The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan

The Autumn Republic by Brian McClellan
Narrator: Christian Rodska
Series: Powder Mage Trilogy #3
Published by Orbit on February 10, 2015
Source: Purchased
Genres: Flintlock Fantasy
Length: 19 hrs 25 mins
Format: Audiobook
Purchase at Bookshop.org or Audible
Add on Goodreads

IN A RICH, DISTINCTIVE WORLD THAT MIXES MAGIC WITH TECHNOLOGY, WHO COULD STAND AGAINST MAGES THAT CONTROL GUNPOWDER AND BULLETS?

The capital has fallen...
Field Marshal Tamas returns to his beloved country to find that for the first time in history, the capital city of Adro lies in the hands of a foreign invader. His son is missing, his allies are indistinguishable from his foes, and reinforcements are several weeks away.

An army divided...
With the Kez still bearing down upon them and without clear leadership, the Adran army has turned against itself. Inspector Adamat is drawn into the very heart of this new mutiny with promises of finding his kidnapped son.

All hope rests with one...
And Taniel Two-shot, hunted by men he once thought his friends, must safeguard the only chance Adro has of getting through this war without being destroyed...

I’ve really enjoyed this trilogy and the finale, The Autumn Republic, was good, but I was hoping for great. It would not stand-alone well, but it does wrap up a lot of the points the first two were leading toward. We see an end to the war and a new government for Adro. I love the world, the magic, the politics, and for some reason military fantasies tend to draw me in. I think it has something to do with all the passions, loyalties, endurance, planning – and treachery. The characters are awesome and the multiple points of view and various subplots give them each a chance to shine.

With so many characters and changes in viewpoint, the narrator of the audio has a tough job, but Rodska does well. He differentiates each character, and while the women are maybe not as well performed as the men, it’s a fairly male-centered story anyway. To me, he’s the voice of Tamas. There is one voice in however, Bo’s, that always sound off to me, too old for the man, but that’s a minor quibble. The story kept my attention throughout.

A lot of the story works out along more or less predictable lines – you have the general idea of what will happen if not the specifics, although there were a couple of curveballs I didn’t see coming. And of course I cried at the end – but there was a good reason. I probably would have seen it coming, but I always hope for happy endings all around. And most of them do get one, in some form or another.

This is the first series in a long while that I feel like I should pick up for Amber and David to read. I think they’d both like it. It’s high fantasy, but not the standard quest with the elves. It’s got a bit of a love story, but it is way overshadowed by the action. Gods and men, elements and gunpowder – it’s just a great trilogy, but definitely start at the beginning.

I read somewhere that the McClellan’s next trilogy will be in the same world ten years later. I hope that’s true!