I was introduced to this debut book from Brian McClellan first from his excellent but not too obvious promotions on the r/Fantasy sub-reddit, including an excellent AMA. One of my favorite authors, Brandon Sanderson, also recommended this book as Brian was a 4 time student of his writing classes at BYU. Since the book description really appealed to me, the author seemed like a great guy, and all of the early reviews for it were positive, I made sure to pre-order it and I'm very happy that I did. Right from the beginning, this book just grabbed me, and I had to force myself to stop reading a few chapters in so could go on with my day and the book wouldn't be finished immediately.
The premise of the world is very interesting, where the time period resembles that of the industrial age, with prominently featured flintlock firearms. The impetus of this book's conflict is strongly influenced by the French Revolution, where the Army General and the common man rise up to overthrow and behead the king, queen, along with most of the nobility. The only problem is that in a world with real magic and gods, what happens when the god endorsed royalty is overthrown? There are many different forms of magic, but there are really only 4 forms shown in this book. The first and probably most powerful is that of the Privileged, where the practitioner wears rune covered gloves and can manipulate the elements to devastating effects. The second is that of the Gunpowder Mages, who can ingest gunpowder to enter a trance where their reactions/strength/speed is vastly increased, and they can burn nearby powder to mentally guide a bullet to hit a target over a mile a way (some can even shoot a bullet around corners or fire and guide multiple bullets at once) or they can mentally light the powder and direct the explosion. The third form is a Knack that people can have, this Knacks can vastly vary from not needing sleep, to having perfect memory, to being able to know when people tell lies (the way to know whether people are truly Knacked or are just talented at something, they have a third eye that can be opened, and they can see auras). The fourth is a slight mystery, and it's a magic employed by "savages" and seems to closely resemble Voodoo (Real Voodoo Dolls among other magics). In this world, immensely powerful gods walked the earth, but most of them left around 1400 years ago. After the gods left, there was a period of time where everything went down the drain, but afterwards the world experienced a boom of technological advancement, mostly notably gunpowder weapons and the beginning of assembly lines, unions, and steam powered engines. I loved how the technology & magic both melded and hammered against each other, creating an immensely original world.
The writing here is expertly done, especially for a debut author. While reading it, I almost felt like Brian McClellan was an amalgamation of George R.R. Martin, Brandon Sanderson, and Joe Abercrombie. He has the incredibly well done multiple limited third person viewpoints, the realistic fantasy world mostly inhabited by humans (No Tolkienesque races), the character deaths (to a lesser amount) of Martin and Abercrombie combined with the incredibly original and in-depth magic systems of Brandon Sanderson. The action found in this book was very entertaining and visual, the closest thing that I would compare it to would probably be Sanderson's Mistborn series, although they don't quite reach the mastery featured in those books. I enjoyed all of the characters in Promise of Blood, from big to small they were all very in-depth and enjoyable. There are many viewpoint characters, but really only three main ones, and I loved how each viewpoint was almost a different genre of story telling. The story of Field Marshal Tamas, the leader of the revolution/coup, is really a Fantasy Political Thriller with many twists and turns. The story of Taniel Two-Shot, Tamas' son with a penchant for constantly snorting gunpowder who has just come home from a brutal war on the front-lines, is a brutal war story with a bit of coming-of-age thrown in, and he fights to hold back the invading army and stop the summoning of a god that could lead to the destruction of his country. The final sub-story is that of Adamat, a retired investor with a Knack of a perfect memory, and is a thriller/mystery where he is investigating the final words spoken from the dead throats of all of the Privileged Sorcerers that were killed in their sleep during the coup, and later the traitor in the small council that tried to assassinate Tamas. It's really tough to pick a favorite character and sub-story in this book as I absolutely loved them all, but if I had to pick I might go with Taniel, as I really enjoyed the action and his interactions with Pole, his savage Voodoo witch mute sidekick, along with finding his character more likeable and relatable than the other two (though I still loved the other characters).
So overall I must say that I absolutely loved this book, and I anxiously await the sequel. I'd highly recommend this book, especially if you're a fan of any of the authors I mentioned earlier in my review. I can't wait to see where Brian takes this story in the following books, as a lot is up in the air in the end. That's actually really my only problem with the book, this is definitely the first book of a trilogy/series, and while the main conflicts are resolved by the end, it's really meant to set up the beginning of the next book. Still, this is my favorite book I've read in awhile, and I hope that this book becomes a best seller.
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A great foray into Flintlock Fantasy
I’ve had Brian McClellan’s Promise of Blood (Book 1 of the Powder Mage Trilogy) on my list for years. Magic mystery, kings and revolutions, war and prophecy? What’s not to love? And flintlock fantasy adds a unique twist to the mix, intertwining gunpowder weapons with magic (when epic fantasy usually trends toward medieval technology).I’m also reading the Powder Mage books in part for research into the genre of flintlock fantasy. It’s no secret I’m writing an epic fantasy series which I’ve identified as a “flintlock climate fantasy.” If I’m to write a good book, though, I need to learn from the greats. I’ve read Sanderson. I’ve read Jemisin. I’ve not yet read McClellan.And now, I’m quite glad I’ve read McClellan.Promise of Blood begins with an incredible opening scene the Field Marshal, Tamas, overthrowing the government in Adopest, the capital of of Adro. The scene feels straight out of the French Revolution, and throughout the novel, the parallels to the Enlightenment thinking of France and the liberty (and tyranny) of that Revolution ring true.Within the first few chapters, we see characters performing incredible feats of magic and sorcery. At first, I was unsure if I would enjoy the world McClellan was building, but by the time I was through the first half of the book, everything began to click.And then, a character named Mihali enters the scene. I don’t want to spoil much of his story, but let’s just say he can create food out of thin air. And he becomes almost a “Tom Bombadil” type figure in the story, mysterious and wonderful and magnificent in the narrative. It’s not clear at first, but his nature becomes quite pivotal to the overarching plot of the story, and the narrative twists and turns in directions not obvious at first.When the story begins, you expect a military-war narrative. And it’s there. But the story becomes quite a bit more, with a focus on human nature, lust for power, and the nature of the divine.If you’re looking for an epic flintlock fantasy and a story quite different from your typical “fantasy” novel, I highly recommend Promise of Blood. It will not disappoint.Five Stars.
Top reviews from other countries
Rémi @l_encre_de_la_magie
Un auteur a surveiller de près...
Reviewed in France on May 6, 2021
Rémi @l_encre_de_la_magie
Reviewed in France on May 6, 2021
"The age of kings is dead... and I have killed it"
Lorsqu'un coup d'état mené par le Maréchal Tamas met fin à la monarchie ; les royalistes et la Royal Cabal, cet ordre de puissants Mages les "Privileged", souhaitent venger leur roi.
Heureusement que Tamas peut se reposer sur son unité de PowderMage, capables de manipuler la poudre, la faire exploser à distance et influer sur la trajectoire d'une balle.
Car Tamas a fort à faire s'il veut relever le pays. De l'intérieur ou l'extérieur, la menace est partout ! 😱
J'ai adoré ce roman de Gunpowder/Flintlock Fantasy, son ambiance est top, son intrigue totalement cohérente et détaillée nous montre un pays en ruine où tout est à reconstruire. La présence d'une légère enquête policière amène un peu plus de tension à un récit qui n'en manque pas 😂
Le système de magie est sans conteste, pour moi, digne de Sanderson... J'ai... Surkiffé... Cette magie ! 😍❤️ Et encore je ne vous parle pas de toutes les magies présente dans ce tome ! 🤩
Mais sinon pour moi le point fort ce sont les perso qui sont criants de réalismes, humains, fatigués, plein d'espoir ou totalement désespérés 😫
La relation père fils de Tamas et Taniel est complexe, pleine d'amour et de non dit, de silences et de respect. C'est une relation affreuse et magnifique à la fois qui a tout de suite sû m'emporter.😍
Ensuite on a affaire à des perso secondaires comme Olem (dont le duo avec Tamas passe du drôle à l'affectif en un rien de temps) et... Ka-Poel cette sauvage aux cheveux de feu, qui m'a fait pensé à Auri de Rothfuss en moins lunaire et plus batailleuse... Mais quel perso de MALAAAADE ❤️ mon gros coup de cœur de ce roman. Un perso qui a une voix à part, tellement drôle, des fois malgré elle, protectrice et engagée.
Si vous ne l'avez pas lu, je vous conseille vraiment cette série ❤️
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Mukul Chabba
Brilliant, Entertaining, Hard to put down adventure!!
Reviewed in India on October 22, 2019