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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
Exceptionally well written book with many good characters, great action and an interesting take on the fantasy genre. The worldbuilding is excellent too. It was like i was there myself with a bayonet in my hands and the desert wind on my face, charging the enemy. All in all, pretty solid stuff.
Military fantasy is just not for me, I guess. Not a bad book by any means but did not hold my interest. Implausible that a female could hide in the military like this - liked this plotline least. Still, well written and I can see the appeal for the right audience.
Very interesting! They didn't develop the magic enough at all, but that just makes me want to read the next one!
The Thousand Names didn't just deliver as a fantasy novel, but rather a military fantasy novel. It was all about tactics, strategy, survival, and betrayal. All of those elements intertwined to produce this spectacular novel.
The premise was a bit unclear in terms of the goal of the novel. It merely introduced the readers to the two main characters who helped shape this into the perfection that it is. What made up for the unclear premise would be the unpredictable plot. Everything was not as it seemed to be. The twist and turns would make you want to read everything at once. The plot proved to be one of the most interesting ones of its respective genre.
Wexler created two unforgettable and genuinely likable characters. Winter and Marcus had different characteristics, but when put together, they worked great. Winter was a girl who had to pretend to be a man to be able to serve the military. What made her identity unrecognizable to the others would be as clear as the premise. While it could be perceived as gimmicky, the gimmick worked out very well. Marcus on the other hand was a respectable member of the military. He showed a bit of weakness in the beginning of the novel, but managed to redeem himself more than once. Aside from the two amazing ones, the other minor characters were just as interesting. Janus was a great leader and proved himself till the end of the novel. Other minor characters were also very entertaining. Very much character driven, but the plot on the other hand didn't disappoint.
The betrayals and revelations in the end were not just unpredictable, but they were also very well written. Wexler put a lot of thought in those, as the twists in the end affected the plot greatly. It wasn't forced and just placed there for the sake of having an unseen change of events, but he wrote those in order to further develop the plot even more. If you're looking for a novel with unexpected turn of events that would leave your mouth hanging open, then this novel is for you.
Highly recommended to Military and war fantasy fans. Quite a few people had been calling this "flintlock fantasy", so if you're a fan of that then you must give this one a try. The Thousand Names hasn't been given the right amount of praise and attention it truly deserves, but great novels will always be discovered and cherished sooner or later. Remarkable characters, promising plot, and exquisite writing. The ending hinted a lot of promising things for the sequel, and surely the author has a lot more to offer in the next few novels of the Shadow Campaigns series.
The premise was a bit unclear in terms of the goal of the novel. It merely introduced the readers to the two main characters who helped shape this into the perfection that it is. What made up for the unclear premise would be the unpredictable plot. Everything was not as it seemed to be. The twist and turns would make you want to read everything at once. The plot proved to be one of the most interesting ones of its respective genre.
Wexler created two unforgettable and genuinely likable characters. Winter and Marcus had different characteristics, but when put together, they worked great. Winter was a girl who had to pretend to be a man to be able to serve the military. What made her identity unrecognizable to the others would be as clear as the premise. While it could be perceived as gimmicky, the gimmick worked out very well. Marcus on the other hand was a respectable member of the military. He showed a bit of weakness in the beginning of the novel, but managed to redeem himself more than once. Aside from the two amazing ones, the other minor characters were just as interesting. Janus was a great leader and proved himself till the end of the novel. Other minor characters were also very entertaining. Very much character driven, but the plot on the other hand didn't disappoint.
The betrayals and revelations in the end were not just unpredictable, but they were also very well written. Wexler put a lot of thought in those, as the twists in the end affected the plot greatly. It wasn't forced and just placed there for the sake of having an unseen change of events, but he wrote those in order to further develop the plot even more. If you're looking for a novel with unexpected turn of events that would leave your mouth hanging open, then this novel is for you.
Highly recommended to Military and war fantasy fans. Quite a few people had been calling this "flintlock fantasy", so if you're a fan of that then you must give this one a try. The Thousand Names hasn't been given the right amount of praise and attention it truly deserves, but great novels will always be discovered and cherished sooner or later. Remarkable characters, promising plot, and exquisite writing. The ending hinted a lot of promising things for the sequel, and surely the author has a lot more to offer in the next few novels of the Shadow Campaigns series.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Colonisation, War
Minor: Rape
The first half was pretty boring, but I powered on through. The final half was definitely worth it. All that combat tactics stuff was done away with, and replaced with intrigue and craziness. Seeing as the next book contains even more intrigue, I'll definitely keep going with this series.
Wow! This was looking like a four or five star book until the ending, which sucked and tainted my view of the rest. I thought Wexler did a great job with the battles and devised a plot that really moved along. I was really enjoying the book in the early-going, but found it started to lag a bit when they march off into the desert. I think the book could have been edited to tighten it up a bit. It seemed overlong.
I could have used a few more characters' POVs. I started to get tired of Marcus and Winter near the end of the book. As a reader, you can figure out some of the revelations coming before they arrive, but Marcus seems almost witless. Everything is a shock to him. Even when it seems obvious, he has to have it explained. And Winter is just a little bit too perfect - always coming up with the right plan, nothing managing to slow her down. What happens to her in the last scene just takes that to the nth degree. You have lots of other characters, do you have to have the same one save the day over and over again?
I also got very tired of Winter's recurring dream. I hate reading dream sequences in books, or seeing them in movies. Wexler has established early on that Winter has recurring dreams about her old friend - does he need to spend a couple of pages late in the book describing them again? I skipped over the last one, as I just couldn't bear to read about it again.
I feel bad about posting a mostly negative review, as I really enjoyed parts of this book, but I just thought it flagged as the book went on, and then all of a sudden included all sorts of mystical elements in the last scene that had only been hinted at before, and included such a long, drawn out climatic scene, with a "only Winter can save the day" theme that really sucked the life out of the book.
So good book, disappointing ending, and now I'm not sure if I'll continue with this series. It's too bad because until they went into the cave, I was thinking that I had my next few books all mapped out.
I could have used a few more characters' POVs. I started to get tired of Marcus and Winter near the end of the book. As a reader, you can figure out some of the revelations coming before they arrive, but Marcus seems almost witless. Everything is a shock to him. Even when it seems obvious, he has to have it explained. And Winter is just a little bit too perfect - always coming up with the right plan, nothing managing to slow her down. What happens to her in the last scene just takes that to the nth degree. You have lots of other characters, do you have to have the same one save the day over and over again?
I also got very tired of Winter's recurring dream. I hate reading dream sequences in books, or seeing them in movies. Wexler has established early on that Winter has recurring dreams about her old friend - does he need to spend a couple of pages late in the book describing them again? I skipped over the last one, as I just couldn't bear to read about it again.
I feel bad about posting a mostly negative review, as I really enjoyed parts of this book, but I just thought it flagged as the book went on, and then all of a sudden included all sorts of mystical elements in the last scene that had only been hinted at before, and included such a long, drawn out climatic scene, with a "only Winter can save the day" theme that really sucked the life out of the book.
So good book, disappointing ending, and now I'm not sure if I'll continue with this series. It's too bad because until they went into the cave, I was thinking that I had my next few books all mapped out.
A great flintlock fantasy novel.
Wexler writes strong characters with mysterious backstories that keeps us interested from the get-go.
It's pretty low on the magic throughout most of the book, which usually is not my favorite but Wexler is just flat-out such a good author that he overcame any misgivings I had about that book not feeling very magical.
A strong start to the series and I'm very excited to read more of The Shadow Campaigns.
Wexler writes strong characters with mysterious backstories that keeps us interested from the get-go.
It's pretty low on the magic throughout most of the book, which usually is not my favorite but Wexler is just flat-out such a good author that he overcame any misgivings I had about that book not feeling very magical.
A strong start to the series and I'm very excited to read more of The Shadow Campaigns.
I picked these up after seeing recommendations by several authors I follow, and I must say I am glad I did.
While the magic is much less in your face than a sword an sorcery type novel, it feels more realistic for that fact to me. Overall I guess it would be a flintlock fantasy with much more of the novel focused on the characters and politics of the society. Very strong, well written female characters as well and extremely well researched and realistic in its combat.
I really enjoyed this debut novel (i rarely give 5 stars) and have already started on the second. Hopefully, there will be many more to come.
While the magic is much less in your face than a sword an sorcery type novel, it feels more realistic for that fact to me. Overall I guess it would be a flintlock fantasy with much more of the novel focused on the characters and politics of the society. Very strong, well written female characters as well and extremely well researched and realistic in its combat.
I really enjoyed this debut novel (i rarely give 5 stars) and have already started on the second. Hopefully, there will be many more to come.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A