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A review by peterkeep
The Crimson Campaign by Brian McClellan
5.0
Brian McClellan's second book is a great follow-up to his highly-praised debut.
The incredible pacing of [b:Promise of Blood|15790883|Promise of Blood (The Powder Mage, #1)|Brian McClellan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350337505s/15790883.jpg|21512438] continued, the story picking up by dropping us into the middle of the action. I was never overwhelmed, though, by constant action or unexplained events. I was always confident that I knew enough of what was happening to keep up with the story, but not enough to make it boring. There were still surprises along the way to keep me on my toes.
The plot arcs in The Crimson Campaign felt as unique and original as the setting, adding complexity and depth to an already really cool world. The world we learned about in Promise of Blood expands. The political landscape changes and continues to grow in complexity. Politicians plot and scheme to try and control any bit of power they can. The military campaign is unpredictable and exciting. The fallout of some of the actions in the previous book play out without relying on worn-out tropes. It's fresh and exciting the whole way through.
One of the biggest things that I noticed was that minor characters were given so much more impact on the world around them. We stick to the same POV's as Promise of Blood, but it felt like there were so many added "main characters," since the ones who we just got to know on the fringes of the story last time really came into their own here. Nothing felt forced - instead, it felt like some of their motives and actions were revealed as the regular POV characters interacted with them more. We are just given a larger and longer glimpse into these secondary characters and get to see what they're up to.
I really liked seeing some more development in the main POV characters, too. We get to see some of their past fleshed out, we get to see them struggle with different vices, and we get to see how the changing world around them impacts their lives. It's a real treat to get such well-written characters.
Brian McClellan has a lot of work to do to conclude the trilogy, but if his third book is anything like his first two, I'll be very satisfied! I'm extremely excited for [b:The Autumn Republic|20883847|The Autumn Republic (The Powder Mage, #3)|Brian McClellan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393261950s/20883847.jpg|40224712]. February 10th can't come soon enough!
The incredible pacing of [b:Promise of Blood|15790883|Promise of Blood (The Powder Mage, #1)|Brian McClellan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1350337505s/15790883.jpg|21512438] continued, the story picking up by dropping us into the middle of the action. I was never overwhelmed, though, by constant action or unexplained events. I was always confident that I knew enough of what was happening to keep up with the story, but not enough to make it boring. There were still surprises along the way to keep me on my toes.
The plot arcs in The Crimson Campaign felt as unique and original as the setting, adding complexity and depth to an already really cool world. The world we learned about in Promise of Blood expands. The political landscape changes and continues to grow in complexity. Politicians plot and scheme to try and control any bit of power they can. The military campaign is unpredictable and exciting. The fallout of some of the actions in the previous book play out without relying on worn-out tropes. It's fresh and exciting the whole way through.
One of the biggest things that I noticed was that minor characters were given so much more impact on the world around them. We stick to the same POV's as Promise of Blood, but it felt like there were so many added "main characters," since the ones who we just got to know on the fringes of the story last time really came into their own here. Nothing felt forced - instead, it felt like some of their motives and actions were revealed as the regular POV characters interacted with them more. We are just given a larger and longer glimpse into these secondary characters and get to see what they're up to.
I really liked seeing some more development in the main POV characters, too. We get to see some of their past fleshed out, we get to see them struggle with different vices, and we get to see how the changing world around them impacts their lives. It's a real treat to get such well-written characters.
Brian McClellan has a lot of work to do to conclude the trilogy, but if his third book is anything like his first two, I'll be very satisfied! I'm extremely excited for [b:The Autumn Republic|20883847|The Autumn Republic (The Powder Mage, #3)|Brian McClellan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393261950s/20883847.jpg|40224712]. February 10th can't come soon enough!