Every soldier has a story: the mage who snorts gunpowder as a source of power; the Naval officer who take to the skies on the wings of a dragon; the shaman trained in an elite military school; the special forces protecting us from demons, doomsday machines, and other horrors. Military fantasy comes in many flavors, from alternate history with battles reshaped by magic, to high fantasy that takes readers out of the royal court and onto the battlefield. We’ve gathered some recent favorites below!
We would be remiss to not mention the earlier military fantasy work of Sherwood Smith’s Inda, Steven Erickson and Ian Cameron Esslemont’s Malazan Book of the Fallen, Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Shadows of the Apt series, and Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera series. But for the purposes of this list, we’re looking at series (and a few standalones) with publications in the last few years.
The Powder Mage Trilogy by Brian McClellan
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Promise of Blood
“The Age of Kings is dead… and I have killed it” is the declaration of Field Marshal Tamas upon brutally getting rid of the Royal Cabal who have bankrupted the state of Adro and left it vulnerable to the invading Kez. But each of the Privileged mages he dispatches has the same mysterious message for him: “You can’t break Kresimir’s Promise.” Although Tamas is a powder mage, gaining power through eating or snorting gunpowder, he cannot unravel this mystery alone. He enlists retired police inspector Adamat, with his perfect recall, to figure out what Kresimir’s Promise could be. Meanwhile, his son Taniel, disaffected yet having inherited his father’s powder mage abilities, must hunt down the surviving Royal Cabal member who escaped the coup. McClellan’s series is also considered flintlock fantasy—i.e., steampunk’s cousin without the steam.
While the first trilogy wrapped up in 2015, it was shortly followed by another series set in the same world: Gods of Blood and Powder, about the frontier city of Landfall, besieged by an insurrection from the oppressed populace within.
Signal Airship series by Robyn Bennis
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The Guns Above
Josette Dupre is an Auxiliary Lieutenant for Garnia’s Air Signal Corp—which means she’s technically military, but as a woman she’s forbidden to engage in combat. During a particularly tense battle, however Josette leaps into action, and finds herself earning a promotion rather than a court martial. Now, as Garnia’s first female captain, she has to lead a resentful crew aboard a brand-new, untested airship. And as if that wasn’t trial enough, she’s assigned a handler in the form of Lord Bernat, a man more suited to flirtation than soldiering. Bernat watches her every move, and Josette knows that any mistake will be reported back to her higher ups—and not only cost her the captaincy, but quash the very idea that women can serve in their military. Can Josette find a way to defeat Garnia’s enemies—while proving her own expertise and gaining the trust of her men?
The Black Company by Glen Cook
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Port of Shadows
Glen Cook’s series about the elite mercenary unit, The Black Company, started back in 1984 and is still going strong to this day. This September, a brand new adventure is coming—Port of Shadows. Being “The Lady’s favored” has put targets on the backs of many members of the Black Company, especially the group’s historian, Croaker. Though they are being asked to aid their newest member in breaking a rebel army, Croaker is concerned over a court of sorcerers known as The Ten Who Were Taken, particular those of their number who look strangely like The Lady and her sister…
American Craft series by Tom Doyle
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American Craft series
Tom Doyle reimagines American history, giving us magically-inclined founding Fathers who made a deal with the ancient sorcerers of Europe to secure their new nation’s freedom… and ensure a certain amount of magical protection.
Now modern magician/soldiers known as “craftsmen” travel the globe, dodging both curses and plain old-fashioned assassins, all to protect their country from demons, doomsday machines, and all the horrors wrought by those who choose the Left Hand Path.
The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
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The Poppy War
When war orphan Rin aces the Empire-wide test, the Keju, she is finally free of servitude. But she is also launched into a new world as she’s accepted into Sinegard, the most elite military school in the Nikara Empire. Bullied by her classmates for being dark-skinned, poor, and female, she learns that she has shamanist powers, and works to develop them.
But unearthing this ability leads to knowledge she’d just as soon not have; the Third Poppy War might be coming between the Empire ad the Federation of Mugen, and she has been chosen by a vengeful god to save her people. And this fight could cost her her humanity.
The Shadow Campaigns series by Django Wexler
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Shadow Campaigns Series
In an alternative Europe steeped in muskets and magic, the Vordanai Empire seeks to consolidate its power through as many battles and as much intrigue as necessary.
Beginning with The Thousand Names, Wexler has woven an alternate history that now spans five books and ranges from the placid desert outpost where Captain Marcus d’Ivoire must quash a rebellion with help from a young recruit named Winter Ihrenglass (who happens to be a woman in disguise) all the way to the court cities of Vordan, where a young Queen Regnant must consolidate her power to fight challenges both martial and demonic.
Temeraire series by Naomi Novik
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His Majesty's Dragon
Novik’s series is traffics less in magic than the others on this list, but rather in magical creatures: It’s an alternate history of the Napoleonic Wars in which the British air force is made up of sentient dragons working alongside crews of aviators. In His Majesty’s Dragon, British Royal Navy Captain William Laurence discovers a completely new type of dragon egg, from which hatches the eponymous Chinese dragon Temeraire. This discovery changes the course of Laurence’s fate, as he is forced to the skies with Britain’s Aerial Corps and finds himself developing a deep affection for Temeraire.
The series wrapped up in 2016 with nine books that take Laurence and Temeraire all over the world, from Brazil to China to France to face Napoleon Bonaparte himself.
Shadow Ops series by Myke Cole
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Shadow Ops: Control Point
Split into two trilogies, the Shadow Ops series begins with a world gone mad as ordinary people suddenly awake with magical abilities. Army officer Oscar Britton is attached to the military’s Supernatural Operations Corps and sees the worse of these untrained eruptions. Then one day he manifests a prohibited magical power and finds himself marked as public enemy number one.
Britton is driven into the underground and learns about the ways magic has changed the world for good. The second trilogy begins with Gemini Cell, a prequel to the first trilogy that follows the story of a Navy Seal raised from the dead by a sorcerer.
The Midnight Front by David Mack
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The Midnight Front
Cade Martin’s family has a secret. Though they live seemingly ordinary, even privileged lives as American on the eve of World War II, and upon graduating from Oxford he decides to retreat to the comfort of his own country rather than face the looming war. But his life is shattered on the voyage home when he learns the truth: he and his family are karcists—mages who belong to a secret magical lineage—and his parents have been murdered. As he grapples with his grief, a 357-year-old karcist, Adair MacRae, teaches him how to harness his powers.
Cade soon learns that MacRae is part of a band of sorcerers called The Midnight Front. He and his fellow karcists are determined to mirror the Allies’ fight with their own battle against the mad German karcist Kein Engel and his army of demons. But can Cade become strong enough to avenge his family? Or will his battle mean the loss of his soul?
War Cry by Brian McClellan
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War Cry
With his forthcoming novel, McClellan brings readers to a new front line separate from the Powder Mage universe: The high plains of Bavares, where opposing platoons sit in an uneasy stalemate as they watch their rations continue to decline. Teado has been part of the war effort since childhood, but now that his powers have manifested, he fights as a shapeshifting mage—a rare Changer, his kind nearly extinct after decades of battle. But it’s not enough for his platoon mates to dart behind enemy lines to demoralize the other army; with their own resources dwindling, they must attempt a risky resupply mission that could change the course of the war.
War Cry will be available August 28 from Tor.com Publishing.
If you also do a list for SF titles then I nominate: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman to the head of the class. Brilliance on display.
The Black Company is the Black Company. If you haven’t read it, try it, and you’ll either find yourself drawn in and engrossed or turned off by it. There usually isn’t much of an in between with it. I personally love it to death and can’t wait for the new entry to see where it goes!
The Thousand Names is really well written with some fun twists and turns, and a main character you always want more of. it’s honestly a pretty straightforward series, and a great one to get someone into fantasy with.
I enjoyed the Powder Mage Trilogy more than I probably should have. All of the main characters were really well fleshed out, so it was easy to understand their reasoning. It had a few issues, mainly pacing, but it was a fascinating entry into the fantasy world.
I don’t have anything to say about the others as I don’t recall reading them, but I’m always looking for new tomes to add to the library!
Just a side note, the Malazan Book of the Fallen is still coming out. ICE is in the middle of the Path to Ascendancy Trilogy and Erickson is working on his Toblaki Trilogy if I remember correctly.
I’m a great enthusiast for Bemmis’ series but at least to this point I wouldn’t call it a fantasy…too rationalistic
It’s a little older than most of the ones listed above, but I remember enjoying Thomas Harlan’s Oath of Empire series — four books set in an alternate history where Rome never fell and where magic works, with a massive war between Roman and Persian armies (and Eldritch Forces lurking in the background).
‘The Red’ trilogy by Linda Nagata is pretty nifty military sci-fi.
My current favorite Fantasy War series is Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera. A nice, six book series that starts with what seems like political shenanigans and builds to a full blown Ultimate War for Survival.
@3 — I agree, Signal Airship really is Steampunk Sci-Fi, there’s no magic or magical beings (at least so far). The series is great, though, highly recommend!
Elizabeth Moon’s Paksenarrion books. There’s the original trilogy, in omnibus form The Deed of Paksenarrion. There’s also a later 5-book series that begins with Oath of Fealty. Paks is a side character in those; it focuses on the actions and some of Paks’s former military associates.
How is Malazan not here?
I was coming to mention “The Deed of Paksenarrion” by Elizabeth Moon as well. She’s written other books in that world, but they don’t have the same feel as that original trilogy – which is best read in omnibus form. Life in a mercenary company, leading to questioning why they are fighting…
This is more Occult than Magical, but Weston Ochse’s “Seal Team 666” series is an interesting read.
I’d liken it to the Laundry Files by Stross, but with more guns.
@9 — Malazan is mentioned (with several others) in the second paragraph, but they say the list proper is focusing on newer works.
I would recommend David Webers “War God” series here, too. 5 novels and 1 novella, so far (more to come), and the heroes are the ones who pass as ork-equivalents … The books are an easy read, too.
I would add the books by the author Marc Edelheit, The Stiger series’s.”Tales of the 7th” trilogy, “The Chronicles of the Imperial Legionary Officer” Trilogy”, and his new prequel series “The Karus Saga. Great reads that mix Roman legions in with High Fantasy. Great, entertaining reads.
Black Company is a good blend, but the Malazan Book of the Fallen takes the cake.
Mary Gentle’s “Ash” series about a medieval mercenary captain comes in high on my list, and I am a huge fan of Croaker and his friends comrades.
My person favorite high adventure military fantasy series is Green Rider. It’s fun to see a Narnia type world where men and women fight side by side without either being better than the other.
Okay, I’m slightly biased since I’ve been married to the author for 38 years, but this list needs Harry Turtledove’s 6 volume Darkness series, featuring a global war waged with magic, a dragon air force, wooly rhino tanks, etc. The nastier combatants are learning how genocide can amplify their weaponry–bad for the despised minorities living there. The other countries’ best theoretical mages are struggling with what might be a very, very, very powerful kind of magic.
This is one of Harry’s multiple viewpoint series, with characters from all the different countries and all walks of life. (Silly side note: while he was writing this, I kept worrying he was going to kill a character I liked. I worried for years…)
Not fantasy, but SF, the Arisen series by Michael Stephen Fuchs is absolutely awesome military fiction. It’s a zombie apocalypse series, but the zombies are almost like a part of the chorus in a Greek tragedy – the true story is one of survival and the amazing Special Forces team and other military men and women who risk everything to save us all. This series literally left me breathless at times!
I liked The Poppy War, I think, but it was incredibly dark. There’s no happy ending there. It’s a descent into horrors and madness, filled with atrocities and drugs.
Also, I have no idea why they went with that cover, because the character does not use a longbow even once in the book.
I nominate Resurrection Saga by WH Wisecarver.
Think Orwell’s 1984 wrapped in the Matrix for today’s audience. A modern day Game of Thrones infusing the intrigue of House of Cards and Wall Street with the shocking realism of Saving Private Ryan. A political thriller with a sci-fi foundational underpinning: One individual is about to shred the myths of modern America. It’s not his first battle in the last 10,000 years and now everyone fears his next move.
The author is a former Marine and TOPGUN aviator, who served as a national security advisor on a Senate Leadership Staff and Counsel for the Senate Armed Services Committee. After thirty years in Washington, DC within the national security infrastructure, he felt compelled to tell this story. The first two novels Americans Awaken and An American Journey were released in 2014 and 2016. The third in the saga Twilight of a Republic is anticipated in late 2018.
His books are definitely ‘politically incorrect,’ weaving military and political history, conspiracy and fantasy — artfully into a tale that is entertaining. It will make you question – is this really fantasy or modern day reality?
Piper’s Lord Kalvan – Gunpowder as the basis of a religion, disrupted by a marooned parallel universe traveler….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Kalvan_of_Otherwhen
(but a big +1 to Haldeman as mentioned above too)
The Prince of Nothing/Aspect Emperor double series of R Scott Bakker.
Basically a tough-as-nails military fantasy overlaid by a skin of horror and with a second overlay of classic LotR-style epic.
The first set in particular features some of the best fantasy battle sequences I’ve ever encountered.
Also, for a second bite at the topic, The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie. 500 pages of a single battle.
Not as recent as intended perhaps, but everything is better with pirates….
So: Chris Bunch’s “Seer King Trilogy”. “The Seer King”, “The Demon King” and “The Warrior King”.
David Drake’s “Lord of the Isles” series.
I would also recommend the Bazil Broketail series by Christopher Rowley. About a platoon of dragons serving in an army.
#18 I also like his Lost Legion series about a Roman Legion from Caesar’s Gallic wars transported to the world of an analog to the Byzantine empire where magic works.
A standalone book I just recalled is Grunts by Mary Gentle. I think Orc Marines says it all.
S. M. Stirling’s Change series, which is often classified as alternate history, actually has a whole lot of supernatural stuff going on in it, especially in the later books, along with some of the best drawn battle scenes ever written. It would fit right into this list.
And, while the series largely dealt with mysteries, Randall Garrett’s Lord Darcy stories sometimes touched on military issues, and when they did, cleverly imagined the impact of magic on warfare.
I rather like the Iron Elves trilogy from Chris Evans. I thought the premise was well thought through and a great concept. It also touches on a number of themes that resonate quite strongly with me (though, that may just be inference on my part as the two people I know to have read it didn’t get that on their read-through).
I would nominate another David Weber series, his Honor Harrington books, about a space navy.