The Crimson Campaign: The Powder Mage Trilogy, Book 2

You'll want to start this series with volume one, Promise of Blood. There's a fair amount explained about the magic system, religions, countries and governments, and other aspects of worldbuilding there. And without that background, there's a lot about this book that won't make sense -- the author avoids repetition here, and I love that. This way, more time is spent on the story, on action. (Key character relationships were also developed in the previous book and that information remains important here, as well.) If you haven't read the first book, the level of technology here is pretty standard for fantasy, with the exception that gunpowder is known and used (generally single-shot weapons, however).We have the same POV characters in this book as we did previously, with one addition towards the end. Field Marshal Tamas is attempting to defend a city from an invading army. Something goes horribly wrong with that early in the book and he's forced to change his plans. Tamas's son Taniel is recovering from severe injury suffered at the end of book one and is reluctant to get back to his duties (though he does eventually join the war effort). Former Inspector Adamat is focused on his family, but his quest to rescue his wife and children is tied into events at large. We also have some scenes from Nila, the former laundress, and at the end of the book, we are finally rewarded with hints of information about why she is important. And the Privileged sorcerer Bo (Taniel's best friend) is the new POV, mostly interacting with Adamat and Nila.Tamas, Taniel, and Adamat are the best-developed of the characters, although I'm pleased at some of the complexity we see in Bo in this book and hope that trend continues. I'm hoping Nila develops some of this complexity in the next book (which thankfully is due out pretty soon). I really hadn't been all that invested in Nila before, but I think she will prove much more interesting in book 3. Also, I have to say that I really want to know more about Taniel's companion Ka-poel. She has some amazing powers but I'm still not sure why she's so attached to Taniel. (Thankfully, her amazing powers require some effort to set up and she can't solve every problem she encounters.)For what it's worth, Adamat, Bo, and Nila are largely in the city of Adopest for the majority of the book. An election is about to be held and there's a lot of political maneuvering that they get swept up in (and that relates to their personal problems). Taniel and Tamas are both in a lot of battles, but on different fronts.Because the main characters are, by and large, separate from one another, it's interesting to see what sorts of things they are motivated to do, acting on old news. There is NOT an instantaneous method of movement or communication in this book and I rather enjoyed reading about the complications that caused. Different characters think other characters are dead, injured, missing, etc.In the last book, Tamas wanted Adamat to root out a trader on the council of people who overthrew the king. In this book, Taniel suspects there are traitors in the military and he is severely hampered in his efforts to root them out. Complicating matters is the fact that a character he thought he killed in book one is not dead, though Taniel's magical shot has made the character go insane, which causes problems for people on both sides of the battle. I appreciate the incorporation of the idea of unintended consequences/unforeseen results. Taniel took the best action he could in book one, based on what he knew. Then he had to deal with the results of his action in book two. (He will have to finish the job in book three.)Family relationships were important in book one and they are again in this book. I like the relationship between Taniel and Tamas. They clearly care about one another as father and son, but they also don't get along sometimes. And Adamat has to make an absolutely heartbreaking decision regarding his own family. I didn't see it coming. But you really feel for him and his wife (and the author gives them an "out" at the end of this book).I think the writing has improved over book one. A lot of the early parts of book one were choppy, as if an overenthusiastic editor cut out quite a few sentences. I didn't notice that here. So that's good.There's a fair amount of violence and gore in this book, some adult language, and sexual situations (but nothing explicit). Still, probably suitable for mature teens on up (all of the main characters seem to be in their 20s or older, for the most part).If I had one criticism, it's that Tamas's besieged army has an awful lot of success considering their lack of resources. On the other hand, people in desperate situations can be motivated quite a bit by fear of something even worse. And tempers fray appropriately as the situation gets worse. Overall, I enjoyed this book and am definitely looking forward to the next one. Glad I don't have to wait too long!

Definitely better than Promise of Blood and a great action packed free-for-all.***“One man always makes a difference. Sometimes it’s a small one. Other times, he tips a war.”***I’m not huge on loving military campaigns and since this had 2 character PoVs with military type campaigns I should have been totally bored with this story and yet I wasn’t.Tamas is behind enemy lines cut off from the world and thought dead trying to get his smaller portion of the army back home to meet up with the main body. He is totally outnumbered by the Kez and in completely hostile territory but he shows us every step of the way why he is such a great military leader and how he became the man he is today.***“Let the Kez come,” Tamas roared. “Let them send their greatest generals after us. Let them stack the odds against us. Let them come upon us with all their fury, because these hounds at our heels will soon know we are lions!”***Taniel on the other hand has just recovered from the coma he suffered at the end of Promise of Blood and with KaPole’s help they are off to kill a god. If only they can find him and figure out how to kill him. I will say the KaPole is really a fun and amazing character. Sure her magic is still pretty mysterious to me and I want to know more about how it works. But while we get some hints there is always an air of mystery to it. I’m not sure how I feel about the burgeoning relationship between her and Taniel. I like Vlora and have this semi-hope that they work things out. But I’m torn since I really like KaPole too and whatever magic she has wrapped Taniel up in seems to be changing him into something….more.The final PoV was Adamat’s. He is trying to find where his family is being held and rescue them. He decides that he will need some major help if he is going to be able to save them. Bo seems like just the thing since he is one of the only privileged in the city.***“You missed the morning’s festivities,” Bo said to Adamat“You call torturing a man ‘festivities’?” Adamat asked.“I’m not a good person,” Bo said.”***Bo might not be a good person but he is definitely one of my favorite people in this series. His wry humor and interesting flexible morality just does something for me. He isn’t a good man but if he is your friend he is the BEST man. He and Adamat as a team go very well together.I really enjoy the blend of the war with the politics and a few of the Gods just wandering around. Adam reborn is probably one of my favorite gods in a book. I loved his approach to trying to help and yet not trying to be too involved or overly godly.***“God' is a funny word, it implies omnipotence and omniscience. Let me assure, I am neither.”***Overall, I found the pacing in this book to be better than the last and the coherence of the overall story seemed to be better than in Promise of Blood.This has been a really good fantasy series thus far and I was so excited to carry on with the series that I finished the last book before every writing this review. So I can say that it carries on in a great way and finishes spectacularly

Starting with a particularly gruesome "interrogation", this is not an easy read. Despite being a fantasy novel, and having exceptionally good world building within it, there are a number of parallels with the current war in Ukraine which make it quite uncomfortable in places.This trilogy was gifted to me by my son who assured me that I would enjoy them. I'd already wishlisted the first, and had I read them last year would have wholeheartedly enjoyed the writing. But I feel compelled to drop a star on the grounds that "these things never happen to us" in fantasy novels is not an appropriate response at this time.Of all the characters, I am most intrigued by Ka-Poel, and hope I can understand her background within the scope of the next, final part of this trilogy.

Another enjoyable entry in the series. We start off shortly after the events of the first book. Taniel is recovering from his injuries. Tamas is dealing with an impending Kev invasion. Adamat is still trying to get all of his family back and Nila is captive of Lord Vetas. Like the previous book the pace is crazy and soon we have both Taniel and Tamas in different military engagements, betrayals and reversals all over the place. Adamat's and Nila's POV's are all based in Adro and we see what's going on there through their eyes.I really enjoyed Taniel's and Tamas' storylines. There is a lot of action but there was also some good character development. Tamas' especially was good as I struggled to connect with him in the first book but his motivations became a lot clearer in here, he seemed more human. Taniel's was similar, dealing with aftermath of the events of the first book and the relationship between him and Ka-poel. She is still one of the best characters and I would love some POV from her. Adamat's I did not enjoy nearly so much. Honestly for a 'family man' he spends zero time with them. Most of his storyline, except for when Bo entered the picture, did not hold my interest. It did not feel that integral to the plot, except tangentially. Nila's was similar but I did like hers, mainly because I like the character. Still fell she doesn't really get enough page time, hopefully that'll get better in the final book.So overall a good book. Full of action and the worldbuilding gets more intricate. We see some other countries so the scale has expanded. Still have a thing in my head that I'm missing some prequel style books that deal with Tamas' story when he was younger. Quite like that. I still have some reservations about the whole powder mage concept but that's really just me and doesn't seem to bother most people. Looking forward to the finale.

Every now and then a book comes along where it just comes together for a particular reader. This does not mean that everyone is going to feel the same about the book, just that in one case the book is just going to vibrate in every possible way with one reader, in this case me. (Although I know there are plenty others who feel the same way.)In this instance, I am referring to Brian McClellan Powder Mage trilogy and in particular the second book in the series The Crimson Campaign. For me this is a book where everything comes together in a near perfect mix, making it all the more enjoyable. It had an incredible story, great characters, some stunning set pieces. You can get frustrated with some characters, love others, dislike yet more. There is enough of a familiarity to make a lover of fantasy feel at home, but there is enough originality to give the books that fresh feeling. To top it all off McClellan has a prose that just seems to be easy on the mind, very readable, making you want to continue without feeling that you are being bogged down by any unnecessary excess.Of course, having said all that it might not be the same for everyone, it just resonates with me in just about every way it is possible for a book to.The story itself follows straight on from the previous novel, which ended on a seismic note when Taniel Two-Shot put a bullet through the eye of returning god Kresimir…This novel deals with the aftermath of this, how Taniel begins to recover from the feedback of what he has done, how his father Tamas tries to hold back the encroaching Kez invasion, Adamat the former inspector searches for his family in the city of Adopest and all the contingent subplots that cross over in places with one another, oh and dealing with the fact that Kresimir is slightly miffed that someone dared put a bullet through his eye.Of course, there is a lot more going on than just that…There is a lot to commend the novel, but one of the things that stands out is the magic system that McClellan has put in place, it is something that is easily identified as magic but different as well. The book itself is not quite as straightforward medieval fare as a lot of fantasy is, instead it has more in common with the American War of Independence. The soldiers are armed with swords and flintlock style guns, and this is where one of the most important parts of the magic system is put in place.Both Taniel and Tamas are Powder Mages. They have the ability to draw power from gunpowder, by consuming it they are able to effect weapons, improve their senses, become stronger. Taniel himself might have been changed due to his confrontation with a god. There are also Privileged, these are those closest to the traditional magic users, incredibly powerful, but constrained by the fact that they need to wear specially embroidered gloves in order to use their magic safely. Remove their hands, you render them useless.Finally there are the knacked. In many ways these are the most interesting, appearing as little more than everyday people, they might have one particular talent that could be considered an exceptional natural skill – in the case of Adamat he can remember everything.Not only are these things entertaining there are a few hints that the rules that the characters have known for a long time are changing, and perhaps that the so-called Gods might be little more than Privileged whose powers have grown immeasurably.Obviously the magic system is only part of the setup of the novel. In this case we have military campaigns, epic battles, twists and turns, double crossing, hidden traitors, secret agendas… all the things you need to keep you reading.I can’t wait to pick up the third…

It had been almost a year since I last read about Tamas, Taniel and Adamat in the land of Adro.I didn't need any reminding or much time to catch-up, I was back in and enthralled from the first chapter.This starts with the Kez about to mount their attack; Taniel in a bad way back in Adopest (after his previous confrontation with a god); Tamas leading his men on the line and Adamat desperately seeking out his kidnapped family.The main thing here is the pacing: the book runs along like a racehorse. From the front-lines in the war with the Kez, to Tamas -- having a one point been cut off from the main line with a small force of elite troops -- finding his way back into Adro with heavy troops on his tail, and even for Adamat -- there's skirmishes, battles and fights here a-plenty.It often seems like Adro is surrounded by a myriad of threats, and while the main threat presented here are the Kez -- things appear far more complicated for book 3.All the main characters have it tough here -- particularly Taniel (a favourite of mine), alongside his hilariously-devious super-sorcerer sidekick Ka-poel -- and in the few quieter moments are allowed to develop a little.One little part of Adamat's story is resolved here at least (Lord Vetas); while the product of the end of book 1 (Kresimir) isn't touched on at all until the very end, clearly a hold-over for the next book.A thriller of a read - 4 stars -- if possibly a little too fast-paced for its own good.Will be back for Autumn Republic.

The second instalment of the Powder Mage trilogy was even better than the authors debut, good as that was.The military threads of the story were as well written as any I've read since Malazan Book of the Fallen, with plenty of action that seemed to put you right there as well as the logistical side of campaign life, something that gives a sense of authenticity. The story has been expanded pleasingly with some very strong set pieces which make the narrative crackle.The only thing stopping me giving top marks rather than the 4.5* I'm awarding it is some of the other strands. They lack just a little of the sparkle of Taniel's and Tamas' threads and some of the twists seemed a little strained.Overall a very good follow up and I'm really looking forward to the third instalment.