Sins of Empire (Gods of Blood and Powder, #1) in /r/Fantasy Discussion Group

Apr 26, 2017 Sherwood Smith added it

Shelves: fantasy

Funny, gritty, imaginative with tantalizing glimpses of the numinous, great action scenes, and a variety of heroes who quickly became favorites.

I haven't read the previous series, but this one catches the reader up on the city of Landfall, its complicated history, and the various factions vying for power. Villains you love to hate, heroes to root for, complexity and humor, tender and insightful moments as well as hardcore action, with believable military thinking and follow-through.

Not much to ...more

10 likes · Like · see review

Mar 24, 2017 Vinay Badri rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-read

Authors revisiting their old stories and starting new ones (spin-offs) is usually an exercise in vanity and trying to rediscover their old magic. In the case of Brian McClellan, who has just the Powder Mage Trilogy prior to this, it really might have been a case of trying to create the same magic again and when he uses the same 3 character structure, it seems that the author has run out of inspiration. Extremely HAPPY to be proven wrong.

McClellan's magic has not been faded. In fact if anything Authors revisiting their old stories and starting new ones (spin-offs) is usually an exercise in vanity and trying to rediscover their old magic. In the case of Brian McClellan, who has just the Powder Mage Trilogy prior to this, it really might have been a case of trying to create the same magic again and when he uses the same 3 character structure, it seems that the author has run out of inspiration. Extremely HAPPY to be proven wrong.

McClellan's magic has not been faded. In fact if anything I would say his plotting and characterization has gotten better. Yes, the Sanderson-esque vibes are still there but its not a bad thing at all especially when its done so well. Having one of the characters from the past trilogy as a lead character helps us maintain that connect with the previous series while introducing 2 other new characters serve as the window to this new territory that we find ourselves in. The characters are also very well done and their unique relations, history and idiosyncrasies work very well.

Vlora, who was a tad irritating in the Powder Mage series has evolved into a more rounded character, more sure of herself and her power. Ben Stykes, the legend with the past reminds one of the Logen Nine-fingers given the berserker attitude to combat. Michel Bravis is almost our Adamat replacement from the Powder Mage but turns out to be completely different and for all that we know might also be schizophrenic. Into the mix is thrown in a lady chancellor who wants to do whats best for her, an insurrection in the city and an outside invasion in hunt for a powerful artifact recently uncovered.

The plotting is fabulous and McClellan displays immense momentum in storytelling as the pace really picks up and doesnt let go at all, almost reminiscent of Sanderson's Way of Kings. On the flip side, the captain of the secret police is a fairly weak character despite all the build up and pretty lame, all show. Expected a stronger character here esp given the backstories bandied about. Plus while there are a couple of characters introduced from the older series who are awesome, they do tend to take away the focus of the book from our leads here, which is slisha jarring.

Overall, another strong entry into this world and McClellan builds on this strengths as a fabulous inventive storyteller ...more

Like · see review

Jan 31, 2021 Alen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2021-read

genre fiction, plot strength, plot agility, plot fighting. character might get beat in one fight but win the later one that matters just because. I don't get how this gets such a high rating? ...more

Like · see review