Brian McClellan told a fantastic story in his Powder Mage Trilogy, an inventive world populated by some really interesting characters. But that story focused only on one section of the world map. Clearly there is more to the world and more stories to tell, evidenced by this new series. In Sins of Empire, the first of Gods of Blood and Powder, a second series in the world, McClellan brings a new set of conflicts on a different continent about a decade later. There are a few familiar faces, but Brian is a smart enough writer to make this new novel (and series) 100% approachable to readers who did not read the original Powder Mage Trilogy.
An epic new fantasy series from Brian McClellan, set in the same world as his wildly popular Powder Mage Trilogy.
The young nation of Fatrasta is a turbulent place – a frontier destination for criminals, fortune-hunters, brave settlers, and sorcerers seeking relics of the past. Only the iron will of the lady chancellor and her secret police holds the capital city of Landfall together against the unrest of a suppressed population and the machinations of powerful empires.
The insurrection that threatens Landfall must be purged with wile and force, a task which falls on the shoulders of a spy named Michel Bravis, convicted war hero Ben Styke, and Lady Vlora Flint, a mercenary general with a past as turbulent as Landfall’s present.
As loyalties are tested, revealed, and destroyed, a grim specter as old as time has been unearthed in this wild land, and the people of Landfall will soon discover that rebellion is the least of their worries.
A prologue reveals an unearthed Godstone, an artifact that has supernatural powers, which some think may grant the powers of the gods to those who come into contact with the object. When the novel begins following the prologue, chaos is engulfing the land of Fatrasta; an invading force is on the horizon, authoritarian control reigns over the land, and a group of insurgents are looking to upend the status quo.
McClellan draws the reader into the novel with a near perfect combination of fascinating world-building and empathetic, well-drawn characters. Although the names Vlora Flint and Ben Styke may be familiar to readers of the Powder Mage Trilogy, McClellan does a wonderful job of making those characters familiar to first time readers of his work. Vlora is a capable, powerful, and charismatic, and leader of the Riflejacks, a mercenary group. Joining her is her partner and second-in-command Olem. Vlora and her Riflejacks are hired by Lady Chancellor Lindet to quell an uprising of Palo insurgents trying to reclaim what is theirs.
Michel Brevis, a spy in the nation’s Blackhats organization, and he seems to be playing many sides in the conflict in the land of Fatrasta, where much of the novel’s action takes place. Brevis is a ranking member of the Blackhats, having achieved “Silver Rose” level. Initially, these three characters follow storylines that aren’t fully connected, but McClellan draws their paths together in an extremely rewarding fashion. The title of the novel is taken from a pamphlet, what amounts to a penny dreadful named “Sins of Empire,” which mocks the Lady Chancellor and her rule over Fatastra. Brevis is hired to track down who is responsible for creating and distributing the propaganda to the populace as well as determining why several “Iron Rose” pins have gone missing, which indicates either traitors or dead members of the Blackhats.
Styke is freed from his slave camp, along with Celine, the young girl he’s taken under his wing, by a lawyer named Gregious Tampowho pushes Styke to join Vlora’s Riflejacks to protect her. This old soldier may be familiar to people who have read some of the shorter tales set in this world, which Brian McClellan self-published, particularly “Ghosts of the Tristan Basin.” Styke is a broken-down, war-weary veteran who, in many ways, reminded me of how Wolverine/Logan was portrayed in the film Logan – he may not be quite as strong as he once was, but the man is still one of the most dangerous people in the world and can take a great deal of physical abuse.
With the three protagonists, McClellan pulls the reader along with such wonderful plotting that powerfully compels page turning. As a fan of the original Powder Mage Trilogy, it was fun to see a different part of the world and some of the familiar characters cast in slightly lights. Some of the plot beats are slightly familiar, but played out by different characters or familiar characters in different roles, which makes for a very rewarding reading experience.
Sins of Empire draws to a satisfying conclusion as many plot issues come to resolution at the end of the novel, but it is clear that McClellan has a larger story to tell as the enticing hint of things to come left me excited to see where and how characters and events unfold from the foundation laid down in this wonderful opening volume.
© 2017 Rob H. Bedford
Orbit, March 2017
Hardcover, 604 Pages
Gods of Blood and Powder #1
http://www.brianmcclellan.com/sins-of-empire/
Review copy courtesy of the publisher, Orbit Books
