The Autumn Republic

By: Brian McClellan

Narrated by: Christian Rodska

In the explosive conclusion to the Powder Mage trilogy, Tamas, Taniel, and Adamat have been betrayed and Adro now lies in the hands of a foreign invader—but it remains the duty of the powder mages to defend their homeland unto death.

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 ...

The Autumn Republic is the epic conclusion that began with Promise of Blood and The Crimson Campaign.

Critic reviews

"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 on Promise of Blood

"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."—Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author on Promise of Blood

"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) on Promise of Blood

"McClellan's debut packs some serious heat.... A thoroughly satisfying yarn that should keep readers waiting impatiently for further installments."—Kirkus (Starred Review) on Promise of Blood

"Gunpowder and magic. An explosive combination. Promise of Blood is the best debut I've read in ages."—Peter V. Brett

"I love the world Brian McClellan builds, Powder Mages with flintlock pistols against white-gloved Privileged for the fate of a nation and more. Promise of Blood feels like the start of something amazing."—Django Wexler

Awesome!

One of the best trilogies so far. I really didn't want it to end. Loved the characters, the way the story flowed and the humor throughout.

incredible trilogy!

Great finish to this incredible trilogy.

I love the work the narrator does to make the story come alive.

Drives relentlessly to the climax

The third book, “The Autumn Republic,” drives relentlessly to the climax. Still more surprises are in store for the POV characters, some are heart-rending. Plot lines initially continue their precipitous downward spirals, but eventually converge into a compelling culmination. The payoff is powerful.

Gritty, messy … the author is not easy on his characters. He beats them, shoots them, stabs them. They must suffer outrageous fortunes. Battle scenes are descriptive of strategy, tactics, battle, and the confusion therein. The characters operate on incomplete knowledge and sometimes make mistakes. Yet the protagonists are heroes. They overcome the challenges they face by courage and determination.

Antagonists are not necessarily evil. They have their own motivations and agendas. The major antagonists emerge as more than cutouts. Further, as the story develops, their machinations nest and overlap each other. Aside from the opponent characters, an overarching antagonist reveals itself, namely Change, or more fully, the chaos that accompanies changes in society, the economy, religion, and of course, political authorities. As the POV characters encounter the many changes around them, they must adapt and grow.

Brian McLellan is a creative spirit kindred to Brandon Sanderson. Characters do things for reasons. They grow; they’re different at the end. Magics are limited--and have rules, and magic takes a back seat to a character’s choices and actions. The world-making is magnificently deep, detailed, and complex. McLellan’s talent is in crafting a very good story of relatable characters set in a believable context.

Christian Rodska gives each character a voice. His narrative tone is and expressive, changing pitch, volume, and rate appropriate for the material. He emotes well. He gives the central character a gravelly tenacity touched with the right amounts of exasperation and weariness that makes you feel like that character is doing the talking. A British actor, he really does an excellent performance.

Enjoyable

A great and original story, but I was overall unattached to any of the characters. Also, I felt some of the plot lines were underdeveloped. Many of the minor plot lines could have not been included and the story would not have been changed in any way.

great series

I was a huge fan of this trilogy though a late come to it which was food because I don't know if I could have waited for the next book the suspense would have killed me