
Promise of Blood
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Narrated by:
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Christian Rodska
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By:
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Brian McClellan
About this listen
"Just plain awesome" (Brandon Sanderson)
Civil unrest cripples the citizens of Adro in the aftermath of the revolution that obliterated the monarchy. Now, Field Marshal Tamas and his lieutenants must confront the true cost of freedom in book one of the Powder Mage Trilogy.
It's a bloody business overthrowing a king...Field Marshal Tamas' coup against his king sent corrupt aristocrats to the guillotine and brought bread to the starving. But it also provoked war with the Nine Nations, internal attacks by royalist fanatics, and the greedy to scramble for money and power by Tamas's supposed allies: the Church, workers unions, and mercenary forces. It's up to a few...Stretched to his limit, Tamas is relying heavily on his few remaining powder mages, including the embittered Taniel, a brilliant marksman who also happens to be his estranged son, and Adamat, a retired police inspector whose loyalty is being tested by blackmail.
But when gods are involved...Now, as attacks batter them from within and without, the credulous are whispering about omens of death and destruction. Just old peasant legends about the gods waking to walk the earth. No modern educated man believes that sort of thing. But they should....
Winner of the David Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Debut Fantasy.
©2013 Brian McClellan (P)2013 Hachette AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
2013, RT Best SciFi & Fantasy Novel, Nominated
2014, David Gemmell Morningstar Award, Best Debut Novel, Winner
"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
"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."—New York Times bestselling author, Brandon Sanderson"
"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)
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Story
Alek Fitz is a reaper, a collection agent who works for the supernatural elements of the world, tracking down debtors and solving problems for clients as diverse as the Lords of Hell, vampires, Haitian loa, and goblins. He’s even worked for the Tooth Fairy on occasion. Based out of Cleveland, Ohio, Alek is the best in the game. As a literal slave to his job, he doesn’t have a choice.
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Loved it!
- By Hugh on 04-11-19
By: Brian McClellan
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Many Are the Dead
- A Raven's Shadow Novella
- By: Anthony Ryan
- Narrated by: Steven Brand
- Length: 3 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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For decades, the brothers of the Sixth Order have fought a savage war against the Lonak clans amid the frozen peaks of their dominion. When word reaches the North of a fresh outbreak of the dreaded Red Hand, Brother Sollis, the finest swordsman in the Order, leads a small band to a long-abandoned castle in search of a potential cure but discovers a far greater threat lurking in the mountains. Enemies become allies as Sollis leads an increasingly desperate fight against an inhuman enemy steeped in the power of the Dark.
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Rather matter of fact for the horror theme
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 12-19-21
By: Anthony Ryan
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The Ninth Rain
- The Winnowing Flame Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Jen Williams
- Narrated by: Jot Davies
- Length: 20 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Jen Williams, acclaimed author of The Copper Cat trilogy, featuring The Copper Promise, The Iron Ghost and The Silver Tide, returns with the first in a blistering new trilogy. The great city of Ebora once glittered with gold. Now its streets are stalked by wolves. Tormalin the Oathless has no taste for sitting around waiting to die while the realm of his storied ancestors falls to pieces - talk about a guilt trip. Better to be amongst the living, where there are taverns full of women and wine.
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Couldn’t put it down!
- By Renae on 09-09-22
By: Jen Williams
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The Pariah
- By: Anthony Ryan
- Narrated by: Steven Brand
- Length: 19 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Born into the troubled kingdom of Albermaine, Alwyn Scribe is raised as an outlaw. Quick of wit and deft with a blade, Alwyn is content with the freedom of the woods and the comradeship of his fellow thieves. But an act of betrayal sets him on a new path - one of blood and vengeance, which eventually leads him to a soldier's life in the king's army. Fighting under the command of Lady Evadine Courlain, a noblewoman beset by visions of a demonic apocalypse, Alwyn must survive war and the deadly intrigues of the nobility if he hopes to claim his vengeance.
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Has a great first half then slowly goes downhill
- By Spencer Corpuz on 08-31-21
By: Anthony Ryan
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The Magician's Guild
- The Black Magician Trilogy: Book One
- By: Trudi Canavan
- Narrated by: Richard Aspel
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Sonea is caught up in a confrontation between the hated Guild magicians and the angry youth of the slums. To her dismay, she discovers that she possesses the same powers as the reviled magicians. To avoid capture, she must seek protection from the city's feared underworld, The Thieves. In return, she must use her powers for them, but her magic never seems to do quite what she intends it to.
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The book is like a wooden roller coaster...
- By Just Some Fool on 03-01-10
By: Trudi Canavan
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War Cry
- By: Brian McClellan
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 2 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Teado is a Changer, a shape-shifting military asset trained to win wars. His platoon has been stationed in the Bavares high plains for years, stranded. As they ration supplies and scan the airwaves for news, any news, their numbers dwindle. He's not sure how much time they have left. Desperate and starving, armed with aging, faulty equipment, the team jumps at the chance for a risky resupply mission, even if it means not all of them might come back. What they discover could change the course of the war.
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Too subtle magic, too shallow characters
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 07-26-22
By: Brian McClellan
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Of Blood and Fire
- The Bound and the Broken, Book 1
- By: Ryan Cahill
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Epheria is a land divided by war and mistrust. The High Lords of the South squabble and fight, only kept in check by the Dragonguard, traitors of a time long past, who serve the empire of the North. In the remote villages of Southern Epheria, still reeling from the tragic loss of his brother, Calen Bryer prepares for The Proving - a test of courage and skill that not all survive. But when three strangers arrive in the village of Milltown, with a secret they are willing to die for, Calen’s world is ripped from under him and he is thrust headfirst into a war.
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Didn’t expect a “grow up power fantasy”
- By Mike Thomas on 07-23-22
By: Ryan Cahill
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We Are the Dead
- The Last War Trilogy
- By: Mike Shackle
- Narrated by: Nicola Bryant
- Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Jia's people learned the hard way that there are no second chances. The Egril, their ancient enemy, struck with magic so devastating that Jia's armies were wiped out. Now terror reigns in the streets, and friend turns on friend just to live another day. Somehow Tinnstra - a deserter, a failure, nothing but a coward - survived. She wants no more than to hide from the chaos. But dragged into a desperate plot to retake Jia, surrounded by people willing to do anything to win the fight, this time Tinnstra will need to do more than hide.
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Criminally Underrated Gem in a world of Dark Fantasy
- By Nic on 04-24-23
By: Mike Shackle
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Perfect Shadow
- A Night Angel Novella
- By: Brent Weeks
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 2 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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For the first time as an Orbit special edition, Brent Weeks's blockbuster novella Perfect Shadow tells the origin story of the Night Angel trilogy's most enigmatic character: Durzo Blint. Gaelan Starfire is a farmer, happy to be a husband and a father; a careful, quiet, simple man. He's also an immortal, peerless in the arts of war. Over the centuries, he's worn many faces to hide his gift, but he is a man ill-fit for obscurity, and all too often he's become a hero, his very names passing into legend.
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Good writer bad bad bad narrater
- By Kenneth Atkinson on 07-12-11
By: Brent Weeks
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Traitor's Blade
- The Greatcoats, Book 1
- By: Sebastien de Castell
- Narrated by: Joe Jameson
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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The Greatcoats - legendary heroes, arbiters of justice...or notorious traitors? The Greatcoats are travelling magistrates bringing justice to all...or at least they were, before they watched the Dukes impale their King's head on a spike. Now the land's heroes are reviled as traitors, their Greatcoats in tatters. Facio, Kest and Brasti have been reduced to working as mercenaries, but when they find their employer dead - and are forced to watch as the killer plants evidence framing them for the murder - they realise things are about to get even worse.
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Excelente Historia y narrador.!
- By Jonnathan on 03-20-19
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A Little Hatred
- By: Joe Abercrombie
- Narrated by: Steven Pacey
- Length: 20 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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On the blood-soaked borders of Angland, Leo dan Brock struggles to win fame on the battlefield, and defeat the marauding armies of Stour Nightfall. He hopes for help from the crown. But King Jezal's son, the feckless Prince Orso, is a man who specializes in disappointments. Savine dan Glokta - socialite, investor, and daughter of the most feared man in the Union - plans to claw her way to the top of the slag-heap of society by any means necessary. But the slums boil over with a rage that all the money in the world cannot control.
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Rough listen.
- By Jared Clark on 01-08-20
By: Joe Abercrombie
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Jade Shards
- Stories
- By: Fonda Lee
- Narrated by: Andrew Kishino
- Length: 3 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Fonda Lee returns to the acclaimed Green Bone Saga with four prequel short stories that delve into the personal histories of the Kaul and Ayt families.
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Listen to these prequels only after the series
- By 🔥 Phx17 🔥 on 07-13-24
By: Fonda Lee
What listeners say about Promise of Blood
Highly rated for:
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-13-16
A Three-Star Book Bumped Up by a Compelling Finish
There are some interesting worldbuilding aspects in this book, alongside a compelling character or two, but I thought the vast majority of it was rather "meh." I had a hard time caring about the characters, and most of them were not particularly nuanced in any way that made them interesting. That being said, the book ends with a devil of a cliffhanger that promises some fun stuff in the future, so I'll probably go for book two.
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3 people found this helpful
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- JPaladin
- 11-02-13
Interesting world, good characters, engaging
An immersive world with engaging characters. Interesting conflict and told from compelling character perspectives.
I enjoyed it and will look for the next book.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Rayan
- 08-11-20
could have been better.
the plot is good but the focus of the story is not so good. there is no explanation about the powder magery. no explanation how the villains are working. no explanation what or how the savage girl is doing. All the focus is on protagonist Thomas who is a weak character, and other than just worrying, he is not doing anything the entire time. a leader without resolve. freed a country but not doing anything to run it. neither fortifies the defense of the country even after hearing the warning that the neighboring country is planning to attack, nor tries to increase security inside the country. dismisses everything he hears about the villain outright as superstition in an era of magic. in theory he is very powerful but in reality he gets captured again and again, ambushed again and again. what i mean is, he didn't have any characteristics of a good leader. Not sure how he became the commander of the military. also 80 percent of the book, he is battling his own dilemma. if someone is this conflicted before starting a coup that makes sense but after starting a coup should have had more foresight and resolve to see things thru. while the protagonist is battling his dilemma and worrying how he can be betrayed or taken down, by that time all the important events are happening without any focus on it from the writer.
All in all I like the plot, gives an idea how the society would have been when monarchy was going out of business. How desperate the lords were to cling to power etc. but the writing is not so great. Other than the detailed account of the worrying of the protagonist, nothing else was explained. Could have been a lot better.
The narrator is good. not a lot of range like the number one narrators but still good.
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- Nicholas Hart
- 09-11-18
Awesome new series!
I knew when my friend said this was a new fantasy series that I would enjoy, that I wouldn’t be disappointed. Great story, character development, and the narrator was amazing.
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- Eric G. Peters
- 09-25-14
I'm caught.
If you could sum up Promise of Blood in three words, what would they be?
gunpowder magic awesome
Which character – as performed by Christian Rodska – was your favorite?
Taniel
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
yes
Any additional comments?
Got me hooked early on, kept me hooked, and finally reeled me in. Can't get enough of this series/universe.
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- Anonymous User
- 11-05-18
Amazing voice and amazing world building
this book was finished within a week, it was amazing how intricate the world building was
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- Joe
- 04-19-20
great characters
I loved the character development in this book! from the point-of-view characters, to the die-before-you-learn-their-name characters, each one seems fully developed with a rich backstory, hidden motives, and real feelings. That is crucial for me. The story line itself (installation of a new government) left me wanting a little more, but the magic and the gods kept me intrigued throughout.
I wasn't crazy about the performance. It seemed a little campy in some places and almost comical. Also, a couple characters, who have frequent conversations with each other, sounded the same. without the text, it was frequently hard to tell who was talking.
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- Jacob D. Taft
- 02-09-21
Amazing writer
Loved the writing, the flow, the character development, the narrator, the world. Can’t wait to read more from this author.
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- saul
- 10-17-19
a damn good book.
title says it all, can't wait for the next one. dont want to write anymore, cuz I'm busy.
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- Eric
- 06-14-20
Gritty and Real
Excellent writing. Excellent performance.
Balances the main characters well.
The only downside is an odd one. The intensity of the story for the first 80% of the way through never really wavers. This keeps you engaged but can make things bland. There are very few quiet moments to slow things down and humanize the characters. I find myself wanting to know how the story continues, but I will likely listen to another story in between for a change of pace.
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