Gunpowder Fantasy Deep Dive
Who said fantasy didn’t have guns?
Well, a lot of people actually. These genres have been around for almost as long as we humans have, and much of fantasy is based on medevial folklor with swords, wands, scepters, and more. But, times have changed, and so has the weapons available to fantasy protagonists (Is it time to change my name to Pen, Sword, Scepter, Laser Gun? Hmmm…)
The result of this is the emergence of the ‘Gunpowder Fantasy’ subgenre. Most people basically know this subgenre as “fantasy with guns”… and let’s be honest: they’re not wrong. But that definition is just scratching the surface of the genre, and what it means for fantasy as a whole. So today, we’re going to do a deep dive into the genre’s emergence, its common tropes, and, of course, great reccomendations for people interested in getting into this genre.
What Is Gunpowder Fantasy?
Now, the definition of just what gunpowder fantasy is is the first problem to deal with. I originally said that this genre was ‘fantasy with guns’ and that is true… somewhat. This definition, however, is shared by another subgenre: Flintlock Fantasy. So the first question we must ask ourselves when dealing with these genres is whether there is a difference between gunpoweder and flintlock fantasy, or whether they are both just ‘fantasy with guns’. The blog This Mythical Life equated the two, definiting them broadly as fantasy which “takes place after the invention of gunpowder.” Meanwhile MD Presley, author of Woldbuilding For Fantasy Fans And Authors, makes the case in a 2018 blog post that these two are distinct genres. He says that flintlock fantasy is about an early modern setting in which guns are intruding on magic as old worlds collide with the new, while gunpowder fantasy encompasses other types of fantasy with guns, such as fantasy based on the wild west. This post was made back in 2018, and since then, fantasy has grown even more diverse. So, I believe there is a case to be made for differentiating the two genres. If we do this, we will be able to better understand their themes and distinctions.
For this blog post, I’m going to be defining gunpowder fantasy as the broader category of steampunk, weird western, urban, and flintlock fantasy that involve both guns/gunpowder and fantastical elements.
Photo credit: MD Presley, Flintlock Fantasy vs Gunpowder Fantasy
Gunpowder Fantasy Today
Immediately, without reading any gunpowder fantasy, it’s easy to see what the main tropes of this genre might be. Because both fantastical elements and technology are involved, there is bound to be a tension between the two. This could create themes within the story about tradition, as represented by the world’s magic, and a new world order, as represented by guns and cannons. Even if the guns themselves are magic, this could still pose interesting questions about whether guns are useful in a magical world, and vice versa.
Guns and magic could also be used as tools to enhance relevant questions during the historical time of the advent of gunpowder. For example, perhaps only a select group of people— the monarchy and aristocracy— have access to magic. If guns are invented and contain magical properties, this could give the common people power in a world in which they previously had none. Imagine a retelling of the French Revolution, except Robespierre was armed with magical guns!
Moreover, the gunpowder genre could introduce new settings and characters to the fantasy genre. Are you bored of medevial European castles and the English countryside being the backdrop of every fantasy you read? How about a naval battle between pirate wizards using magical cannons? I don’t know about you, but a pirate wizard as a main character sounds amazing. Other gunpowder mage series involve the industrial revolution, and lean into a steampunk style. As a lover of both classical novels and fantasy, I’d love to see a Charles Dickens retelling, but with magic. Maybe the pickpockets from Oliver Twist are actually secret magic users hiding in the underbelly of London’s dusty streets. The possibilities are endless.
The gunpowder protagonist is also different from the typical fantasy protagonists. Many fantasy characters are based on the archetypes from folklore like the innocent hero who is down on his luck (ex. Harry Potter) , the old wizard mentor (Merlin, Gandalf, etc.), and the ‘Dark Lord’. But a more gritty, grim-dark setting that the gunpowder genre invites creates nuances. Using a gun makes the violence of the world more real, meaning any character using this form of gunpowder magic will seem a lot more morally grey, even if they are on the right side of things.
Now that you’ve been introduced to the gunpowder genre as a whole, let’s dive into some book reccomendations
Book Reccomendations
Currently, the most popular book series in the gunpowder genre is the Powder Mage trilogy by Brian McClellan, beginning with the 2013 novel Promise of Blood, and I would be remiss if I didn’t reccomend this novel. In this story, the guns are part of the magic system. This story revolves around the aftermath of a revolution, pulling inspiration from historical revolutions like the French Revolution, and is set in an industrial revolution time period. However, the story also uses classical epic fantasy elements, such as the possible re-emergence of gods in the world, magic users and complex magic systems (these are the “powder mages” who injest black powder in order to do magic), and tensions between different nations.
This story is a perfect example of a flintlock & gunpowder fantasy novel blending common fantasy tropes with commentary suitable to its historical setting. Using magic, the author is able to enhance the danger of an already intreguing clash between the world order, represented mostly by Royalists within the nation and revolutionaries, like the main character. Without spoiling too much, the royalists’ form of magic is ‘traditional’ while the revolutionaries have a gunpowder style of magic. By juxtaposing these two magic system, the author is able to tell a complex and unique story, enhancing the struggle between tradition and change.
The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson, and the resulting Mistborn Saga continuations, is an example of how gunpowder fantasy is already changing the fantasy genre, as traditional fantasy writer Sanderson takes on a world that has had magic woven through its entire historical development. He transposes the magical system from Mistborn into a more modern setting with fantastic results. I’ll not say more about this novel here, but it’s a steampunk-y, gunpowder-y, novel from an established author in the genre.
Two great flintlock-era fantasies based on the Napoleonic wars are Temeraire by Naomi Novik (it has dragons!), and The Thousand Names by Django Wexler, which is more loosely based on the events of the wars.
If you’re interested in a book analysis on any of these books (which will NOT be spoiler free) please let me know in a comment, and I will write one up!
Conclusion
The gunpowder fantasy genre is only getting started, and I’m extremely excited for what it’s going to bring to the genre. Fantasy gets a bad rep among some literary circles for being riddled with tropes, like medevial settings, elves and dwarves, and swordfighting. And, while I love all of these tropes to death, I also love that gunpowder genre is challenging what we know about fantasy, and expanding and modernizing the genre. I believe gunpowder fantasy has the power to become as popular as urban fantasy, and breathe new life into our bookshelves. Additionally, gunpowder fantasy and related historical genres could possibly make historical concepts easier to understand for all of us. History, told in the right way, can be extremely interesting on its own (just look at the historical fiction genre) Historical fantasy as a genre has yet to fully take off, but as more authors explore different historical fantasy settings, such as gunpowder fantasy, fantasy will expand past its history as a medevial-era genre and grow
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