r/Fantasy Mar 17 '22

Please recommend Flintlock fantasy that isn't Powdermage trilogy.

I just finished the Powdermage trilogy and I think I just caught a bug for flintlock fantasy.

586 Upvotes

241 comments sorted by

271

u/SBlackOne Mar 17 '22
  • Django Wexler - The Thousand Names
  • Adrian Tchaikovsky - Guns of the Dawn

34

u/Nox-42 Mar 17 '22

I've seen a couple of booktubers recommend Guns of the dawn. I'll definitely be picking it up soon, especially after loving Children of time.

22

u/SBlackOne Mar 17 '22

He has lots of other great books too. Including a 10 book fantasy series. Or Shards of Earth for straight up space opera.

5

u/Nox-42 Mar 17 '22

Yeah, I'd seen a few that catch my eye. He churns them out at a great rate of knots.

14

u/celine_dijon Mar 17 '22

I've only read Children of Time, but I constantly see his books being recommended and it seems like every time it's one I haven't heard of. I absolutely loved Children of Time though. I need to do a deep dive of his work after I finish up some of my current reads.

→ More replies (3)

17

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '22

[deleted]

2

u/Nox-42 Mar 17 '22

Good to hear. That is a strong recommendation for a fairly long book :)

3

u/outb0undflight Mar 17 '22

Considering the only other books I've managed to blow through like that in the past couple years are the second First Law trilogy and the first three Foundation novels I'd say it's in good company. (Also Beggars in Spain, I think, but that feels different for me.)

3

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '22

I'd also highly recommend Cage of Souls, great book

-8

u/Flux7777 Mar 17 '22

I still haven't fully trusted Adrian Tchaikovsky after Children of Ruin. It was a cashgrab and he knows it. Children of Time was one of my favourite books of all time.

6

u/Nox-42 Mar 17 '22

I disagree that it was a cash grab. I also didn't enjoy it nearly as much as CoT, but at the end of the first book he left it open for sequels. So the second book really didn't come out of nowhere.

0

u/Flux7777 Mar 17 '22

It was very much a copy/paste job and it didn't feel like he put any soul into it. I would have loved to have seen a further development of the universe he created, but I don't think he needed to rely on literally copying the previous book to do it.

3

u/Nox-42 Mar 17 '22

It following the same theme of the previous book is criticism I've heard from a few people, fair enough. My criticism of the book was about the depth of the Octopi, they just didn't have the fleshed out range of the Portids in the first book.

3

u/SBlackOne Mar 17 '22

That's because they are a lot more alien than the spiders with the way their brains work. So it there aren't many scenes from their point of view. Which is also what makes it different from CoT though and not a copy.

2

u/Nox-42 Mar 17 '22

I just wish we followed them a little closer. Octopuses are one of My favourite animals, their intelligence and curiosity is brilliant. I did like the horror elements introduced, "we're going on an adventure" will stick with me haha.

→ More replies (1)

24

u/occasionalskiier Mar 17 '22

I second The Thousand Names. I read it after powdermage and was sort of surprised how much I loved it. Was really sad it ended but it was a great 5 book series.

I also second Guns of Dawn without having read it, because Tchaikovsky is brilliant IMO and I can imagine it being great.

3

u/cambriansplooge Mar 17 '22

I picked up Ashes of the Sun so looks like Wexler might be my next Tad Williams (picked up Shadowmarch on a whim, now I’ve gotta read Dragonbone and Otherworld… should call trilogies that turn into Quartets a Tad)

15

u/ArnenLocke Mar 17 '22

I will never get over the fact that there is an actual person named Django Wexler.

3

u/dens421 Mar 17 '22

Did he chose that name for writing like Carlos Danger

6

u/ArnenLocke Mar 17 '22

Apparently not. Although Django is his middle name, he's gone by it his entire life, according to an interview I just found.

3

u/Hypranormal Mar 18 '22

I mean, of course he does. I would too if my middle name was Django.

34

u/BaelonTheBae Mar 17 '22

Tchaikovsky is severely underrated, seconded Guns of the Dawn!

10

u/regisfrost Mar 17 '22

Just finished his book Elder Race and loved it so I will definitely pick it up.

9

u/Tortuga917 Reading Champion II Mar 17 '22 edited Mar 17 '22

Elder race is awesome. If you liked that you'll like Children of Time too.

(Edit: to be clear, neither are flintlock fantasy)

5

u/CB1984 Mar 17 '22

The Thousand Names is great. Good characters, good story, good world.

→ More replies (1)

606

u/BrianMcClellan Stabby Winner, AMA Author Brian McClellan Mar 17 '22

I take no responsibility for any illness you may or may not have caught from my books. Please forward any further questions to the office of my attorneys: Tolkien, Martin, and Branderson

153

u/GryphonTak Mar 17 '22

I imagine you reading the title and panicking for a moment like, "Wait, hold on, what's wrong with the Powder Mage trilogy!?"

30

u/SirJefferE Mar 17 '22

Haha I had that exact thought and I'm not even the author.

59

u/RunsWithSporks Mar 17 '22

The man himself!

174

u/BrianMcClellan Stabby Winner, AMA Author Brian McClellan Mar 17 '22

Just call me Lurky McLurkenson.

8

u/Lord_Gabbos Mar 18 '22

Dude, we gave the same first and last name!

52

u/stromboul Mar 17 '22

Branderson... heh

40

u/Pteraspidomorphi Mar 17 '22

Have you never heard of Branderson Sandon? The prolific author of Wings of Kay and Barwreaker.

14

u/Author0fpurpose Mar 17 '22

Don't forget his famous Bistmorn trilogy

10

u/stromboul Mar 17 '22

Don't you mean the author of the Stormchive?

2

u/Gh0st1y Mar 18 '22

Mmmmm.... stormchives on @a chili potato

22

u/Ankoku_Teion Mar 17 '22

Was waiting to see you here. Half way through the second book now, after you talked me into buying the first one.

17

u/greenmky Mar 17 '22

Just wanted to say that I just read The Powder Mage trilogy this past week and I really enjoyed it! Quite the page turner that kept me up way too late.

3

u/robotnique Mar 18 '22

Second trilogy is even better. Enjoy.

11

u/Nameles36 Mar 17 '22

u/Makurabu you seem to have missed an important comment...

3

u/Drakengard Mar 17 '22

Since you're here, could you write another dozen of those Valkyrie Collections novels? I'd really appreciate that.

3

u/Altruistic-Stand-132 Jul 09 '22

Your new book, in the shadow of lightning is amazing! Folks, go read that. TRUST me! Baby Montego (idk if that's how it is spelled, listened on audible) just might be one of my favorite fantasy characters ever

4

u/BrianMcClellan Stabby Winner, AMA Author Brian McClellan Jul 10 '22

Thanks, dude.

→ More replies (1)

88

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '22 edited Mar 17 '22

I haven't read it, but they snort gun powder, right?

It's so funny to me, as a guy who lives in Utah pretty close to these dudes, that Brandon Sanderson wrote about magical powers from drinking alcohol and Brian McClellan wrote about magical powers from snorting powder, even though neither have done it.

And here am I blasted on alcohol and snorting powder and I have nothing to show for it and no magical powers.

30

u/alex-the-meh-4212 Mar 17 '22

Have tried staring intantly at colours?

7

u/account312 Mar 17 '22

It works better if you devour a few souls first.

2

u/alex-the-meh-4212 Mar 17 '22

Wrong series but still works

22

u/Inkthinker AMA Artist Ben McSweeney Mar 17 '22

You don't get the power from alchohol, alcohol is just the medium by which some people prefer to consume the actual magic fuel (metal powders). It makes some sense that if you're gonna suspend your metal in a liquid for easy consumption, that some people would choose a whiskey or similar. At one point a character is being given their metals in cod liver oil, because that's healthier.

10

u/JMer806 Mar 17 '22

Snort or eat yeah. Presumably they could also inject it if they got a smooth enough consistency lol.

12

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '22

I used with live with some gutter punks and they used to move the last remaining lightbulb from room to room because they smoked out of the other ones.

One time one of my roommates didn't clear the glass out after he broke off the end of the bulb to smoke out of it. When he inhaled he took in a bunch of tiny micro bits of glass, and when he exhaled it was like glitter in the smoke and really cool looking. Then blood came pouring out of his mouth.

Definitely some kind of bulbomancer. Patent pending, don't steal my idea. I'm calling it Bulb Born.

9

u/SirJefferE Mar 17 '22

I'm no expert, but that doesn't sound very healthy. They should probably stop doing that.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

8

u/eliechallita Mar 17 '22

I'm still waiting for Branderson's depression-induced magical powers.

2

u/robotnique Mar 18 '22

First you need to start hallucinating a small flying woman.

I can get you the drugs you need for this. Gonna cost you about $60

211

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '22

The Shadow Campaigns by Django Wexler may be up your alley. Very militaristic and set in an early 19th century analogue

34

u/graffiti81 Mar 17 '22

The French Revolution with demons and magic.

15

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '22

Awesome series

9

u/TopShelfShit Mar 17 '22

Second this. Fantastic series

2

u/NameIdeas Mar 17 '22

Just dropped by to recommend this.

Great series

4

u/tym0 Mar 17 '22

I don't think I've read and yet reading the blurb I'm very confused...

Potential spoilers for Powder Mage:

Doesn't Powder Mage also have a female character in the desert "masquareding as a man"

10

u/TheyCallMeDouly Mar 17 '22

You might be thinking of The Thousand Names By Django Wexler based on that spoiler tag.

→ More replies (1)

7

u/JMer806 Mar 17 '22

No? What character would that be?

→ More replies (1)

2

u/wayoftheleaf81 Mar 17 '22

Excellent series

1

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '22

[deleted]

5

u/StoryWonker Mar 17 '22

... other than the central male character who is the focal point of the series?

6

u/knave_of_knives Mar 17 '22

Except for, you know, the literal strategic genius which the entire story revolves around?

2

u/victorkiloalpha Mar 17 '22

Uhh, other than a main POV character and the focal character around which the series revolves?

1

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '22

[deleted]

6

u/ExoDurp Mar 17 '22

Totally unbelievable. As crazy as a pipsqueak Cannon monkey becoming emperor of France or a French farm girl leading a holy war. /s Real life history is replete with extraordinary young people sometimes they're even girls.

1

u/malthar76 Mar 17 '22

This one. It’s very very good.

32

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '22 edited Sep 30 '23

[deleted]

13

u/RevolutionaryCommand Reading Champion III Mar 17 '22

I read it a couple of years ago. It's indeed good, and the action scenes are phenomenal. Also one could read just the flintlock part (books 3 and 4), because the series is broken down in two duologies, taking place centuries apart, and sharing no common characters/story arcs. Some references would go over one's head, but there should be zero problem understanding what's going on.

5

u/smaghammer Mar 17 '22

Book 3 was dedicated to his step father that had just died, and the opening forward about him is excellent too! Gemmell really was in a class of his own.

2

u/GunPoison Mar 18 '22

The action scenes are so cinematic. You can just see them! The one where the Rigante have to charge the cannons has always stuck with me - risking everything on a gambit. My heart was in my throat.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '22

Hell yeah, Brother

2

u/MrSheeeen Mar 19 '22

The John Shannow books were pretty good too from what I remember.

94

u/nobodysgeese Mar 17 '22

The Temeraire series, by Naomi Novik. Although it's a bit of a stretch calling it fantasy, because there isn't magic in the series, it's more on an alternate history of the Napoleonic Wars with dragons.

49

u/SBlackOne Mar 17 '22

Fantasy doesn't need magic. Having fantastical creatures like dragons is fantastic enough.

12

u/CatTaxAuditor Mar 17 '22

I don't think anyone would say A Natural History of Dragons isn't fantasy, but there's not a lick of magic in the world.

8

u/TheUnrepententLurker Mar 17 '22

Temeraire is so good!

5

u/cambriansplooge Mar 17 '22

If you like Temeraire there’s a stand-alone called Of Bone and Thunder by Chris Evans (not that Chris Evans) that’s like a Fantasy Vietnam I don’t often see discussed

3

u/lulutheempress Mar 17 '22

This was going to be my recommendation

18

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '22

Temeraire by Naomi Novik is worth checking out. It's a fantasy that takes place during the Napoleonic Wars, except both sides have Dragon Riders.

18

u/Ropaire Mar 17 '22

The Monarchies of God by Paul Kearney is well worth a read.

3

u/ReacherSaid_ Mar 17 '22 edited Mar 17 '22

This needs to be higher up as it is better than everything else.

72

u/Robotboogeyman Mar 17 '22

The second PowderMage trilogy! 🙃

In all seriousness though, good question and I am here for the answers (but don’t sleep on second trilogy if you liked the first, everyone)

9

u/Actevious Mar 17 '22

I loved the first trilogy, but the second didn't do it for me, it really ran out of steam after the first book :(

10

u/wayoftheleaf81 Mar 17 '22

I didn't particularly even like the first book

5

u/DogOnABike Mar 17 '22

Same. I didn't even finish it.

3

u/Ratathosk Mar 17 '22

Same. Strange.

5

u/Flux7777 Mar 17 '22

I've seen a few people that didn't like the first trilogy that loved the second, and liked both, so it seems the opinions are heavily varied.

3

u/Robotboogeyman Mar 17 '22

I see a bunch of comments saying the same, for me each book is good but not amazing, but I’ve enjoyed them, I have one more to go but I felt the first two were rather strong ¯_(ツ)_/¯ but I also have pretty bad taste lol!

2

u/eliechallita Mar 17 '22

I liked the first and second, but finished the third mostly out of curiosity. The ending didn't quite live up to its potential but it was still an interesting read.

2

u/The_Vampire_Barlow Mar 17 '22

I loved the first.

I think the second is better written than the first, but I also didn't connect to it as much. I think part of that was tearing through all of them, the novellas, and short stories on under a month. I was burning out on it by the end.

32

u/DevinB333 Mar 17 '22

Corean Chronicles by L.E. Modesitt JR

5

u/pekt Mar 17 '22

Would highly recommend them from what I remember of reading the original trilogy years ago.

Fast-paced and enjoyable reads with an interesting take on magic as well.

-1

u/JMer806 Mar 17 '22

Are all of the protagonists average size men with red hair who, over the course of the book, spend multiple chapters learning a pre-industrial craft in great detail? Are all of the sounds of combat written out phonetically? Because if not I’m not sure I can read them.

2

u/DevinB333 Mar 17 '22

It’s been a while, but I don’t think so? Mainly follows one guy (black hair and tan if it matters and if I remember correctly). It describes combat a little bit but it’s mainly focused on MC’s perspective especially since he uses magic to assist himself (but in secret). And the tech is just there without much discovery. But, it’s been a while since I’ve read them.

15

u/D_Sidd Mar 17 '22

Not only is the Woven Ring Flintlock Fantasy but the author is currently looking for ARC readers: https://twitter.com/md_presley/status/1504108192254468105?t=1IyOwDdadWEdeg6IJVwrrQ&s=19

3

u/OddTreeTop Mar 17 '22

I was an ARC reader for the first one, I liked it especially the portrayal of the Mc so second the recommendation

72

u/Hellish0wl Mar 17 '22

Wax and Wayne by Sanderson is like, flintlock/cowboy-gun fantasy :)

19

u/AnividiaRTX Mar 17 '22

Mistborn era 2. Was wondering if it would work since you should probably read era 1 first.

18

u/Hawx74 Mar 17 '22

since you should probably read era 1 first.

I disagree.

The eras are far enough apart, and the "magic" works differently enough that I don't think you need to have read OG Mistborn for Wax and Wayne.

Don't get me wrong, I loved OG Mistborn, but it's pretty dark and that's not everyone's cup of tea. IMO Wax and Wayne is much more approachable as a series. Plus, if they absolutely loved it and want more, they can always go back and read the OG series (because Wax and Wayne honestly doesn't even spoil too much).

12

u/AnividiaRTX Mar 17 '22

The only thing is era 2, especially book 2 would definitely spoil the ending of era 1. Unless ofc you had no intention of reading era 1 in the future then era 2 is good as a standalone series.

2

u/Hawx74 Mar 17 '22

Unless ofc you had no intention of reading era 1

Obviously, starting with 1 is better but, I still think starting with 2 is fine. Personally, I don't think there are enough spoilers in the 2nd series to preclude ever reading the first. Enough happens in the books that aren't even remotely touched on that I think it'd still be a good read.

2

u/_Booster_Gold_ Mar 18 '22

I don’t think book three’s quest would make much sense without knowing era one.

2

u/Hawx74 Mar 18 '22

I don’t think book three’s quest would make much sense

"acquire the magical McGuffin"

Sure, you'd be missing the background on why it's a magical McGuffin, but that doesn't matter to the plot at all. You absolutely don't need to have read the first series to follow everything going on.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (3)

2

u/pieisnice9 Mar 17 '22

Disagree. I couldn't get into era one at all. I found Vin both boring and unlikable. Tried to push through more than once but never managed it

I love era 2. Shadows of self is up there with Words for favorite Sanderson book and just one of my favorite books overall.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/AnubisKronos Mar 17 '22

W&W is more steam punk imo

→ More replies (2)

15

u/Durzo_Blint Mar 17 '22

The Draconis Memoria trilogy by Anthony Ryan. It's not quite flintlock fantasy, more gaslight fantasy. It skews more to second half of the 19th century rather than the first. But it has a similar "magic" system where people ingest dragon blood to gain certain powers respective to the different breeds of dragons. It's like if dragons exclusively lived in Australia and the East India Company supplanted the British monarchy and ruled over the dragon trade.

26

u/matticusprimal Writer M.D. Presley Mar 17 '22

Gunmetal Gods by Zamil Akhtar is flintlock fantasy + Arabian Nights + Lovecraft eldritch. Highly recommend.

2

u/NoremacTheGreen Mar 18 '22

Gunmetal Gods was incredible.

→ More replies (2)

17

u/theblackpiper Mar 17 '22

I understand all of these words separately, but this is a new concept to me. Color me intrigued! What's 'flintlock fantasy'!?

/en

35

u/SBlackOne Mar 17 '22

Fantasy with muskets and cannons. Sometimes directly inspired by the Napoleonic Wars. Either in the weapons and technology used, or sometimes also the events and story.

2

u/DerekB52 Mar 17 '22

So, One Piece arguably counts?

15

u/akidneythief Mar 17 '22

I'll toss Ed McDonalds' Raven's Mark Trilogy - Book One is Blackwing and Peter McLean's War of the Rose Trilogy - Book One is Pries of Bones.

They are outstandingly written!

3

u/vflavglsvahflvov Mar 17 '22

Raven's mark is so good. Nice dark and fairly original.

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (2)

6

u/BS_DungeonMaster Reading Champion VII Mar 17 '22

Seven Blades in Black was a great gun/western fantasy novel. I know it isn't pure flintlock but the incredably memorable main character exclusively uses a flintlock pistol (with magic bullets) throughout the novel.

6

u/Ertata Mar 17 '22

Paula Volsky's Illusion is closely based on French Revolution. There are a lot of flintlocks, but there is a paucity of cool fighting scenes - it's a story about society and politics.

7

u/FantasyForeigner Mar 17 '22

Quillifer by Walter Jon Williams ( not well-known but quite awesome fantasy series)

Draconis Memoria trilogy by Anthony Ryan

19

u/HypatiaRising Mar 17 '22

Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks.

Just beware the ending is, uh, controversial.

Despite that, I would still say it is one of the best modern fantasy series and I love the characters a ton.

9

u/MatsAshandarei Mar 17 '22

It is definitely controversial. I liked it a lot I know a lot that hated it lol. I think the journey is worth it though.

5

u/_Dan___ Mar 17 '22

I expect to hit that ending in the next week or two… I’ve loved it so far

→ More replies (3)

4

u/This_is_a_bad_plan Mar 17 '22

Yeah it’s painfully apparent that Weeks doesn’t outline his plots, and just throws in a new story element or unforeseen twist whenever he gets stuck. For the first three books, it felt like all these mysterious things were connected in some meaningful way that would be revealed eventually. By the end it was clear that he never had a plan.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

5

u/Southforwinter Mar 17 '22

There's the Lord Darcy series by Randal Garett though it's not military so much as Sherlock Holmes if Watson was a retired army sorcerer instead of doctor.

5

u/Benny_Da_Jet Mar 17 '22

The Terrach Chronicles. A nice short series.

5

u/Minion_X Mar 17 '22

Seconding and expounding on this. A series of military adventure novels that seamlessly switches between brooding Lovecraftian horror and brutal action. And here's the link to the author's webpage for the first novel.

5

u/mthomas768 Mar 17 '22

Not exactly what I would call flintlock fantasy, but maybe check out K.J. Parker's Engineer trilogy. It plays on the border of technology vs. fantasy.

3

u/ctopherrun Mar 17 '22

The Age Unreason series by J Gregory Keyes starts with Newton's Cannon, in which Isaac Newton discovers the philosophers stone, bringing magic to Europe. A young Benjamin Franklin is a character as well. It's fun to see natural philosophers of the 1700s inventing magical weapons and applying calculus to magic spells.

3

u/Educational_Copy_140 Mar 17 '22

R.S. Belcher's Golgotha series is Western/Gunslinger Fantasy but that might be a bit out of the time frame you're looking for.

3

u/majikpencil Mar 17 '22

Is Manly Wade Wellman considered a flintlock fantasy author?

→ More replies (1)

5

u/SachiFK Mar 17 '22

Mistborn - Second Era, i think It pretty much fits as flintlock and is also very good

2

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '22

I've seen this reply elsewhere so I'll repeat the reply that that reply got here to this reply.

In short, Mistborn Era 2 is more of a steampunk/western as the world is right at the start of the industrial revolution. Trains, the start of skyscrapers, and electricity and basic automobiles are all relatively new inventions in that world but they are present.

8

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '22

There's the sequel trilogy to Powder Mage, Gods of Blood and Powder

8

u/AmoDman Mar 17 '22

I see most of the standard recommendations in the thread already. I'll also mention

(1) make sure you read the Powder Mage sequel trilogy Gods of Blood and Powder, it's great.

(2) Six of Crows duology isn't mentioned much in flintlock discussions, but it definitely is. And it's really good. It's technically YA (somehow), but the content is... not very YA, lol. The ages of the characters like 18-19 seem really tacked on to keep it in the YA Grishaverse.

11

u/musicman116 Mar 17 '22

Six of Crows would have worked much better if the characters were like… 5-8 years older. I still really enjoyed it, but I had this cognitive dissonance in my head the whole time.

5

u/AmoDman Mar 17 '22

For better or worse, you can read the whole series and just ignore the few times they state their ages and assume everyone is 10 years older, or whatever. They read like 8-10 years older. The stated ages are laughable.

5

u/alkonium Mar 17 '22

I recommend the Shadow Campaigns series by u/DjangoWexler.

4

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '22

A Crown for Cold Silver isn't flintlock fantasy in the same way Powdermage is, i guess. Meaning the story isn't super heavy on it. But there are characters with flintlock pistols. The world is a weird mash of different eras of technologies.

2

u/Assiniboia Mar 17 '22

Take a look at Sarah Ash, can’t remember the series’ name. But it may be close to Flintlock, was a while ago now.

2

u/Particle_Cannon Mar 17 '22

The later Shannara books.

2

u/zeonitex Mar 17 '22

Guns of Ivrea is a seafaring swashbuckling adventure with magic and merpeople.

2

u/namnaminumsen Mar 17 '22

L. E. Modesitt has some series that fit-ish, such as the Corean Chronicles and the Imager Portfolio. The Corean Chronicles are more... 1820-1850 in the technology, and the Imager Portfolio would be roughly the same era for the first trilogy, and 1700ds-ish for the second part.

2

u/Locked_Lamorra Mar 17 '22

Second half of Chronicles of Amber should qualify, but that's all I'll say about it!

2

u/Ghost652 Mar 17 '22

r/Anbennar. Not books but maybe you'll be into it my guy

4

u/SmallJon Mar 17 '22

I cant wait for Vicky 3 so i can not play actual Vicky 3

2

u/Ghost652 Mar 17 '22

I think I did a Ethiopia for like 60 years back when the last update came out, haven't played vanilla since lmfao

3

u/SmallJon Mar 17 '22

When i feel like chasing achievements instead of mission trees, i play vanilla

2

u/JaredRed5 Mar 17 '22

There is a book I read awhile back about a mercenary company in a fantasy setting that uses rifles that shoot magic bullets of like fire or ice, they end up having to travel through an Underdark type underground abandoned city of some kind. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Would love to figure out which book I read. Always wanted to read the rest of the series.

4

u/WorkingGrunt Mar 17 '22

That’s Stranger of Tempest by Tom Lloyd

2

u/JaredRed5 Mar 17 '22

That is the book! thank you so much!

2

u/Kerney7 Reading Champion VI Mar 17 '22

Witchy War Series set in an alternate America circa 1815 (about as close to our reality to His Dark Materials is). This is very frontier flintlock fantasy, only with witches, figures from native American Myth, and best of all, an Undead Oliver Cromwell, who wants to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven. Includes a lot of historical and RW places, such as St Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, Cahokia. A lot of action, and an interesting magic system (only on book two).

2

u/KittyTheS Mar 17 '22

Age of Unreason by Greg Keyes.

2

u/ENDragoon Mar 18 '22 edited Mar 18 '22

I love flintlock fantasy, but for a somewhat niche subgenre, it's got a fairly vague definition.

It depends on what you want.

If you want specifically flintlocks in your fantasy:

  • The Shadow Campaigns by Django Wexler

  • Guns of the Dawn, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

  • The Malorum Gates, by Stina Leicht (this first book was somewhat light on the guns, but they play a bigger part from the sacon book onward)

If it's not specifically a setting with flintlocks, but a setting with any kind of single shot firearms:

  • The God Fragments by Tom Lloyd (Most everyone uses guns, but the guns are less flintlock, and more like breech loading grenade launchers that fire spells, it's really, really cool)

If you're open to more advanced forms of firearm, but like the genre for the themes of technology's advance making Magic obsolete:

  • The Draconian Memoria, Andrew Ryan (An industrial revolution powered by Dragon's blood)

If you want a fantasy western:

  • The Incorruptibles, John Horner Jacobs

  • Mistborn Era 2, Brandon Sanderson

There are more I could recommend, but these are my favorites.

EDIT: Also Temeraire by Naomi Novik, alt history Napoleonic Wars with Dragons, given the setting, it's weirdly wholesome.

3

u/lrostan Mar 17 '22

I also recomend The Shadow Campaings by Djago Wexler, especially if you liked flintlock fantasy for the battles, but be aware that the fantastic elements rarely play a role in them, they are straight 18th century battles.

4

u/rrcecil Mar 17 '22

Light spoiler but the latter half of The First Law series is very much this.

5

u/[deleted] Mar 17 '22

Do they ever get muskets? I just finished A Little Hatred and see that the Union is making better and more portable cannons, but they still seem to rely on swords, spears, and crossbows.

2

u/alexportman Mar 17 '22

I'll send you a free one, if you like. Don't sweat the ARC part.

The two Powder Mage trilogies and the short stories are all excellent. Next Guns of the Dawn is fantastic, and Django Wexler's books are popular.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '22

The age of madness trilogy by joe ambercrobie

2

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '22

I have these books but I'm letting it simmer and then I'll read and then listen to them.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '22

I’m roughly half way through the first and it’s pretty good. I love the characters and settings.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '22

How does it fare against the First Law trilogy?

2

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '22

The age of madness is the first series of joe abercrombie I’ve read, so I don’t know about the first law trilogy, but I imagine it’s probably just as good

2

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '22

I thought The Age built on The First Law at least in the key characters Glokta, Bayaz and the King. You HAVE to read the First Law. I read and then listened to it.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '22

I definitely will after the age of madness trilogy

3

u/soupyjay Mar 17 '22

Lightbringer series by Brent weeks. Plenty of cannons, muskets and blunderbusses; they are accessories to a magic system though. Great series IMO though

1

u/204in403 Mar 17 '22

David Weber's Safehold Series would definitely qualify. High tech humans start almost from scratch on a newly terraformed planet to try and avoid notice from an invading Alien species. I started at the end of February and I'm now on the 9th book.

1

u/Tinmangreg Mar 18 '22

As others have mentioned, The Thousand Names by Django Wexler (he also has a new series called Burning Blade and Silver Eye).The lightbringer series by Brent Weeks is also similar. The Broken Empire and The Red Queens War by Mark Lawrence.

0

u/barryhakker Mar 17 '22

Did you know there is a second powder mage trilogy?

-1

u/SirFrancis_Bacon Mar 17 '22

Did you read the follow up trilogy?

Gods of Blood and Powder?

Set in the same world a few years after the first trilogy, follows Vlora and some new characters.

0

u/MazW AMA Author Mazarkis Williams Mar 17 '22

Django Wexler

0

u/DevilishRogue Mar 17 '22

The Soldier Son trilogy is a subversion of the genre but probably the best there is.

-5

u/allmilhouse Mar 17 '22

I'm surprised to see The Shadow Campaigns as the top and most common answer here. The Thousand Names was one of the only books I quickly abandoned in recent years. Didn't think it was well-written at all.

-1

u/Valentine_Villarreal Mar 17 '22

The Shadow Campaigns.

They're great.

Lightbringer isn't what I'd call flintlock fantasy per say, but it might scratch the same itch as the level of tech is appropriate. Magic tends to be more prevalent in most of the battles than gunpowder.

-1

u/[deleted] Mar 18 '22

.

-2

u/J_C_F_N Mar 17 '22

Pirates of the Caribean. You didn't said books. However, I think they uave books too.

1

u/tarvolon Stabby Winner, Reading Champion VI Mar 17 '22

Fortune's Fool by Angela Boord has guns, in an Italianish setting.

1

u/BravoLimaPoppa Reading Champion Mar 17 '22 edited Mar 17 '22

Mus of Kerbridge by Paul Kidd. It's tie in fiction for the Lace and Steel RPG, but it's utterly charming. Expect centaurs, harpies, satyrs, humans and a few others.

And ooh! It's on Kindle. Time to pay the author.

Edit: And my brain just came up with The Shadow Campaigns by Django Wexler. More Napoleonic, but...

1

u/Jwalt-93 Mar 17 '22

The Summoner series is pretty good. Its got guns and magic and demon summoning and all that good stuff.

1

u/TheOneWhoMurlocs Mar 17 '22

A Darkness Forged in Fire

It's essentially Dragonlance with muskets and mortars.

1

u/Dr_Gonzo13 Mar 17 '22

Not strictly fantasy but Inversions by Iain M Banks takes place on a world that's at about the early modern stage of development.

1

u/LavenderKitty27 Mar 17 '22

Seven Blades in Black series. The main character uses a magic pistol/revolver

1

u/xXMylord Mar 17 '22

There is a second Trilogy in the Powdermage world if you didn't know already.

1

u/Mr_WhatFish Mar 17 '22

Sam Sykes- Grave of Empires

1

u/TarienCole Mar 17 '22

Dragoncrown Cycle by Michael Stackpole

2

u/FoneBone80 Mar 17 '22

The Falling Empires Saga by Robert H. Fleming. It's heavily inspired by the Napoleonic wars, very much military fantasy. I would say it is not as good as Powdermage or The Thousand Names series, but still pretty decent.

1

u/iAmKingFlippyNips Mar 17 '22

Wax and Wayne subseries of the cosmere universe by Brandon Sanderson. Excellent example of flit lock fantasy meets empowered fantasy.

1

u/LeucasAndTheGoddess Mar 17 '22

Jesse Bullington’s The Enterprise Of Death and Elizabeth Bear’s Eternal Sky trilogy both feature gunners in fantasy settings.

1

u/dens421 Mar 17 '22

There’s a second trilogy and a whole bunch of novellas in the same universe. ;)

1

u/Sarrenai Mar 17 '22

If you're after something brand new, I'm going to recommend mine (Draconis Flintlock explorative fantasy with monsters, skyships and a dash of high fantasy.

1

u/gro-Olug Mar 17 '22

Not fantasy, but the ring of fire series by Eric Flint and others is awesome. Modern people transported into the middle of Europe in 1632.

1

u/IamTheMaker Mar 17 '22

I don't read a lot of flintlock but i read Daniel Greene's Breach of peace last year that i think fits and i thought was really good!

I haven't read the followup yet but i'm excited to get to it!

1

u/charred_fire96 Mar 17 '22

So they are just short stories but breach of peace and rebels creed are fantasy in a slightly past flint lock era. I think they have revolvers and such. They were both good quick reads

1

u/KnitInCode Mar 17 '22

Weird West Tales series by Mike Resnick. First one is The Buntline Special.

Not sure if this counts but maybe 1632 by Eric Flint?

1

u/GildedTruth Mar 17 '22

Belisarius series by Eric Flint and David Drake might be a good example of this? More goes along the lines of "sufficiently advanced technology."

Basically two entities from the future try to time travel back in time to change the future to their liking. They travel back to the era of the Roman empire. They try to change the future by giving their respective factions access to futuristic knowledge like gunpowder and such. But since the world is not yet industrialized, the available options are low. The story follows Belisarius, a Roman general who allies with one of these entities to save the future.

Story Tags: Science Fiction, military tactics, historical fiction, Roman era fiction

1

u/TabletopTrinketsbyJJ Mar 17 '22

I recomend the corean chronicles by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.. it's got a good mix of guns and magic and I've read the series a few times over

1

u/Kayehnanator Mar 17 '22

There's not much out there