Review by Booklist Review
McClellan, author of the popular Powder Mage series, begins a new fantasy saga set in a world that depends on various types of magical "godglass" for almost every aspect of daily life. Ossa, a vast trade empire reminiscent of an Italian merchant republic, is a society of cutthroat competition among the families of the Assembly. Demir Grappo, a powerful glassdancer (a sorcerer who can manipulate regular glass) and heir to a minor guild family, is in self-imposed exile in the distant provinces after a disastrous war crime happened on his watch. He is drawn back into the world of Ossan politics when his mother is brutally murdered on the steps of the Assembly, a murder that turns out to be connected to the rapid dwindling of godglass, a mysterious secret society, and sinister, almost-inhuman assassins. Narrated by various viewpoint characters, mostly friends or allies of Demir such as the siliceer craftsman Thessa or the childhood friend and enforcer Kezzie, this first installment is full of fast-paced action and strong world building, and will leave established fans of McClellan's work and new readers alike impatient for the next novel. Highly recommended for fans of epic fantasies with large casts or non-medieval world building.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
McClellan (the Powder Mage trilogy) launches the Glass Immortals series with a satisfying and jam-packed epic fantasy. Nine years after a miscommunication sunk Demir Grappo's first military campaign, Demir returns to the capital of the Ossa empire following his mother's murder. He hires Kizzie Vorcien, a childhood friend, to uncover the motive for his mother's killing, even as one of her assassins, under torture, claims to have been working for a rival city-state. Demir braves the war zone between the two lands to find his mother's business partner, a "siliceer" who can create glass baubles that give humans extraordinary powers, and learns that the raw materials for this "godglass" are running out. The dying siliceer passed plans for a device that can recharge spent glass to his apprentice, Thessa Foleer, before she fled. Demir finds Thessa and sets her up to build the device before being called away by a commission to lead the Ossan army against powerful odds. As Kizzie's investigation hits dead ends, Thessa rushes to build the machine, and Demir balances military leadership with rehabilitating his family name, shocking secrets come to light. It's an involved plot, but readers will be sucked in by the vigorous battles, tense spycraft, and savvy political maneuvering. Epic fantasy fans will eagerly await future installments. (June)
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Review by Library Journal Review
"Powder Mage" author McClellan launches a new series with Demir Grappo returning from an outlier life to head his family after the murder of his mother. And none too soon, as godglass, the magical power that keeps the empire humming, is fast running out, and Demir must build up allies to save it. With a 100,000-copy first printing.
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