The Autumn Republic (Powder Mage Trilogy)

I have read a great deal of fantasy over the last 30 years, some good, some bad. This three book series is some of the better stuff I've read. If you enjoy fantasy and have been looking for a diamond among the rough you should read this trilogy.

An interesting blend of 18th century weaponry and sorcery, the last book of the trilogy as Field Marshal Tamas completes his overthrow of the hereditary monarchy, fights off the forces of counter-revolution, and secures self-governance for the people of Adopest.

Not nearly as good as the other two books. Too little of Taniel Two-Shot, a major character in the other novels, and too much of some of the side characters. I wonder if the focus on some of the other characters is a prelude to future novels? However, great series overall.

Although, at times the read was little frustrating because the characters seemed slow-witted (but isn't it the best evidence of good story telling when you feel compelled to reach into the pages and shake the protagonist...), this was a great conclusion of the story!

I love Brian McClellan's writing style and his characters. He really ended his trilogy well and parts of his books had me holding my breath. This series was my introduction to "flintlock fantasy" and I'm hooked now. It really makes me excited to see what he comes up with next. Its definitely a book I would read again.

This series is the best new series I have read in a long time, and the first in a long time to both complete the trilogy satisfactorily and yet leave me wanting more books in the same universe IMMEDIATELY. I will be buying anything else this author writes. :)

The author writes well and weaves a compelling narrative, with multiple plot threads getting your interest piqued. The characters are believable and flawed, with their own struggles and fears. The in-universe powder magic is different than anything I have seen before, which adds to the book's interest.

I bought the books as eBooks, but will be buying them again as paperbacks as soon as the series is all out on paperback. So that should tell you that I enjoyed them enough to buy them twice. :)

I was concerned, coming toward the end, that I would feel somehow dissatisfied, but I got enough resolution with just enough left open. It was an amazing book with plenty of surprises. I highly recommend it.

What a feat Brian McClellan has managed to pull off with the Powder Mage trilogy.

I first ordered Promise of Blood back in 2013, but it ended up sitting on my shelf until a few weeks ago when the final installment of the trilogy was almost due out. At the time, I was tired of getting burned by some authors getting distracted and leaving their series up in the air for years and I decided that I only wanted to read series that were already completed for the time being. These fears ended up being foolish in this case as McClellan not only finished the trilogy in a very quick manner, but he also completed a lot of work on the side through novellas and short stories.

After a long sit I finally gave the series a read and I never looked back. It had everything you could hope for in a debut fantasy novel with a fresh world, a unique magic system, and a interesting cast of characters. I was hooked immediately at the start and ended up flying through both Promise and Crimson Campaign. I was very pleased with what the story had already told and was extremely hyped for where it was going. Needless to say my expectations going into the final installment were very high and McClellan manages to deliver in a big way - The Autumn Republic is everything I was hoping for and more.

The writing here is all you'll have grown to expect out of McClellan after reading the previous entries, a fast-paced plot with a lot of action and suspense that make for a highly entertaining reading experience. I thought the first two books were hard to put down, but this one really cranks it up to even another level. The tension somehow builds on every page and the whole time you're sitting there both devouring what's happening and at the same time wondering what's gonna happen next (I ended up reading the last few hundred pages all in one 12 hour long marathon session without break to give an idea of how enthralled I was by it). The story is really the third and final part of the one long story told over all three books and it does a great job of taking all the plotlines introduced in the first two books and building them into one great, satisfying ending.

The characters seemed to get more enjoyable with each installment, and here I can truly say I enjoyed all viewpoints immensely. Tamas shines as always and was a joy to root for. I really enjoyed Taniel's growth over the series and he finally deals with a lot of the demons he'd been struggling with here and I thought he was handled very well overall. Adamat was my least favorite viewpoint from the earlier installments because his passages had a tendency to dip into the unrealistic a bit too often and he felt a bit flat to me at times. In this book I found him a lot more real and enjoyed seeing his perspective in various situations. Nila was the biggest surprise of the bunch, she had an incredibly minor role in the first two books and it was uncertain what her real purpose was until the end of book two. In this final book she blossoms into one of the main viewpoints as she struggles to cope with her new found magic and I was pleasantly surprised by her passages which usually include the always funny Bo. Even the minor characters felt improved as they got more and more fleshed out, Vlora most notably.

One aspect I especially enjoyed was the larger focus on the large scale military battles. The first book focuses a lot on government and intrigue and the fighting in the second mostly revolves around Taniel's action on the front lines and Tamas retreating over a long distance. Here we get to see the much built-up war with the Kez finally go into it's main conflict and I found it interesting to see more of Tamas as the military commander while still spotlighting his inner conflicts as a father and countryman that make the character who he is. In addition to that we see some insight into Privileged fighting also how they learn to control their magic through Bo and Nila's passages.

Overall I thought McClellan did a wonderful job of tying everything together and giving the story the ending that it deserved. Not everything is neat and tidy and perfectly accounted for (no, we don't get a explanation of Ka-poel and Nila's sorcery) but I found it fitting to have a few questions left. The story always kept to what felt natural and it's very clear that the setting still has a lot of room for further exploration in the upcoming series set in the same world. I will definitely be looking forward to this next installment, and if McClellan can capture even part of what he's done here with the Powder Mage trilogy then it'll be a treat.

So I saw the opportunity to review this book and first I remember my wife complaining because it cost more than most electronic copy books but I told her I had read the whole series and wanted the last book because they were good. Then I tried to remember how the book ended. It took me a minute, I remembered lots of suspense, cool plot twists, powerful characters, all of it was awesome but then......well. The only way I can describe it is having an awesome intimate encounter, everything you ever wanted, all rolled up into one, getting better and better, then your partner says they want to stop. It was still great but the ending lacked a bit of closure. I can understand because there is difficulty ending something great, and it is still very good.

A thoroughly enjoyable addition to the series. McClellan writes the kind of books I love to read: plausible magic system, characters I can believe in and brief but meaningful moments of introspection. I'm looking forward to reading more of his work.

A great conclusion to the Powder Mage trilogy. I recommend it to all my friends. I'm sad to see it end, but I know Brian is working on another trilogy set in the same world, so we have that to look forward to.

Excellent book and a fitting conclusion to this story arc. The ending felt slightly "rushed" to me but not enough to hurt the story. Would certainly look forward to more adventures from the remaining characters.

3rd book in a good series. I thought the plot/cosmology was great through the first two, and that this was a weak link. The first two were excellent though, so its worth reading through this for the closure. Read the series, and prepare for mild disappointment here.

Drags just a little around page 331 or so when it is all a tumble and the reader knows more than the characters.

But the action is logical, the characters rarely fail to say things they should have said, the ending is tight and the execution in the end is perfect.

That is really what you wanted to know, isn't it?

Well, it doesn't let you down and it completes the story.

I love this series. This book is just as good as the first two and with a hell of an ending. The combination of magic/sorcery with gun powder and firearms is brilliant and the storyline and characters is breathtaking.
Brian is definitely one of my new favorite writers.
Bravo...you had me at hello! LOL

I fell in love with these books. The short stories and novellas fill in details from the past and present and further flesh out the characters. I can't wait for more from Mr. McClellan. I hope he continues in this society and these characters. The concept of powder mages is original and inventive. The action is practically nonstop as we bounce from subplot to subplot.