Introduction

Don’t lie to yourself; you know you’ve been waiting for a list of fantasy book recommendations about war. Some desires should not be stifled.

1. A Declaration of The Rights of Magicians by H. G. Parry

This book made me feel way too much affection for historical figures that are dead two centuries over. A Declaration of The Rights of Magicians is basically what it says on the tin; it’s about the revolutionary wars that are going on during the late 1700’s, but with magic. And vampires. The prime minister of Britain is low-key a vampire. Or a “blood magician,” if you want to be polite about it. It’s all very hip and cool.

In the book, some people have magic. Commoners wear bracelets preventing them from using their magic, and as such, the book uses magic as an allegory for human rights. The common people are not free to use their magic, and until they have free access to it, they will not be liberated.

For me, the best part was the characters. The relationship between William Pitt the Younger, the youngest prime minister of Britain, and William Wilberforce, a famed abolitionist, is one of the highlights of the book. Essentially, they’re besties who occasionally oppose each other’s political beliefs, and when they do, they go through this amusing song-and-dance of “Oh, I understand and respect your stance, and it is perfectly reasonable, but I am still hurt that you’d side with my political rival though I’ll never let you know it,” and this dynamic lasts for the entirety of their lifetime. The easy-going nature of young friendship evolving into the quiet terseness of middle age evolving into DEATH. You get to see it all. UGH it’s amazing.

And don’t get me started on the French Revolution. I have never felt so strongly for a dead man. Camille Desmoulins, French journalist, politician, and fire mage holds my whole heart in his clammy, rotten skeleton hands. This man is the childhood friend of Robespierre—he was the whole Reign of Terror guy—but we don’t talk about him because even though he guillotined a bunch of people, his real sin was forsaking our beloved Camille Desmoulins while under the influence of a power-hungry vampire who wants to conquer Europe!

Conclusion; it’s good and you should read it.

2. How To Rule An Empire And Get Away With It by K. J. Parker

I love this book like a parent loves their firstborn. That is to say, dearly.

Basically, our protagonist is Orhan, the colonel in charge of a unit of engineers that go around building bridges. So they’re not really soldiers—but when enemies lay siege to The City (yes, the city in which they live is called The City) and they end up being the only part of the army that hasn’t been immediately wiped out, Orhan inherits the responsibility of keeping the city inhabitants alive. Why? Because everyone above him in the chain of command is dead.

It is SO good. Orhan’s the unwilling main character who doesn’t want to save The City, but unfortunately, he has morals and would feel very bad jumping ship. And although he wasn’t anyone’s first pick for the job, he’s competent and sly and ambitious, and half the people in The City love him. He becomes their hero. (SPOILER: Then they all forget about him in favor of his bodyguard in the sequel, but that’s neither here nor there. How dare they.)

3. The Poppy War by R. F Kuang

This one straight-up has war in the title, so you know it’s not messing around. If you’re vaguely familiar with Chinese-Japanese relations, you’ll get it. It’s basically their history but with more magic and psychedelics slapped onto it. And, lord knows how the author accomplished it, more genocide. A whole chapter is dedicated to murder. And the last few— Well. Let’s just say our main character, Rin, falls down the slippery slope from morally gray to uncomfortably at ease with her anger issues.

If it makes anything more clear, the last line of the book is: “And she would call the gods to do such terrible things.”

Like, ma’am, excuse me? I know this is war, but doing terrible things is not the goal. Sit down, eat your mushrooms, and reflect upon your actions as you stare at the bodies of your victims. It’s okay to live, laugh, and love sometimes.

Still, it’s an entertaining read, and Rin makes for an interesting main character. Bloodlust does tend to make characters quirky.

Closing Thoughts

Those are the three fantasy books I recommend for all you budding war strategists out there; read these, and unleash your desire to revolt against your oppressive government, take control of the military, and destroy your enemies and their families. Live vicariously through books.

Just a reminder; my fantasy novel, Weathered Elements, is up for pre-order on Amazon and releases on August 1!

What is the fantasy book you have most recently read?