The Crimson Campaign

The Powder Mage series as a whole offers an intriguing twist on the classical European Fantasy standard. We are still in a European setting, but here we have an explicitly Napoleonic setting with muskets, bayonets and cannon forming the mainstay rather than swords, spears and arrows. The magic system has also taken that more modern setting and now gunpowder is a fuel for some of the magics. This all makes reading these books a step up from the standard fantasy tropes - this all feels novel and interesting.

Brian McClellan takes this interesting twist and then takes up some really fascinating world building and mythologizing, topped off with supremely likeable characters with an interesting plot. We pick up close to where the previous book left off - Adopest is still under threat of invasion although the angle of attack has changed. Tamas has taken the fight to Kez, but his ambitious plans are put in turmoil after the Kez reveal a secret weapon trapping him behind enemy lines. Taniel Two-Shot has awoken but gone into a spiraling descent into drugs to try to forget his run in with a god. Adamat is trying to hunt down his wife and kids, who were kidnapped in the previous novel. These three POVs form the backbone of the book, with the story rotating between all three of them in each chapter. There is plenty of political intrigue and the action sequences are phenomenally well written.

The end result is a beautiful sequel, that builds on the original in a satisfying way. Although this is the middle book in a trilogy it doesn't feel like that with plenty of satisfaction to be found within rather than a holding exercise to the next installment. Highly recommended.