Promise of Blood

Brian McClellan

Apr 2013 · Sold by Orbit

About this ebook

"Just plain awesome" -- Brandon Sanderson

Civil unrest cripples the citizens of Adro in the aftermath of the revolution that obliterated the monarchy. Now, Field Marshal Tamas and his lieutenants must confront the true cost of freedom in book one of the Powder Mage Trilogy.

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.

It's up to a few. . .

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. . .

Winner of the David Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Debut Fantasy.

Ratings and reviews

A novel twist on the tired swords and sorcery tropes. A good mix of action and intrigue but I would have liked a bit more insight into the lore, which really only developed in the last 1/4 of the book under the guise of 'lost secrets'. Minor complaint and definitely looking forward to the next one.

This is the only book I currently have available on my phone, so the bar for continuing to read it is low: it simply had to be better than reading nothing. Unfortunately, this book is terrible. I have zero sympathy for the poorly realized characters, and the clichéd descriptions and boring dialogue are no better. Probably a fab read if you are a fourteen year old reluctant reader, though!

Promise of Blood had a very interesting setting. Set in a world where the weaponry is stuck in gun powder rifles and pistols, but there's a group of "powder mages" that actually draw strength from the gun powder. The main character has overthrown the king and now has to deal with the fallout from that. I thought the book started a little slow, but after about a quarter the way into it, I felt drawn into story and world. I liked the book and recommend it if you are into fantasy and want something unique.

About the author

Brian McClellan is an American epic fantasy author from Cleveland, Ohio. He is known for his acclaimed Powder Mage novels and essays on the life and business of being a writer. Brian now lives in Utah with his wife, Michele.