Tag Archives: Peter McLean

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Peter McLean Talks War for the Rose Throne

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words author interview, where today I’m thrilled to welcome Peter McLean back to the site to talk about his brilliant fantasy series The War for the Rose Throne. The fourth and final book in the series – Priest of Crowns – is now out, and it brings the series to a brilliant conclusion, so I thought it was a good moment to chat to Peter and look back at the series now that it’s finished. We talked a little bit about what readers can expect from this final book, but the main focus of the interview is on the series as a whole, from planning and writing to characters and themes. There’s nothing particularly spoilery here, so whether you’ve been following the War for the Rose Throne from the beginning or you’re just about to take the plunge, check this out for a fascinating insight into one of the absolute best fantasy series of recent times!

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Priest of Crowns – Peter McLean

The fourth and final book of Peter McLean’s phenomenal War for the Rose Throne series, Priest of Crowns concludes the story of Tomas Piety – gangster, army priest, Queen’s Man, politician, heartless killer, caring father – in bleak, brutal but satisfying style. After the events of Priest of Gallows, Dannsburg is boiling over with civil unrest as religious fervour vies with xenophobia and nationalistic fury, and the prospect of war with Skania looms over everything. Increasingly uncomfortable with the machinations of the Provost Marshal Dieter Vogel, Tomas (now Councillor Sir Thomas) finds himself torn between pride at his lofty position and loathing of what he’s become. With suspicion tainting his every move, and unsure of who he can truly trust, Tomas plans a careful opposition of Lord Vogel, knowing full well that any wrong move will see him and everyone he cares about dead.

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Prologues & Premonitions – Peter McLean Guest Post

Hello and welcome to this Track of Words guest post, where I’m delighted to welcome fantasy author Peter McLean to the site. Author of the incredible War for the Rose Throne series (one of my absolute favourites of recent years), not to mention the brilliant Burned Man trilogy and a bunch of excellent Warhammer 40k short stories, Peter is here today to talk a bit about the current state of play for fantasy authors and the changes that 2022 might bring when it comes to fantasy fiction of the darker variety. This is a fascinating examination of what it’s like to be a fantasy author right now, along with some intriguing recommendations for fantasy books and series (and I should point out that Peter’s recommendations have never let me down)!

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Peter McLean Talks Priest of Gallows

Welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, where today I’m talking to the fantastic Peter McLean about his latest novel, book 3 in the War For The Rose Throne series – Priest of Gallows. I’ve been following this series from the beginning, with the incredible Priest of Bones, and I can’t recommend it enough – so the release of a new instalment is always an occasion to celebrate! Priest of Gallows is out now in paperback, ebook and audiobook editions, so if you’ve been following this gritty, fantasy, gangster family saga then read on to find out more about the latest instalment…and then make sure you go out there and pick up a copy!

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Priest of Gallows – Peter McLean

Book three in Peter McLean’s phenomenal War for the Rose Throne series, Priest of Gallows delivers another gripping tale of gangsters, intrigue and espionage, family bonds, harsh justice and escalating danger. Picking up where Priest of Lies left off, it begins with Tomas Piety – army priest, businessman, Queen’s Man – in the uncomfortable position of governor of Ellinburg. When word arrives of the Queen’s untimely death, however, Tomas returns to Dannsburg with his closest companions, where he finds himself pulled ever deeper into the murky world of the Queen’s Men. Under the orders of Provost Marshall Dieter Vogel, Tomas sinks further into the role of Queen’s Man while rising higher in Dannsburg society, but even as he does so he’s forced to consider how far he’s prepared to go in the pursuit of respect, power and authority.

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Best of Black Library 2020 – Age of Sigmar

As 2020 comes to a close and 2021 beckons, I’m looking back at the Black Library stories I’ve read over the last twelve months or so and picking out some of my highlights for the year. I’ve already written articles like this for 40k and the Horus Heresy, but now it’s time to look at Age of Sigmar. Have a look at those earlier articles if you haven’t already, then read on for a few thoughts on each of the three Age of Sigmar stories I’ve enjoyed reading the most in 2020. Once again, I’ve set myself two criteria – stories that were published in 2020, and (obviously) that I have read during 2020.

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From Humble Beginnings 2: Age of Sigmar Short Stories That Deserve Their Own Series

As I discussed in my article 40k Short Stories That Deserve To Be Series, it’s common in Black Library fiction for characters to be introduced in short stories before going on to have their own series. In the previous article I looked specifically at Warhammer 40,000 stories and characters, but this time I’m going to pick out some Age of Sigmar stories in the same vein. While AoS has much less of a back catalogue (so far) than 40k, by virtue of only being around for a few years, a few new names have already started to become well-known (and loved) – Hamilcar, Gardus, Maesa – alongside some familiar names from the World That Was…but it’s going to be interesting to see which ones go on to become the next batch of recurring characters.

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The Method of Madness – Peter McLean

Peter McLean’s first Black Library story to be set away from the Warhammer 40,000 universe, The Method of Madness – a fairly long short story, almost a novella really – is a Warcry story exploring the Cypher Lords and their subtle ways. In the Bloodwind Spoil of the Eightpoints, the bustling, stinking city of Carngrad is ruled over by a group of powerful warlords who maintain a brutal status quo. Considering himself a civilised man of politics, Thrallmaster Vignus Daneggia of the Cypher Lords sees in Carngrad’s hierarchy an opportunity for a scheme worthy of attracting the attention of Archaon himself.

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QUICK REVIEW: Hunger and the Lady – Peter McLean

In Peter McLean’s War for the Rose Throne series, one character of particular interest is Billy the Boy, the young orphan described with considerable understatement in the dramatis personae of Priest of Bones as “a very strange young man”. Featured in Grimdark Magazine Issue 18, the short story Hunger and the Lady offers the first opportunity to explore a little of Billy’s backstory. It’s the tale of an eleven year-old boy scraping a living in the ruins of war-torn Messia as enemy soldiers close in, a story about survival, about enduring hardship, and maybe even the presence of a higher power.

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Priest of Lies – Peter McLean

Many thanks to Jo Fletcher Books and Netgalley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

A sequel to the fantastic Priest of Bones, and book two in Peter McLean’s War for the Rose Throne series, Priest of Lies is another brutal, brilliant fantasy tale of gangsters, spies, violence and intrigue. Life is complex for Tomas Piety, self-made prince of Ellinburg and reluctant servant of the Queen’s Men. For all his successes, he’s still driven – largely by the demands of his wife, the Queen’s Man Ailsa – to keep fighting for his city, and for the crown. As the situation in Ellinburg deteriorates and Tomas is drawn into the murky political waters of the capital, Dannsburg, he finds himself increasingly out of his depth and troubled by the consequences of power.

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