I love these books. It's an(other) alternate universe, set in what I would picture as about the time of our Napoleon. Except this world has magic. Sorcerers abound in different levels: Privileged, Powder Mages and Knacked. There is no early explanation, you just have to keep reading and accept what is happening in this world until it makes sense (Much like A Song Of Fire And Ice: Game Of Thrones - and let's hope Brian doesn't go crazy like "R.R." did.). It's close enough to our world that you can follow the story and intrigue until the parameters can be set for you. Book two is titled The Crimson Campaign.

One bonus of reading these on Kindle is the happily-uptrending practice of authors writing short back-stories to flesh out bits of the book. Stuff that would just clog up the story line but are very interesting in their own right. There are five shorts and novellas so far and I highly recommend these be read in the timeline of the books.

Book 3, The Autumn Republic, is due February 10.