Book Review: THE CRIMSON CAMPAIGN by Brian McClellan

I originally read Promise of Blood, book one of The Powder Mage trilogy by Brian McClellan, because other fantasy authors I enjoyed recommended it. Despite some misgivings, I liked it enough to anticipate the release of book two, The Crimson Campaign.

I’m more than glad I stuck with the series. Most people struggle with a sequel, but Mr. McClellan knocks this one out of the park.

Note: Beware potential spoilers.

Whereas I had a difficult time cheering for Taniel Two-Shot and Field Marshall Tamas in the first book, they have many intimate moments that endear you to them in book two.

Taniel, who seemed to care for no one but himself and his growing addiction to gun powder, starts the story off in a very dark place. But his love for the men who are dying on the front lines make him heroic in a greater way than hunting Kresimir ever could.

And Tamas, still hell-bent on dragging a nation into war for personal vengeance, breaks a bit as he realizes what his war has cost the good men and women who follow him. When Tamas apologizes to a rebound lover for his selfishness, it shows that he does care about someone besides himself. It makes you wonder what kind of man he would have been if he hadn’t experienced so much loss.

While Taniel and Tamas’ rocky relationship isn’t resolved, there’s a realization of what they mean to each other. Despite being in separate places for the entire book, their lack of contact reveals their care for one another.

Gone are the bitter rants from Taniel as he now worries for his father’s safety. Gone is the disappointment of a father for his talented, but reckless son. There’s a tender moment when facing certain death that Tamas recognizes he should be with his son rather than fighting a war to avenge kin who aren’t alive anymore.

And then there’s Adamat, the private investigator who wanted to be a book publisher. He’s no longer in the employ of Tamas, but his missing family becomes as big a plot line as Tamas’ war with the Kez. If you like Adamat in book one (which I did), you will love him in book two.

What makes him even more likable is that he teams up with Bo, the last surviving member of the Adro Royal Cabal. If you felt like there wasn’t enough Privileged magic in book one, Bo puts on a show in book two. In fact, he was probably my favorite character in the book. He’s vicious like Tamas, but there’s a softness to him as he seems to help everyone who comes across his path.

That is, when he’s not killing them.

McClellan’s epic story world is what initially drew me in with the first book. While I felt the biggest improvement was on character development, the story doesn’t lose its epic feel. The war with the Kez grows, pulling other nations and organizations into the fray.

And poor Adro. Can the nation go one week without a betrayal among Tamas’ leadership? At this point, I don’t know who I can trust outside of Tamas and Taniel.

I know many reviewers thought the author rushed the ending of Promise of Blood. I didn’t feel that way with this one. There’s concrete resolution, and important loose ends are tied up.

Will Adro survive the Kez from without and scrambles for power from within? That remains to be seen, but each of these things lead to an eager anticipation for the finale in the series.