This is what I've been listening to for the last couple of months. I figured that I would review the whole series together so as not to give spoilers with each review. I first heard about this series from Howard Taylor who said,:"I've read several debut novels over the years, most by authors who've gone on to do quite well for themselves, and I can confidently state that Promise of Blood, by Brian McClellan, is the best of them." (A link to his spoiler free review here). That caught my interest and then a good friend of mine mentioned it out of the blue with instructions to read it. Cliff, I've read it, and thanks for the recommendation. I was excited to see them on Audible, as it would make it easier to get and finish. Here is the Audible link for the whole trilogy (because you will want all three). The whole trilogy was narrated by Christian Rodska, the same person who did Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, who did a really, really good job. I grew up with David Eddings and consequently have always considered fantasy of being comprised of heroic warriors, powerful wizards (men and women), Gods (wrathful and benevolent), and battles both big and small. The Powder Mage Trilogy has all of this plus muskets, canon, and intrigue. This is a classic fantasy story set in era of muzzle loaders and it is awesome!
Plot: Field Marshal Tamas is tired of kings who only care about their wealth and power, who bleed the people for pleasure, and who are not loyal to their own country. So he stages a coup and washes the city with the blood of the nobility. But now he has to forge a government and continue to fight the people's battles against enemies. However, it appears that there are enemies among his own ranks. Regardless of the challenges before him, Tamas is hell-bent that this new country and government will survive. And he might just be able to do it.
Inspector Adamat is a man who a perfect memory and a history of getting the job done. Brought in on the recommendation of an old friend, Tamas hires Adamat to discover the meaning of the last words of the slaughtered Royal Cabal's Privileged (powerful sorcerers who worked for the king). This places Adamat in a position of power, the Field Marshal's pet terrier, but it also places him in danger. More important, it places his family in danger.
Nila first learns of the coup when soldiers storm the noble house that she works in as a laundress. Out of love for the noble family's son, she hides him from the soldiers and goes on the run. Scooped up by a royalist faction she finds herself being used by everyone she meets for their own ends. Needless to say, she begins to tire of this and soon learns to fight back.
Taniel Two-Shot, who is rarely seen without the mysterious "savage girl" Kapoel, is a returning war hero who is just in time to enter the fray of Tamas' coup. First, sent after a rouge Privileged, his running battle with his prey destroys whole city blocks before it's resolved. And then he gets an even messier task. Moving from conflict to conflict, ever increasing the notches on his rifle, Taniel and Kapoel go from frying pan to fire and from fire to inferno as they battle every enemy of Adro, ultimately earning the personal attention of a mad god.
My personal favorites: The characters are amazing! The four mentioned above lead the narrative and we get the most from their points of view, but they are only a small part of the whole cast. What's amazing is that, despite the sheer number of people in the story it was fairly easy to follow who was who. I cheered, I mourned, I raged, and I laughed with them. Every POV change was frustrating and yet exciting. The pacing of the story was well done with both introspection and excitement for all the characters. There was drama and intrigue as well as action and humor. I also loved the magic involved. Even though McClellan does not explain much about how it works we understand limitations and abilities and it was just plain cool. What's more, there were at least three different types, not including the various strengths and weaknesses of characters in their receptive magic. The writing clean and very well done with plenty of show and not a lot of boring tell. The whole series was a wild ride through the birth of a republic and the personal strength of the individuals that are trying to make it.
Considerations: There is some strong language, but no "f bombs." The vast majority of curse words were "in world," meaning the words they use related to the world's pantheon and religious beliefs. There was little in the way of sensual material, although there were references to sexual intercourse. There were no gratuitous and few graphic descriptions of violence. I wouldn't have any difficulty referring the trilogy to an older young adult audience. For comparison, with the exception of the occasional strong language I would compare the level of sex and violence to the Sparhawk books by David Eddings.
I think this may be my longest review yet and I could go on about how much I enjoyed the story of the characters involved in forming a nation, but I don't want to spoil anything. The books are great and the narration brought them alive. It would not be unlikely for hardbacks of these books to show up on my bookshelves someday. Promise of Blood was just over 19 hours. The Crimson Campaign was just over 20 hours. And The Autumn Republic was just shy of 19 and a half hours.
Inspector Adamat is a man who a perfect memory and a history of getting the job done. Brought in on the recommendation of an old friend, Tamas hires Adamat to discover the meaning of the last words of the slaughtered Royal Cabal's Privileged (powerful sorcerers who worked for the king). This places Adamat in a position of power, the Field Marshal's pet terrier, but it also places him in danger. More important, it places his family in danger.
Nila first learns of the coup when soldiers storm the noble house that she works in as a laundress. Out of love for the noble family's son, she hides him from the soldiers and goes on the run. Scooped up by a royalist faction she finds herself being used by everyone she meets for their own ends. Needless to say, she begins to tire of this and soon learns to fight back.
Taniel Two-Shot, who is rarely seen without the mysterious "savage girl" Kapoel, is a returning war hero who is just in time to enter the fray of Tamas' coup. First, sent after a rouge Privileged, his running battle with his prey destroys whole city blocks before it's resolved. And then he gets an even messier task. Moving from conflict to conflict, ever increasing the notches on his rifle, Taniel and Kapoel go from frying pan to fire and from fire to inferno as they battle every enemy of Adro, ultimately earning the personal attention of a mad god.
My personal favorites: The characters are amazing! The four mentioned above lead the narrative and we get the most from their points of view, but they are only a small part of the whole cast. What's amazing is that, despite the sheer number of people in the story it was fairly easy to follow who was who. I cheered, I mourned, I raged, and I laughed with them. Every POV change was frustrating and yet exciting. The pacing of the story was well done with both introspection and excitement for all the characters. There was drama and intrigue as well as action and humor. I also loved the magic involved. Even though McClellan does not explain much about how it works we understand limitations and abilities and it was just plain cool. What's more, there were at least three different types, not including the various strengths and weaknesses of characters in their receptive magic. The writing clean and very well done with plenty of show and not a lot of boring tell. The whole series was a wild ride through the birth of a republic and the personal strength of the individuals that are trying to make it.
Considerations: There is some strong language, but no "f bombs." The vast majority of curse words were "in world," meaning the words they use related to the world's pantheon and religious beliefs. There was little in the way of sensual material, although there were references to sexual intercourse. There were no gratuitous and few graphic descriptions of violence. I wouldn't have any difficulty referring the trilogy to an older young adult audience. For comparison, with the exception of the occasional strong language I would compare the level of sex and violence to the Sparhawk books by David Eddings.
I think this may be my longest review yet and I could go on about how much I enjoyed the story of the characters involved in forming a nation, but I don't want to spoil anything. The books are great and the narration brought them alive. It would not be unlikely for hardbacks of these books to show up on my bookshelves someday. Promise of Blood was just over 19 hours. The Crimson Campaign was just over 20 hours. And The Autumn Republic was just shy of 19 and a half hours.
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