I read too much!: Brian McClellan (author)

Showing posts with label Brian McClellan (author). Show all posts

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Fantasy Review: Autumn Republic (Powder Mage #3) by Brian McClelland

The Autumn Republic (Powder Mage #3)
by Brian McClellan

Description:
The capital has fallen...
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.

An army divided...
With the Kez still bearing down upon them and without clear leadership, the Adran army has turned against itself. Inspector Adamat is drawn into the very heart of this new mutiny with promises of finding his kidnapped son.

All hope rests with one...
And Taniel Two-shot, hunted by men he once thought his friends, must safeguard the only chance Adro has of getting through this war without being destroyed...

THE AUTUMN REPUBLIC is the epic conclusion that began with Promise of Blood and The Crimson Campaign.

My Review:
A solid conclusion to the Powder Mage Trilogy.

Inspector Adamat was a delight in this one, though I very much enjoyed Bo and Mila. Taniel didn’t play as strong of a role as I’d hoped, and Tamas’s character seemed a bit weaker in this one. Still, I felt connected with all of them.

Everything converges into a surprising but satisfying outcome. All the intrigue in Adopest, most uncovered by the diligent and gifted Adamat, pulls it all together.

Overall, I loved this book and the trilogy. Strongly recommended.

I purchased my copy of this book.

About the Author:

Brian McClellan is an epic fantasy author. He studied writing under Brandon Sanderson and Orson Scott Card and was an honorable mention in the Writers of the Future Contest.

Brian is an avid player of video games and reader of epic novels and history. His hobbies include making homemade jam from local berries and tending to his hive of honeybees. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio with his wife, two dogs, and cat.

Author Links:
Website
Twitter @briantmcclellan
Goodreads

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Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Fantasy Review: Crimson Campaign (Powder Mage #2) by Brian McClellan

The Crimson Campaign (Powder Mage #2)
by Brian McClellan

Description:
The hounds at our heels will soon know we are lions

Tamas's invasion of Kez ends in disaster when a Kez counter-offensive leaves him cut off behind enemy lines with only a fraction of his army, no supplies, and no hope of reinforcements. Drastically outnumbered and pursued by the enemy's best, he 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.

In Adro, Inspector Adamat only wants to rescue his wife. To do so he must track down and confront the evil Lord Vetas. He has questions for Vetas concerning his enigmatic master, but the answers might come too quickly.

With Tamas and his powder cabal presumed dead, Taniel Two-shot finds himself alongside the god-chef Mihali as the last line of defence against Kresimir's advancing army. Tamas's generals bicker among themselves, the brigades lose ground every day beneath the Kez onslaught, and Kresimir wants the head of the man who shot him in the eye.

My Review:
This was a great book. Lots more battles, some intrigue, and a couple of surprising newcomers.

Taniel, Tamas and Adamat carry the bulk of the story on three different fronts. I thought each one well-thought out and paced, but the book flips between them constantly, so it can be annoying when you’re getting into one of them.

I loved the blend of black powder technology and magic. Overall, I’d recommend this to fans of fantasy who want something a little different.

I purchased my copy of this book.

About the Author:

Monday, September 11, 2017

Fantasy Review: Promise of Blood (Powder Mage #1) by Brian McClellan

Promise of Blood (Powder Mage #1)
by Brian McClellan

Description:
The Age of Kings is dead . . . and I have killed it.

It's a bloody business overthrowing a king...
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, and the greedy to scramble for money and power by Tamas's supposed allies: the Church, workers unions, and mercenary forces.

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.

But when gods are involved...
Now, as attacks batter them from within and without, the credulous are whispering about omens of death and destruction. Just old peasant legends about the gods waking to walk the earth. No modern educated man believes that sort of thing. But they should...

In a rich, distinctive world that mixes magic with technology, who could stand against mages that control gunpowder and bullets? PROMISE OF BLOOD is the start of a new epic fantasy series from Brian McClellan.

My Review:
Solid, entertaining story told from several perspectives. Partly political, partly mystery.

Decent world building and intriguing magic system: the normal sorcerers (with magic gloves), the uber sorcerers, gifted folks with very specific, individual magics, powder mages (gunpowder fuels their magic), and gods.

At the 75% mark, it started to feel a bit long. This is a pretty hefty book.

Overall, great and would recommend to people who like fantasy but maybe want a break from elves and dwarves.

I bought this book for my husband and borrowed it after he'd finished the trilogy. Good stuff.

About the Author: