Promise of Blood
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fantasy literature |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Brian McClellan |
| Products | Fantasy novel |
Promise of Blood is a fantasy novel authored by American writer Brian McClellan, marking the opening installment of the The Powder Mage trilogy. Released by Orbit Books in 2013, it was succeeded by The Crimson Campaign in 2014. The book earned the 2014 Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer. The audiobook edition features narration by Christian Rodska.
Background and setting
The narrative unfolds within Adro, one of the Nine Kingdoms established by the semi-legendary figure Kresimir—now venerated as a god alongside his nine siblings. The novel introduces a distinctive magical framework categorized into three groups:
- Knacked: individuals possessing subtle or unconventional magical talents;
- Powder Mages: sorcerers who ingest and manipulate gunpowder to generate abilities such as telekinesis and explosive effects;
- Privileged: exceptional, potent mages who generally serve monarchs within "Royal Cabals" throughout the Nine Kingdoms.
Prologue
Field Marshal Tamas has orchestrated a coup d'état against Adro’s ruling monarchy, commanding the assassination of the Royal Cabal members, each of whom utters "You can't break Kresimir's Promise" before their death. Troubled by this phrase, Tamas enlists Adamat, a former soldier turned private investigator, to decipher its significance. He detains King Manhouch XII and his queen while purging the nobility in Adopest. Amidst the turmoil, laundress Nila is rescued by sergeant Olem and escapes alongside duke’s heir Jakob.
The next day, Manhouch, his queen, and numerous nobles face execution by guillotine, effectively ending the monarchy and sparking civil war.
Adamat
Amid personal difficulties—including debts accrued from a failed printing press venture—Adamat conducts his investigation. To shield his family from both political unrest and creditors, he sends them away from Adopest.
His inquiries reveal that texts addressing the Cabal’s cryptic phrase have missing sections, suggesting intentional suppression. He journeys to South Pike fortress to consult Privileged Borbador, the sole surviving Cabal member. Borbador explains that "Kresimir's Promise" is a legendary story originating from the founding of the Nine Kingdoms: Kresimir vowed to return if any royal lineage was toppled. A curse compels Cabal members to kill their king’s assassin or face death themselves. As the last survivor, Borbador must eliminate Tamas or die.
Taniel
Taniel Two-Shot, son of Tamas and a proficient powder mage serving in the Adrastan military, returns to Adopest after participating in Fatrasta’s independence conflict. His already strained relationship with Tamas deteriorates further following his breakup with Vlora, another powder mage connected to an alleged Kez conspiracy.
Tamas commands Taniel to locate a powerful Royal Cabal member who escaped during the coup. Paired with Julene, a Privileged mercenary, Taniel finds cooperation difficult. They pursue Rozalia—who had assisted Adamat—to Adopest University, where Julene and Rozalia engage in an intense magical confrontation revealing their true identities. Subsequently, Tamas orders Taniel to kill Borbador to end the curse and assigns Julene to accompany him on his journey to South Pike despite his reservations.
Tamas
In Adopest, Tamas forms a governing council to oversee Adro until a stable monarchy can be reestablished. This body includes prominent individuals such as Ricard Tumblar, leader of the largest labor union in Adro; Lady Winceslav, commander of the mercenary group Wings of Adom; Ondraus the Reeve, serving as finance minister; a eunuch acting as the Proprietor's emissary from the underworld; and Arch-Diocel Charlemund, head of the Kresim Church in Adro.
The council’s initial challenge arises when a royalist force of 20,000 attempts to reinstate the monarchy with young Jakob as their symbolic king. Tamas’s troops successfully quell the rebellion, and Jakob is believed to have been executed. Driven by vengeance, Nila infiltrates Tamas’s household disguised as a servant but is intercepted by Olem, Tamas’s vigilant bodyguard, who discloses that Jakob is alive and concealed. When Nila tries to free Jakob, Lord Vetas intervenes, capturing Jakob and compelling Nila to become his caretaker.
In the aftermath of the revolt, Tamas readies himself for negotiations with Kez. Manhouch had intended to finalize agreements that would render Adro a vassal state in return for gold to settle debts. However, when Duke Nikslaus—the Kez Privileged responsible for executing Tamas's wife—arrives leading the delegation, Tamas kills him and prepares for war, recognizing this as a deliberate provocation from Kez.
Following unsuccessful diplomatic efforts, an assassination attempt by a Warden on Tamas fails within his concealed chamber beneath Skyline Palace. To uncover potential Kez spies within the council, Tamas reinstates Adamat to conduct an investigation.
Taniel (II)
At South Pike Mountain, Taniel pursues Borbador but refrains from killing his childhood companion. They are suddenly attacked by Julene, a formidable cave lion who is revealed to be a Predeii—members of an ancient immortal sorcerer caste once serving as royal advisors and thought extinct after the Bleakening war. Julene’s objective is to summon Kresimir in order to acquire greater power.
Shortly thereafter, the Kez army advances on South Pike, supported by their Royal Cabal aiding Julene’s ritual. Together with Adro’s Mountain Watch, Taniel, Borbador, and Ka-Poel mount a prolonged defense lasting several months. At the ritual’s critical moment, Taniel employs magic to shoot Kresimir in the eye, apparently killing him and disrupting the summoning.
Reception
Kirkus Reviews awarded the novel a starred review, describing it as "a thoroughly satisfying yarn that should keep readers waiting impatiently for further installments." Publishers Weekly provided a generally favorable critique, highlighting that "McClellan neatly mixes intrigue and action."
In 2014, Promise of Blood received the Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer. Additionally, its cover artwork by Gene Mollica and Michael Frost was nominated for the Ravenheart Award recognizing Best Fantasy Book Jacket/Artist.
See also
- The Crimson Campaign, sequel to Promise of Blood
- The Autumn Republic, concluding volume of the trilogy