The Autumn Republic

The Autumn Republic is the third book in the fantasy trilogy Powder Mage by Brian McClellan. The Autumn Republic was published in 2015, preceded by Promise of Blood in 2013 and The Crimson Campaign in 2014. Several novellas and short stories published between 2013 and 2015 also take place in the Powder Mage universe. The series concerns the overthrow of a monarchic regime in a military coup overseen by an infantry using black powder rifles.

In the two novels leading up to The Autumn Republic, Field Marshal Tamas overthrows the members of the Royal Cabal who hint at a conspiracy to keep the monarchy in power. Tamas enlists the help of private investigator Adamat to help solve the mystery. While Adamat investigates, Tamas and his son, Taniel, who can eat gunpowder to give himself supernatural powers, hunt down the surviving members of the Royal Cabal.

The second book in the series concerns a war with the Kez, foreign invaders who take advantage of the confusion to attack the Adran. Tamas is trapped behind enemy lines and must lead a division of the army to safety. Meanwhile, Taniel prepares the rest of the army to fight against the Kez, as well as a rogue division of their own forces.



As The Autumn Republic opens, Adamat’s son, Josep, has been kidnapped by the Kez. Adamat is approached by Bo, a spy who offers to hire him to help free Taniel from the military prison where he has been confined by opposition forces. Neither Bo nor Adamat knows that Taniel has already escaped to the mountains. Adamat agrees to help since he hopes that getting closer to the Kez will help him find his son.

Adamat, Bo, and a handful of troops loyal to Tamas go to the front lines disguised as lawyers. They discover a conspiracy by one of the Adran generals to skim black powder off the top of the infantry’s supply to sell it for profit. They also discover a plan by another general, Helsinka, to betray the Adnan forces. They confront the general accused of stealing powder, convincing her to join their cause with her secret supply of powder in exchange for protection from Helsinka.

Tamas returns to the front lines, having brought with him new allies: the Delivs. He attacks the disloyal generals and puts down the opposition forces. A promising young member of the infantry, Nila, distinguishes herself during the battle. Bo, her mentor, leaves the front lines when Tamas returns and goes to the mountains to search for the missing Taniel.



Taniel is in hiding, evading the forces Helsinka has sent to capture him. Eventually, he is cornered, but Bo arrives on the scene just in time to save him. Bo and Taniel return to the front lines for a happy reunion with the allied Adran forces.

The Kez attempt to initiate peace talks, which Taniel, Tamas, and Nila attend. The talks go poorly, and when the group returns, they find that the talks were, in fact, a ruse to mount an attack on the Adran forces. Tamas convinces the Deliv to attack the Kez in full force, freeing him and Adamat to tend to matters in the capital of Adro.

Back in the capital, they uncover a plot to assassinate democratic candidate Ricard Tumbler. Realizing that Ricard’s mistress, Cheris, is part of the conspiracy, Adamat has her arrested and confined to Sabletooth prison. He also learns that another candidate, Claremont, may be possessed by the god Brude, who wants to reinstall the old monarchy.



Ricard wins the election but is attacked by Cheris and royalist forces. Tamas’s troops force Cheris to retreat, and Ricard is saved. Tamas goes to the former palace of the Adran Kings to confront Claremont.

Claremont discusses the nature of the gods, revealing that they are not actually gods but rather humans that have developed incredible supernatural powers. Speaking as Brude, Claremont says that the coup was part of his plan to kill the rest of the gods so that he can have supreme authority over the Adran. In the battle that ensues, Tamas is killed, though Taniel and his allies defeat Claremont and Cheris.

Tamas is honored with a massive funeral, though Taniel leaves before the event. He decides to leave the Adran rather than try to live in his father’s shadow. Bo and Nila travel to the south to see Taniel off; their final meeting puts to rest the bloody chapter in the country’s history.



Following the completion of the Powder Mage trilogy, McClellan began a sequel series called Gods of Blood and Powder, concerning the events in Adro following the defeat of the Kez. The first book in this new series, Sins of Empire, was released in 2017.