Can you recommend a Flintlock Fantasy?

[Tower75]

Hi, Chronic...lers?... Chronicled? ... Chronicii? ... People.

Apologies if this has been asked before, I'm new here, and still finding my feet.

Myself being a weird mixture of a history nerd, fantasy nerd, and a gun nerd, see my Introduction Thread, when I was younger, I often thought that there really should be a sub genre of fantasy that replaces the sword and magic with musket and cannon.

Back when this thought occurred, around the 21-year-old mark, there wasn't any I could find, now, I'm happy to say, I've found a small number of, so called 'flintlock fantasies'. Naturally this was my idea, and the lawsuits will follow, but that's by the by.

So, I was wondering, can anyone suggest any of these Flintlock Fantasies, type, book... Things? Anything good out there?

I've read A Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan, and didn't much care for it. I've bought Diaries from a Dwarfen Rifleman by L & M Pearce, but I haven't read it yet. There's a few more I've found, but I'd like your views.

Thank you kindly, people.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Joel Rosenberg's Guardians of the Flame explored bringing gunpowder to a fantasy world. They aren't terribly serious*, though, but quite good fun.

* some might say cheesy, but I does like a bit of cheese.

 

[Timba]

I have enjoyed a series by Anne Lyle called Night's Masque. The 3rd and I believe final book is out now. Be warned this series has guns and cannons but still has swords and magic. I have read the first two books and am looking forward to picking up the third.

 

[thaddeus6th]

William King's Terrarch Chronicles. They're set in a fantastical world, so there's magic too, but they also feature basic gunpowder weapons. I've read the first two or three, and enjoyed them.

 

[chrispenycate]

C.J. Cherryh did "The sword of knowledge" trilogy; magic, society and gunpowder weapons. Admittedly, bombards and mortars, not your favoured muskets, but…

David Drake's "Old Nathan" stories (collected in Baen's Mountain Magic) have new world magic, and smooth bore muzzle loaders (in fact, doesn't Orson Scott Card's Alvin maker series have black powder weapons?), or Harry Turtledove's "Agent of Byzantium" gets black powder (though in pétards, rather than projectile weapons).

I'll keep thinking.

 

[Manteuffel]

Paul Kearney's series Monarchies of God was quite good, with a Renaissance flavor to the fantasy setting that included various uses of gunpowder. Also, consider L. E. Modesitt's Corean Chronicle for other books using gunpowder weapons (whether the guns are flintlocks or matchlocks, musket or breech loaded, rifled or smooth bore, I can't remember exactly).

 

[Tower75]

Hey, guys.

Thanks. I'll be on the look out for those suggested. I'm not adverse to magic, and I'm not over fussed if the guns are matchlock, wheel lock, flint, breechloaders, etc. 'Tis just nice to 'ave em in a book.

Thanks again. If you remember anymore, or see any, give a shout.

 

[Anne Lyle]

Thanks for the shout-out, Timba! Mine's late 16th-century - snaplocks, wheel-locks, etc. Not mentioned much in Book 1, The Alchemist of Souls, but quite prominent in Book 2, The Merchant of Dreams (see cover art!).

Tower75, you might also like The Thousand Names by Django Wexler - later-era "flintlock fantasy", more like late 18th/early 19th century, very military-focused. "Sharpe with magic" is a pretty good description

 

[JoanDrake]

Michael A. Stackpole, known mainly for his work in the Star Wars franchise, (though he's done lots of other stuff) is working on the third volume of a trilogy on the American Revolutionary War where dragons exist and guns are fired by "invoking magic" (which seems to work a lot like a flintlock mechanism). The Series is The Crown Colonies and the first and second books are At The Queen's Command and Of Limited Loyalty

 

[Tower75]

Thank you kindly, guys 'n' gurls.

Anne Lyle - thanks for the link, I'll certainly check out your work. I like this place, you get to speak to authors.

 

[Mark_Lawrence]

Roger Zelazny has guns and fantasy in his Amber series, particularly book 2 'Guns of Avalon'.

I think Django Wexler's book The Thousand Names is flintlock fantasy...

 

[ratsy]

Michael A. Stackpole, known mainly for his work in the Star Wars franchise, (though he's done lots of other stuff) is working on the third volume of a trilogy on the American Revolutionary War where dragons exist and guns are fired by "invoking magic" (which seems to work a lot like a flintlock mechanism). The Series is The Crown Colonies and the first and second books are At The Queen's Command and Of Limited Loyalty

I will have to check this one out. I am a sucker for Stackpole for some reason. I loved his DragonCrown war cycle and have the first in the Map series (cant remember what it is called) in my to be read.