The Shadow Throne (The Shadow Campaigns)

Django Wexler's first book in The Shadow Campaigns series (The Thousand Names) was a slow-starter, but wisely used that time to develop its characters and history a bit and let the conflict unfold incrementally, with a mysterious undertone of the supernatural pervading the story. Sounds good. The characters were interesting, and Wexler's accounts of the battles were exciting and creative. Eventually the 'magic system' was revealed (a bit of a letdown; it's so rare that an author comes up with something truly original in that department) and quickly took over the story. To me, that was the author's first mistake...but I picked up the sequel (The Shadow Throne) and hoped for the best. What I found was the author's second mistake: abandoning his strength--namely, a knack for scribing something akin to historical military fiction--and shifting the focus from the battlefield to an urban 'political intrigue' setting, minus the intrigue. Those types of novels are fueled by stellar dialogue and wicked plot twists, neither of which Wexler had been able to conjure by page 140...which is where my version of the story will end, because I haven't got the patience to endure 350 more pages devoted to characters that I no longer care about. Die-hard fans of military fantasy may find this series enjoyable, but I was looking for something truly different. The search continues...

When a major military conflict has concluded and a treasure is found, what are soldiers to do? In the case of Marcus d’Ivoire, Winter Ihrenglass, and the leader of their military unit Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, they return home. While the soldiers were accustomed to military conflict in the battle trenches, the home to which they return is in a conflict of a different sort – political. The King is dying, people are vying for power with his death on the horizon and as a result, one of our new (and a most welcome one at that) point of view characters is the king’s daughter, Raesinia. However, the young princess is far more than she appears. Soon after Wexler introduces her, she jumps out of her window only to “survive” the fall. Raesinia is also working as something of a revolutionary with the populace, realizing that Duke Orlanko, the true power in Vordan, is close to seizing all the power he has been craving.

That introduction to Raesinia is one of the most shocking and powerful character introductions I’ve come across in quite some time and with it, Wexler sets the tone for the novel. For even though he played with the expectations of readers familiar with the Military Fantasy genre in The Thousand Names, Wexler boldly announces he is forging something truly his own in The Shadow Campaigns saga.

The Shadow Throne is an extremely successful second-in-a-series book, and nearly perfect one in that regard. Wexler takes the characters we know from the previous volume and puts them in challenging situations which allows them to grow along the track charted in the first novel, with some surprises as well. Things hinted at in book one come more into the light as fully formed developments in the world / series and Wexler expands the cast in a smart and exciting fashion. It is a novel that, a week after finishing it, still has me thinking strongly about it, realizing upon reflection how very good it was/is, and anticipating the third book in the series.

Full review: http://www.sffworld DOT com/2014/07/shadow-throne-django-wexler-book-two-shadow-campaigns/

Carries on with the fantastic setting and characters of The Thousand Names - it's very engrossing, a mix of muskets and magic. I love the strong female characters, and the wonderful way the plot keeps you rolling through the book. well written and never a dull moment. The villain is smart and deliciously evil.

While The Shadow Throne doesn't have the same focus on the military aspects as the first book, it builds a believable world in a similar setting as the time of the French Revolution. The book's similarity to our own world history is endearing and executed very well.

This book starts off with a new character, Raesinia Orboan, the princess of Vordan. Her magic ability is presented in a literally face-crushing experience when she tumbles down a tower. On purpose. The book starts off with a bang and gripped me from the start. The action of the princess didn't miss her mark and shook me up quite a bit.

The story shifts from the desert heat into the heart of Vordan, the capital. With the death of the king only a matter of time and Raesinia a perceived weak woman, emotions in the city are boiling over. Especially since the Last Duke is thought to take advantage of a young queen and rule in her stead with an iron fist. The people of Vordan have no liking for the Duke and his secret police. Tempers are stirring with the populace getting abused by foreign banks holding the permission to collect taxes.

In this boiling pot our heroes come back, with Janus bet Vhalnich tasked by the dying king to help the young princess. But she's not half as weak as everyone thinks and has matter well inside her hands.

[...]

Overall the emancipation of women in the world plays a role and not only do they have a major part in the resistance and the revolution, they even march side by side with the male soldiers to meet the enemies of the Vordan people.

The series is easily on the same quality of the first book and carries on the story without losing the reader's interest for a moment. I found it very easy to become invested in both story and characters and finished it quite fast for such a big book. The flow simply works and the plot is engaging enough to make you go back to it whenever you have the time.

Even a book as good as this has some minor weaknesses though. This time I couldn't agree with the tactical side of the military aspect of the book. Janus bet Vhalnich decision in how to meet the enemy doesn't seem quite as effective as what we are used to from the last book. I'm by no means an expert on early-firearm warfare, but I can't see his tactic working so well. I was left with a tinge of regret because of the way the last battle progressed. I hope the following Campaigns will not ask me to suspend my disbelief in a similar fashion.

I'm a bit sad that the magic system still isn't quite clear yet and I would've liked some more explanations in that regard. Same goes for Janus bet Vhalnich's plans and his reasons for the war against the Black Priests. I'd really like to discover more about this brilliant man and his past.

Concluding: The Shadow Throne continues the Shadow Campaign series in the same way the Thousand Names started this adventure. Fans of the first book don't need to think twice about buying this book. They will get a similar menu as the first book served up, with less war and more revolution. Some people might not like that as much, but I was convinced by the book. I think this quieter book was needed too, as this is the actual prelude for the story. The book sets the pawns into their starting positions and Django Wexler promises an all-out war in the next books. I'm very much looking forward to the rest of the series. It definitely has the potential to rank very high on everybody's lists.

A more extensive Review can be found on my Blog.

Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Scholastic Siren - Sara (edited by Chelle):
*Copy gifted in exchange for an honest review

This is the second book of Django Wexler's Shadow Campaign series and was a new read for me and LITERAL ADDICTION.

The genre is Flintlock Fantasy, but I would have just called it fantasy. The world building is wonderful! There are four main POV characters, all with intersecting storylines. Wexler plots beautifully, and there is no confusion as to whom is speaking or where you are. The story is full of court intrigue and interpersonal relationships. Big plot lines dealing with the major story arc, and secondary plotlines with characters you really come to care about.

I did not read The Thousand Names, book one in the series, but I did not feel lost, nor did I feel like I was missing anything. The book stands well on its own.

I definitely recommend this book, and am anxious to read more from Mr. Wexler.

"The Shadow Throne", book two from Django Wexler's "The Shadow Campaigns" series is a top notch political/military fantasy read. No doubt about that. Wexler weaves a tale of political intrigue, back room conspiracies and military conflict with style that is certainly all his own. As far as military fantasy goes, one would be hard pressed to find a better read this year.

While there is some magic in "The Shadow Throne", and while it does play a pivotal role in the overall story, Mr. Wexler does a terrific job not over focusing it. The reader knows it's there and how important it will be to the overall series, but the magic isn't constantly in the reader's face. Not to mention, the magic system itself is quite unique and interesting.

Django's abilities really shine when writing the military battle. Bringing the battle scene alive from both Winter's and Marcus' point of view without missing a beat. He has an ability to bring strategies and formations to life without boring the reader and turning the story into a military education. The action flows smoothly, and the anxiety of being in that type of situation is felt by the reader because of what seems to be an uncanny talent for bringing war to life.

Overall, "The Shadow Throne" is an excellent book. Deserving of a much better review than I have the ability to write. If one is looking for political intrigue, conspiracies, and open field warfare, well then, "The Shadow Throne" is up that alley.

Check it out.

Did you enjoy the flintlock magic from the first book? Did you like seeing Winter grow and change over the course of the first book? Did you like the military fantasy setting? Did you like reading a story with competent bad guys? If so, you'll be pining for The Thousand Names as you read The Shadow Throne.

In this book Wexler has added in new viewpoint characters, hit the reset button on a lot of the character growth for Winter from the first book, changed the setting dramatically, and switched from military fantasy to a retelling of the French Revolution.

My biggest gripe about the novel is Winter. Watching her grow to accept command. as well as develop into a self confident leader was the best part of TN. In TS, she is back to square one. She spends most of the novel running around with her sweetheart Jane. Jane is straight up bipolar, and dating someone else, but Winter spends the whole novel following her around like a lovesick puppy.

Marcus bumbles along for a while, then is used as a straw man.

Janus continues to conceal his plans from his allies because there is nothing better than a military commander who keeps information from his people.

Raecinia is pretty awesome, and her whole story is quite interesting. Her chapters were the best part of the book for me. Really, it felt like Wexler wanted to tell the Raceinia Smith story and tacked on Marcus, Winter, and Janus so that the book would qualify as a sequel. I'll be reading book #3, because I do like the series, and now I'm invested, but ST was definitely a step down from TN.

(Full disclosure: I'm Django's alpha reader, and I read much of this one in an earlier draft. Re-read in print, though, because that's the kind of pal I am)

I think much of my excitement about this book can be summed up by Liz Bourke's tor.com review: FANTASY FRENCH REVOLUTION WITH LESBIANS.

Let me further sell this book by asking: do you want awesome female characters--soldiers, revolutionaries, royals, revolutionary-royals, undead revolutionary-royals, historians, economic geniuses, assassin-maids? Do you want lovingly described battle scenes in a low-magic, 18th-century-ish fantasy world? Do you want humor about the oft-contradictory nature of revolution? Do you want not-entirely-benevolent, enigmatic generals who are one part Sherlock Holmes, one part Napoleon, one part Thrawn? Have you read the first book? (Not necessary, but helpful?)

Then do read this book :)

But in particular, things I love:
- Winter. So much Winter. Winter correcting pompous noblemen. Winter feeling out of place in a dress. Winter acting sisterly to Cyte. Winter's anxiety about her relationship with Jane. We're clearly supposed to know it's not the healthiest relationship, but we cheer for it anyway.
- Raesinia. I read proto-Shadow Campaigns stories which involved her adventures jumping off the Sworn Cathedral, and when The Thousand Names came around, I was sad that she (and Sothe!) were not in it. But now she is back. My favorite Raes moment is probably her quieting the mob by waving around the temporary agreement the proto-deputies have come to.
- I have such a soft spot for Cora. I love the power she wields with money and smarts, without being physically kickass.
- the storming of the Vendre, in general. It takes a lot of stage-managing to get all the characters in the same place at the same time, but this is what Django really excels at--well-described action sequences where the stakes and motivations are clear.
- on the same note, the final battle. It was a difficult set-up to describe, but I ended up with a very clear picture in my head of what was going on, and it was tense and exciting and everything it should be.
- Marcus' continued insistence that that Lieutenant Ihernglass doesn't make a very convincing woman :)

I read the last third in one sitting and want more nao. Which I can even get! Be jealous.

A disappointing follow-up. Winter was my favorite character from the first book and even though she was haunted by her personal demons she never let them prevent her from moving forward. Unfortunately this book did what so often happens with strong female characters and as soon as someone they love comes in to play the just dither around feeling sorry and never seem to recover except for the briefest moments when the writer seems to remember 'oh yeah, she isn't emotionally crippled' and then promptly forgotten by the next time the love interest shows up. More crying 'I'm sorrys' and domestic disputes than action and intrigue. All of the most interesting parts of the story are mostly skipped over in favor of the lead up to them and the aftermath delivered in nauseating detail or stinted dialogue respectively. Still well written but misfocused and caused my interest in the series to wane
Will not buy the next book most likely.

Django Wexler envisions a Napoleonic Era world in which magical abilities come from binding to a demon. The first tale introduced our heroes in a far colony where the military genius Janus has to not only win against overwhelming odds but also find The Thousand Names (paper) of demons. Coming home with Colonol Janus, Captain Marcus and Lieutenant Winter find themselves thrown into a French style revolution. The King is dying and the future Queen has a deep secret. She has been bound to a demon that restores her no matter how bad the wound. The Last Duke, head of spies and torture for the kingdom wants to rule from The Shadow Throne (hard from ROC). So Princess Rasinia has been sneaking out of the palace and working with a revolutionary cabal. They are helped by a mindless fool cursed with huge charisma who can repeat anything told to him. I really loved the attack on the Vendre (like the Bastille) and the council of deputies who would rather argue than actually act. Lots of fun with more to come.Review published by Philadelphia Weekly Press

A solid sequel to The Thousand Names! I loved the first book in this series and its unique take on near-past fantasy (or whatever the actual term for the genre is). This book puts the characters in a cityscape setting as the overarching plot of the series continues. The character development and depth was spot on with the quality of the first novel. The plot continues to keep you guessing as to individual motives.

I must confess, I was sad to see the masterfully penned battles of the first book take a back seat to political intrigue and revolution, but it's understandable and a brave departure from a proven recipe for success by Mr. Wexler.

I can't wait for the next book in the series!

Really disappointed that it had to have such a lesbian slant, even more so than the first book, which only has hints. I deleted before my 14 year old could read it. I am in book clubs that review books for other moms, and I am going to strongly suggest staying away from this series.

I found myself sadly disappointed by the second installment in this series.
The characters didn't catch my interest and I couldn't empathize with any of them as they lacked any sense of urgency or consequence.
The lesbian sex aspect may be titillating to a high school aged boy but I found it tedious and it detracted from the story.
As one of the other reviewers stated it had the tone of a history lesson.

Django Wexler strikes me as a man with some imagination, but little to no maturity. His story is marred by youthful ideas of how the world works and seems completely devoid of actual intelligent writing.

I have now fought my way through two of these books because his story in itself has some promise, but his writing is simply too terrible. I will not be finishing the series, as I think putting myself through one more of these books is too much torture to be worth it.

If you are an adult I highly recommend NOT READING this book.

Even better than the first book! While this story had very little focus on magic, it was packed with political intrigue, conspiracy, tension, and deception. The story was excellently woven and I was immersed throughout. We were introduced to new, awesome characters like Raesinia and my personal favourite, Jane. Raesinia has an excellent secret that she carries with her that makes her highly interesting to me, and Jane is one of the toughest, coolest characters in flintlock fantasy. Old favourites like Winter and Marcus returned, and had their backstories furthered and deepened, which I really appreciated, especially in terms of Marcus. One thing that I truly loved was the realistic portrayal of women during the times, and watching those women knock down every barrier placed in their path, which made the ending even more satisfying and something I want to see grow in future books. This continues to be a great series for fans of military fantasy, and I can't wait to see what happens next!

Django Wexler is a major player in this genre. The action is reminiscent of Burroughs, but with plots and characters that we care about. Characters act real and sound real, and there's never a misstep in the narrative. Pick at things as you like, but 20 years from now these books will still be standing when thousands of others will be forgotten.