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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
This has been staring at me from my TBR shelf for too long. Glad to finally get to it!
CONTENT WARNING:
Things that were better than anticipated:
-The main characters. Winter, Marcus, the Count etc. were all way more fleshed out and interesting than I feared we'd get.
-Magic. I was afraid this would be all about bullets and what things the bullets hit, but I was glad to see some magic sneaking in.
-Politicking. Also glad to see so many social problems not solved by bullets!
Things that were about as I feared:
-The battles. Yep, sure were a lot of these, and they did include bullets that hit things, repeatedly.
-The world. It's an Earth analog, but either it isn't Earth or the author has made some veeeery interesting choices about evolution.
-The war machine. In my lifetime, the concept of the military has become quite nuanced. I don't think this felt the same need.
2.5 rounded up because it surprised me for the better more than the worse. Will not be continuing, but this decision is more around how I want to use my time rather than what I see as a lack of quality.
CONTENT WARNING:
Spoiler
rape, war, use of drugs and alcohol, religion, torture, sexism, sexual slavery, wildfiresThings that were better than anticipated:
-The main characters. Winter, Marcus, the Count etc. were all way more fleshed out and interesting than I feared we'd get.
-Magic. I was afraid this would be all about bullets and what things the bullets hit, but I was glad to see some magic sneaking in.
-Politicking. Also glad to see so many social problems not solved by bullets!
Things that were about as I feared:
-The battles. Yep, sure were a lot of these, and they did include bullets that hit things, repeatedly.
-The world. It's an Earth analog, but either it isn't Earth or the author has made some veeeery interesting choices about evolution.
-The war machine. In my lifetime, the concept of the military has become quite nuanced. I don't think this felt the same need.
2.5 rounded up because it surprised me for the better more than the worse. Will not be continuing, but this decision is more around how I want to use my time rather than what I see as a lack of quality.
3.5*
One thing I love about epic fantasy is once the scene is set you get hooked in so much more than a standalone rom com in my opinion.
It did take me a while to get into this one and I found the names and places initially quite confusing. A few times I happily skimmed some pages and ultimately it didn’t cover that much in such a long book but it was well written and the characters were believable and well developed so definitely enjoyed it overall.
The only other concern I had was the plot ‘twist’ of Jen being a spy which was a bit predictable completely undermined her moment of ‘not being able to go through with it’ I suppose this could be a moment of vulnerability she said she faked but it was theoretically as Marcus was pretty much asleep anyway. She also turned pretty animalistic and aggressive pretty quickly in the fight at the end so I feel like either there should have been hints of this earlier or hints of her softness later. It just felt a bit too 180 to me.
One thing I love about epic fantasy is once the scene is set you get hooked in so much more than a standalone rom com in my opinion.
It did take me a while to get into this one and I found the names and places initially quite confusing. A few times I happily skimmed some pages and ultimately it didn’t cover that much in such a long book but it was well written and the characters were believable and well developed so definitely enjoyed it overall.
The only other concern I had was the plot ‘twist’ of Jen being a spy which was a bit predictable completely undermined her moment of ‘not being able to go through with it’ I suppose this could be a moment of vulnerability she said she faked but it was theoretically as Marcus was pretty much asleep anyway. She also turned pretty animalistic and aggressive pretty quickly in the fight at the end so I feel like either there should have been hints of this earlier or hints of her softness later. It just felt a bit too 180 to me.
adventurous
fast-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
4.5 stars
I mentioned in an update that the characters I discovered in The Thousand Names were characters, I instantly decided, "I don't care for that character" and within minutes was fascinated by them. That's the heart of what Django Wexler has done here. He's taken things I don't really care for and made them interesting.
I read and liked Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novels, which featured a British soldier/officer during 18th century. That's kind of what the soldiers are like in The Thousand Names. They are using black powder muskets and bayonets, lining up in formation to fight. That's awesome in a historical novel, but I am not a fan of it in a fantasy novel. Django turned that upside down.
The action takes place in a desert far from the kingdom that Marcus, Winter and the other soldiers are from. The protagonists are nomads or desert-dwellers with a very Arabian feel. Again - not my choice for a setting in a fantasy novel.
One of the main characters is Winter. She's disguised as a man and a soldier in the army. I instantly hated that idea. She's probably my favorite character now.
Another character also is later revealed to be a woman in disguise posing as a soldier. I thought, "A second one? That's ridiculous!" IT TOTALLY WORKED.
Magic - there was a tiny hint of magic early on in the book. I thought, for a fantasy setting, this is pretty low key. The magic was a slow burn that suddenly took off. It is nothing like I expected (are you getting that is kind of what I found with every aspect of this book?) and was really interesting.
The final quarter of the book was hard to put down. I'm kind of salivating to read the next one.
tldr; I didn't find what I expected. Didn't like what I found. Turned out it was really top notch.
I mentioned in an update that the characters I discovered in The Thousand Names were characters, I instantly decided, "I don't care for that character" and within minutes was fascinated by them. That's the heart of what Django Wexler has done here. He's taken things I don't really care for and made them interesting.
I read and liked Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe novels, which featured a British soldier/officer during 18th century. That's kind of what the soldiers are like in The Thousand Names. They are using black powder muskets and bayonets, lining up in formation to fight. That's awesome in a historical novel, but I am not a fan of it in a fantasy novel. Django turned that upside down.
The action takes place in a desert far from the kingdom that Marcus, Winter and the other soldiers are from. The protagonists are nomads or desert-dwellers with a very Arabian feel. Again - not my choice for a setting in a fantasy novel.
One of the main characters is Winter. She's disguised as a man and a soldier in the army. I instantly hated that idea. She's probably my favorite character now.
Another character also is later revealed to be a woman in disguise posing as a soldier. I thought, "A second one? That's ridiculous!" IT TOTALLY WORKED.
Magic - there was a tiny hint of magic early on in the book. I thought, for a fantasy setting, this is pretty low key. The magic was a slow burn that suddenly took off. It is nothing like I expected (are you getting that is kind of what I found with every aspect of this book?) and was really interesting.
The final quarter of the book was hard to put down. I'm kind of salivating to read the next one.
tldr; I didn't find what I expected. Didn't like what I found. Turned out it was really top notch.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
This is my second read through and I still really enjoyed it. It's not necessarily the kind of book I would usually enjoy, but the army stuff moves along quickly so it's never boring.
This is a great début outing from author Django Wexler.
If you like fantasy you're going to like this, but if you also like historical fiction a la Bernard Cromwell AND fantasy you're going to love this book.
To be quite honest, the first two-thirds of the novel is primarily historical fiction set in a fantastical setting, which is reminiscent of Victorian Era British Empirical might. While magical elements are hinted at, and witnessed for a bit, at the beginning, it isn't until the last third of the novel that those elements really make themselves known. And once they do it becomes obvious that they will play a much larger role in the sequel.
The characterization in these novels is fantastic. The two main viewpoint characters, Captain Marcus d'Ivoire and Winter Ihrenglass are well thought out and each come with their own engaging personal strife as they deal with the much larger conflict, though they often take the backseat to the non-view point characters who come to really dominate the plot.
Captain d'Ivoire finds himself in charge of an imperial force that has been thoroughly routed by native insurgent forces, much to his displeasure. He is soon caught in the whirlwind of the new commander, Colonel Janis bet Vhalnich, who is very much the most intriguing and compelling character despite his non-viewpoint. Despite his misgivings and self-doubt, of which he has plenty, Captain d'Ivoire manages to always find himself and his men out of numerous fixes.
Rankers - soon to be officer - Winter Ihrenglass, however deals with her own personal demons. She is a woman in a man's world trying to hide her true identity while doing best by the men who come under her command, through no want of her own. She also turns out to have one of the best strategic and tactical minds of the cast of characters. She is definitely not a token female viewpoint. In my opinion she comes second to Colonel Janus as star of the show.
The supporting cast is what adds the spice and depth to this novel, and I found myself captivated more by non-view point characters. My favorite character is probably the unflappable Captain Fitz Warus, the former commanding officers younger brother. Without his cool demeanor much might have gone different. Captain d'Ivoire's relationship with his friend and fellow officer, Adrecht Roston, provides one of the most riveting sub-plots in the novel.
What follows is an adventure that turns from a military exercise into something much deeper and much more sinister, and that does a wonderful job setting up the next installment.
At times, the plot could lag, and I felt like the battles that the first third of the novel led up to were quickly over, despite Mr. Wexler's skill at writing musket battle scenes.
While I enjoyed this novel immensely, I don't think I would've as much were I not a fan of historical fiction, this is not your typical fantasy fare.
The world, while well thought out, could easily have been from our own in pre-industrial times, at the height of Imperial Colonialism. It isn't until magic is introduced that Wexler's world really begins to distinguish itself from ours.
I am eagerly awaiting the next installment this June.
If you like fantasy you're going to like this, but if you also like historical fiction a la Bernard Cromwell AND fantasy you're going to love this book.
To be quite honest, the first two-thirds of the novel is primarily historical fiction set in a fantastical setting, which is reminiscent of Victorian Era British Empirical might. While magical elements are hinted at, and witnessed for a bit, at the beginning, it isn't until the last third of the novel that those elements really make themselves known. And once they do it becomes obvious that they will play a much larger role in the sequel.
The characterization in these novels is fantastic. The two main viewpoint characters, Captain Marcus d'Ivoire and Winter Ihrenglass are well thought out and each come with their own engaging personal strife as they deal with the much larger conflict, though they often take the backseat to the non-view point characters who come to really dominate the plot.
Captain d'Ivoire finds himself in charge of an imperial force that has been thoroughly routed by native insurgent forces, much to his displeasure. He is soon caught in the whirlwind of the new commander, Colonel Janis bet Vhalnich, who is very much the most intriguing and compelling character despite his non-viewpoint. Despite his misgivings and self-doubt, of which he has plenty, Captain d'Ivoire manages to always find himself and his men out of numerous fixes.
Rankers - soon to be officer - Winter Ihrenglass, however deals with her own personal demons. She is a woman in a man's world trying to hide her true identity while doing best by the men who come under her command, through no want of her own. She also turns out to have one of the best strategic and tactical minds of the cast of characters. She is definitely not a token female viewpoint. In my opinion she comes second to Colonel Janus as star of the show.
The supporting cast is what adds the spice and depth to this novel, and I found myself captivated more by non-view point characters. My favorite character is probably the unflappable Captain Fitz Warus, the former commanding officers younger brother. Without his cool demeanor much might have gone different. Captain d'Ivoire's relationship with his friend and fellow officer, Adrecht Roston, provides one of the most riveting sub-plots in the novel.
What follows is an adventure that turns from a military exercise into something much deeper and much more sinister, and that does a wonderful job setting up the next installment.
At times, the plot could lag, and I felt like the battles that the first third of the novel led up to were quickly over, despite Mr. Wexler's skill at writing musket battle scenes.
While I enjoyed this novel immensely, I don't think I would've as much were I not a fan of historical fiction, this is not your typical fantasy fare.
The world, while well thought out, could easily have been from our own in pre-industrial times, at the height of Imperial Colonialism. It isn't until magic is introduced that Wexler's world really begins to distinguish itself from ours.
I am eagerly awaiting the next installment this June.
Dual review w/ Bellarius: http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/09/the-thousand-names-by-django-wexler-dual-review-bane-of-kingsbellarius/
“A well-researched, well-developed book – The Thousand Names manages to impress a lot. Count me in for Book 2.” ~Bane of Kings, The Founding Fields
“Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, commander of one of the Vordanai empire’s colonial garrisons, was resigned to serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost. But that was before a rebellion upended his life. And once the powder smoke settled, he was left in charge of a demoralized force clinging tenuously to a small fortress at the edge of the desert.
To flee from her past, Winter Ihernglass masqueraded as a man and enlisted as a ranker in the Vordanai Colonials, hoping only to avoid notice. But when chance sees her promoted to command, she must win the hearts of her men and lead them into battle against impossible odds.
The fates of both these soldiers and all the men they lead depend on the newly arrived Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, who has been sent by the ailing king to restore order. His military genius seems to know no bounds, and under his command, Marcus and Winter can feel the tide turning. But their allegiance will be tested as they begin to suspect that the enigmatic Janus’s ambitions extend beyond the battlefield and into the realm of the supernatural—a realm with the power to ignite a meteoric rise, reshape the known world, and change the lives of everyone in its path.”
I don’t get to read and review enough military fantasy outside of the Warhammer Fantasy Universe and The Thousand Names came as a welcome treat for me, especially as it’s a subgenre that I really enjoy. The book has been receiving high praise for quite some time now, and the book seemed like right up my street, as the start of a series by newcomer Django Wexler. When this book came up on NetGalley I leapt at the chance to request it, and got stuck right in. Here’s what I thought:
To kick things off, let’s look at the main characters who (apart from Janus) share the third person narrative. At first, they might seem like traditional fantasy stereotypes – the honour-bound tough guy Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, the woman-disguising-as-a-man cliché in Winter Ihernglass, and the ambitious and enigmatic Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich. With the description I’ve just given you, take away the names and they could be anyone that you’ve seen before in any other fantasy book. However, what Django Wexler does well is that he really fleshes out the characters, making them memorable, flawed, likeable and very interesting to read about. The book has to deal with character development, world building, plot movement and pacing at the same time and it manages to get the characters spot on, handling the clichés so well that they would become clichés if they were written by someone else less talented. And it’s not just the characters that are handled well, either.
The world building on view here is fascinating, but I did have a minor issue with how Wexler handled it, but let’s get the positives out of the way first. The world of Khander is a desert-setting and something that readers don’t often see in fantasy novels nowadays, and could easily be comparable to a Middle-Eastern country a four or five centuries ago if you were looking for an example. The military theme of the book is really enhanced by strong, in-depth research allowing for an interesting background where you’re not thrown off by elements that feel out of place for the setting. And another thing, the setting actually plays a part in the book. I’ve read some books where the setting never seems to slow the characters down, and they never really take into account any of its hazards or how it affects them. This book doesn’t fall into that category, you’ll be pleased to hear – the setting plays an active role in the book as the characters have to deal with the desert terrain which becomes a problem quite often. The culture is explored in some depth here too, but (here comes a problem that I had with the book) we never really get to see the ‘other side’ if you will – aside from a few minor POV sequences that could have been fleshed out a lot better to the point where we could have even had a major character POV. However, All major POVs (think Marcus and Winter) are from the characters on one side of the war, and we never really learn a lot of the other side. Sure, this would have probably hampered the pace and meant more pages, but I’m hoping that Wexler can explore this in future novels.
The book itself moves along at a fairly solid pace, even if it does take a while to get going. I know I talked in the above paragraph about adding stuff into the book, but Wexler probably should have taken a few things out in order to trim it down a bit. If we’d have got straight into the good rather than the build-up, this book could have saved quite a number of pages. And of course, with the decision to use clichés, there are a few predictable outcomes that prevent this novel reaching amazing status. However, that doesn’t stop it from being very, very good – and despite its flaws, I enjoyed The Thousand Names a lot, and I can’t wait to see where Wexler takes the reader with future books. The Shadow Campaigns series is certainly something to watch and I’m looking forward to seeing where Wexler can take us with book two, which I will certainly be on board for.
VERDICT: 4.5/5
“A well-researched, well-developed book – The Thousand Names manages to impress a lot. Count me in for Book 2.” ~Bane of Kings, The Founding Fields
“Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, commander of one of the Vordanai empire’s colonial garrisons, was resigned to serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost. But that was before a rebellion upended his life. And once the powder smoke settled, he was left in charge of a demoralized force clinging tenuously to a small fortress at the edge of the desert.
To flee from her past, Winter Ihernglass masqueraded as a man and enlisted as a ranker in the Vordanai Colonials, hoping only to avoid notice. But when chance sees her promoted to command, she must win the hearts of her men and lead them into battle against impossible odds.
The fates of both these soldiers and all the men they lead depend on the newly arrived Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, who has been sent by the ailing king to restore order. His military genius seems to know no bounds, and under his command, Marcus and Winter can feel the tide turning. But their allegiance will be tested as they begin to suspect that the enigmatic Janus’s ambitions extend beyond the battlefield and into the realm of the supernatural—a realm with the power to ignite a meteoric rise, reshape the known world, and change the lives of everyone in its path.”
I don’t get to read and review enough military fantasy outside of the Warhammer Fantasy Universe and The Thousand Names came as a welcome treat for me, especially as it’s a subgenre that I really enjoy. The book has been receiving high praise for quite some time now, and the book seemed like right up my street, as the start of a series by newcomer Django Wexler. When this book came up on NetGalley I leapt at the chance to request it, and got stuck right in. Here’s what I thought:
To kick things off, let’s look at the main characters who (apart from Janus) share the third person narrative. At first, they might seem like traditional fantasy stereotypes – the honour-bound tough guy Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, the woman-disguising-as-a-man cliché in Winter Ihernglass, and the ambitious and enigmatic Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich. With the description I’ve just given you, take away the names and they could be anyone that you’ve seen before in any other fantasy book. However, what Django Wexler does well is that he really fleshes out the characters, making them memorable, flawed, likeable and very interesting to read about. The book has to deal with character development, world building, plot movement and pacing at the same time and it manages to get the characters spot on, handling the clichés so well that they would become clichés if they were written by someone else less talented. And it’s not just the characters that are handled well, either.
The world building on view here is fascinating, but I did have a minor issue with how Wexler handled it, but let’s get the positives out of the way first. The world of Khander is a desert-setting and something that readers don’t often see in fantasy novels nowadays, and could easily be comparable to a Middle-Eastern country a four or five centuries ago if you were looking for an example. The military theme of the book is really enhanced by strong, in-depth research allowing for an interesting background where you’re not thrown off by elements that feel out of place for the setting. And another thing, the setting actually plays a part in the book. I’ve read some books where the setting never seems to slow the characters down, and they never really take into account any of its hazards or how it affects them. This book doesn’t fall into that category, you’ll be pleased to hear – the setting plays an active role in the book as the characters have to deal with the desert terrain which becomes a problem quite often. The culture is explored in some depth here too, but (here comes a problem that I had with the book) we never really get to see the ‘other side’ if you will – aside from a few minor POV sequences that could have been fleshed out a lot better to the point where we could have even had a major character POV. However, All major POVs (think Marcus and Winter) are from the characters on one side of the war, and we never really learn a lot of the other side. Sure, this would have probably hampered the pace and meant more pages, but I’m hoping that Wexler can explore this in future novels.
The book itself moves along at a fairly solid pace, even if it does take a while to get going. I know I talked in the above paragraph about adding stuff into the book, but Wexler probably should have taken a few things out in order to trim it down a bit. If we’d have got straight into the good rather than the build-up, this book could have saved quite a number of pages. And of course, with the decision to use clichés, there are a few predictable outcomes that prevent this novel reaching amazing status. However, that doesn’t stop it from being very, very good – and despite its flaws, I enjoyed The Thousand Names a lot, and I can’t wait to see where Wexler takes the reader with future books. The Shadow Campaigns series is certainly something to watch and I’m looking forward to seeing where Wexler can take us with book two, which I will certainly be on board for.
VERDICT: 4.5/5
I am not normally a fan fiction person, in terms of reading or writing. It’s just not my thing. But somehow this series was just excellent enough and just terrible enough that I feel a burning need to rewrite the whole damn thing and make it perfect. It was so very close...