Guns of the Dawn - Adrian Tchaikovsky

Denland and Lascanne have been allies for generations, but now the Denlanders have assassinated their king, overthrown the monarchy and marched on their northern neighbour. At the border, the war rages; Lascanne's brave redcoats against the revolutionaries of Denland.

Emily Marshwic has watched the war take her brother-in-law and now her young brother. Then comes the call for more soldiers, to a land already drained of husbands, fathers and sons. Every household must give up one woman to the army and Emily has no choice but to join the ranks of young women marching to the front.

In the midst of warfare, with just enough training to hold a musket, Emily comes face to face with the reality: the senseless slaughter; the weary cynicism of the Survivor's Club; the swamp's own natives hiding from the conflict.

As the war worsens, and Emily begins to have doubts about the justice of Lascanne's cause, she finds herself in a position where her choices will make or destroy both her own future and that of her nation.
A standalone, action-packed historical adventure from the esteemed author of the Shadows of the Apt series.

Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire before heading off to Reading to study psychology and zoology. For reasons unclear even to himself he subsequently ended up in law and has worked as a legal executive in both Reading and Leeds, where he now lives. Married, he is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor, has trained in stage-fighting, and keeps no exotic or dangerous pets of any kind, possibly excepting his son. He's the author of the critically acclaimed Shadows of the Apt series, and his standalone novel Children of Time is the winner of the 30th Anniversary Arthur C Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.

Once the musket balls start to fly, Tchaikovsky weaves together a story that keeps you hooked with breathless battle scenes, well-drawn characters and an uneasy feeling in your gut that while Marshwic and her red-coated comrades are winning battles they're slowly losing the war... an engrossing story, beautifully told
SFX Magazine

World building is steady and relentless; this is a fantasy novel with muskets, magic, war machines and social hierarchies. The reader is never overwhelmed with exposition, but it is a dense world and it's a credit to the skill of the author that both the world and the characters contain plenty of surprises
Starburst Magazine

This is a pacey, relentless . . . tightly written and plotted, with exquisite attention to every bloody detail . . . Moving, gripping and wonderfully paced, Tchaikovsky has produced a strong stand alone book about a remarkable heroine
Thebookbag.co.uk

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

Guns of the Dawn has a lot to say about the nature of war and the real reasons as to why such conflicts happen. At the same time, it is also an involving, entertaining read that flows very fluidly and keeps the reader turning the pages well into the night
Gingernutsofhorror.com