The Crimson Campaign: Book 2 in The Powder Mage Trilogy

3/5

A lot of trilogies have the issue of a saggy middle, where it feels more like filler than anything else to connect to the end. Unfortunately this book felt very much like that.

We continue with three major characters (and one minor) but I would argue only one was actually pushing the plot forward in a meaningful way through the book.

I love Tamas and his pov, which is why I was quite disappointed in his chapters. It was certainly filled with lots of action and tactical decisions and clever combat. But that’s it. There was no more of his charm from the first whatever the the next crisis that comes up from his coup. It’s just him and his soldiers traversing through a war zone. I just felt let down. Only at the very end did anything more meaningful truly happen.

Taniel has the same issue where you spend a lot of time just watching him make one arrogant and stupid decision after another. At least he has some variation of the setting he is in which made it slightly better, but not by too much. I’m just waiting for him to grow up and take responsibility.

Finally the only view point I think stayed consistently good was Adamant. He continues his investigation to find his family and I really enjoyed the twists and turns. He does feel a little super human and I am surprised he can still walk after all the beatings. But overall he was by far the best part of the book.

Now, Nila. Honestly I am still not sure why she is part of the book. I do not particularly enjoy her view point. It just feels quite boring compared to the rest despite the twist at the end. So here is hoping to that actually having a good payoff in the next one.

Another issue I have is how women in general are treated in the series. They are always used as props or referenced relative to the other men. Even the ones in high seats of power are relegated to being dismissed and just written poorly. Why are they all crying all the time? Ka-poel being the worst offender here though. I did not enjoy how the series handled any of her interactions and used her as a prop to advance Taniel’s own story instead of fleshing her out as her own person. There were multiple scenes that were just gross and unnecessary added for shock value and just once again giving Taniel a plot point. Incredibly disappointing considering just how strong she is in magic.

Continuing on, plot wise, nothing really happened until the very end, making most of the book kind of unnecessary. And the most interesting part of the previous book, the gods coming down into the world, has been completely ignored as well throughout most of it. That was such a shame.

The magic itself is also still feeling very disjoint and a little unclear. It’s used sparingly in interesting ways and I am just not loving it. Again hoping for this to improve in the last book.

Overall I think this book could have easily been cut down and summarized in a few chapters in the following book instead of being one giant volume itself.

One man makes a difference. Sometimes it’s a small one. Other times, he tips a war.

The middle book of a trilogy needs to increase tension, set the stage for a larger finale and introduce you to history referenced in the first instalment. This book delivers on all fronts, was a fantastic read, and a great middle book within a trilogy.

The POV's for Tamas and Taniel were excellent. They were action packed and victory was never guaranteed. I really enjoyed seeing the Kez army from both perspectives and appreciated how stretched thin the Adro army was and how hopeless their situation was.

Taniel and Ka-Poel are a standout team and the highlight of this book. In addition to fighting enemies they are constantly hounded by racism toward's Ka-Poel's Bone Eye heritage. I appreciate how little information we have about Ka-Poel because it would be very easy to make her the focus of the stories and not the fallout from the dismissal of Manhouch.

Adamant showed a bit more worth as an investigator in Adopest but with most of the action happening out of Adopest his chapters were a bit of an exhale after the high tension of Tamas and Taniel.

Nila's story merely existed and felt that it was preventing me from getting on with the story rather than benefiting. She had the fewest POV's so it didn't disrupt the pace too much. Having many POV breaks appear at a climactic point was a bit repetitive, especially if you were transported to someone with a less interesting update.

Was all he left behind misery and death? Sorrow, widows, and grieving families?

The first two books have seen a lot of battles and plenty of destruction. The characters are war heroes and will keep on killing regardless of what toll it takes on them. There are characters who will continue to slaughter without remorse or consideration for their part in the war machine.

Thankfully one character has shown growth in this regard with Bo. There times he admitted that killing would be an easier option but would prefer to avoid it. He acknowledges this decision and looks for ways to avoid killing. Others may get there, Tamas has referenced age and fatigue, but still looks for death as the only option.

I will enjoy the series even if the character's don't question their actions but I like to see a struggle lead to growth. Unfortunately, for some characters, the only growth they are getting is the kill count notched on their weapon.

I love it!
The first book is wonderful, refreshing. You can absolutely feel in the writing that Brian is a pupil of Brandon Sanderson. Same treatement of magic, same mechanisms, same way of building the story.
But it is a bit less polished
Now this second book is a step up. I felt distinct tones of Sanderson and Steven Erikson in this work, but in a good way. It is grittier and more tightly written. Every viewpoint is interesting.
Listening to the audiobook is a bit confusing at times, though, because of the same-sounding names. I wish writers would keep that in mind when choosing names.
Also, scene changes in the audible book were abrupt, or rather, too smooth, especially towards the end, the Sanderson Avalanche. I would think I was still in one viewpoint but the narrator had already switched to the other.
That's not the writers fault, but Audible's.

Anyways. The setting is wonderful. Soldiers with gunpowder, bajonets and magic.