Brian McClellan's Blog

I’ve launched a Kickstarter for Powder Mage challenge coins , and it’s live right now!

I’ve been excited about the idea of challenge coins for the Powder Mage Universe for years, and I’m excited to be making this happen.

You can check out the design proofs from Signature Coins below — there are two sets of coins, one for each trilogy, with symbols of the Adran Army and the Mad Lancers, quotations from Field Marshal Tamas and Ben Styke, and more. I love how they all came out.

You can get a single coin, a set, or any combination you want. You choose!

This is a fast Kickstarter, closing October 11th, so don’t wait to jump in!

Get your Challenge COins

Montego is Here!

Montego, the prequel novella to In the Shadow of Lightning, is now available for everyone!

With Kickstarter fulfillment finished, the ebook is now live on my website store, and you can purchase signed hardcovers there as well.

If you’d prefer to buy from other retailers, you can find all the preorder links here, and it will be automatically delivered on May 23rd.

Get Signed Hardcovers Directly from Brian Get the Ebook Directly from Brian Preorder the Ebook from Your Preferred Retailer In the Shadow of Lightning Paperback

In the Shadow of Lightning is now available as a paperback in the US as of Tuesday, May 9th!

If you’ve been waiting on this edition to pick up this new epic fantasy, now’s your chance.

Get Signed Paperbacks Directly from Brian Purchase the Paperback from Your Preferred Retailer Glass Immortals Map Pack

Maps of the Glass Immortals universe drawn by Ben McSeeney as well as a siliceer’s godglass diagram are now also available from my website store!

There are a few signed copies left as well, so snap those up while you can.

Get the Glass Immortals Map Pack Signed Copies for European Readers

Great news for my readers based in Europe: The Broken Binding has signed copies of the Montego hardcover!

You can order directly from them here and save big on shipping. They now have signed copies of all my novellas, including the Powder Mage ones!

Order Signed Books in Europe

Great news everyone: Preorders for Montego, a Glass Immortals prequel novella, are now open! You can preorder a signed copy of the hardcover directly from my website store.

The ebook is available to preorder on all major book retailers, to be delivered in May. If you missed the Kickstarter, now’s your chance to get your copy!

The Glass Immortals map packs that were previously Kickstarter-exclusive are now also available on my store, so check those out too while you’re at it.

Buy the Book Directly from Brian! Preorder the Hardcover Ebooks available to preorder at your preferred retailer Amazon Apple B&N Kobo Google MontegoGlass Immortals Book 1

Twelve year-old Montego al'Bou is an orphan, a provincial peasant boy left alone by the recent death of his grandmother. Possessing nothing more than his grandmother's cudgel, he strikes out to the capital where the influential Grappo have offered to bring him up in the luxury of an Ossan guild-family. He finds his welcome frosty, his new home full of confusing responsibilities.

He quickly discovers that the greatest sin in the capital is to be born without money, and the classist elite will not hesitate to remind him of his humble origins. Montego dreams of being his own man, of making it in the cudgeling arenas of the Empire's deadly spectator sport where even a provincial can be worshipped like a god. But skill isn't the only barrier for a wannabe cudgelist. Without allies, cunning, and a helping of daring, he can't hope to make it in the capital.

Available everywhere May 23rd, 2023.

International Books

Amazon UK

Amazon Canada

Amazon Germany

The Montego novella Kickstarter is live!

This is my first novella in the Glass Immortals universe, an origin story for everyone’s favorite champion cudgelist. It follows a peasant boy named Montego as he comes to the capital of the mighty Ossan Empire for the first time with nothing to his name but his grandma’s cudgel.

There are ebook, audiobook, and hardcover levels, as well as some extra bonuses. Back it for swag, tuckerizations (these are first-come, first-serve and already running out, so don’t sleep on this!), or just to enjoy the ebook a bit early!

Back the Kickstarter

My new epic fantasy book In the Shadow of Lightning is now available!

This is the first of a brand-new series I’m calling Glass Immortals, and I’m so excited to share it with you.

Pick yours up today, and keep reading for where you can find me to celebrate, virtually or in person!

Buy the Book Upcoming Appearances

I'm doing an AMA on /r/fantasy today, so come ask me questions!

You can hear me chat about the book on a bunch of podcasts:

My podcast Page Break, with guest interviewer Dan Wells

Drinking with Authors

Fantology

The Legendarium

Tomorrow I’m going to be interviewed live by Travis Gafford at 5pm Pacific. Stop by to hang out with us on Twitch!

I’ll also be doing several signings at bookstores, so here’s where you can come say hello and get your books signed in person:

June 21, 2022 at 6pm: Barnes and Noble in Orem, UT

June 24, 2022 at 6pm: Tattered Cover in Denver, CO

June 25, 2022 at 3pm: Barnes and Noble in Mentor, OH

June 29, 2022 at 6pm: King's English in Salt Lake City, UT

Hope to see you around, and enjoy the book! In the Shadow of Lightning

From Brian McClellan, author of The Powder Mage, comes In the Shadow of Lightning, a brand-new epic fantasy where magic is a finite resource—and it’s running out.

Demir Grappo is an outcast—he fled a life of wealth and power, abandoning his responsibilities as a general, a governor, and a son. Now he will live out his days as a grifter, rootless, and alone. But when his mother is brutally murdered, Demir must return from exile to claim his seat at the head of the family and uncover the truth that got her killed: the very power that keeps civilization turning, godglass, is running out.

Now, Demir must find allies, old friends and rivals alike, confront the powerful guild-families who are only interested in making the most of the scraps left at the table and uncover the invisible hand that threatens the Empire. A war is coming, a war unlike any other. And Demir and his ragtag group of outcasts are the only thing that stands in the way of the end of life as the world knows it.

The forty-second episode of my new podcast Page Break is now out! In this episode, my guest is YouTuber Tim Hickson.

Tim is the owner, writer, and performer of the wildly popular Hello Future Me channel, where he breaks down plot, characters, and worldbuilding. He’s also the author of two books on the subject: On Writing and Worldbuilding Volumes I and II.

Tim and I talk about the pressures of success, Tim’s journey toward publishing his own fiction stories, the difficulty of pleasing yourself, fans, and algorithms all at once, and the cold hard reality of using art to pay your bills.

Listen Now

Page Break with Brian McClellan is a collection of casual conversations between me and fellow creative professionals—like two friends sitting down over lunch to discuss career, craft, family, and hobbies.

Authorhood is a quiet sort of minor fame where the person behind the words is often obscured by the works they’ve created. I aim to use this podcast to find out more about my friends and colleagues.

Look forward to weekly conversations with creators like TV writer/producer Joseph Mallozzi, epic fantasy author Robin Hobb, science fiction author Pierce Brown, Twitch streamer Mark Hulmes, and many more!

Listen on YouTube Spotify Podcasts Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Early Access + Ad-Free Episodes on Patreon

A New Episode Every Tuesday

The forty-second episode of my new podcast Page Break is now out! In this episode, my guest is author Cherie Priest.

Cherie is known for work that dips toes in a number of different genres, including horror, science fiction, southern gothic, fantasy, and steampunk. She’s best known for her Clockwork Century Universe that started with Boneshaker, and has also written the Eden Moore series, the Borden Dispatches, the Cheshire Red Reports series, and many other standalone novels and short stories.

Cherie and I talk extensively about her childhood in the south and the way that has affected her adult life and career. We discuss oppressive religion, spiritualism, and take a lengthy detour down her adventures in urban exploring.

Listen Now

Page Break with Brian McClellan is a collection of casual conversations between me and fellow creative professionals—like two friends sitting down over lunch to discuss career, craft, family, and hobbies.

Authorhood is a quiet sort of minor fame where the person behind the words is often obscured by the works they’ve created. I aim to use this podcast to find out more about my friends and colleagues.

Look forward to weekly conversations with creators like TV writer/producer Joseph Mallozzi, epic fantasy author Robin Hobb, science fiction author Pierce Brown, Twitch streamer Mark Hulmes, and many more!

Listen on YouTube Spotify Podcasts Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Early Access + Ad-Free Episodes on Patreon

A New Episode Every Tuesday

The forty-first episode of my new podcast Page Break is now out! In this episode, my guest is science fiction author John Scalzi.

John is known for a massive variety of work, including his early career as a reviewer and columnist, his bestselling breakout novel Old Man’s War, his time as president of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and his well-known blog, Whatever.

John and I talk about paradigm shifts in our industry, being a longtime public figure, and his well-publicized thirteen-book contract with Tor. We also talk about living and working in the Midwest, and the real nature of professional jealousy.

Listen Now

Page Break with Brian McClellan is a collection of casual conversations between me and fellow creative professionals—like two friends sitting down over lunch to discuss career, craft, family, and hobbies.

Authorhood is a quiet sort of minor fame where the person behind the words is often obscured by the works they’ve created. I aim to use this podcast to find out more about my friends and colleagues.

Look forward to weekly conversations with creators like TV writer/producer Joseph Mallozzi, epic fantasy author Robin Hobb, science fiction author Pierce Brown, Twitch streamer Mark Hulmes, and many more!

Listen on YouTube Spotify Podcasts Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Early Access + Ad-Free Episodes on Patreon

A New Episode Every Tuesday

The fortieth episode of my new podcast Page Break is now out! In this episode, my guest is novelist Katherine Arden

Katherine is known for her Russian-inspired historical fantasy the Winternight Trilogy, which begins with The Bear and the Nightingale, and her middle-grade series Small Spaces.

Katherine and I chat about her life before getting published and her extensive world travels, as well as skiing, gardening, and what can make or break historical fiction.

Listen Now

Page Break with Brian McClellan is a collection of casual conversations between me and fellow creative professionals—like two friends sitting down over lunch to discuss career, craft, family, and hobbies.

Authorhood is a quiet sort of minor fame where the person behind the words is often obscured by the works they’ve created. I aim to use this podcast to find out more about my friends and colleagues.

Look forward to weekly conversations with creators like TV writer/producer Joseph Mallozzi, epic fantasy author Robin Hobb, science fiction author Pierce Brown, Twitch streamer Mark Hulmes, and many more!

Listen on YouTube Spotify Podcasts Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Early Access + Ad-Free Episodes on Patreon

A New Episode Every Tuesday

Hey everyone! Just a quick hello and update for everything going on in the Brianverse!

IN THE SHADOW OF LIGHTNING Preorder Campaign: https://read.macmillan.com/promo/intheshadowoflightningpreorder/

Les Imaginales: https://www.imaginales.fr/invites/mcclellan-brian/

Promise of Blood in French: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/2493405048/

The Crimson Campaign in Spanish: https://www.amazon.com/dp/8418711442/

Play Valheim: https://www.valheimgame.com

Listen Now

Page Break with Brian McClellan is a collection of casual conversations between me and fellow creative professionals—like two friends sitting down over lunch to discuss career, craft, family, and hobbies.

Authorhood is a quiet sort of minor fame where the person behind the words is often obscured by the works they’ve created. I aim to use this podcast to find out more about my friends and colleagues.

Look forward to weekly conversations with creators like TV writer/producer Joseph Mallozzi, epic fantasy author Robin Hobb, science fiction author Pierce Brown, Twitch streamer Mark Hulmes, and many more!

Listen on YouTube Spotify Podcasts Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Early Access + Ad-Free Episodes on Patreon

A New Episode Every Tuesday