A Book Review: The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan (The Powder Mage #3)

Flintlock Fantasy is the most exciting discovery in my reading life. This fantasy sub-genre intrigues me with a refreshing concept; the story takes place in a world resembling The French Revolution, where flintlock fire-arm ignition technologies mixes with magic!

How did I discover the new world of Flintlock fantasy? The Powder Mage trilogy initiated me into this genre. This trilogy is the debut for Brian McClellan, who is a student of Brandon Sanderson, a prolific author in the fantasy genre. I read and enjoyed the first two novels in The Powder Mage trilogy. The first novel, Promise of Blood, kickstarted the trilogy with a dark story full of memorable characters. The second novel, The Crimson Campaign, expanded the adventure into a war story, its last page left its readers hanging on a cliff. This is why I felt the burning desire to read The Autumn Republic, where Brian McClellan will finally conclude the story of this highly appraised trilogy.

Synopsis:

Field Marshal Tamas killed the age of kings to end the corrupt, aristocratic regime in Adro. Tamas' action, however, gave Adro's neighboring kingdom, Kez, an excuse to invade Adro, leading to an all out war.

Tamas' war against Kez turned into a crimson campaign, when he was betrayed at every turn. Against all odds, Tamas prevailed against the torrent of treacheries, and led his army back to the capital of their beloved country, only to discover the capital city besieged in the hand of a cunning, ambitious foreign invader.

Meanwhile, Kez continues her invasion of Adro, waging wars at the frontline. The rumor of Tamas' death spreads high and wide in the Adro camp, leaving the army without a clear leadership. Dissensions, fueled by a mutiny, broke out among the staff generals, tearing the Adro army apart. Inspector Adamat must expose the root of this mutiny, lest the Adro forces collapse before the Kez army mounts a final assault at the border.

Adro's future appears to be shrouded in a veil of Stygian darkness. The last flame of hope rests in the hand of Taniel Two Shots. He must safeguard Adro's last chance of survival or everything Tamas worked for will lie in tatters.

The autumn approaches, will this season witness the blossoming of the Adro Republic, or see it snuffed out as a brief candle light in the wind?

My thoughts on this books:

Many trilogies (or series) suffer from the “middle book syndrome”. This is when the middle book slumps in its quality or pace, but returns to excellence in the final book.

In my opinion, The Powder Mage trilogy does not suffer from “the middle book syndrome”. In this trilogy's second installment, The Crimson Campaign, Brian McClellan crank the pace of the story up a notch, and it moved at a relentless pace. The second installment in this trilogy was a gripping novel, and I was expecting The Autumn Republic to end this trilogy with the same fast-paced storytelling found in its predecessor. Strangely, this is not the case here. I think while The Autumn Republic is an excellent book, but its pace is slightly uneven.

The Autumn Republic can be roughly divided into 3 acts. This book follows immediately from the ending in The Crimson Campaign. The storytelling in the first act moved at a very fast pace. The pace in the second act, however, moved relatively slow when compared to its first act. I do not know if this slowing of pace is intentional. However, I did not like the slowing of pace in the 2^nd act and it put me off this book a little bit. Fortunately, the book resumed its fast-paced storytelling in its 3^rd act, various plots converged, reaching a crescendo where a mind-blowing conclusion came crashing down on the story's characters, bringing this adventure to a fitting conclusion.

The Autumn Republic may have a slight problem with its pacing, but this problem does not detract or ruin this trilogy’s charm, which lies in its characters. In this book, Tamas, Adamat, and Taniel returned once again to play the roles of protagonists. Throughout the trilogy, Brian McClellan developed Tamas' character by gradually revealing Tamas' inner emotions and personal qualities. Suffice to say, I did not like Tamas in the first book. However, as the story went on, Tamas gradually became a very likable character and I was rooting for him in this trilogy. Having said this, my favorite character in this book is Inspector Adamat. His part of the story provides this trilogy with a twist of detective fictions, and I enjoyed reading Adamat's story the most. Finally, Taniel is an equally thrilling character as Tamas. Taniel's story is closely knitted into Tamas' characterization, it explores an interesting story of a relationship between a father and his estranged son. All 3 protagonists in this book are likable and somewhat relatable. Brian McClellan portrayed them vividly. Furthermore, I think The Autumn Republic succeeded at telling a moving story because Brian McClellan created three likable protagonists.

The supporting characters in this book are interesting, but their characterizations and sub-plots left me slightly unsatisfied. I do not want to spoil the story. Let me just say, while one of the supporting characters played an integral role in the plot, but the author did not properly explain this character's origin. This means, when the time came for this character to take on an integral role in the plot, it came across as deus ex machina than a satisfying plot device. However, despite my minor complaint about the supporting characters, I still found all supporting characters likable and memorable. Should Brian McClellan write more books featuring these supporting characters I will definitely read them.

The Autumn Republic tells an entrancing story, it provided The Powder Mage trilogy with a fitting conclusion. I like this book, and I deeply enjoyed this trilogy. The concept behind this trilogy is refreshing, and my first adventure in the world of Flintlock fantasy turned out to be a fun and unforgettable experience. I highly recommend The Powder Mage trilogy to lovers of fantasy fictions, especially those readers who are looking for a break from the genre's convention of medieval European settings.