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Powder Mage #0.0
Siege of Tilpur
It is the height of the Gurlish Wars. Sergeant Tamas, a young infantryman in the Adran Army, struggles to keep his squad alive despite the blundering incompetence of their superior officers. Not only does Tamas have the curse of being an ambitious commoner in an army where rank is purchased rather than earned, he is also a powder mage. His magical ability to manipulate gunpowder is frowned upon by officers and feared by Privileged sorcerers.
When the Adran Army is about to give up on the siege of an enemy fortress, Tamas seizes upon the opportunity to prove his worth as a strategist and mage. But breaking the enemy on his own won’t be easy, no matter how strong he is.
Powder Mage short story first published in the UNBOUND Anthology on December 1st, 2015.
When the Adran Army is about to give up on the siege of an enemy fortress, Tamas seizes upon the opportunity to prove his worth as a strategist and mage. But breaking the enemy on his own won’t be easy, no matter how strong he is.
Powder Mage short story first published in the UNBOUND Anthology on December 1st, 2015.
39 pages, ebook
First published November 8, 2017
68 people are currently reading
1994 people want to read
About the author
Brian McClellan
35 books8,803 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 74 reviews
January 30, 2018
Originally posted in my review of Unbound by Shawn Speakman
Many years before Promise of Blood, Tamas was a sergeant who desperately wanted a promotion. Tamas had two things against him though, he's a commoner and a powder mage. Commoner's aren't to have ambition and powder mage's were marked for death in some countries just for being powder mages. Being the man who takes the wall and breaks the siege of Tilpur was Tamas's best chance at a promotion. When he finds out the Adran army is withdrawing from the siege, Tamas takes desperate measures for his advancement and to save lives.
Tamas is a very different man in The Siege of Tilpur than he is in the Powder Mage trilogy. He's just as arrogant, but more subdued than he was in the novella Servant of the Crown when he shot the lower part of a nobles earlobe off in a duel. Tamas knows what he's capable of and realizes he has a nearly impossible task in front of him in order to be promoted in the Adran army.
I really enjoyed The Siege of Tilpur because first Brian McClellan is an awesome author and second Tamas is one intense devoted character. He loves Adro even though those who rule it don't acknowledge him and some outright despise him. It would have been far simpler for Tamas to join The Wings of Adom who seem more concerned with merit in their ranks instead of noble blood. Tamas took some crazy risks just for the hope that someone would overlook his common blood and promote him.
The Siege of Tilpur is the reason I chose to read Unbound in the first place and I have to say I am not disappointed by that choice at all.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Many years before Promise of Blood, Tamas was a sergeant who desperately wanted a promotion. Tamas had two things against him though, he's a commoner and a powder mage. Commoner's aren't to have ambition and powder mage's were marked for death in some countries just for being powder mages. Being the man who takes the wall and breaks the siege of Tilpur was Tamas's best chance at a promotion. When he finds out the Adran army is withdrawing from the siege, Tamas takes desperate measures for his advancement and to save lives.
Tamas is a very different man in The Siege of Tilpur than he is in the Powder Mage trilogy. He's just as arrogant, but more subdued than he was in the novella Servant of the Crown when he shot the lower part of a nobles earlobe off in a duel. Tamas knows what he's capable of and realizes he has a nearly impossible task in front of him in order to be promoted in the Adran army.
I really enjoyed The Siege of Tilpur because first Brian McClellan is an awesome author and second Tamas is one intense devoted character. He loves Adro even though those who rule it don't acknowledge him and some outright despise him. It would have been far simpler for Tamas to join The Wings of Adom who seem more concerned with merit in their ranks instead of noble blood. Tamas took some crazy risks just for the hope that someone would overlook his common blood and promote him.
The Siege of Tilpur is the reason I chose to read Unbound in the first place and I have to say I am not disappointed by that choice at all.
4.5 out of 5 stars
July 3, 2021
It's just....not good.
November 8, 2017
Svaka vojska koja ima oficirski kadar di samo plemici mogu da imaju poziciju bez obzira na sposobnosti je osudjena na propast. Zato je potrebno da oni koji imaju znanje i zelju da pomognu kolko mogu.
Ovde imamo malu pricu o Tamasovim pocecima i jasnim zacecima njegove mrznje prema svemu kako funkcionise.
Lepa prica i trenutno besplatana.
Ovde imamo malu pricu o Tamasovim pocecima i jasnim zacecima njegove mrznje prema svemu kako funkcionise.
Lepa prica i trenutno besplatana.
June 30, 2023
The Siege of Tilpur is set the furthest in the past of all of the short works in the Powder Mage universe. It follows a young 19-year-old Tamas, a Sergeant feeling the frustrations of the caste system against commoners and the discrimination against Powder Mages. He wants advancement fast so he can plow new territory in a world very much set against him. This quick short story shows his origin story as he, much like his son Taniel in the trilogy, butts up against those officers ranked above him for their ignorance and stupidity. You see the makings of his tactical genius as the Adran army besieges the fort of Tilpur, so far unbeaten against sieging armies in the past. It's a quick, enjoyable read that really only serves to lay a foundation for my favorite character and everything that follows.
Note: I will be reading all of the Powder Mage short stories and novellas before I begin the follow up trilogy set roughly 12 years after the events of The Autumn Republic. I've found a chronological order that I will be following in case any are interested, although all of these works are set before Promise of Blood in the Timeline.
Note: I will be reading all of the Powder Mage short stories and novellas before I begin the follow up trilogy set roughly 12 ye/ars after the events of The Autumn Republic. I've found a chronological order that I will be following in case any are interested, although all of these works are set before Promise of Blood in the Timeline.
Powder Mage Short Stories and Novellas
The Siege of Tilpur - 7/10
Forsworn - 7.5/10
Servant of the Crown - 8/10
Murder at the Kinnen Hotel - 9/10
In the Field Marshal's Shadow - 8.5/10
Ghosts of the Tristan Basin - 9/10
Note: I will be reading all of the Powder Mage short stories and novellas before I begin the follow up trilogy set roughly 12 years after the events of The Autumn Republic. I've found a chronological order that I will be following in case any are interested, although all of these works are set before Promise of Blood in the Timeline.
Note: I will be reading all of the Powder Mage short stories and novellas before I begin the follow up trilogy set roughly 12 ye/ars after the events of The Autumn Republic. I've found a chronological order that I will be following in case any are interested, although all of these works are set before Promise of Blood in the Timeline.
Powder Mage Short Stories and Novellas
The Siege of Tilpur - 7/10
Forsworn - 7.5/10
Servant of the Crown - 8/10
Murder at the Kinnen Hotel - 9/10
In the Field Marshal's Shadow - 8.5/10
Ghosts of the Tristan Basin - 9/10
December 22, 2020
I applaud Brian McClellan he is an amazing writer. He always knows just what words to say, the ones that both show you the emotion of the character but also the words that make you feel those exact same emotions. And to do this so quickly when it's a short story is nothing but brilliant. Now you might say it's because we already know Tamas, but do we? He is 19 in this tale he isn't yet the man we knew in the powder mage books.
It was nice to see a younger Tamas and see how much Taniel is like him. Like father like son.
It was so good returning to this world, to see all the aspects of being a powder mage that I lived in the trilogy. To see the choas of the privileged and the whole caste system of commoners being nothing but dogs and nobles being in charge of thousands based off their heritage and not merit. It's a setting and a dynamic I always enjoy and then add in siege warfare and I'm sitting pretty with my hot chocolate and healthy dose of Tamas.
Plus I LOVE the idea of a sniper, I always find it interesting and it's always how I play at my Tom Clancy games so to see some good old fashioned sniping aided by magic will always tickle my fancy.
I don't read shorts often so I don't know what details routinely goes into them. This would have most definitely been a five star (I say 5* because these don't really fall into my rating system) if it had a little bit more conversation between his five comrades to give me a little more of what Tamas was like with his unit and not just his obnoxious superiors.
It was nice to see a younger Tamas and see how much Taniel is like him. Like father like son.
It was so good returning to this world, to see all the aspects of being a powder mage that I lived in the trilogy. To see the choas of the privileged and the whole caste system of commoners being nothing but dogs and nobles being in charge of thousands based off their heritage and not merit. It's a setting and a dynamic I always enjoy and then add in siege warfare and I'm sitting pretty with my hot chocolate and healthy dose of Tamas.
Plus I LOVE the idea of a sniper, I always find it interesting and it's always how I play at my Tom Clancy games so to see some good old fashioned sniping aided by magic will always tickle my fancy.
I don't read shorts often so I don't know what details routinely goes into them. This would have most definitely been a five star (I say 5* because these don't really fall into my rating system) if it had a little bit more conversation between his five comrades to give me a little more of what Tamas was like with his unit and not just his obnoxious superiors.
November 8, 2017
A short, excellent read providing a bit of backstory for Tamas.
And, it's free today on Brian's site!
And, it's free today on Brian's site!
January 23, 2020
Another really good short story. It's hard to imagine Tamas ever being young tho lol
October 25, 2021
Damn that was intense - really got me good.
Plenty of action and suspense.
You discover what makes Tamas tick and feel his frustration when the nobles get in his way. He's a soldier's soldier...
Plenty of action and suspense.
You discover what makes Tamas tick and feel his frustration when the nobles get in his way. He's a soldier's soldier...
April 23, 2018
In Siege of Tilpur, Sergeant Tamas in the Adran army is participating in the siege of an old Gurlish fortress which has never been won by any other army. After yet another failed attempt to storm the walls, Tamas convinces his superior officers to let him try a nighttime raid with a few of his men. For Tamas, this is his last chance at the promotion to officer that he desperately wants. But it's equally likely to be a suicide mission for him and his men.
This is an excellent backstory to one of the main characters in the main Powder Mage series, Field Marshal Tamas. It show quite a bit of how powder mages work their magic as well as about Tamas himself and his struggles to advance as a nobody in the Adran Army. It's easy to like this younger Tamas and to better understand his mindset years later during Promise of Blood.
This is an excellent backstory to one of the main characters in the main Powder Mage series, Field Marshal Tamas. It show quite a bit of how powder mages work their magic as well as about Tamas himself and his struggles to advance as a nobody in the Adran Army. It's easy to like this younger Tamas and to better understand his mindset years later during Promise of Blood.
December 13, 2018
Long before the days of the coup of The Powder Mage, a young sergeant Tamas leads a suicide mission to take the previously impenetrable fortress of Tilpur, with the hopes of obtaining a commission to captain. There are two problems with these hopes. One, he's lowborn, where only nobility can be officers in the Adran army, and two, he's a powder mage, frowned upon by the mages who support the military. Can he overcome years of tradition and stupidity to achieve his goals?
This is a good short story, especially if you've already read The Powder Mage, as it's gives some insight into Tamas' early years. If you just want to check out the author's work before splurging on the other books, this is a short by decent taster for you.
4/5 stars.
This is a good short story, especially if you've already read The Powder Mage, as it's gives some insight into Tamas' early years. If you just want to check out the author's work before splurging on the other books, this is a short by decent taster for you.
4/5 stars.
Want to read
November 9, 2017This novella is Free now!!
You can get it directly from his Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R90C...
Or from his site:
http://www.brianmcclellan.com/ebook-s...
His short stories are great! If you haven't read any of his short stories then you definitely should.
You can get it directly from his Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R90C...
Or from his site:
http://www.brianmcclellan.com/ebook-s...
His short stories are great! If you haven't read any of his short stories then you definitely should.
July 3, 2019
A brilliant background story for Tamas who was 19 years old in this story. He was a sergeant who desperately wanted a promotion. But more than that, we get see Tamas' motivation and foundation for his actions in the Powder Mage trilogy.
I dare say that he just became one of my favourite character.
I dare say that he just became one of my favourite character.
November 21, 2025
Short action packed novella set in the Powder Mage universe, where Tamas is just a sergeant, and looked down upon because of his common blood. It shows him as ambitious, and what kind of man he was before he was General Tamas.
Chronologically set as the first story in this world by McClellan, it whets the appetite for more.
Chronologically set as the first story in this world by McClellan, it whets the appetite for more.
September 18, 2018
Solid, action-packed novella that gives you a good deal of foundation and motivation for the character who would become Field Marshall Tamas in the main Powder Mage series.
October 8, 2020
8 out of 10.
November 18, 2019
I did not read the original trilogy yet. Might've been a mistake in a sense I'm not fully immersed, so I took this a independent short story to better evaluate.
And I loved it!
Pretty much sets the whole environment and type of characters, with a proper beggining, body and ending in just 30 pages. Its a Flintlock Fantasy with exciting action and clear social structures exposed. Its also the first piece of the genre I ever read.
Its...Napoleonic.
I'm intrigued enough to buy the first book Promise of Blood and from what I read and heard about it, I'm looking forward to it.
And I loved it!
Pretty much sets the whole environment and type of characters, with a proper beggining, body and ending in just 30 pages. Its a Flintlock Fantasy with exciting action and clear social structures exposed. Its also the first piece of the genre I ever read.
Its...Napoleonic.
I'm intrigued enough to buy the first book Promise of Blood and from what I read and heard about it, I'm looking forward to it.
March 24, 2023
История одной осады
19-летний сержант Тамас против одной неприступной крепости.
Перед нами хороший рассказ о юности Тамаса, зарождения его тактического мышления и уважения среди обычных солдат. Так же, мы можем видеть каким был Ардо до революции: разделения людей не первые и вторые сорта по признаку крови, особенно нелюбовь знати к пороховым магам. Жаль, что только короткий рассказ, а не полное произведение, ведь как мы знаем по трилогии - жизнь Тамаса полна событий, которых хватило бы с лихвой на собственную трилогию.
Финальная оценка 4 из 5.
19-летний сержант Тамас против одной неприступной крепости.
Перед нами хороший рассказ о юности Тамаса, зарождения его тактического мышления и уважения среди обычных солдат. Так же, мы можем видеть каким был Ардо до революции: разделения людей не первые и вторые сорта по признаку крови, особенно нелюбовь знати к пороховым магам. Жаль, что только короткий рассказ, а не полное произведение, ведь как мы знаем по трилогии - жизнь Тамаса полна событий, которых хватило бы с лихвой на собственную трилогию.
Финальная оценка 4 из 5.
February 28, 2020
2,5
Nu m-am omorât după acestă proză scurtă. Descrie unul dintre momentele în care Tamas se face remarcat, însă originea lui socială nu îi permite ascensiunea militară. Ok, fără prea mari surprize.
https://vderevlean.wordpress.com/2020...
Nu m-am omorât după acestă proză scurtă. Descrie unul dintre momentele în care Tamas se face remarcat, însă originea lui socială nu îi permite ascensiunea militară. Ok, fără prea mari surprize.
https://vderevlean.wordpress.com/2020...
August 28, 2024
Muito bom! Traz uma visão mais aprofundada de um dos personagens mais interessantes da trilogia. Com certeza podia ter tido uma expansão mais extensa dessa batalha. Eu leria um livro completo tranquilamente e essa é a única razão por eu não dar mais que 3 estrelas.
Curioso para os outros prequels desse universo.
Curioso para os outros prequels desse universo.
September 11, 2019
Yet another Great short Story in the Powder mage Universe.
this is a glimpse of Tamas's early days at the army when he Was a sergeant at the Siege of tilpur, it shows how the noble looked down at him as he is a commoner and it also shows how the Troops come to respect him
this is a glimpse of Tamas's early days at the army when he Was a sergeant at the Siege of tilpur, it shows how the noble looked down at him as he is a commoner and it also shows how the Troops come to respect him
November 20, 2017
Es Kaladin (pre-Syl) con magia.
April 20, 2025
Tamas 19 añitos. Va justo de lo que te imaginas que va un asedio en el mundo de los magos de la pólvora
May 16, 2023
Short but sweet
August 5, 2024
Even for a Novella, 29 pages is just not enough. Great characters just leaves you wanting more
November 8, 2017
This is the first Powder Mage story I've read, and I enjoyed it very much. Looking forward to starting the Powder Mage trilogy. I've never read flintlock fantasy before, but McClellan's work has certainly intrigued me enough to keep me reading.
September 22, 2020
A short novella and on point with action that I've come to love about the series.
July 28, 2022
I read this in the "Unbound" anthology.
A war story, so it is not my cup of tea. In a war era with canons, muskets, and bayonets plus some sorcery thrown in Tilpur is the name of the fort Sgt. Tamas and his men have been ordered to take. Tamas is a commoner and worse still a powder mage-both of which are looked down upon in this society. His only hope of making officer is to get over the walls and prove his merit. Disgusted after the order to retreat yet again comes down he comes up with an idea that has merit IF the general will allow it.
A war story, so it is not my cup of tea. In a war era with canons, muskets, and bayonets plus some sorcery thrown in Tilpur is the name of the fort Sgt. Tamas and his men have been ordered to take. Tamas is a commoner and worse still a powder mage-both of which are looked down upon in this society. His only hope of making officer is to get over the walls and prove his merit. Disgusted after the order to retreat yet again comes down he comes up with an idea that has merit IF the general will allow it.
April 1, 2022
Young Tamas is an agent of chaos.
A play by play:
Pew pew pew *angry tamas noises* stealth stealth slash slash kaboom *angry tamas noises*
A play by play:
Pew pew pew *angry tamas noises* stealth stealth slash slash kaboom *angry tamas noises*
December 25, 2021
Cannons and Sorcery.
A fantastic short in the world of The Powder Mage series, my first time delving into Brian McClellan's world and it was bloody awesome. Who doesn't love guns, cannons and sorcery all rolled into one. After along seige against the Gurlish in their Fort of Tilpur, the general has called time on the seige and has decided to pull out all together. Sergeant Tamas a powder mage and a lowly commoner wants a promotion badly, he has come up with a plan by taking the fort with four of his best soldiers and a bit of sorcery. Its a suicide mission, will he pull it off and get that promotion who so sorely desires. Read to find out, you won't regret it. I can't wait to get stuck into the rest of this series, the characters are brilliant and whole plot and setting is something I will truly enjoy getting lost in. Highly recommended...😁💥🖤
A fantastic short in the world of The Powder Mage series, my first time delving into Brian McClellan's world and it was bloody awesome. Who doesn't love guns, cannons and sorcery all rolled into one. After along seige against the Gurlish in their Fort of Tilpur, the general has called time on the seige and has decided to pull out all together. Sergeant Tamas a powder mage and a lowly commoner wants a promotion badly, he has come up with a plan by taking the fort with four of his best soldiers and a bit of sorcery. Its a suicide mission, will he pull it off and get that promotion who so sorely desires. Read to find out, you won't regret it. I can't wait to get stuck into the rest of this series, the characters are brilliant and whole plot and setting is something I will truly enjoy getting lost in. Highly recommended...😁💥🖤
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews