Promise of Blood

By: Brian McClellan

Narrated by: Christian Rodska

Length: 19 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

"Just plain awesome" (Brandon Sanderson)

Civil unrest cripples the citizens of Adro in the aftermath of the revolution that obliterated the monarchy. Now, Field Marshal Tamas and his lieutenants must confront the true cost of freedom in book one of the Powder Mage Trilogy.

It's a bloody business overthrowing a king...Field Marshal Tamas' coup against his king sent corrupt aristocrats to the guillotine and brought bread to the starving. But it also provoked war with the Nine Nations, internal attacks by royalist fanatics, and the greedy to scramble for money and power by Tamas's supposed allies: the Church, workers unions, and mercenary forces. It's up to a few...Stretched to his limit, Tamas is relying heavily on his few remaining powder mages, including the embittered Taniel, a brilliant marksman who also happens to be his estranged son, and Adamat, a retired police inspector whose loyalty is being tested by blackmail.

But when gods are involved...Now, as attacks batter them from within and without, the credulous are whispering about omens of death and destruction. Just old peasant legends about the gods waking to walk the earth. No modern educated man believes that sort of thing. But they should....

Winner of the David Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Debut Fantasy.

©2013 Brian McClellan (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

2013, RT Best SciFi & Fantasy Novel, Nominated

2014, David Gemmell Morningstar Award, Best Debut Novel, Winner

"Promise of Blood is a hugely promising debut. Guns, swords, and magic together? What more could you want? How about tense action, memorable characters, rising stakes, and cool, cool magic? Not only the finest flintlock fantasy I've read, but also the most fun. Brian McClellan is the real thing."—New York Times bestseller Brent Weeks

"This book is just plain awesome. I found myself enjoying every moment of it. Innovative magic, quick-paced plot, interesting world. I had a blast."—New York Times bestselling author, Brandon Sanderson"

"The world of the privileged sorcerers and the strange abilities of the powder mages who can manipulate gunpowder are just as well drawn in this captivating universe."—RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars)

A promise fulfilled

This audiobook is the debut novel from Brian McClellan and it starts off with a bang. A coup first thing, then the novel is off. Without pausing much for breath, the action begins, thrusting you straight into the aftermath of the coup, and the many repercussions that ripple away from it. Rather than take place in the traditional medieval ages of most fantasy books it seems, this one takes place in more of an industrial era. Traditional manipulation of the elements by mages is coupled with that of powder mages, mages who burn and imbibe gunpowder to gain temporary superhuman enhancement of strength, vision, etc, and can also use it to redirect the power formed from a powder charge. The two intertwine well to form an interesting base from which the magic in this story is formed. Intrigue and maneuvering also play a decent role.

The story is told from the viewpoint of more than one character, oft times more than one in a single chapter. For people who're used to reading books like game of thrones, or the wheel of time series, this hopping about won't bother you, but for those who are used to a story having only one main character proceeding forward from beginning to end, you might find yourself a bit confused.

As far as the narrator goes, I've got to say he does a fantastic job. I've only listened to a few other audiobooks, but Christian Rodska is making me reevaluate all the other narrators I've heard as the job he does is by far the best I've heard thus far. Rather than simply reading the story, he lives it almost. Each of the separate characters had their own unique voices, and they are all distinct. While some people might not be fond of the voices he gives to some of them, especially some of the female characters, the fact that they are all distinct and separate from all the other voices sets them apart. Proper pacing is shown throughout, and the pitch and emotion he shows generally fits the setting of the novel. I've read the book before, but certain parts of the reading had me laughing out loud, not something I expected, especially seeing as how it wasn't my first time with the book. The one criticism I've got for the reading is that when the book shifts between characters mid chapter, the narrator continues onwards without more of a pause than you'd find between sentences. This can be jarring, and you can find yourself struggling briefly to shift gears mentally and adjust to the sudden change. I found this happening most often when the author switched points of view between Tamas and Taniel, as the names are somewhat similar, though the voices differed. Still, this is a minor quibble, and the reading was flawless otherwise.

If you're looking for something different fantasy wise, a thing of blood and grit, give this one a go. You won't be disappointed.

Hands down one of the best book series ever

Where does Promise of Blood rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is my favorite audio book series by far

What does Christian Rodska bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The reader's telling of the book is incredible. You can identify characters by the way he talks and each character has distinctive little quirks when they talk. His narration definitely heightens the story and pulls you in.

Any additional comments?

This is the first of an amazing series. If you like action, a touch of magic, plot twists and turns, and genuinely awesome listening, this series is for you!

What a Ride

Cinematic in scope and wordsmithy, by the end I was listening any chance I had.

AMAZING. Character building, mystery, depth. GREAT

Worth your time. The beginning is hard to distiguish between characters but it is worth sticking with it. So much great character building, complex story line, interesting and thrilling, as well as terrifying, real and makes you wonder about war, religion and human ethics.

Overall, it was a great listen.

I really enjoyed listening to this book. Brian McClellan has my attention. The setting, the characters, and the story is very intriguing.
Christian Rodska also did a splendid job keeping me engaged all throughout and I had no problem distinguishing one character from the other.
This is not an in depth analysis of this book. It's only a quick opinion coming from a fan of fiction. Try it out, I highly recommend it.

worth the credit no doubt

narrator made it very enjoyable
story was a good buy for me
Will definitely buy the next

Slow and Detailed Start

If you could sum up Promise of Blood in three words, what would they be?

Slow plodding detailed

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Great. Made me want to read the second book.

Any additional comments?

This book begins very slow with sparse action. A lot of time is spent on character and scene development with out much else moving the story along. Basically I found the first 2/3 of the book a bit boring but the last 1/3 exciting. The second book in this series is far better.

Deep gravely voice was perfect for main characters

Christian Rodska's performance was fantastic; unfortunately though, on the few occasions a female characters voice was required, Christian's (normally) deep gravely voice, just didn't cut it when he was attempting a female character's voice. It would have been better, I think, if there was a second (female) narrator to read those parts.

great story

story had lots of substance, but the reader had a hard time distinguishing between characters

Fantastic read(listen)!

This is only the second "flintlock fantasy" I have been exposed to and, based on the first, I wasn't expecting much. I was so pleasantly surprised! This is one of the best books I have listened to this year. Great characters, brought wonderfully to life by the performer. The story is a good one, and well paced. The magic system is unique and well done. I plan on immediately devouring the second installment!