Promise of Blood (The Powder Mage Trilogy) (3/17/13)

If you are looking for a new twist on your usual fantasy books this is it. Well developed characters,that have heart and soul. Plot twits that keep you guessing. Action and plenty of it. Looking forward to the next in the series. It did get off to a bit of a slow start,but that gust gave you the groundwork for the story.

It took me a little while to really commit to reading this, but as the book progresses the characters gain depth and the world gains complexity and roars to a brilliant and heart-pounding conclusion, with more to come. Loved it.

Very good first book in a series I'm looking forward to finishing. Good characters with fully developed battle scenes. Love the gun and magic mix along with the multiple plots. Well worth your money and time.

Best book this year. And I've read at least 30. I was a bit disappointed when I first started reading. I was told it was the french revolution with magic. Please note there is no France in this book. In retrospect I do not think the story could have been as good if France was involved.

Completely new and unique. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. From Adamat the sherlock Holmes of the story. To Tamas himself, this book profound characters and awesome magic systems makes it a must read for any fantasy readers.

It's a good to start to a promising trilogy. Fast paced and action packed. It never bogs down or gets tedious. I like the characters and the world they live in. It has an interesting magic system that isn't unnecessarily overcomplicated. I will check out the rest of this trilogy. The author does leave you thirsty for more.

This is a fantastic book. I loved it. I want more. I can not wait for the next book. I have preordered it. A great take on fantasy. I love the rough and tough powder mages. The characters are great, and the story line has just the right amount of different things going on. Buy it.

I was impressed with the author's innovative systems of magic. He introduces countervailing dangers to accompany many of the magical powers, so that the conflicts are more complex than simple tests of wizarding power. Also, many of the characters show adult emotions and understandable character flaws. I look forward to the next book of the series.

I love the story and characters. It was the sort of book I just want to keep reading because I'm so curious what will happen next. It feels appropriate that the cover has a Brandon Sanderson quote as I feel any fellow fans of his stuff will really enjoy this one. Looking forward to book 2!

I really enjoyed this first book in the series. An intriguing system of magical powers, believable characters, and a good plot line all made this book worth reading to me. I'll definitely pick up the second book in the series.

This is my first "Flintlock Fantasy" book, and I have to say that I am very impressed. Interesting characters coupled with an innovative magic system makes for a refreshing change of pace. Extremely entertaining read that leaves me looking forward to the 2nd book, as well as the assorted novelas/short stories already out there.

I grabbed this one on a lark mostly because Brandon Sanderson spoke of it highly on the cover. I was not expecting such a fantastic tale! If you like Mistborn or Elantris especially the way those novels of Sanderson's mix magic and science with political and social turmoil, you'll love Promise of Blood.

This really is a worthwhile read. The author does a really credible job of developing a world and premise that is both detailed and unique. To "pile on" to another reviewer, the "Powder Mage" is a really nice take on a new kind of magic: I'm sold.

The book is not without weaknesses, but none are crippling. The book manages a dark tone but never balances it with an epic feel. The plot is fairly linear and doesn't exactly create a tangled skein of richness to explore--certainly never delivering unexpected or consistent surprises.

That being said, the characters are well-developed; dialog is natural; the plot never stops being interesting; and the aforementioned richness of the world and premise are a constant, worthy draw. When the book ended in a balance of "satisfying in its own right" and "wanting more," I jumped online to to find the next installment.

Anything different in fantasy is good. In this case it's the time period. This is a little different than every fantasy book out there which sets it apart. Nicely written, interesting characters, interesting Magic system

I am an avid fantasy reader and really enjoyed this story. It was a fast read with interesting characters that ranged from kings to assassin gangs to gods. The magic in this story was unique and made for a fun read. I recommend this book to any fan of the genre.

Very well written, engaging, and action packed. The characters are believable and so is the dialogue (something it seems most writers stumble with). The authors take on a magic system is unique and very intriguing. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book.

Obviously inspired by Alloy of Law, to the point of feeling a bit like a ripoff. The one dimensional character development in this book is frankly distracting from the story. This reads like a mediocre movie script.

Bought this book on a whim and let me tell you what I was sure glad I did. Really enjoyed the magic system that was put into place in this book. Enjoyed all the characters, how well they were written how fleshed out they were. Just an all around good read.

Like a locomotive it takes a little while to to get up to speed, but then it's a great ride. It was almost a "You'll be late if you don't put that down" book. Immediately went looking for the follow up.

Just awesome. Great character development. Moral dilemmas with no clear right answer. A bit of mystery, betrayal, and whodunit. And a whole lot of badass fighting, with an interesting and novel magic system, especially the powder mages. Can't wait to read the next book!

I liked the writing of the book, detailed and well written, and the idea, but it was rather boring and could hardly get into it. I forced myself to finish it, the fight scenes are cool though. I don't know if I will be purchasing the second book.

I really enjoyed this story and the characters brought to life in it. The world this author brought to life was different and interesting. If you enjoy Sanderson then you'll probably enjoy this book. There is an obvious influence there. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

I have not read the book because I have not purchased it! Why, because as a debate novel for a first time author, I do not consider a price of $9.78 to be very reasonable!!! I want new Authors to succeed and provide a living for themselves and theirs but I believe that this price for a first time published Novel is a bit too much (even more so for established Authors who peddle crap at high prices because of an established name).

Look at Anthony Ryan's Blood Song @4.74 (fantastic book!) and he is also a first time Author (originally the price was $2.99 but he was picked up by a Publisher and the price raised)

Brian McClellan comes out guns blazing with his novel "Promise of Blood". I'm used to seeing new authors struggle somewhat to find their voice over their first few books. Not so here. Solid characters, good dialog, novel ideas for world/magic/divinity. I'm very impressed and will be looking forward to the next book in the Powder Mage Trilogy.

My reading of this book came to a stuttering halt after a few chapters. I suppose that the author intends to eventually somehow portray the French revolution in a positive light, so I suppose I have to give him credit for attempting the impossible. Unfortunately the characters introduced at the opening are utterly unsympathetic and nondescript, and the early events create no tension or interest. There was nothing to latch onto or follow, so after yawning mightily for a while, I put the book away for good.

I feel like the characters are fodder for a plot, without enough treatment of their motivations, development or realness. The plot itself feels overwrought, with literal deus(ses) ex machina flitting about but not explained or even invoked--even halfway through the book. Probably will finish, but I find myself easily distracted away from this--feels more like work than a diversion.

I bought this book on a whim, since I liked both the cover and the premise, and Promise of Blood blew past any expectations I had for it. The Author was able to create a deep and intricate world without having to give us an info-dump at the beginning, which can be the bane of epic fantasies, but rather broadens and expands the world through events and dialog, there are multiple key points of information which are taken for fact and not explained to much later in the story. I like this style since it allows me to see the character as real people in this world rather than some dumb idiot created to tell me how the world works rather than show me.

There are some characters, like Vlora, that I think are underused especially when these characters can have big effects on the plot at certain points. Hopefully we can see this fixed and expanded on in later additions.

In conclusion, I loved this book, it took me to a new world that I have never visited before and did it with such grace and style that it left me wishing for more.

It's very rare that a book can contain so many characters and magic systems and have all of them mesh together so well.

Promise of Blood has plot twists and turns without any of them being forced or pulled out of left field. The characters are all superbly written and none of them are really one dimensional. There are plots within plots and I absolutely can't wait for the next book!

Promise of Blood is a very good start to a hopefully great trilogy. Some of the highlights of the book were the very interesting magic systems that work really well with flintlock fantasy time period. For the most part, the characters were well written and interesting. Taniel was a personal favorite of mine with his gunpowder addiction and awesome partner. A very good first novel! I can't wait to see where the series goes from here.

If you are looking for an exciting fantasy trilogy in a unique (to fantasy) setting look no further than Promise of Blood (PoB). It offers an intriguing premise: instead of the standard medieval European setting common to fantasy, PoB moves things forward to the explosive age of Enlightenment, the equalizing force of gunpowder, and the toppling of monarchies such as the French Revolution. The world is filled with magic, both powerful mages (the Privileged), individuals with one special talent (the Knacked) and the newly discovered Powder Mages.

It's an intriguing premise to be sure, but does it deliver? Absolutely. The writing level is high, the world and characters are well developed. The story is exciting without merely being a series of action set pieces. The ending clearly sets up the next book in the series while offering enough resolution to satisfy. That's not to say it is perfect. There were a few minor plot points I thought could have been improved on, and some POVs I would have liked to have seen more of, but overall I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the sequel.

Combining all the elements of classic fantasy -- magic, kings, eternal wizards battling for supremacy, gods on Earth -- with exciting new elements like sorcerers using gunpowder, Napoleonic era technology,and Holmes-style detective work, the author delivers a fun, enjoyable read full of dramatic moments and interesting characters. I can't wait to start the next one!

I'm not good at reviews, but I'll just say that this series and author show promise. The book started right off with a pretty significant event, but afterwards was a little slow until about 2/3 of the way through. I felt like the mechanics of the magic system weren't explained very thoroughly, but maybe later on in the series this will be explained more in depth. This book was just intriguing enough to convince myself to get the next book in the series when it becomes available.

Don't want to sound like "that guy", but good god I had a hard time putting this one down. I have class in 4 hours, yet I still feel it's somehow mandatory to jot down this review in hopes that someone will see it and say "Whoa, he seems pretty adamant about how insanely good this book is. I think I'll give it a shot!" (lol shot...powder Mages....just read the damn thing!)

Obviously inspired by Alloy of Law, to the point of feeling a bit like a ripoff. The one dimensional character development in this book is frankly distracting from the story. This reads like a mediocre movie script.

I really enjoyed the story. The characters are well developed and the setting is unique. The beginning of the book really hooks you, and the climax is intense. However, some of the story in between gets slow. Overall "Promise of Blood" is worth reading. I will be reading the next book in the series.

I read this book based on Howard Taylors' (Schlock Mercenary) review. I was not disappointed.
This book held my attention all the way to the end. Good character development, good plot line.
Wow, this was a good book.

I was recommended this from Reddit r/fantasy and i must say that this book was amazing. It was well written and concept was great. The blend of technology and magic was seamless and clunky at all. I can't wait for what Brian comes up with next!

Admittedly, I was a little lost to begin with, because the author brings you in on fully realized world that you have to take a bit of time to grasp (at least on my part.) Once it gets going, it's extremely difficult to stop reading. It reminds of my favorite elements in Bernard Cornwall's "Sharpe's Rifles" series. A very compelling, imaginative book with complex interesting characterizations. I'm looking forward to reading the remainder of the trilogy.

I absolutely loved this book.
The characters are well explained and this book makes you feel like you're there.
The story is fantastic, I can't wait for the sequel to be released.
I highly recommend this book.

This book does a good job of setting up the story for the rest of the series. It jumps right into the characters and is kind of confusing at first, but by the end of the book stuff starts to make sense and you like the characters. I'd normally give it 4 stars, but after reading the second two books I realized all the character building was required.

Promise of Blood is a fantastic read. Completely engrossing! It’s a flintlock fantasy with a detailed magic system, great political intrigue and awesome characters. I admire McClellan’s ability to infuse tremendous world building into the story seamlessly. It’s masterful.

Very dynamic setting, fun characters, and excellent story. Tamas is one of the best older protagonists I've ever seen. A few of the twists were a bit strange, but this is beyond excellent, especially for a first novel.

This book came up as a suggestion as I was browsing my library online. I started reading with no knowledge or expectations and I'm happy that I did. I'm horrible at writing reviews but let me just tell you, you won't be disappointed with this one

I have two thoughts on PROMISE OF BLOOD.

1) Interesting world and magical/societal dynamics. The story takes place in the equivalent of the industrial revolution. But with magic.

2) I quite dislike cliffhanger endings.

Promise of Blood is a book that fascinated me before I even cracked it open. There is something irresistibly evocative about the cover; an older man in military uniform sits on a throne, an old black powder rifle across his knees and a weary look on his face. The tagline on the cover reads "the age of kings is dead and I have killed it." This is not going to be the usual epic fantasy fare.

As I started to read Brian McClellan's debut novel, I was pleased to find that the contents lived up to the promise of the cover. The setting, reminiscent of Europe during the early parts of the Industrial Revolution, is like a breath of fresh air for the fantasy genre. The action takes place immediately after the King of Adro has been overthrown. There are obvious parallels to the French Revolution and it makes a very compelling backdrop for McClellan's story.

This book moves at a breakneck pace, propelled by prose that is spare but effective. There are three main POV characters: Tamas, a military commander and leader of the afore mentioned coup, Tamas's son Taniel, a young soldier returning to a city in turmoil after a long a campaign abroad, and finally Adamat, a retired police inspector and private investigator. The POV characters are well written and interesting, but I did find that the point of view switched too often, leaving a slightly disjointed feel.

While the main characters are interesting, there were some others on the periphery who seemed to have a ton of potential but were left as bare sketches. I particuarly wanted to learn more about Taniel's mute companion, Ka-Poel, and his former fiance, Vlora. It was nice to see two older characters in the book, Tamas and Adamat, proving that epic fantasy does not have to be a young person's game.

Finally, the book features several distinct magic systems, all of which were well-defined and balanced. The tremendous power of the Privileged, more traditional fantasy magic users, balances well with the long range deadliness of the Powder Mages. We get to see how these magics work in McClellan's well-written, visceral fight scenes.

Despite some flaws with pacing and some two-dimensional characters, Promise of Blood is a tremendous debut novel. The mix of action, intrigue and mystery in a fresh fantasy setting kept me turning pages and left me eager to read the next volume.

This was an absolute beauty of a book. I loved the mix of fantasy and a bit of mystery. The story was incredibly compelling and the action was heart pounding. I found myself blasting through this book in only a few short days and o am immediately reaching for the next one.

Promise of Blood is just the first to get you sucked into the Powder Mage world. After this I devoured the other 2 books as well as all the Novella's. Thank the Gods for an author who finishes his stories. McClellan builds a world that is fantastic and believable all at once. You feel with and for the characters. Highly recommend starting this series but be warned you will keep wanting more......

I really enjoyed this book. The world and its history were well-constructed and explained. The magic was wholly original, which is an achievement in itself. I loved that the author managed to evoke various historic revolutions (the first French revolution, the first and second Russian revolutions, the Thirty Years' War, even the Mexican revolution) but still made the final product entirely original. For the most part I cared for the characters, or at least understood their actions. Even minor characters were treated with something like dignity.

I gave 4 rather than 5 stars for two reasons, which probably won't matter to some readers. That's fine. They did to me and may to similar readers. The first is a complete lack of naming patterns for characters. I'll grant it's mostly aesthetic, but consistency can help readers quickly identify a character's background and possible allegiance. Shared characteristics can help create a culture and make it easier for readers to imagine.

(very minor spoilers) The second reason is that important ideas tended to appear or disappear at convenient times, and not reappear. In one battle scene a lot of explanation about "Towers" is given and the characters go to enormous lengths to destroy one. It's unclear whether they do and no others appear in other equally important battles. There are several characters who just happen to be surviving members of an ancient group of sorcerers.

I'm a geographer by training and inclination and that colors my review. I hope it's helpful. I enjoyed the book and will likely read the rest when published.

This is a fantasy with a very unique magic system, which is one of the things I enjoyed the most about it. It also has a fast paced plot that contains a twist that truly surprised me, and the story itself was actually much more fascinating than I thought it would be. The characters are well developed, and though the protagonists are morally ambiguous in many ways, I still found myself liking them a lot. McClellan has created a unique and fun fantasy, and I cannot wait to read the second book in the series.

I love the world this book creates. I'm all for magic and guns. The combinations of technology and fantasy always make me giddy. That said, this book isn't Steampunk in its atmosphere; it's too fantasy for that. If it's on the Steampunk meter at all it would be on the very miniscule side. It's more military to me, but who cares.

It's a very fast-paced book in that it doesn't take the time to really ever info-dump. While confusing at first, I caught on to what things like a powder mage and the Privileged were through the context which is pretty neat. I'm neither professional reader or dumb in that I like being allowed to figure things out on my own without it being too complex that I can't make heads or tails of it.

... If that makes any sense.

I gave it four stars instead of five simply because of one thing: I am picky with my women. I think I liked all of them except Nila. Maybe I'm jealous because Olem liked her.

(... Olem=<3)

But I like to think it was more because at this point she seems just more of an add-on. I know she'll play a larger role later. For now, though, it took the whole book to set her up for her story. The other women could have been treated better for my tastes as well.

Still, I recommend it for anyone that has army-esque fantasy tastes. It's a wonderful book! I hope the second one comes out soon!

In brief, I didn't realize Napoleanic-punk was missing from my life until I read this book.

Not in brief, Promise of Blood is a great introduction to an incredibly original world crafted by Brian McClellan. Imagine a world set during the French Revolution(an apt metaphor in more ways than one) where magic is still alive and well. Add to that a group of men and women who can control gunpowder with a thought. It's old school wizardry against "techno" mages and it sets up for some fantastic scenes. The sorcerous ideas are gradually introduced as the book goes on, so by the end you are totally engulfed in the world.

For a first time outing, Brian easily manages the multiple plot threads and bevy of unique characters and ideas throughout the book; very rarely did I ever feel lost or confused by what was going on. The twists are fun, the battles exciting, and the book difficult to put down. I was hooked from chapter one.

Looking forward to the rest of the trilogy!

Promise of Blood is a fantasy debut that shows epic promise. The action, plot, dialogue, pacing, and world-building are all top notch.

Promise of Blood opens as Field Marshal Tamas--the ranking military officer in Adom--completes a successful coup over the rightful, but dissolute, king. The coup is a success, but things get very interesting very quickly. A powerful female sorcerer escapes Tamas' purge of the king's cabal of sorcerers, those sorcerers die with an enigmatic warning on their lips, royalists remain, a traitor is in their midst, and a mysterious master chef arrives (yes, a chef). Tamas is joined as a main character with Adamat, a retired police inspector with a photographic memory, and Taniel, Tamas' son and a powerful powder mage in his own right.

What is a powder mage? This is where Promise of Blood's world-building gets interesting. Unlike most epic fantasy worlds, the world of the Nine (nations) has gun and gunpowder technology. It's a 18th century-esque world where men have tired of kings and gods. Powder mages are a very special type of magic user--their magic consists entirely of manipulating gunpowder, whether using it to give themselves superhuman abilities, to angle a bullet around a wall, or to "float" a bullet two miles over a battlefield. "Privileged" are more traditional magic-users who manipulate the five elements (here, aether instead of spirit) using their fingers. "Knacked" have a single ability (one minor character never needs to sleep) and Taniel has a young companion with mysterious abilities.

Taniel and Adamat are usual character types--a young hotshot and a hard-bitten detective--done very well. Tamas is more interesting. Where fantasy heroes often start young and powerless, we are introduced to an older Tamas that at the opening chapter is at the height of his power. He comes into the story with deep scars already, and he's as hard as an out-and-out hero gets.

Promise of Blood is not without its flaws. It wears the influence of Jordan, Sanderson, and Martin on its sleeve a little too openly at times. McClellan commits the twin world-building sins of giving us a world a little bit too generic Europe but loaded down with pointless invented terms nonetheless. The magic of the Privileged isn't given quite enough development. A little over halfway through the book McClellan falls back on one of the lazier tropes in speculative fiction, a sequence that has bizarrely little effect on the rest of the story--something that probably should have been cut and replaced. The arc of a minor character is utterly uninterested, although it may be important to the rest of the trilogy. But these are just nits, and do little to take away from the book (hence it still gets a 5-star review).

The final verdict? Promise of Blood is a dang good book, McClellan is a bright new name in fantasy, and the Powder Mage is one of the more promising series to open in recent times. Oh, and the cover is beautiful.

Promise of Blood is a nice change from the stereotypical fantasy genre. Rather than being based in the middle ages, this novel is based during the French Revolution. The novel has three classes of mages with defined rules for 2 of them.

The only drawback to the novel is the characters are rather flat. This is certainly no Song of Ice & Fire (though Martin tends to kills them all off). Given this is the first of the trilogy, hope remains for the novels and the characters are certainly interesting.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and highly recommend it.

Meh. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't mind-blowingly awesome as well. I feel like the characters in this book were paper thin; Ka-Poel in particular. We hear vaguely of her backstory about how she was rescued by Taniel, but that's it. The world created by McClellan seems unique but it could be fleshed out more. For example, how are people tested for their powers at a young age? What are the ranks of the cabal (if there are any at all...). It just seemed very superficial fantasy to me.

All in all. If you're looking for some deep fantasy this really isn't for you.

This book has such amazing reviews, I had to give it a shot. But McClellan is just not a good enough writer to pull it off.

I thought that this was a weak universe built on other authors efforts. The foundation here had me thinking often of Sandersons Mistborn stories. Its very similar in that some of the characters could wield magic. Those that could were kind of like Superman (indestructible hero's). I don't know why anyone would bother being in the army only to be used as cannon fodder for the delight of these super beings. Other than the fact that magic is used by some and gunpowder is being used as a sort of Mistborn elemental tool, this world built by McClellan is empty. He doesn't explore its streets or what makes it tick. Instead he tries to set up a few clashing enemies in a Game Of Thrones kind of way.

Characters here are very flat. McClellan jumps from one to another, but he does not do very much to distinguish them from each other (personality wise). Some of the motives behind these characters were laughable.

The narrator Rodska has a British accent. I'm not anti British accents, but here it got in the way of enjoying the book. It was hard enough to get past McClellans sub par writing with confusing names without also straining to interpret what Rodska was saying.

So this story is in my opinion poorly written, the characters are interchangeable twits, the plot is confusing and in retrospect silly, the universe built here is sub par, and the narration makes it even harder to get into what is going on. Stay away from this book. Try Patrick Rothfuss or Sandersons Way of the King instead.

Admittedly, I was a little lost to begin with, because the author brings you in on fully realized world that you have to take a bit of time to grasp (at least on my part.) Once it gets going, it's extremely difficult to stop reading. It reminds of my favorite elements in Bernard Cornwall's "Sharpe's Rifles" series. A very compelling, imaginative book with complex interesting characterizations. I'm looking forward to reading the remainder of the trilogy.

The Promise Of Blood is a fantastically fun story which opens in Tamus’s coupe and takeover of the nation. He removes the king and inherits all his problems plus some. This book is Unique Unique Unique. McClellan offers us a story of daring, intrigue, betrayal, and war, all wrapped in a fantastically new and fun magic system.
I'm the author of Mist Falcon: Book One Of The Warrior Poet Archives (Volume 1) and The Touch Heist: A Warrior Poet Archives Story (The Warrior Poet Archives) , and I read a ton of fantasy books. Trust me when I tell you, You don't want to miss out on this series.
In The Promise Of Blood there are actually several magic systems woven into one world. First we have privileged who you might think of as sorcerers, able to do incredible things at short range by manipulating the else with their gloved fingers.
Then we have Powder Mages who can manipulate gun powder to make incredible shots out of their muskets or pistols, ignite the powder from a distance, channel the explosion of powder into other things, or, and delightfully, consume gun powder in small doses to enhance their bodies strength and senses.
Knack would be classified as an ordinary person with one incredible ability such as a perfect memory or never needing sleep.
There is also a mysterious fourth kind of magic that “the civilized world” doesn’t seem to have much knowledge of, but that one of the supporting cast is inclined towards.
This book is completely immersing. It’s hard to put it down as we follow not only Tamus, but his son, Taniel, a slightly imbittered brilliant fighter with a slight addiction to gun powder, and Inspector Adamant, the determined investigator with everything to lose. Read this book. Seriously, Read This Book!

This book is awesome..the story is original and once you get into it you won't be able to put the book down...i like how the magic system is approached and how the characters are not black and white..this is part of a trilogy that is already FINISHED(I hate you Mr Martin)..highly recommended..the best fantasy book i have read in a while..

Tried reading it, couldn't finish. Basically it's the French revolution in a fantasy setting complete with a revolution at the very beginning. After the first few mentions or attempts of rape, and one of the characters snorting gunpowder, I found better things to read with my time. Not sure if I ever got to what a powder mage really is.

I've read quite a bit of fantasy as well as military history and that's what initially drew me to this title and story. Once in, I was hooked. Loved the combination of limited magic and supernatural beings (wardens). While I enjoyed the action sequences, involving all sorts of skirmishes and battles, I also enjoyed the secondary detective story line and its associated characters. I have little in the way of criticisms and would recommend the trilogy very highly.

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!

I just finished Brians debut fantasty novel and Im near speachless. Time and time again we see new authors and their debuts are awful. Of course they usually improve as time goes no, but this is usually over the course of several years. After finishing Promise of Blood it becomes clear to me that Brian is soon, if not already, on the same par as Brandon Sanderson and Orson Scott Card.

Brians novel begins with a bang; and never really ceases to be gripping. From one scene to the next I was pulled from page to page and found myself reading until deep into the night; only to wake and plan my day around contiuning on. Brians characters are amazing in detail and depth. Tamaz, Taniel, and Adamat (not to mention dozens of others) are portarayed is such a real and vibrant fasion that after you read a few pages the scenes come to life in your mind as though they were memories seen by your own eyes. Well done Brian!

This is a novel that will be taken down off the shelf and be read, reread, and read again. I sincerely can not wait for the rest of the trilogy and pray that Brian is working diligently on the next two. But in the meantime I will be more than thrilled to reread Promise of Blood and enjoy every word that was so brillantly placed on the page.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few months, you should already know about Brian McClellan's Promise of Blood. The amazing cover has sparked a lot of talk recently. It is said you shouldn't judge a book by its cover; in this case, it is okay if you do.

Promise of Blood starts off with a military coup that has the backing of the various guilds and organizations of the city. This includes the church. The king and nobility have been living a life of luxury, while the citizens fall deeper into debt and despair. The debt incurred by the King has left the nation vulnerable, leaving no choice but to wrestle the throne away from the nobility and set up a new government. From there the story really takes off and never lets the reader go.

Promise of Blood has a few different points of view and story lines. The first is Field Marshal Tamas. He led the coup overthrowing the king and nobility and is in charge of bringing order back to the city. He is a very capable man who values the worth of a person and not their bloodline. He himself rose through the ranks and earned everything that was given to him. He has no desire to sit upon the throne. He only wants to secure his country's borders and keep other nations (specifically the nation of Kez) from taking over. He is also a Powder Mage, which I will talk about later.

Tamas' son, Taniel, Known as "Two Shot" for his uncanny ability to use his sniper rifle on the battlefield, is a very able commander who has just returned from a successful military campaign. He and his mysterious companion, Ka-poel, are charged with hunting down any remaining resistance and to make sure that any of the king's remaining magicians are killed off and no longer a threat to the new regime. He is also a very gifted Powder Mage.

The third individual is Adamat, a former military officer, now retired police investigator. He is hired by Tamas in order to discover if an ancient oath, that could ruin Tamas' plans, is a credible threat.

It is difficult to pick which of these three characters I like more. Each have their strengths and weaknesses, yet all of them are so well written that they feel real. It also helps that McClellan has placed some spectacular supporting characters, who only serve to enhance the three above.

In addition to great characters, we have a very unique magic system, or should I say systems as there are at least two types of magic found within Promise of Blood. The first is your traditional magic system, with a small population able to manipulate the ether through gloves containing mystical runes. They perform magic with what appears to be limitless abilities.

The second magic system used in the novel are Powder Mages, they can perform magic when in the presence of black powder. As far as I can tell, it is offensive magic. The Powder Mages must eat or inhale the powder in order to work their magics.

The two magic houses do not care for one another, or it should be said the traditional magic users do not care for the Powder Mages. The Powder Mages don't seem to care one way or another, or would prefer to work together. One nice touch that McClellan added to the mix was that each magical system has a unique bane that interferes with the ability to work. It was something that I felt enriched the story.

The world building is fairly limited. We have a little bit of knowledge of political climate before the coup and we learn some of the world's history, but for the most part we only know what is crucial to the story at hand. However, I don't think that it detracts from story.

The minor complaints that I have regarding Promise of Blood, is early on in the story someone goes to load their rifle and loads the ball first before adding gunpowder. While I don't have a lot of experience with black powder rifles, I do have some, and I have never known anyone to load the ball (or bullet) first, before adding in the gun powder. However, with people able to create magic from the explosive powder, perhaps it doesn't matter what order you load them into the weapon. but like I said, it is a minor issue and probably something that most would overlook.

With strong characters, a unique magic system, and a compelling story that looks to just be getting started, Promise of Blood is, hands down, my favorite read of the year (so far). Brian McClellan has written an instant classic and will be hard pressed to top what he has already written. Promise of Blood is a series that could very well knock George R. R. Martin off his throne. Highly Recommended.

If you can power through the somewhat confusing beginning and begin to familiarize the characters you begin to fall in love with the powder mage world. If you're looking for a book with magic but still has that war, strategy, horror of war feeling you will absolutely love this book. (and more than one of the war speeches given in the book will give you goose bumps)

A few lose ends in the story, magic system is a little to derivative of his mentor Sanderson but a pretty good effort for a first attempt. Liked the idea of the different Mage types but as with Sanderson his characters often are extremely powerful and push fantasy into super hero land.

Characters where good but the military feels a little off in terms of making his characters feel like soldiers.

Really good book. Magic system is a bit scattered in organization and explanation. The concepts are cool, but do not feel as rich as I was expecting. Characters are great. Pacing is wonderful. It is not quite to current "Sanderson" standards, but it could be compared to Sandersons early books. I am looking forward to more and think that McClellan could reach the standards of his "mentor" with a few more books.

This book started a little slow, and I wasn't immediately sold on the private investigation angle of one of the subplots. But I eventually found myself enamored of these characters and intrigued by the magic system. I hope the next books explore the magic system to a greater degree. Favorite characters: Taniel, Mihali, and Ka-poel. If anything happens to Ka-poel, I will riot in the streets! This novel definitely ended strong. Can't wait for the next one!

Seriously one of the best debuts I've read. For me, he outshines his mentor/teacher in Brandon Sanderson in writing style, suspense and world building. In a genre that has been crowed lately, this series stands with the best. "Autumn Republic" is already on order and paid for thru Mr. McClellan website, signed to boot!!! A must read series.