Guns of the Dawn (Paperback)
First, Denland's revolutionaries assassinated their king, launching a wave of bloodshed after generations of peace. Next they clashed with Lascanne, their royalist neighbor, pitching war-machines against warlocks in a fiercely fought conflict. Genteel Emily Marshwic watched as the hostilities stole her family's young men. But then came the call for yet more Lascanne soldiers in a ravaged kingdom with none left to give. Emily must join the ranks of conscripted women and march toward the front lines. With barely enough training to hold a musket, Emily braves the savage reality of warfare. But she begins to doubt her country's cause, and those doubts become critical. For her choices will determine her own future and that of two nations locked in battle.
"Stories by Adrian Tchaikovsky are always sober, meticulous and carefully constructed. Guns of the Dawn is no exception . . . a story of gravitas, that uses its fantasy premise to hold a mirror to our past. . . . Definitely a thought provoking read." —SFBook.com
“I loved that book so much I read it in two sittings (and it's not short!). It has elements of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novels, mixed with Jane Austenesque characters, against the backdrop of war, with a side order of fireball-wielding sorcerers. The lead character is simply wonderful.” —Emma Newman, author
"one of my favorite fantasies I've read this year." —Tadiana Jones for FantasyLiterature.com
“The reward is in the characters and in the details of the writing . . . Tchaikovsky’s Emily Marshwic is exceptionally well-crafted." —The Volokh Conspiracy