What do you think?
Rate this book
The Powder Mage Trilogy: Promise of Blood, The Crimson Campaign, The Autumn Republic
In a world where mages control gunpowder and bullets, a brilliant general must defend his country from both war and insurrection. Check out the complete Powder Mage Trilogy in this omnibus edition, a series that Brandon Sanderson called "Just plain awesome!"
In Promise of Blood: Field Marshal Tamas' coup against his king sent corrupt aristocrats to the guillotine and brought bread to the starving. But it also provoked war with the Nine Nations, internal attacks by royalist fanatics. Stretched to his limit, Tamas is relying heavily on his few remaining powder mages, including the embittered Taniel, a brilliant marksman who also happens to be his estranged son, and Adamat, a retired police inspector whose loyalty is being tested by blackmail.
In The Crimson Campaign: Drastically outnumbered and pursued by the enemy's best, Tamas must lead his men on a reckless march through northern Kez to safety, and back over the mountains so that he can defend his country from an angry god, Kresimir.
In The Autumn Republic: Field Marshal Tamas returns to his beloved country to find that for the first time in history, the capital city of Adro lies in the hands of a foreign invader. His son is missing, his allies are indistinguishable from his foes, and reinforcements are several weeks away.
1835 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 12, 2019
235 people are currently reading
665 people want to read
About the author
Brian McClellan
35 books8,778 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)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
April 27, 2019
Brian McClellan's "The Powder Mage Trilogy: Promise of Blood, The Crimson Campaign, The Autumn Republic" is a compilation of the three novels (individually published in 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively) in his "Powder Mage" trilogy (obviously). On the whole, the series is really good with a well-reasoned world, great writing, excellent characterizations, and a nice plot. Of the three novels, the first is probably the best at 4-1/2 stars, the second bringing up the rear at 3 stars, and the fourth recovering to finish with a solid 4 stars. Arithmetically, that averages out to 3-7/8 stars. But, with rounding, and by gut feel as well, I'm happy to rate the series at a full Very Good 4 stars out of 5. I've included my reviews for the individual books, below:
1) "Promise of Blood:" Brian McClellan's 2013 novel "Promise of Blood (Powder Mage series Book 1)" is a very well done book (great writing, characters, and plot). It's extremely well-developed and bodes well for the remainder of the series. The only reasons I don't give it a full 5 stars are that 1) the bad stuff that happens is pretty un-relieved (a bit of lightness here and there would be nice) and 2) the magic could use a bit more system behind it -- because it just seems like magic (I know, that sounds silly), we don't get a good idea of the capabilities of the 4 or 5 magic groups that show up. So, I'd like to drop my rating a half star, but can't. With a bit of sorrow, I'll leave it with an official Very Good 4 stars out of 5.
2) "The Crimson Campaign:" I really enjoyed the first book in Brian McClellan's "Powder Mage" series ("Promise of Blood (Powder Mage series Book 1)"). But, this 2014 sequel, "The Crimson Campaign (Powder Mage series Book 2)" just isn't as good. The story and writing are good, but the tone, pacing, and characters need work. By tone, I mean the book is just depressing. Essentially, in any given situation throughout the book, just imagine the worst possible outcome, and that's what McClellan wrote. By pacing, I mean that there's no let up in that misery. From the start of the book, each of the main characters goes from frying pan to fire incessantly. There's nothing to break that up and give us a break. And finally, almost every character in the book constantly behaves badly. I don't mean they necessarily do the wrong things. It's just that they do whatever they're doing in the least effective way possible. Usually, they're so rude that whoever they're interacting with is bound to reply in kind. Yes. Most of the book involves battle. So, people aren't going to be on their best behavior. But, again, this is a constant theme. Heck, of the two characters I can think of who don't do this, one of them is an ENEMY combatant and not someone who should be any ally. So, even though the story is interesting, I'm dropping my rating for this book down to a mere OK 3 stars out of 5. Hopefully, the last book in the trilogy will be better.
3) "The Autumn Republic:" Thankfully, Brian McClellan's 2015 novel "The Autumn Republic (Powder Mage series Book 3)" ameliorates most of the three big complaints I had with the previous book in the series (depressing, pace, behavior). Yes, this book still has a lot of depressing things happening. But, there's give and take, ups and downs, to ease the impact and give us chance to recover. Also, most of the characters behave reasonably, most of the time. So, I'm happy with that. The one thing left that bothers me (and this is throughout the series) is that the top bad guy just has too much information. Much of that is explained by the end. But, I still feel that explanation doesn't fully hold water. Regardless, the world, writing, characters, and plot are all very good. So, I'm rating the book at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5.
1) "Promise of Blood:" Brian McClellan's 2013 novel "Promise of Blood (Powder Mage series Book 1)" is a very well done book (great writing, characters, and plot). It's extremely well-developed and bodes well for the remainder of the series. The only reasons I don't give it a full 5 stars are that 1) the bad stuff that happens is pretty un-relieved (a bit of lightness here and there would be nice) and 2) the magic could use a bit more system behind it -- because it just seems like magic (I know, that sounds silly), we don't get a good idea of the capabilities of the 4 or 5 magic groups that show up. So, I'd like to drop my rating a half star, but can't. With a bit of sorrow, I'll leave it with an official Very Good 4 stars out of 5.
2) "The Crimson Campaign:" I really enjoyed the first book in Brian McClellan's "Powder Mage" series ("Promise of Blood (Powder Mage series Book 1)"). But, this 2014 sequel, "The Crimson Campaign (Powder Mage series Book 2)" just isn't as good. The story and writing are good, but the tone, pacing, and characters need work. By tone, I mean the book is just depressing. Essentially, in any given situation throughout the book, just imagine the worst possible outcome, and that's what McClellan wrote. By pacing, I mean that there's no let up in that misery. From the start of the book, each of the main characters goes from frying pan to fire incessantly. There's nothing to break that up and give us a break. And finally, almost every character in the book constantly behaves badly. I don't mean they necessarily do the wrong things. It's just that they do whatever they're doing in the least effective way possible. Usually, they're so rude that whoever they're interacting with is bound to reply in kind. Yes. Most of the book involves battle. So, people aren't going to be on their best behavior. But, again, this is a constant theme. Heck, of the two characters I can think of who don't do this, one of them is an ENEMY combatant and not someone who should be any ally. So, even though the story is interesting, I'm dropping my rating for this book down to a mere OK 3 stars out of 5. Hopefully, the last book in the trilogy will be better.
3) "The Autumn Republic:" Thankfully, Brian McClellan's 2015 novel "The Autumn Republic (Powder Mage series Book 3)" ameliorates most of the three big complaints I had with the previous book in the series (depressing, pace, behavior). Yes, this book still has a lot of depressing things happening. But, there's give and take, ups and downs, to ease the impact and give us chance to recover. Also, most of the characters behave reasonably, most of the time. So, I'm happy with that. The one thing left that bothers me (and this is throughout the series) is that the top bad guy just has too much information. Much of that is explained by the end. But, I still feel that explanation doesn't fully hold water. Regardless, the world, writing, characters, and plot are all very good. So, I'm rating the book at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5.
January 28, 2022
That was EPIC!!!!!....
...and kind of underwhelming at the same time.
Promise of Blood was a truly satisfying story as it really took off half-way through and didn't let go. It introduces a very different kind of fantasy in a different kind of story. And I'm absolutely fine with that. And, while there are missteps, these are most likely the result of McClellan being a first-time author rather than anything else. As such, they are to be expected, and they don't distract from the fact that this trilogy is a very entertaining read.
Where it doesn't work for me is that, at times, I don't understand why this story is being told. What are its themes? What is its message? Why are some characters given a prominent place while others are left in the margins? Why are some mysteries tackled head on, and others left to be completely unexplained?
The story opens in the aftermath of a revolution that has toppled the king of Adro, one of nine kingdoms ruling an unnamed continent on an unnamed world. The leader of the revolution is Field Marshal Tamas, the commander of the Adran army, who makes short work of the king and the aristocracy. Almost immediately, the conflict is set: Adro itself is divided between two dominant factions, those who support the revolution and those who remain loyal to the monarchy. In addition, the other kings of the Nine Nations are likely to oppose the revolution as it could pose a threat to their own power. This setting is so clearly inspired by the French Revolution that it borrows much from it, from the overthrow of the king and the repression of the nobility to the very symbol of those events: the guillotine. What follows is a struggle to keep the revolution on track against its many enemies. McClellan breaks with the traditional model of fantasy, which tends to be based in a medieval setting. And it would work really well...
...if, like the French Revolution, the Adran had been given more body. While the motivations of the characters for supporting or opposing the overthrow of the king are mostly covered, the willingness of the population to go along with doesn't quite fit. The French Revolution was not simply noticeable by the changes it introduced, changes so deep and valued that they still define a large part of the French political identity, but also because those changes caused deep divisions at the time. Not just among those who supported the Revolution (both radicals and moderates) but also among its enemies. And there is a theme, which was at the root of the opposition that led to the Revolution, which could have worked so well here.
The characters caught up in this story show this quite clearly, although they also show that McClellan is skilled at creating entertaining and fully-rounded characters. First of all is the main protagonist of this story: Field Marshal Tamas. The charismatic leader of the army, he has grow disillusioned with his king and nurses his own grievances which have motivated his actions. He is not only the leader of the revolution, but also its embodiment. A symbol for both his allies and his foes, of hope for those who wish to be free of the king, of hate for those who still support the old ways. Tamas must live up to such expectations and answer his own existential questions along the way: he is convinced what he is doing is right, but is he doing it for the right reasons? Is he a patriot fighting for his country? Or a warmonger hurt by betrayals and the events of his past who wants the world to feel his pain? Tamas himself is unable to truly answer the question, but he must still chart not just his own path but also that of his entire country.
Sharing the book's limited POVs with Tamas are only three other characters. Tamas's son Taniel Two-Shot, Inspector Adamat and a young laundress called Nila. Each has a role to play in the story and they are interesting characters in their own rights. Taniel is young and has a difficult relationship with his father (while also being the only one to know exactly why Tamas has launched his revolution), but he is also already a war hero. His skill in battle is unparalleled and he is quickly tasked with a difficult mission by his father: help hunt down the renegade mages who served the former king. Inspector Adamat is a former police officer who attempted to go into the printing press business, a failure which has now left him in deep debt to dangerous people. He is called upon by Tamas to investigate a mysterious claim of retribution made against by the royal mages during the coup. A capable investigator with a perfect memory, he is also a family man whose loyalties will be put to the test during his investigation. However, while described as possessing a perfect memory frequently, it is only ever mentioned and never used significantly, either as a strength or as a weakness (except at one point where, once again, it is fleetingly mentioned rather than addressed head on). Finally, Nila is initially an oddity and, while the latter books of the trilogy explain her importance, her presence in the first novel seems a bit forced, but welcome. When we meet Nila, she is working for a noble family targeted by Tamas's forces due to their close kinship with the king and must flee with the family's son, Jakob. Her story in this novel is mostly used to show the other side of the revolution, those who do not approve of Tamas's revolution and still support the monarchy. At least, that's the impression it gives, but McClellan never takes a deep dive into this or makes Nila question whether the system she grew up under was really the best.
And that is the theme that McClellan could (and does occasionally) tackle: entitlement. The kings who rule the Nine Nations believe themselves, much as their counterparts in our own history, to have been chosen by a god to rule. But only one of the kings seems to have a serious problem with Tamas's revolution, a king he already has issues with. The others are never revealed to have any problems with the events in Adro. And what about the population, best represented by Nila? Wouldn't they have grown terrified and anxious about their place in the world now that the god's chosen had been violently overthrown? McClellan sadly does not spend much time on these questions, which could have led to interesting conflicts.
Nor does he really tackle the most interesting thing of that dilemna surrounding the divine right of kings.
In these stories, gods actually exist. In fact, that is the premise of the whole first novel: a faction of rebellious mages seeking to bring back Kresimir, the founding god of the Nine Nations. Meanwhile, Tamas is confronted by someone who claims to be a god himself, one the Church of the Nine reveers only as a saint, but who claims to be a brother to Kresimir. How would the kings of the Nine, confronted by the actual deity who founded their countries and selected their families to rule, would have reacted to the truth about their ancestory? Once again, sadly, McClellan does not spend any time pondering those questions.
But where this trilogy will appeal to fantasy fans is its magic system. Clearly inspired by McClellan's mentor Brandon Sanderson, he develops a structured, quantifiable and classeable order of magic-users with strengths and weaknesses.
*The main mages of the story are called the Privileged, sorcerers who can summon the energy from the ethereal "Else" and cast a variety of spells to affect the world. The vast majority of the Privileged are concentrated into Cabals serving the royal families of the Nine; they have the most to lose from Tamas's revolution. But they also have another reason for despising him.
*The powder mages, who give the trilogy its name. Much less powerful than the Privileged, the powder mages must ingest gunpowder to use magic, and their abilities are limited to telekinesis of small objects (such as bullets), and the ability to draw strength from or explode gunpowder. While this seems as only small abilities when put up against the Privileged, the powder mages have one great advantage which mean their magical cousins hate them: Privileged are allergic to gunpowder. Even prior to the revolution, Adro had distinguished itself from the rest of the Nine by recruiting powder mages into its army, allowing them to even rise to lead it under Tamas (himself a powder mage). But this has earnt Adro the enmity of other kingdoms, particularly Kez whose influential Privileged view powder mages as abominations.
*Knacked: unlike the other two, the Knacked don't use magic overtly, instead displaying unusual characteristic born of magical ancestory. Adamat, with his perfect memory, is a Knacked, as is Tamas's bodyguard, Olem, who can go without sleep.
The three main categories of mage present the structured order of magic in the world of the powder mages...
...but they are not the only ones.
McClellan takes great pains, especially in the later novels, to show that there are different powers at work, unknown or misunderstood by the Privileged and the powder mages. The gods have their own magic, divine in appearance. The most interesting remain the mysterious powers of the Bone-Eye, a shamanic magic wielded by people from beyond the Nine. The most prominent Bone-Eye is Ka Poel, Taniel's companion, and her use of her magic is... EPIC. She gets the most frequent jaw-dropping moments in the series (). The best part of the Bone-Eye magic is that even its own practioners can't quite explain where it comes from or how they use it, showing an element of intuition in its use as well as extensive preparation to make it work. There is therefore a sense that there is still mystery surrounding magic, no matter how far the Privileged have come in their knowledge.
An underwhelming story at times, and some weird choices. But, overall, a good read with an intriguing premise. I look forward to reading more of Brian McClellan's stories to see how he has evolved as a writer since Powder Mage.
...and kind of underwhelming at the same time.
Promise of Blood was a truly satisfying story as it really took off half-way through and didn't let go. It introduces a very different kind of fantasy in a different kind of story. And I'm absolutely fine with that. And, while there are missteps, these are most likely the result of McClellan being a first-time author rather than anything else. As such, they are to be expected, and they don't distract from the fact that this trilogy is a very entertaining read.
Where it doesn't work for me is that, at times, I don't understand why this story is being told. What are its themes? What is its message? Why are some characters given a prominent place while others are left in the margins? Why are some mysteries tackled head on, and others left to be completely unexplained?
The story opens in the aftermath of a revolution that has toppled the king of Adro, one of nine kingdoms ruling an unnamed continent on an unnamed world. The leader of the revolution is Field Marshal Tamas, the commander of the Adran army, who makes short work of the king and the aristocracy. Almost immediately, the conflict is set: Adro itself is divided between two dominant factions, those who support the revolution and those who remain loyal to the monarchy. In addition, the other kings of the Nine Nations are likely to oppose the revolution as it could pose a threat to their own power. This setting is so clearly inspired by the French Revolution that it borrows much from it, from the overthrow of the king and the repression of the nobility to the very symbol of those events: the guillotine. What follows is a struggle to keep the revolution on track against its many enemies. McClellan breaks with the traditional model of fantasy, which tends to be based in a medieval setting. And it would work really well...
...if, like the French Revolution, the Adran had been given more body. While the motivations of the characters for supporting or opposing the overthrow of the king are mostly covered, the willingness of the population to go along with doesn't quite fit. The French Revolution was not simply noticeable by the changes it introduced, changes so deep and valued that they still define a large part of the French political identity, but also because those changes caused deep divisions at the time. Not just among those who supported the Revolution (both radicals and moderates) but also among its enemies. And there is a theme, which was at the root of the opposition that led to the Revolution, which could have worked so well here.
The characters caught up in this story show this quite clearly, although they also show that McClellan is skilled at creating entertaining and fully-rounded characters. First of all is the main protagonist of this story: Field Marshal Tamas. The charismatic leader of the army, he has grow disillusioned with his king and nurses his own grievances which have motivated his actions. He is not only the leader of the revolution, but also its embodiment. A symbol for both his allies and his foes, of hope for those who wish to be free of the king, of hate for those who still support the old ways. Tamas must live up to such expectations and answer his own existential questions along the way: he is convinced what he is doing is right, but is he doing it for the right reasons? Is he a patriot fighting for his country? Or a warmonger hurt by betrayals and the events of his past who wants the world to feel his pain? Tamas himself is unable to truly answer the question, but he must still chart not just his own path but also that of his entire country.
Sharing the book's limited POVs with Tamas are only three other characters. Tamas's son Taniel Two-Shot, Inspector Adamat and a young laundress called Nila. Each has a role to play in the story and they are interesting characters in their own rights. Taniel is young and has a difficult relationship with his father (while also being the only one to know exactly why Tamas has launched his revolution), but he is also already a war hero. His skill in battle is unparalleled and he is quickly tasked with a difficult mission by his father: help hunt down the renegade mages who served the former king. Inspector Adamat is a former police officer who attempted to go into the printing press business, a failure which has now left him in deep debt to dangerous people. He is called upon by Tamas to investigate a mysterious claim of retribution made against by the royal mages during the coup. A capable investigator with a perfect memory, he is also a family man whose loyalties will be put to the test during his investigation. However, while described as possessing a perfect memory frequently, it is only ever mentioned and never used significantly, either as a strength or as a weakness (except at one point where, once again, it is fleetingly mentioned rather than addressed head on). Finally, Nila is initially an oddity and, while the latter books of the trilogy explain her importance, her presence in the first novel seems a bit forced, but welcome. When we meet Nila, she is working for a noble family targeted by Tamas's forces due to their close kinship with the king and must flee with the family's son, Jakob. Her story in this novel is mostly used to show the other side of the revolution, those who do not approve of Tamas's revolution and still support the monarchy. At least, that's the impression it gives, but McClellan never takes a deep dive into this or makes Nila question whether the system she grew up under was really the best.
And that is the theme that McClellan could (and does occasionally) tackle: entitlement. The kings who rule the Nine Nations believe themselves, much as their counterparts in our own history, to have been chosen by a god to rule. But only one of the kings seems to have a serious problem with Tamas's revolution, a king he already has issues with. The others are never revealed to have any problems with the events in Adro. And what about the population, best represented by Nila? Wouldn't they have grown terrified and anxious about their place in the world now that the god's chosen had been violently overthrown? McClellan sadly does not spend much time on these questions, which could have led to interesting conflicts.
Nor does he really tackle the most interesting thing of that dilemna surrounding the divine right of kings.
In these stories, gods actually exist. In fact, that is the premise of the whole first novel: a faction of rebellious mages seeking to bring back Kresimir, the founding god of the Nine Nations. Meanwhile, Tamas is confronted by someone who claims to be a god himself, one the Church of the Nine reveers only as a saint, but who claims to be a brother to Kresimir. How would the kings of the Nine, confronted by the actual deity who founded their countries and selected their families to rule, would have reacted to the truth about their ancestory? Once again, sadly, McClellan does not spend any time pondering those questions.
But where this trilogy will appeal to fantasy fans is its magic system. Clearly inspired by McClellan's mentor Brandon Sanderson, he develops a structured, quantifiable and classeable order of magic-users with strengths and weaknesses.
*The main mages of the story are called the Privileged, sorcerers who can summon the energy from the ethereal "Else" and cast a variety of spells to affect the world. The vast majority of the Privileged are concentrated into Cabals serving the royal families of the Nine; they have the most to lose from Tamas's revolution. But they also have another reason for despising him.
*The powder mages, who give the trilogy its name. Much less powerful than the Privileged, the powder mages must ingest gunpowder to use magic, and their abilities are limited to telekinesis of small objects (such as bullets), and the ability to draw strength from or explode gunpowder. While this seems as only small abilities when put up against the Privileged, the powder mages have one great advantage which mean their magical cousins hate them: Privileged are allergic to gunpowder. Even prior to the revolution, Adro had distinguished itself from the rest of the Nine by recruiting powder mages into its army, allowing them to even rise to lead it under Tamas (himself a powder mage). But this has earnt Adro the enmity of other kingdoms, particularly Kez whose influential Privileged view powder mages as abominations.
*Knacked: unlike the other two, the Knacked don't use magic overtly, instead displaying unusual characteristic born of magical ancestory. Adamat, with his perfect memory, is a Knacked, as is Tamas's bodyguard, Olem, who can go without sleep.
The three main categories of mage present the structured order of magic in the world of the powder mages...
...but they are not the only ones.
McClellan takes great pains, especially in the later novels, to show that there are different powers at work, unknown or misunderstood by the Privileged and the powder mages. The gods have their own magic, divine in appearance. The most interesting remain the mysterious powers of the Bone-Eye, a shamanic magic wielded by people from beyond the Nine. The most prominent Bone-Eye is Ka Poel, Taniel's companion, and her use of her magic is... EPIC. She gets the most frequent jaw-dropping moments in the series (). The best part of the Bone-Eye magic is that even its own practioners can't quite explain where it comes from or how they use it, showing an element of intuition in its use as well as extensive preparation to make it work. There is therefore a sense that there is still mystery surrounding magic, no matter how far the Privileged have come in their knowledge.
An underwhelming story at times, and some weird choices. But, overall, a good read with an intriguing premise. I look forward to reading more of Brian McClellan's stories to see how he has evolved as a writer since Powder Mage.
March 29, 2020
F
First off, I appreciate that everyone's entitled to their opinion and maybe I'm in the minority, but I found this series to be dull and uninspired. You are dropped into a world, moments after a revolution with little explanation as to the motivation behind Tamas, the main character. The books then span the next 6 months and there are battles aplenty but no real world building. We are given a few hints as to things that have happened in the past but these are never really built on. At one point I was convinced that I must have skipped an earlier series of books set in the same world. The author has stated that one of the inspirations behind this series was the French Revolution - in which case I would equate these books to reading a history of the battles of the French Revolution, but skipping any history as to why it occurred in the first place. Apologies to the author but I will not be reading anything further from him.
First off, I appreciate that everyone's entitled to their opinion and maybe I'm in the minority, but I found this series to be dull and uninspired. You are dropped into a world, moments after a revolution with little explanation as to the motivation behind Tamas, the main character. The books then span the next 6 months and there are battles aplenty but no real world building. We are given a few hints as to things that have happened in the past but these are never really built on. At one point I was convinced that I must have skipped an earlier series of books set in the same world. The author has stated that one of the inspirations behind this series was the French Revolution - in which case I would equate these books to reading a history of the battles of the French Revolution, but skipping any history as to why it occurred in the first place. Apologies to the author but I will not be reading anything further from him.
March 13, 2022
Interesting magic system involving soldiers ingesting gun powder sort of like cocaine to gain special abilities over the bullets they fire from their guns. Also a separate, much softer, and more mysterious magic system mixed in as well. Interesting characters and a great narrator if you listen to the audio book. And there's a mystery investigation worked in as well.
March 18, 2025
I really wanted to like this series more but it had two major bumps that I never got over.
1.) a sizeable disconnect from the conflict that sold me on the series (a bloody class revolution)
2.) the main character's love problem being dealt with in repeatedly unsatisfactory ways.
To me it felt like each of the books (though it was less of a problem and better implemented in book one) kept trying to surprise the reader with a bad guy but it just felt cheap you know?
And then having a huge world shattering conflict with his fiance but she only gets a few lines of of dialogue in all 3 books? (I did not count but it felt like she averaged less than 15 lines in each book). In addition to that, the shift from seeing Ka-poel as a little sister to a love interest felt........uncomfortable.
All in all I loved the powder mages, and the idea of having to build your military with magic in mind is an amazing concept I want to see more, but ultimately the books did slightly disappoint me
1.) a sizeable disconnect from the conflict that sold me on the series (a bloody class revolution)
2.) the main character's love problem being dealt with in repeatedly unsatisfactory ways.
To me it felt like each of the books (though it was less of a problem and better implemented in book one) kept trying to surprise the reader with a bad guy but it just felt cheap you know?
And then having a huge world shattering conflict with his fiance but she only gets a few lines of of dialogue in all 3 books? (I did not count but it felt like she averaged less than 15 lines in each book). In addition to that, the shift from seeing Ka-poel as a little sister to a love interest felt........uncomfortable.
All in all I loved the powder mages, and the idea of having to build your military with magic in mind is an amazing concept I want to see more, but ultimately the books did slightly disappoint me
April 1, 2020
Just awesome. Read these as they came out individually and I loved them. I adore omnibus editions, especially in the current climate, as it means once you're sucked in again you never want to leave. If you're wondering if this is for you, just think Europe during the Napoleonic wars with god's and magic. Wonderful stuff.
November 24, 2020
Really liked this series, but the sister-series that follows it I liked even more! But you definitely should read this one first.
Also, there are a million little short stories associated with this world, I don't think you need to read any of them for this first trilogy, but I'd definitely recommend reading the ones that have the mad lancers in them before you read the second trilogy.
Also, there are a million little short stories associated with this world, I don't think you need to read any of them for this first trilogy, but I'd definitely recommend reading the ones that have the mad lancers in them before you read the second trilogy.
January 16, 2020
Read this if you are a fan of Brandon Sanderson
The prose is excellent, the world well built and richly realised, the magic systems deep and intricate. The story itself is a one of intrigue, warfare and the machinations of Gods.
The prose is excellent, the world well built and richly realised, the magic systems deep and intricate. The story itself is a one of intrigue, warfare and the machinations of Gods.
November 3, 2021
A great trilogy
I loved this story. The characters and world building were top shelf. I think it stumbled a bit with the third book but not enough for me to feel disappointment. I truly hope the promised TV series is made and stays faithful.
I loved this story. The characters and world building were top shelf. I think it stumbled a bit with the third book but not enough for me to feel disappointment. I truly hope the promised TV series is made and stays faithful.
May 15, 2020
It was too slow for me with a world I just couldn’t connect too but u think it’s a marmite book
June 12, 2020
An incredible trilogy. The books are well-paced, lots of action with a series of good twists that make the trilogy a personal favourite of mine
January 28, 2021
Mages who can sense blackpowder and can use it to shoot targets up to 2 miles away depending on their ability. Sign me up!!!
October 2, 2021
I loved it
Great series only sad to be at the end of the journey. Made so many friends along the way :)
Great series only sad to be at the end of the journey. Made so many friends along the way :)
October 9, 2021
Autumn Empire!!
Loved the ending to this trilogy! Well written and I loved the series throughout! While heavy on military positioning at times, it still developed the story well.
Loved the ending to this trilogy! Well written and I loved the series throughout! While heavy on military positioning at times, it still developed the story well.
January 14, 2022
Excellent fantasy trilogy
A different take on magic combined with superb pacing in storyline make this trilogy a one more page read. Highly recommend.
A different take on magic combined with superb pacing in storyline make this trilogy a one more page read. Highly recommend.
February 7, 2022
Loved it. Great ideas, enjoyed the characters and development
September 17, 2022
Amazing. Truly one of the best series I've read.
October 30, 2022
3,5 étoiles
February 4, 2024
Read all three in a row. So very good, hard to put down!!
April 15, 2024
Very fun and action packed. Would recommend as a read for anyone who likes fiction. Probably would not read again.
June 2, 2024
Action packed trilogy!
April 28, 2021
You know, I really wanted to like this series.
It started off great - mages who snort gunpowder to do magic. It's silly and kind of dumb, but it was a fun concept, and the first book was entertaining.
Then, a bit into book 2, a catestrophically stupid military decision ruined the narrative for me, as it looked like it would take the rest of the book to resolve, and be no fun doing it.
I skipped to book 3, and read a bit of it. Right now it's in my DNF pile. May revisit it some day.
It started off great - mages who snort gunpowder to do magic. It's silly and kind of dumb, but it was a fun concept, and the first book was entertaining.
Then, a bit into book 2, a catestrophically stupid military decision ruined the narrative for me, as it looked like it would take the rest of the book to resolve, and be no fun doing it.
I skipped to book 3, and read a bit of it. Right now it's in my DNF pile. May revisit it some day.
September 30, 2019
I can't recommend enough the omnibus of this trilogy. The story is so captivating and gripping you'll not want to wait between books. Also they fit seamlessly together.
I was initially hesitant about reading something that clearly was gun oriented. Although I enjoy a good gun opera in movies I still like my sword fights. I was more than pleasantly surprised, especially with the amount of magic that dominates the plot.
The setting is a steam driven industrial country ripe for a Republic and we start the story with a revolution which includes the beheading of the King and his nobles.
Guns are still at the single shot era. But the gun powder consuming mages who can control the shot, hit a target miles away; around a corner even, and can ignite a powder supply at a distance, blowing up enemy combatants, makes for powerful magic users in battle. That they bring down the King and the royal, elemental sorcery wielding Cabal proves the fears of other kingdoms who exterminate their powder mages.
What keeps you engrossed is the dynamics of the character interaction and constant mystery of who's really behind the wars being waged between Nations and who's a traitor. There's also a good many minor villains to put down and a god or two or three. In addition you have a Inspector who adds a Sherlock element to the cityscape so its not just field battle excitement.
This core group of people get drawn into many near death scenarios, escaping but not without sad consequence adding a grim humanizing note. I really became invested in the well being of these players and it keep me in a page turning addiction.
I was initially hesitant about reading something that clearly was gun oriented. Although I enjoy a good gun opera in movies I still like my sword fights. I was more than pleasantly surprised, especially with the amount of magic that dominates the plot.
The setting is a steam driven industrial country ripe for a Republic and we start the story with a revolution which includes the beheading of the King and his nobles.
Guns are still at the single shot era. But the gun powder consuming mages who can control the shot, hit a target miles away; around a corner even, and can ignite a powder supply at a distance, blowing up enemy combatants, makes for powerful magic users in battle. That they bring down the King and the royal, elemental sorcery wielding Cabal proves the fears of other kingdoms who exterminate their powder mages.
What keeps you engrossed is the dynamics of the character interaction and constant mystery of who's really behind the wars being waged between Nations and who's a traitor. There's also a good many minor villains to put down and a god or two or three. In addition you have a Inspector who adds a Sherlock element to the cityscape so its not just field battle excitement.
This core group of people get drawn into many near death scenarios, escaping but not without sad consequence adding a grim humanizing note. I really became invested in the well being of these players and it keep me in a page turning addiction.
December 9, 2020
Wow
This author is a fantastic talent the story leads itself to be up there with the best. The character growth over the 3 books is some of the best I've seen I liked that the characters had real genuine human flaws that they faced and dealt with hard to pick a favourite character tamas turned into a powerhouse character along with nila. The author also has a very good way of bringing you into the emotion of what's happening in the story fully reccomend this book to anyone
This author is a fantastic talent the story leads itself to be up there with the best. The character growth over the 3 books is some of the best I've seen I liked that the characters had real genuine human flaws that they faced and dealt with hard to pick a favourite character tamas turned into a powerhouse character along with nila. The author also has a very good way of bringing you into the emotion of what's happening in the story fully reccomend this book to anyone
read-cross-reference
April 2, 2018
August 30, 2018
Great fun :)
Mistborn-ish, but with its own qualities
Mistborn-ish, but with its own qualities
December 3, 2018
Love the different elements. The intrigue behind the main story. The powdermages added a nice twist to standard magic wielders.
Read
May 4, 2019Brian McClellen created an unusual, almost steampunk world that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'd read more.
July 24, 2019
Great series. Couldn't put it down in the final book.
August 22, 2019
Lacking character depth.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews