti – ali vala, ako je!
5-
5-
September 21, 2018
Whilst I did like the Powder Mage series, at times it did lose me. This series however, is, in my opinion, the best that McClellan has written.
Probably one of my favourite book 2's. The pace of the story was just a constant roller coaster ride, with little time to come down and take a breath. I sometimes find that alternating chapters from 3 points of view can make a story a bit disjointed as it takes you out of the arc that you are in. Not so in this story; all three perspectives were constantly building a head of steam with occasional explosions.
Characters: Oh Vlora, what a character. Wonderfully written and developed. Styke was his usual bullish self, but you can start to see some self reflection and changes in him. This by no means is the first story to use the influence of parenting to change a brute, but I do love the Celine/Ben storyline, it is cleverly written and very believable.
I enjoyed Michel Bravis in the first book and in this book he begins to grow very well as a character. The talking to himself is toned back a lot, which is good as it was a little overdone in book 1, but his role is complicated and well written.
Without a doubt my favourite read of 2018!!
Probably one of my favourite book 2's. The pace of the story was just a constant roller coaster ride, with little time to come down and take a breath. I sometimes find that alternating chapters from 3 points of view can make a story a bit disjointed as it takes you out of the arc that you are in. Not so in this story; all three perspectives were constantly building a head of steam with occasional explosions.
Characters: Oh Vlora, what a character. Wonderfully written and developed. Styke was his usual bullish self, but you can start to see some self reflection and changes in him. This by no means is the first story to use the influence of parenting to change a brute, but I do love the Celine/Ben storyline, it is cleverly written and very believable.
I enjoyed Michel Bravis in the first book and in this book he begins to grow very well as a character. The talking to himself is toned back a lot, which is good as it was a little overdone in book 1, but his role is complicated and well written.
Without a doubt my favourite read of 2018!!
October 27, 2018
Wow. What is there to say about Wrath of Empire without turning into a fangirling mess? Like the previous novel, Sins of Empire, McClellan storytelling is masterful in its character development, plotting, and pacing.
Before moving any further with my praise for Wrath of Empire, I will say the book does suffer slightly from second book syndrome. Wrath of Empire is very much a means to an end book for most of the characters, especially Ben. This, however, does not hinder enjoyment of this book at all. Every second with these characters is time well spent and by the end of the novel you’ll be desperately seeking the next book.
As with Sins of Empire, Wrath of Empire follows the same three characters, Ben, Michel, and Vlora. Wrath of Empire begins almost immediately where Sins of Empire left with all the characters in sticky situations. From the first few chapters, McClellan sets up the pacing of the novel letting readers know they’re in for a wild ride as each of the characters has a dangerous goal to achieve as quickly as possible.
My favourite perspective in Wrath of Empire was Michel. His arc felt the most complete and self contained within the novel. I was able to guess the twist before it was revealed, though that didn’t lessen my enjoyment. His chapters are full of captivating action and mystery, new characters, and an objective that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I read this 639-page book in three days. I was so obsessed with it that it put me in a book hangover. I’m desperate to find out what happens next and spend more time with these characters. Check out these two books if you’re looking for a fantasy series that will capture your attention and refuse to let it go.
Blood of Empire, from what I can tell, does not have a release date and it’s killing me.
Before moving any further with my praise for Wrath of Empire, I will say the book does suffer slightly from second book syndrome. Wrath of Empire is very much a means to an end book for most of the characters, especially Ben. This, however, does not hinder enjoyment of this book at all. Every second with these characters is time well spent and by the end of the novel you’ll be desperately seeking the next book.
As with Sins of Empire, Wrath of Empire follows the same three characters, Ben, Michel, and Vlora. Wrath of Empire begins almost immediately where Sins of Empire left with all the characters in sticky situations. From the first few chapters, McClellan sets up the pacing of the novel letting readers know they’re in for a wild ride as each of the characters has a dangerous goal to achieve as quickly as possible.
My favourite perspective in Wrath of Empire was Michel. His arc felt the most complete and self contained within the novel. I was able to guess the twist before it was revealed, though that didn’t lessen my enjoyment. His chapters are full of captivating action and mystery, new characters, and an objective that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
I read this 639-page book in three days. I was so obsessed with it that it put me in a book hangover. I’m desperate to find out what happens next and spend more time with these characters. Check out these two books if you’re looking for a fantasy series that will capture your attention and refuse to let it go.
Blood of Empire, from what I can tell, does not have a release date and it’s killing me.
May 28, 2018
I loved Sins of Empire, if you haven’t read that one yet I would read that review/book first before reading this review as there will be spoilers for Sins of Empire. I listened to this via audiobook and received it via NetGalley/Orbit – thank you! Spelling goes out the window with audiobooks, so, keep that in mind.
This book picks up where the last one left off – the Dioneyes are invading Fatrasta with a mind to take back their old city, and find their lost artefacts – the most important being the God Stones. They are landing all around the coast and seem to come in waves that don’t end and things are getting very tense.
Tanniel and Karpole are still calling the shots and putting their pieces in their places without the pieces knowing what the end game is. Despite being a very old friend and ex-fiance, even Vlora doesn’t know what Tanniel’s core motives are and what his end plans may be… or if she can even trust him not to get her killed. Tanniel’s determined to get to the God Stones before the Dioneyes, and part of making that happen is keeping his undercover contacts safe. He wants Mikel to find his Dioneyes informant and get her out of the city before she’s found out and killed. The problem is that Tanniel doesn’t even know what this woman looks like, all the info he gives to Mikel is that her name is Mara. Mikel is trying to find this woman while the Black Hats are hunting him, he’s been caught meeting with Tanniel and therefore outed as a spy. All of his safe houses and resources are lost when his cover is blown, forcing him to make unlikely allies to survive long enough to complete his mission. He has a sneaking suspicion that Tanniel knows that this is a near suicide mission. I thought it was interesting that despite his cover being blown, Mikel continues to talk and argue with himself, I found his dual personality fascinating in the first book so it was funny to see this tick continue.
Meanwhile, Styke is working for Vlora taking over her cavalry unit, commanding them in the field against the Dioneyes. What Stykes doesn’t know is that he’s being hunted down by 6 Dragonmen who were recently freed from prison, with the promise that if they bring their master the head of Styke that they will be set free. Ben is busy hunting down the men who betrayed him which lead to him being forced into a slave labor camp and trying to keep Vlora’s men together. Styke is also paired up with Karpole for a while, and their two strong-willed but polar opposite personalities make for some entertaining scenes.
Vlora is being squeezed from all sides, the Fatrastans are angry with her, the Dioneyes have a debt to settle with her, and she’s trying to escort hundreds of thousands of citizens fleeing the cities to safety. She’s overwhelmed and overworked with no money to pay her army, she’s working off promissory notes against her personal account and things are wearing thin. Tanniel is insisting that she help him find the God Stones which is a dangerous task in itself, let alone everything else she has going on.
The main POV’s from the last book are the same for this book, which lent itself to the faster pace of the book, there’s no slowing down to learn a bunch of new people. The relationship between Styke and Selina continued to be a highlight of his chapters for me, it creates such a stark contrast to the rest of his persona and rounds him out so nicely. It’s also interesting watching a young girl growing up in a labor camp where people kill each other regularly right in front of her, over something as trivial as bread. And now she’s watching Ben take vengeance on people who have wronged him in the past, she takes a neutral almost academic like stance on Ben’s killing, wondering why he kills some and spares others. The fact that Ben does show mercy at points helps make him a character you can continue to root for, I prefer when characters are less bloodthirsty.
In my opinion, this book was faster paced than the first one. Sins of Empire was all leading up to the events of this book, it was a slower burn up until the Dioneyes arrived and laid siege to the city, which is right where this book picks up. Everything is coming together and I absolutely blew through this book, I couldn’t stop listening to it. The audiobook remains fantastic, I’m probably going to seek out other SFF by this narrator.
The writing continues to be great, but it also continues to use that fake curse word “pit” which always rubs me wrong when I hear it. I think it especially stands out in the audiobook since he sort of spits the word out.
The tone was very tense through all of the POV’s, the stakes are higher than the first and every one of the characters is in a fair bit of danger. There’s war, there are assassins, there are spies and counterspies all of which created an atmosphere bordering on anxiety.
The world building shifted away from The Depths which was a little disappointing, but also totally understandable given that city is under siege and Vlora is no longer stationed outside of it. I miss that place because it was so creepy, but we do get introduced to more of the world since the armies are marching.
Overall, I think Mr. McClellan hurdled himself over the “second book syndrome” where things can drag on and on in the second book only to pick up again in the third installment. Wrath of Empire was highly engaging and just as great as the first one.
Final Score: 85/100
This book picks up where the last one left off – the Dioneyes are invading Fatrasta with a mind to take back their old city, and find their lost artefacts – the most important being the God Stones. They are landing all around the coast and seem to come in waves that don’t end and things are getting very tense.
Tanniel and Karpole are still calling the shots and putting their pieces in their places without the pieces knowing what the end game is. Despite being a very old friend and ex-fiance, even Vlora doesn’t know what Tanniel’s core motives are and what his end plans may be… or if she can even trust him not to get her killed. Tanniel’s determined to get to the God Stones before the Dioneyes, and part of making that happen is keeping his undercover contacts safe. He wants Mikel to find his Dioneyes informant and get her out of the city before she’s found out and killed. The problem is that Tanniel doesn’t even know what this woman looks like, all the info he gives to Mikel is that her name is Mara. Mikel is trying to find this woman while the Black Hats are hunting him, he’s been caught meeting with Tanniel and therefore outed as a spy. All of his safe houses and resources are lost when his cover is blown, forcing him to make unlikely allies to survive long enough to complete his mission. He has a sneaking suspicion that Tanniel knows that this is a near suicide mission. I thought it was interesting that despite his cover being blown, Mikel continues to talk and argue with himself, I found his dual personality fascinating in the first book so it was funny to see this tick continue.
Meanwhile, Styke is working for Vlora taking over her cavalry unit, commanding them in the field against the Dioneyes. What Stykes doesn’t know is that he’s being hunted down by 6 Dragonmen who were recently freed from prison, with the promise that if they bring their master the head of Styke that they will be set free. Ben is busy hunting down the men who betrayed him which lead to him being forced into a slave labor camp and trying to keep Vlora’s men together. Styke is also paired up with Karpole for a while, and their two strong-willed but polar opposite personalities make for some entertaining scenes.
Vlora is being squeezed from all sides, the Fatrastans are angry with her, the Dioneyes have a debt to settle with her, and she’s trying to escort hundreds of thousands of citizens fleeing the cities to safety. She’s overwhelmed and overworked with no money to pay her army, she’s working off promissory notes against her personal account and things are wearing thin. Tanniel is insisting that she help him find the God Stones which is a dangerous task in itself, let alone everything else she has going on.
The main POV’s from the last book are the same for this book, which lent itself to the faster pace of the book, there’s no slowing down to learn a bunch of new people. The relationship between Styke and Selina continued to be a highlight of his chapters for me, it creates such a stark contrast to the rest of his persona and rounds him out so nicely. It’s also interesting watching a young girl growing up in a labor camp where people kill each other regularly right in front of her, over something as trivial as bread. And now she’s watching Ben take vengeance on people who have wronged him in the past, she takes a neutral almost academic like stance on Ben’s killing, wondering why he kills some and spares others. The fact that Ben does show mercy at points helps make him a character you can continue to root for, I prefer when characters are less bloodthirsty.
In my opinion, this book was faster paced than the first one. Sins of Empire was all leading up to the events of this book, it was a slower burn up until the Dioneyes arrived and laid siege to the city, which is right where this book picks up. Everything is coming together and I absolutely blew through this book, I couldn’t stop listening to it. The audiobook remains fantastic, I’m probably going to seek out other SFF by this narrator.
The writing continues to be great, but it also continues to use that fake curse word “pit” which always rubs me wrong when I hear it. I think it especially stands out in the audiobook since he sort of spits the word out.
The tone was very tense through all of the POV’s, the stakes are higher than the first and every one of the characters is in a fair bit of danger. There’s war, there are assassins, there are spies and counterspies all of which created an atmosphere bordering on anxiety.
The world building shifted away from The Depths which was a little disappointing, but also totally understandable given that city is under siege and Vlora is no longer stationed outside of it. I miss that place because it was so creepy, but we do get introduced to more of the world since the armies are marching.
Overall, I think Mr. McClellan hurdled himself over the “second book syndrome” where things can drag on and on in the second book only to pick up again in the third installment. Wrath of Empire was highly engaging and just as great as the first one.
Final Score: 85/100
June 4, 2021
Title suits the book so well.
This was amazing and captivating.
Love the way Brian McClellan does worldbuilding and that character development is so good.
This was amazing and captivating.
Love the way Brian McClellan does worldbuilding and that character development is so good.
May 28, 2018
Executive Summary: Another excellent book by Mr. McClellan. The first trilogy was good, but this one is so much better so far.
Audiobook: Christian Rodska does another excellent job with this book. He does a variety of voices and accents that really give the audio version that extra something that makes this series a must listen for me.
Full Review
When I reviewed Sins of Empire last year, I called it Brian McClellan's best book to date. If this book isn't better than that one, it's a very close tie. We're talking too close to call. Either way it was another easy 5 star rating for me.
Much like the last book it's split up into three subplots following Vlora, Ben and Mikael. There were times when I was annoyed to leave one story for another, but then I got sucked into that subplot and I was just as annoyed at leaving that story as well.
If had to choose however, I'd probably give the slight edge to Mikael. I'm a sucker for the spy stories. Ben is a very close second though, in particular because I think he's had the most interesting character development of the series thus far. Vlora's story was also quite good, just slightly behind the other two.
I don't feel like this book suffers at all from middle book syndrome either. I'm very eager to get my hands on the third book, but I felt like he got each story to a good stopping point while setting things up nicely for the ending.
There were some more fantastic world building, a few really great surprises, plenty of actions and a bunch of interesting characters that got me finding reasons to keep listening just a little bit longer each day.
I'm hard-pressed to recommend this series if you haven't read his original Powder Mage trilogy first, but I think it is written in such a way that you could. You'd miss out on a lot of backstory and detail that way.
Either way I'll continue to recommend Brian McClellan while eagerly awaiting the final book of this series to see if he can pull off a 5-star conclusion. Given the last two books, I suspect that he will.
Audiobook: Christian Rodska does another excellent job with this book. He does a variety of voices and accents that really give the audio version that extra something that makes this series a must listen for me.
Full Review
When I reviewed Sins of Empire last year, I called it Brian McClellan's best book to date. If this book isn't better than that one, it's a very close tie. We're talking too close to call. Either way it was another easy 5 star rating for me.
Much like the last book it's split up into three subplots following Vlora, Ben and Mikael. There were times when I was annoyed to leave one story for another, but then I got sucked into that subplot and I was just as annoyed at leaving that story as well.
If had to choose however, I'd probably give the slight edge to Mikael. I'm a sucker for the spy stories. Ben is a very close second though, in particular because I think he's had the most interesting character development of the series thus far. Vlora's story was also quite good, just slightly behind the other two.
I don't feel like this book suffers at all from middle book syndrome either. I'm very eager to get my hands on the third book, but I felt like he got each story to a good stopping point while setting things up nicely for the ending.
There were some more fantastic world building, a few really great surprises, plenty of actions and a bunch of interesting characters that got me finding reasons to keep listening just a little bit longer each day.
I'm hard-pressed to recommend this series if you haven't read his original Powder Mage trilogy first, but I think it is written in such a way that you could. You'd miss out on a lot of backstory and detail that way.
Either way I'll continue to recommend Brian McClellan while eagerly awaiting the final book of this series to see if he can pull off a 5-star conclusion. Given the last two books, I suspect that he will.
August 7, 2022
Ben Styke really carries this series. All of the buildups in the first book of this trilogy continue full speed ahead here.
No spoilers, but the man who was a loose cannon has become a solid fixture in the new power. I say power, but it's mostly a forced march of a retreat while trying to blow up the godstones, so it's definitely bloody. The whole thing continues to be very entertaining.
No spoilers, but the man who was a loose cannon has become a solid fixture in the new power. I say power, but it's mostly a forced march of a retreat while trying to blow up the godstones, so it's definitely bloody. The whole thing continues to be very entertaining.
April 11, 2020
No books are without flaws or at least at least one reader can find something wrong with any book. This should probably be a 5 star for me but a few flaws here and there, which will not be noticed by others have me rounding down to 4 stars.
I am impressed that McClellan can hold my interest for a second series. I have found that the quality of a book 5 or a second trilogy almost always starts falling, but this is one of the exceptions. The story still seems very new, the world still holds mysteries, the characters are changing yet still remaining favorites. McClellan is also not G.R.R.M. Without too much spoiling, the main characters are mostly left intact by the end of the book so I don't have to form new attachments and loyalties. Granted this is where one of my flaws come in but the result is what I really want
I am very much looking forward to the third and last for this series and will probably read any others he writes until he jumps the shark, as they say.
I am impressed that McClellan can hold my interest for a second series. I have found that the quality of a book 5 or a second trilogy almost always starts falling, but this is one of the exceptions. The story still seems very new, the world still holds mysteries, the characters are changing yet still remaining favorites. McClellan is also not G.R.R.M. Without too much spoiling, the main characters are mostly left intact by the end of the book so I don't have to form new attachments and loyalties. Granted this is where one of my flaws come in but the result is what I really want
I am very much looking forward to the third and last for this series and will probably read any others he writes until he jumps the shark, as they say.
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