Book 2 in The Powder Mage Trilogy - The Crimson Campaign

This book was great. The pace was fast, and the feel was very real. The world "felt" very real, without losing pace for details. Overall, plot was a good balance between expected and unexpected. Definitely a great read.

After the first book, I couldn't sleep. I bought this one and kept reading until my kindle died. Brian McClellan came up with a new concept for fantasy novels and I can't wait to read more. AWESOME!

This book hooked me like the very best books do. The characters feel real and none of the is perfect. Each and everyone has their faults. This is a good to read for those who like fantasy and those who like political maneuvering. Though, the focus of the story is on the skills of a few individuals.

I have been very impressed with both Brian McClellan's books in The Powder Mage trilogy. The Crimson Campaign felt a bit rougher on the edges than the first book in the series, particularly because the ending in this book is rather weak (it feels too much like a "buy my next book and you'll find out!"). I like my books to have an ending.

However, despite the lack of a proper ending, I have to give it 5 stars because the book is impossible to put down. I read the whole thing in three days and losing a lot of sleep, simply because I *had* to know what was coming next!

Brian McLellan is a worthy student of Brandon Sanderson, both opening new avenues for fantasy novels with very compelling storytelling. I am looking forward to reading his upcoming stories as much as I do with Sanderson's, and already cannot wait for the third book in The Powder Mage trilogy.

In the world of disappointing sequels Brian McClellan breaks the mould and wrote a smoking book. Absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for the next instalment in what is building up to be a riveting series.

I was directed here after reading most of Brandon Sandersons work and I must say I haven't been disappointed. Brian McClellan is a true fantasy author that should not be overlooked by fans of the genre.

As the second book in the series, this book fills the gap between the first and third. Many plots are moved forward. I really wanted to love this book but, it had all the same problems as the first book in the series and it even added more plots and characters into the already too complicated field of characters, places, plots, schemes, and things to keep in mind.

The entire story is genuinely an epic fantasy. In truth, I do like the entire trilogy as a whole. Because of the way the first book ended (as in it just stopped) I purposefully held off on writing my review for each book until I finished the trilogy. Having done that, I seriously am having problems recalling what exactly happened in this book vs in the first or third books.

With some effort, everything in this second book could have been rolled into the first or third books with some overall cleanup of the storytelling to tighten up the language making two excellent complete books that had clean endings.

The book picks up the story about a month after the conclusion of Promise of Blood, which is not an unusual length of time to jump between chapters in any of the three books of this series. From the beginning, things begin to look like they might be heading to some kind of conclusion. I was hoping some of the plot lines would wrap up and reduce the clutter of the story. Instead, the story relies heavily on the "No - But" side of the "Yes - And / No - But" try-fail cycle storytelling resolution. Every single thing leads to a failure because of a more clever/powerful antagonist and more trouble is dumped on the protagonists. About the middle of this book, I was wondering why most of the protagonists didn't just give up entirely.

I am also deeply confused about how the greatest military strategist in the history of the world could fall every single time to some form of traitorous betrayals. Without exception, every single military failure is caused by yet another traitor. In the meantime, all other plots also revolved around even more traitors. Any single one of these characters could easily have ended in the insane asylum screaming that the doors were in the employ of the enemy.

If you're wondering where the story goes from the first book, it is straight into war without any preamble or character build up. That there is no character introduction or even minor explanations in this book are dead giveaways that this book is actually the second half of the first book that the author couldn't figure out how to trim enough to make it one book. If there had been any break between reading the first and second book I would have been so lost as to context I would have given up reading it entirely until I could reread the first book (meaning never).

To his credit Brian McClellan manages to pull you along in the first few crazed chapters. About halfway into the book, the story starts to tighten up focus on a smaller group of main characters. This is done by the killing of many main characters in surprisingly believable ways. At last, the story shows some promise it might have closure to some plots.

This book ends on something close to a cliff-hanger. It doesn't just cut off like the first book mid-chapter like. However, due to so many plots in the air, nothing is cleanly ended or advanced to a breakpoint.

As much as I am enjoying the story, I'm not believing the level of character suffering. Any nation under this level of pressure would have erupted and has many times in history. The protagonists are too resourceful, too heroic in their level of endurance against such depressing odds, and are at times too two dimensional four color comic stereotypes. The middle section drags enough I was tempted to skim past. The ending was better, the main character deaths were believable and sorely needed to reduce the story clutter.

You will need to read the entire trilogy to get any level of resolution.

I loved the first Powder Mage novel; it was amazing. I was instantly hooked on the flintlock fantasy 'thing' that I was experiencing. I devoured the first book in a weekend, and then hunkered down for a long wait until this novel was released.

This one, however, seems to drag on a bit. As a voracious reader, I do not like to feel like I'm 'wasting time' or drifting while reading a series...unfortunately, that is what I felt when reading Crimson Campaign.

The battle sequences were great; Mr. McClellan does a fantastic job describing the action and making you feel 'there', and that was the main reason for giving this 3 instead of 2 stars. Because, other than the battle sequences...I was a bit bored. There was a lot of long-game plot and character development in this book, and while that is good...it did open up for a considerable amount of dry spots. I would liked to have seen more action and less morose whining from Taniel Two-Shot early on (again, personal preference).

I look forward to more books in this series, and still encourage friends to give it a try. Overall another good read by Mr. McClellan.

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.

Book two definitely feels like a second part to something bigger. Just like the Back to the Future films had a final feel with what if's after movie one, and movie two had a big opening into the world for book three, the Crimson Campaign makes you long for the finale in book three.

The events that happen in this book have proper foreshadowing, but as in life, not all goes as expected - a bad situation actually turns out good - before it goes bad again - a good thing goes bad only to have needed to become bad to become good - and all I am doing is confusing you, right? well, believe me when I say that if you enjoyed Promise of Blood, then you will enjoy the Crimson Campaign even more.

When book three finally emerges from the depths of book stores and the e-book market, I will be getting my copy and finding out how it all will end. Thank you Brian McClellan for giving me such a great book to read before I go into NaNoWriMo - you are an inspiration.

The book is a sequel to Promise of Blood and the second book in the Powder Mage series, if you haven't read that book, I'd recommend you do so first. The book picks up right where the last ended, and focuses on four main characters. Tamas is the Field Marshal who has overthrown the king and is the defacto ruler of Adro, Taniel his son starts out in hiding because he shot a God. Adamant, a former police inspector, is trying to get his family back from Lord Vetas. And finally Nila, a former servant to the one of the deposed (now dead) nobles, and the potential royal heir she is protecting. I enjoyed all the story lines, with three of the four I'd consider great. The exception would be Nila's, though it's not bad, it just slows down the overall pace of the book. Where the first book had more mystery and politics/scheming, the second feels more action driven. There were a couple minor plot decisions that annoyed me, and a couple side characters I'd have liked to see better developed, but nothing that took away from my overall enjoyment of the book. Overall I happily gave it 5 stars and am anxiously awaiting the final book in the series

These books are fantastic. I didn’t do a review of Promise of Blood because I’ve been really lazy about doing reviews lately, but the two flow fairly seamlessly together anyway so this will serve fine for both. I discovered Brian McClellen and Django Wexler when I specifically went looking for “fantasy with guns,” before I knew about the flinlock fantasy sub-genre. I read Wexler’s Shadow Campaign books first (also very good books by the way) based solely on the idea that Powder Mages who could manipulate musket balls and use gunpowder for enhanced abilities sounded cheesy. Well, I was wrong. There is nothing cheesy about the Powder Mage books. They are full of believable characters (despite the crazy abilities), great plotting and insane action.

As of the first two books, there are three characters that I would call primary POVs with another one or two secondary POVs.
Tamas: I would call Tamas the primary POV and I can’t help but picture as Nick Nolte thanks to the cover art for these books. I attempt to rebel against that image in my head -because who wants the bad-ass who overthrows a nation to be Nick Nolte?- and switch him to an older Josh Brolin, but I’m sidetracking. Tamas is an anti-hero of sorts. He does what he feels is right and has to kill a LOT of people to do it. Some call him a hero, some call him a tyrant. Like a true well-written, he lies somewhere in the middle.
Taniel: Tamas’ son has a reputation as Taniel Two-Shot since he has a neat trick where he fires two rounds in one shot, which would be ridiculous under normal circumstances but this is fantasy remember? He is cocky but he’s also the best marksman among the Powder Mages and the best at killing enemy Privileged (mages) so he’s deservedly so. To make him more fun, he has a companion/sidekick character named Ka-Poel, who he rescued from his own nation’s troops while on a campaign in her barbaric country. She is mute, has a strange relationship with Taniel and is hiding some interesting magical secrets of her own. I would say Taniel is my favorite character in this series.
Adamat: What do you get when you mix Holmes’ detective skills with Watson’s ability to beat-em-up? You get Adamat. He’s not a super complicated character, but he gets mixed up in complicated things and deals with them in fun and satisfying ways. He’s well-seasoned and salty, so he has some fun dialogue and he’s also a family man which potentially makes him the most relatable POV character in the series.
In most books that bounce around between multiple viewpoints, there’s usually at least one character whose chapters I enjoy less than the others, (I’m looking at you Kaladin in Way of Kings) but all of the POV characters are fun to read.

If you’re wondering whether or not you would like Brian McClellan’s books, just stop wondering. If you’re a fan of fantasy, he’s a must. There may be this little voice in your head that tells you, “if there’s no armor or dragons or castles, it’s not fantasy.” You silence that stupid, ignorant voice right now and read these books. There is something here for every fantasy fan. When the rifles and cannons are firing, you’ll forget all about your armor and dragons. Crimson Campaign in particular has some of the most memorable battle scenes I’ve ever read. I can’t remember the last time I’ve read action that was so satisfying.

This doesn’t happen often, but I have nothing negative to say about these books. Brian McClellan is a gem in the genre and I hope that he and Django Wexler have paved the way for flintlock fantasy to take up more space on retail bookshelves.

The Crimson Campaign picked up right where Promise of Blood left off, boots on the floor and guns blazing. I loved every second of the fast pace; readers should be ready for quick perspective changes and multiple (and sometimes earlier-than-expected) climactic sequences. The characters remained interesting and complex--no one-dimensional or faultless heroes here, though the inability of some characters to trust themselves or their senses got on my nerves. The resolution of some of the villain arcs was especially good reading. McClellan fulfilled the call for blood on the one hand, while depriving characters (and readers) of suitable vengeance on the other. Brave writing. McClellan has established himself at the forefront of "flintlock fantasy" and as one of the more interesting, inventive, and powerful fantasy authors still writing.

Also, by way of warning, this is a middle book, so a cliffhanger ending with many loose threads should be expected.

One of the most concise, exciting, and well written new fantasy books on the market. The books have a 1st person alternating narrative that focus's on a few main characters intertwining stories. The Trilogy an interesting action-packed plot set in an exciting world with twist and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat and looking for more. After reading the entire Game of Thrones Series, the first few books of the Black Company novels, all the Witcher novels,and multiple other stories this year, the Powder Mage Trilogy has stood out as one of the smoothest, most interesting set of stories, I have read in a quite a long time. Will look for more work from McClellan in the future. A+ material!

In the case of Brian McCleallan, a former student of Brandon Sanderson, I think the student may have surpassed the teacher. I have been reading sci fi and fantasy for over 40 years, and I have to say that this is one of my favorite trilogies of all time. The action is intense, the characters have a depth and reality to them that is unsurpassed, and the world itself is fully fleshed and believable. Don't get me wrong, I love Brandon Sanderson, but Brian McClellan is a different sort of writer - grittier and more down to earth. Field Marshall Tomas, and his cadre of powder mages go through hell and back to save their country. The series has gods that interact with people - one of whom is a jovial chef. It has a magic system that is intricate yet fully realized. All I can say is, if you like military science fiction, READ BRIAN MCCLELLAN.

In The Crimson Campaign, Brian McClellan crafts a dynamite, explosive, thrilling, exciting, fast-paced (and any other superlatives you can think of, I assure you this novel is well worthy of them) sequel to his excellent debut Promise of Blood. Picking up during the aftermath of the previous novel's world-shaking (for a number of reasons, one of them involving a less than pleased god) ending, McClellan continues the adventures of his primary POV characters Taniel Two-Shot, Field Marshal Tamas, and the Private Investigator Adamat as well as additional POVs featuring the former laundress to the nobility Nila (who is proving to be an intriguing addition to the series in more ways than one). Of the three big POVs, Adamat's story has the most forward momentum and emotional closure as one quest comes to a close for him only as another more daunting one begins. Tamas and Taniel remain compelling characters who face the sort of struggles one realistically expects to encounter during a revolutionary transition such as the one in this series, and McClellan excels in surrounding them with strong supporting casts (Vlora, Olem, Ka-Poel, Mihali, Bo, and many others) in their separate stories. Some of the magic is explored to a greater degree than in the previous novel; though, I get the sense it will be addressed more diligently moving forward in the series.

All things considered, this is an excellent novel and a worthy sequel. I laughed, I cried, I swore, I cheered. In this novel, McClellan provides more of the action, magic, and characters I loved from the first book. Special shout-out to one of my favorite supporting characters Ka-Poel who remains one of the more tantalizing enigmas in the series. And I have to mourn the loss of another favorite supporting character I won't identify for fear of spoilers.

I'm definitely on board for the third novel in this trilogy. McClellan has done a great job of keeping his fans satisfied between entries with some great short stories and novellas further exploring the series; those are also essential reads for fans of his Powder Mage universe.

This book was a great story, as well as a great listen! I enjoyed the first novel and was very interested to see where the author would take the story. It was even better than I predicted. McClellan continued to build upon the characters introduced in the first novel and gave quite a bit of back story to explain their motivations. After just 2 books I am sold. McClellan will go on my short list of "buy on release day" authors. I cannot wait to read the conclusion, and see what new stories he has planned for the future.

PS - Please release all of the short stories in a single hardcover.

I loved the book. I was really into Taniel and Tamas's storylines, but it seemed like a huge emphasis on Adamat's storyline, which was a lot less captivating. Whereas, the first book maintained my interest the whole way through and seemed to be consistent and very tied together, this one seemed a lot more fragmented. Adamat's storyline dragged a bit, I feel. Still, it's a great book, and I can't wait to get started on the 3rd.

The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan is a great book. If you read Promise of Blood and liked it, the second book will be right up your alley too. There's not even a hint of the feared sophomore slump. The book wins you over with a never-ending barrage of happenings. There is no downtime. You'll follow the main characters on a joyride of action with ever new complications to spice it up. The tension holds until the end and I'd like to kick Mr McClellan in the buttocks 'cause I can't wait until February 2015 to read on. Blasted cliffhangers! The book ends in the perfect position to make a reader tear at his hair in longing for more.

The book whisks you away into the rich world of the Powder Mage Trilogy with an opening nearly as grand as for Promise of Blood. The book introduces action from the start and doesn't stop. Things happen and then more things and still more things on top. The book has a great flow and you can lean back and let it carry you. You don't really notice the pages turning because there's always something to make you want to read on. To make you dread stopping. It's a book that's very easy to read. I read about 80% of it in one day and I suspect even people who don't read as much can finish it in a couple of days.

The characters are the same as in the first book and I found especially Adamat grew as a characters. His duty to his family has him charging after Lord Vetas like a bloodhound. His search is riddled with hard decisions with one particular hard one at the end of the book. This decision lends the story a depth it had not had before and shows that Brian McClellan can do more than write an enjoyable story.

The same can be said about Tamas. Even the great general is pressured by the dangerous situation he has maneuvered his forces into. Through him we learn more about Vlora too and how her decision has changed her life. Their confrontation is one of the great signs of the army's precarious situation. Tempers are boiling from the lack of food and supplies and everyone knows the Kez are right on their heels. Brian McClellan does a good job conveying the perilous chase in a believable way and the reactions of the characters are understandable.

Taniel on the other hand felt too angry for my tastes. He rages against the world and while I can understand it partly, he's digging his own grave most of the time. What I did enjoy was that the relationship with Ka-Poel matures and how she takes matters into her own hand. She knows what she wants and she won't let Taniel's stubbornness stand in her way anymore. That his addictions kinda gets brushed under the rug wasn't to my liking though. It seems Taniel can just decide he doesn't need the powder as much anymore. Well, one could argue that it's part of his newfound strength, but I don't like that explanation. His addiction gave his character a great flaw and showed the dangers of being a powder mage. I'd have preferred to see him struggle harder against his addiction, to show that getting clean is a hard fight.

One of the many great points of this series are the magic systems. There aren't just the powder mages and the privileged. Especially Ka-Poel's magic stands in the spotlight in this book. Fully unleashed, her magic is incredible and more powerful than one might think. There still are drawbacks, which I find nice. She needs to set her spells up and is vulnerable to sudden attacks. Without this downside she'd feel overpowered. I'm glad she doesn't. In her stead Taniel has become much more powerful and that doesn't always work so well. While he was already strong in Promise of Blood, he's now a force to be reckoned with. That makes for good action, but at the moment his power feels too strong. Especially when you compare Taniel in Promise of Blood with the Taniel in this book. His increase in power went too fast and was too much. And you shouldn't forget that even at the end of this book his limits still aren't visible.

I enjoyed reading the book and I can recommend it to anyone that liked Promise of Blood, no questions asked. For those without any prior knowledge of the series, I'd also recommend it. With the second book displaying as much expertise in writing an engaging story as the first, this series is shaping up to become something great. It's a series carried by its fast plot and unique setting. Especially the powder mages are one big reason why you should at least try out the books. I for one can't wait for the next installment, The Autumn Republic.

I enjoyed the first book, Promise of Blood, and I'm pleased to say this one is even better. From experience of writing my own fantasy series, Empyria, the second book was more fun and easier to write because you've already laid down the rules, introduced characters etc, and I think this is why Crimson Campaign also benefits - it's basically a non-stop adventure chase, filled with huge battles, great dialogue and epic landscapes. I think the trilogy has a fresh concept and vast width for potential scope with the Nine different territories. It takes a special writer to juggle and stay on top of all the characters, the timings and places and keeping abreast of your own magic systems but Brian McClellan does this effortlessly. There was a few typos but I'm sure they are already cleared in the current editions, I read the first edition of the paperback.

Anyone who enjoys fantasy won't be disappointed and I highly recommend it.

If you liked the first in the trilogy then doubtless you'll similarly enjoy this one. The muskets and magic combination is well done and fun, with the feel of some Napoleonic campaign that somehow wondered into a world of Powder Mages, Cabal and Gods. I've only seen musket fantasy done in one other series, and it was so memorable I can't even remember the title. I think there was a squirrel shooting crossbow, but I digress...

The characters all continue along their paths, some more compelling than others but all engaging enough and the pace moved along well towards what I hope will be an excellent conclusion in the next book.

Love love love this series! I could barely stop listening because there's never a dull moment and certainly no boring "filler". Such a unique magic sytem, and the archaic guns keep things unique and interesting as well. I listened to the audiobook -- narrator is also excellent, despite the fact that his voice makes Bo sound like he's in his 60s rather than early 20s (very minor complaint -- he's really a fantastic narrator).

It does..this book is better than the first one(if that is even possible)..by now you know pretty much all the characters and the struggles that they face but now we see a new side of Taniel and it is one you will love...

Damn Taniel, back at it again with the black powder.

Ok but really, I greatly enjoyed this book much as I did the first. The characters continue to keep my interest and I worked my way though it very quickly, which for me is a sure sign that I find it enjoyable. I finished this one and got halfway through book 3 in the time it took me to get through the first book.

*Original review on Goodreads & My Blog*

I loved this second installment of the book! I think it was even better than the first book! It didn't suffer from second book syndrome, at least not to me.

Looking forward to the last book!

Happy Reading!

Mel ♥

I love the action and pace. The window into Thomas as he seeks revenge is well done. Only reservation is the lack of purpose of Taniel's confrontation with superiors - does little to advance the characters or plot. Also don't think female characters are as well drawn as male.

I loved the first book in the series, so you can imagine my delight in seeing that Brian McClellan has managed to up the ante. This book is non-stop excitement and suspense. I absolutely could not put it down. This is one of the best fantasy series I've ever read.

I don't understand how this has an average rating of 5 stars. I think I'm being a bit harsh, but only by half a star or so. I enjoyed the first books which was a good start, lumps and bumps (how everything always goes absurdly well for Tamas and Taniel) but the second book magnifies all the flaws manifold.

The ludicrous odds Tamas's army keeps winning. How little progress the Kez make, despite having numerical superiority, how 'evil' the Kez seem to be, compared to how 'good' the democracy loving, brave and stoic Adrans are, how noble officers always act like idiots, how some random girl-child that just happens to be Taniel's side kick is almost as powerful as gods...I could go on all day. Very disappointing read. Amateur story telling with very black and white characters and no perspective other than almost cartoonish Adran ones. Maybe the book got a lot better on the second half - I'm not sure - I stopped reading halfway through as it was all just a bit much to slog through.

Wow, what a great book. I must say that I very thoroughly enjoyed it. It was full of action, adventure, and even a little romance.(The good kind. Sorry twilight diehards) this book was most certainly not to be eclipsed by the first. It lived up to all the hype I had and then some. Many new and interesting ideas we're introduced. I can't wait for book three. 5 out of 5 stars!

This is one of the hardest- to-put-down books I've read in awhile. The first one was interesting but somewhat forgettable, but the author has really stepped up the tightness of the plot in this one. Cannot wait for the third!