''The Powder Mage'' trilogy is a series of

epic fantasy High fantasy, or epic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy defined by the epic nature of its setting or by the epic stature of its characters, themes, or plot.Brian Stableford, ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'', (p. 198), Scarecrow Press, Pl ...

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). In 2014, '' Promise of Blood'' received the Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer.

David Gemmell Legend Awards The David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy, established in memory of David Gemmell, were awarded from 2009 to 2018. In 2009, only the Legend Award for best fantasy novel was awarded. Beginning in 2010 the Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer and th ...

, 13 June 2014, retrieved 13 June 2014. 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''. In January 2021,

Joseph Mallozzi Joseph Mallozzi (born 16 October 1965) is a Canadian writer and producer. He is most noted for his contributions to the ''Stargate SG-1'', '' Stargate: Atlantis'' and ''Stargate Universe'' television series and as showrunner of ''Dark Matter'' ...

announced that he would be writing and producing a television series based on the books with No Equal Entertainment and

Frantic Films Frantic Films Corporation is a Canadian branded content and live action production company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Frantic Films is known for producing live action reality shows, documentaries and for its work in feature film visual effects. ...

Plot and setting

The trilogy primarily takes place in the fictional

kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

of Adro, one of the Nine Kingdoms founded by Kresimir, a semi-mythical figure now worshiped as a

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

. At the beginning of ''Promise of Blood'',

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...

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 A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

and

Napoleonic Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

periods;

flintlock Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking lock (firearm), ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism its ...

firearms are the prevalent weaponry. However,

magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

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 Eidetic memory ( ; more commonly called photographic memory or total recall) is the ability to recall an image from memory with high precision—at least for a brief period of time—after seeing it only onceThe terms ''eidetic memory'' and ''pho ...

, and Tamas's bodyguard, Olem, never needs to sleep. *Powder Mages are wizards with the ability to

metabolize Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cell ...

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...

and use it as fuel for various magical powers, including

telekinesis Psychokinesis (from grc, ψυχή, , soul and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), or telekinesis (from grc, τηλε, , far off and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person ...

; 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 ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' gave the book a starred review stating: "A thoroughly satisfying yarn that should keep readers waiting impatiently for further installments." ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'', in reviewing the book, stated "McClellan neatly mixes intrigue and action..." and gave the book a generally positive review. In 2014, ''Promise of Blood'' won the Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer. The book's cover, by Gene Mollica and Michael Frost, was also nominated for the Ravenheart Award for Best Fantasy Book Jacket/Artist.

''The Crimson Campaign''

'' referred to the book as a "swirling sequel" and ''Staffer’s Book Review'' stated it was "just great fun." ''

'' gave a more reserved appraisal stating the "book is less relentlessly inventive than the inaugural volume but still impressively distinctive and pungent…". 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.

Books in the series

* '' Promise of Blood'' (2013) * '' The Crimson Campaign'' (2014) * '' The Autumn Republic'' (2015) Ten 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) * ''Green-Eyed Vipers'' (2015) * ''The Siege of Tilpur'' (2015) * ''Ghosts of the Tristan Basin'' (2016) A new trilogy in the series, "Gods of Blood and Powder", was released. * ''

Sins of Empire ''Sins of Empire'' is the first book in the flintlock fantasy trilogy ''Gods of Blood and Powder'' written by United States, American author Brian McClellan. It was published by Orbit Books in 2017. A sequel titled ''Wrath of Empire'' was releas ...

'' (2017) * '' Wrath of Empire'' (2018) * '' Blood of Empire'' (2019)

External links

Official website of Brian McClellan

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Powder Mage trilogy American fantasy novels Fantasy novel trilogies