Epic Black Powder Fantasy. Again. Truly.

Sins of Empire by Brian McClellan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am an unabashed fan of Brian McClellan and his novels--and his novellas too, actually--and I am thrilled that he has produced another gem. This is fantasy at its most entertaining and most exciting, with everything working.

Some characters from the previous trilogy return, along with new characters, in a setting only seen in the novellas, and it takes off right away. From the first page, we have exciting, gripping action with high stakes focused on characters it's easy to care about. Vlora and Olem and Michel and Ben Styke and many others are hit with conflict on every level--personal, ideological, political, physical, emotional--and the author manages to wind the plot, conflicts, and action through every slice and level of society. McClellan is not as prone to wiping out his characters as, say, G.R.R. Martin, but no one is safe; the characters suffer and pay a price for every decision they make, with victory not assured. It's both tense and thrilling, but satisfying and ultimately fair to the reader.

For those who haven't read any of his novels, this is a black powder fantasy, meaning the technology is similar to our 18th Century, but it takes place in a world with magic and living gods. There are sorcerers of different types, including powder mages who can harness the power of gunpowder when they fight. The author makes the magic and the technology and the invented world absolutely believable, with the politics of colonization, oppression, and revolution looking like our own world. (It is original, though; this is not allegory.) On a new continent, with a colony on the edge of a frontier, natives and immigrants sometimes live alongside each other peacefully and sometimes fight for justice and power and wealth and personal freedom. This conflict, which gets placed inside a larger one, definitely has an epic feel, with plenty of room for additional books.

I love following the story of heroes that are limited but awesome. I enjoy the spectacle of them using their gifts and skills and grit to gain an advantage and keep going against all odds, while meeting up with other awesome characters, other heroes, whose storylines cross theirs. To me, that's where the fun is, and this one has it in abundance. It's a big book, so some of the payoffs are longer in coming, but they're better for it. (And it's the start of a trilogy, so not everything is settled by a long shot, but there is a satisfying conclusion.) He gives you characters to root for, and gives you reasons to care. Well done.

Great action, excellent characters, terrific plotting and pacing, fantastic imagination--this feels like fantasy is supposed to: a world of wonder filled with amazing people and exciting adventure.

Highly recommended. :)

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Where I meant to like the novel more than I did, and I'm sorry

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

[Some spoilers--veiled, but still spoilers.]

This book won awards, so I don't need to say that there are things to admire here. Of course there are.

Speaking for myself, not as a critic, I like the setting; I like the main character; I like the original world-building. But the plot is disappointing, and I didn't much enjoy it.

The story relies mostly on luck (two miraculous bits of luck) and very little on the actions of the main character. When she does act, it is only to present an argument and wait on the decision, like a court awaiting a jury's verdict; the resolution to the conflict is out of her hands, robbing the scene of most of its drama. It's like a game decided by coin-flip.

Binti comes from an interesting and complex society, and she has unique and exciting skills. So much is promised, and so many questions are raised, but there is very little payoff, and few questions answered. I hope I find the answers and excitement in the sequels.

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