The Powder Mage trilogy

The Powder Mage trilogy is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author Brian McClellan. It consists of the novels Promise of Blood (2013), The Crimson Campaign (2014) and The Autumn Republic (2015).[1] In 2014, Promise of Blood received the Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer.[2] Several short stories and novellas set in the world of The Powder Mage trilogy have been published, as well as an additional trilogy called Gods of Blood and Powder.[3]

The Powder Mage trilogy
AuthorBrian McClellan
Cover artistGene Mollica
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreFantasy
PublisherOrbit Books (USA)
Published2013–2015
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book
No. of books3
Followed byGods of Blood and Powder

Plot and Setting

The trilogy primarily takes place in the fictional kingdom of Adro, one of the Nine Kingdoms founded by Kresimir, a semi-mythical figure now worshiped as a deity. At the beginning of Promise of Blood, Field Marshal Tamas has just committed a coup d'etat against Adro's corrupt and ineffective monarchy. The novel then focuses on the efforts of three men – Tamas, his son Taniel, a soldier, and former police inspector Adamat - in the aftermath of the coup, dealing with conspiracies by royalist supporters, war with Adro's neighbors, and an emerging scheme to "summon" Kresimir.

The technology level of the Nine Kingdoms is roughly on par with that of Europe during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods; flintlock firearms are the prevalent weaponry. However, magic is present and its users are usually divided into three classes:

  • Knacked are the least powerful, with few or no active magical powers; instead, they have a variety of uncanny abilities; Adamat, for instance, has an eidetic memory, and Tamas's bodyguard, Olem, never needs to sleep;
  • Powder Mages are wizards with the ability to metabolize gunpowder and use it as fuel for various magical powers, including telekinesis; they can also manipulate gunpowder, such as causing it to explode spontaneously. Tamas and Taniel are both powder mages;
  • Privileged are powerful sorcerers; being exceedingly rare, they are almost exclusively gathered into "Royal Cabals" in direct service to the Nine Kingdoms' various monarchs; at the outset of Promise of Blood, Tamas has assassinated almost the entirety of Adro's Royal Cabal.

Reception

Promise of Blood

Kirkus Reviews gave the book a starred review[4] stating: "A thoroughly satisfying yarn that should keep readers waiting impatiently for further installments." [5] Publishers Weekly, in reviewing the book, stated "McClellan neatly mixes intrigue and action..." and gave the book a generally positive review.[6]

In 2014, Promise of Blood won the Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer.[2] The book's cover, by Gene Mollica and Michael Frost, was also nominated for the Ravenheart Award for Best Fantasy Book Jacket/Artist.[7]

The Crimson Campaign

Publishers Weekly referred to the book as a "swirling sequel"[8] and Staffer’s Book Review stated it was "just great fun."[9] Kirkus Reviews gave a more reserved appraisal stating the "book is less relentlessly inventive than the inaugural volume but still impressively distinctive and pungent…".[10]

Richard Bray of Fantasy-Faction wrote in his review, "In all, The Crimson Campaign is the rare middle book of a trilogy that actually kicks its pace up a notch. It’s an amazing work, and has the series well-situated for an outstanding finale in The Autumn Republic due out next year.[11]

Books in the series

Eight novellas and short stories set in the world of The Powder Mage Trilogy were released:

  • Hope's End (2013)
  • The Girl of Hrusch Avenue (2013)
  • Forsworn (2014)
  • The Face in the Window (2014)
  • Servant of the Crown (2014)
  • Murder at the Kinnen Hotel (2014)
  • Return to Honor (2015)
  • The Siege of Tilpur (2015)

A new trilogy in the series, "Gods of Blood and Powder", was released.

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References
  1. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Autumn-Republic-Powder-Mage-Trilogy/dp/0316219126/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406456193&sr=8-1&keywords=the+autumn+republic
  2. David Gemmell Legend Awards, 13 June 2014, retrieved 13 June 2014. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-07-07. Retrieved 2014-06-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. http://www.brianmcclellan.com/all-books
  4. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/brian-mcclellan/promise-of-blood/
  5. Kirkus Reviews, 15 March 2013, retrieved 4 February 2014.
  6. Publishers Weekly, 18 March 2013, retrieved 4 February 2014.
  7. David Gemmell Legend Awards, 19 April 2014, retrieved 20 May 2014.
  8. "The Crimson Campaign". Publishers Weekly. December 16, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  9. Landon, Justin (April 29, 2014). "Sworn in Steel by Douglas Hulick and The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan". Staffer’s Book Review. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  10. "The Crimson Campaign". Kirkus Reviews. January 9, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  11. http://fantasy-faction.com/2014/the-crimson-campaign-by-brian-mcclellan
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