The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns)

Not a typical fantasy and starts off with more of a colonial military approach, which is usually not something I am interested in reading. However the more I read the more interested I was in the characters and story development and towards the end you start to encounter more of the fantasy aspects. Nevertheless, even without the fantasy aspects it was a very enjoyable read and look forward to reading the next installment.

Rock solid battle novel, with lots of battles... story and character development is good and the author has certainly talent. But he does not yet live up to great standards of other writers in this or similar genre.

First read of this author. Received a tip from a book group about Wexler (and about 2 dozen others). Overall good reviews on the store convinced me to get it a read.

Nutshell synopsis: Think about Napoleonic period with ‘magic’ still around. Rebel colony needs putting straight so send in fresh troops and a hotshot colonel. But the colonel has a secret mission too. OK, I am sure other folks have reviews filled with spoilers. Check out the full synopsis on the store for spoiler free(ish) rundown of the story. As the story is told from several viewpoints, us readers get various perspectives at several different levels.

Generally, I enjoyed the pace of the book. Things moved along well without seeming rushed. Characters develop nicely. Some are a little deeper than others, but all play their roles well enough for the story. I believe that the ones the author wants us to care about is pretty straight forward, but hey, I did end up caring about them enough.

Battles are thought out well enough that I did not feel any need to rip them apart for flaws. I am sure some armchair generals will wax poetically about how the enemy would not really do this or that, but I was able to accept the ‘rational’ explanations given. Wexler includes enough of camp life and logistics headaches to provide a bit more reality. Soldiers don’t survive on bullets and powder charges alone.

Looks like I have another series to catch up on (yeah!), but I will likely pace myself. Did I mention the two dozen or so authors folks recommended?

Why a 4-star instead of 5-star? This is still a 'Like' or 'Thumbs-Up' review so go for it. Give me a scale, ok, you're going to have to be darn good to get 5-stars for the read.

Some weird mix of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe books with some well-constructed fantasy. A little bit rough on the edges but fun characters and a good amount of action to keep you engaged. I look forward to his next book.

A sleepy colonial outpost in the sun-scorched land of Khandar is awakened when a rebel uprising chases the Vordanai Colonial Regiment from the Khandar capital city of Ashe-Katarion. The seasoned Colonials, forced to retreat to a small coastal fortress, hope that the newly-arrived ships from Vordan have come to take them home. Instead, the boats bear fresh recruits along with the enigmatic Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, who has come to take command of the regiment and win back control of the city for the deposed prince and cousin of the king of Vordan. At the center of these events is Captain Marcus D'Ivoire, who assumed command of the regiment following the death of the previous colonel, and Winter Ihernglass, who joined the army disguised as a man to escape from her past. Entwined throughout is a dark, powerful magic that groups on both sides are risking life and death to obtain.

The Thousand Names starts slowly, as the reader is introduced to the Vordanai Colonials and their military capabilities and tactics. A good number of pages are spent early on explaining different combat formations, which are a bit dry at first but soon become relevant as the Colonials embark on a campaign to retake Ashe-Katarion, despite being severely outnumbered.

The book rotates between Marcus's and Winter's points of view, with a few chapters interspersed offering the other side's perspective. Marcus is the typical honor-bound soldier, but is soon put in the awkward position of balancing his loyalty to the old Colonials, who would sooner jump on the next ship back home than fight another battle, and his duty to the new colonel, who seems to be too clever for his own good. However, it is Winter who really drives the action of the book. At the start, Winter is a lowly ranker making every effort not to stand out, lest someone discover her secret. With the arrival of the new colonel, she is forced to assume command of a company and is thrust into the center of combat, and Winter grows substantially as a character in subsequent battles. Marcus, unfortunately, does not show the same growth and mainly serves as a plot driver, although in most cases, he is an observer of events rather than an active participant.

While all of the events in the book take place in Khandar, Wexler subtly hints at a much larger world that will hopefully be explored in future books, and Wexler has penned a short story that takes place prior to the events of The Thousand Names, although I would recommend reading the short story second so as not to spoil anything.

Its reminds me a lot to steven erikson books only the wordbuilding is not that complex. There are alot of twist in the story. The characters a really likeable like Winter being as dutiful as Mat and janus being the mystique commander as Tavore. I loved it and are looking forward to the next book.

I don’t usually read fantasy flintlock, but I decided to try it out and I’m glad I did. I’ve never read a fantasy book that had gunpowder or such Napoleonic undertones, but I really enjoyed it. It went very in depth into the military procedures, but it didn’t feel weighted down or boring. Looking forward to the next book.

I started this book not expecting that much, I had never heard of the author and the first chapter wasn't really gripping me. I was so wrong. As soon as I got into the meat of the book it hooked me and didn't let go. I ended up finishing this in around 3 days because I couldn't put it dow. It's a great one, check it out.

really enjoyed this book it starts out like a Bernard Cormwell story and slowly grows to something else
well written and great characters. a complete story yet the stage is set for much more. I look forward to the next

Excellent book, though at times I feel the whole magic aspect is unnecessary, this would be a good book without it, I guess we'll probably see a great deal more in the future books to round it all out.

This was a very good book. Solid prose, engaging characters, interesting ideas, all in a well-developed world. I got to the end, recommended it to my wife, and added the sequel to my list of books-to-be-read-as-soon-as-they-come-out. I can think of no higher praise.

If you like flintlock fantasy, you'll probably like this book.

If you like military fiction, you'll probably like this book.

If you like gender benders, you'll probably like this book.

If you like Arya Stark, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Croaker, or the books in which they appeared at all, you'll probably like this book.

If you've read this far into my review, you'll probably like this book.

In fact, if you're to the point where you're reading reviews of this book at all, chances are it is the book you're looking for.

I liked the book, somewhat, but I almost stopped reading it about 40% in because the characters, other than Winter, didn't seem that interesting: Marcus was the stalwart officer and the Colonel was eccentric but supremely capable--they seemed generic to me. The novel doesn't really get moving until about 50% in once the battles begin to occur with some frequency. Some of the characters' visuals--what their faces, hair, build--seem unreported; I need to "see" who I'm reading about. I'm glad I finished the book but I'm not compelled to read a sequel.

Starting with the disclaimer that the author is my son, I can first say that I loved the book as any father would.

Having gotten that out of the way, I can now say, "Wow! What a great adventure."

Since Django has been interested in military history since he first heard about WWII when he was 5 or 6 and started reading accounts of Midway and other battles, it comes as no surprise to me that he can conjure up an entire world and recreate Napoleonic warfare in a fascinating and visceral way. I am most impressed with the recreation of the feel of the battles from the individual soldier's viewpoint. Horses charging straight at bayonets only to veer away at the last moment. The confusion and fog. The miniscule view of a battle that an individual gets versus the big picture that the generals have.

The other aspect of the book that delighted me was the richness of the principal characters. Winter and Marcus both have rich inner lives that are reflected in the choices they make and their relationships with other characters. Janus, although (or perhaps because) the story is never told from his perspective, is for me the most mysterious and humorous character.

There is just enough magic in the story for fantasy fans, but not so much that you wonder why they just didn't pull out their wands and wipe out all the little people in one go. Characters have surprising resources, both magical and otherwise.

I look forward eagerly to the next chapters and to new revelations about these characters and their magical world.

A curious blend of old colonial-era military technologies & tactics mixed with a Crusade-type religious ferver with a little paranormal activity, set in a fictional land. Interesting enough to read the next installment.

A powerful, can't-forget debut. Weaves realistic, all-too-human characters into a world of military campaigning and esoteric magic. Covers a ton of territory without bogging down. I feel like I just took a course in military history. I can't wait for the next installment!

This book is mostly a colonial (feels like 1850s) military novel. There is a magic component but overall the focus is on a campaign by a foreign colonial force to retake a region from the insurgent inhabitants for the ousted prince. So you're going to read alot about strategy, muskets, bayonets, horsemen, columns, flanks and cannons. It's an interesting read and the author does a good job of making the battles interesting, but this isn't a typical 'hero's journey' (though there's one in there if you're looking for it).

Critiques:
1. The story is almost entirely from the view of the colonials and is written good guy v bad guy with the native peoples as bad guy. I don't love the sidestepping of a complex issue like foreign invasions (because face it, its not simple).
2. Magic is not explicitly present in the first 70% of the book
3. The characters are a bit flat.

Good things:
1. As you get into the story the characters flesh out a bit and you start actually rooting for them
2. Magic becomes more prominent and interesting - the magic system is an interesting take

The second book sounds like things will be very different as the main characters move back to the homeland and work within existing society of political intrigue

Not much character development. Decent setting but nothing tremendously revolutionary in terms of culture or technology. The vernacular is pretty boring.

The supporting characters exist for the development of the main characters, very transparently. Some coincidental similarities between characters beggar belief.

REVIEW SUMMARY: Extremely strong debut, flintlock fantasy at its best.

MY RATING: 4.5 stars

BRIEF SYNOPSIS: The Vordanai Colonial regiment believe their miserable time in Khandar to be coming to a close - that is until a clever new Colonel arrives with a batch of reinforcements. With a force only 4,000 men strong, the Colonel intends to reclaim the city of Ashe-Katarion from a numerically superior force of rebels, raiders, and religious fanatics.

PROS: Excellent action scenes that display a wealth of military knowledge, unexpectedly strong female presence, clever world building, good characters.

CONS: If martial fiction isn't your cup of tea you might not want to crash this party.

BOTTOM LINE: Wexler's debut will appeal to fans of fantasy and fans of military fiction. I cannot wait for the next book of The Shadow Campaigns.

No Obi Wan Kenobi, this is the flintlock fantasy I'm looking for. The Thousand Names definitely falls under the category of war fiction that just so happens to take place in a fantasy world. Let's just get this out of the way though - Django Wexler's The Thousand Names shall from now on be considered the standard set for all new flintlock fantasy to strive for.

The Vordanai Colonials have been chased from the city of Ashe-Katarion, ousted by the Redeemer rebellion and harried all the way back to the coastal Fort Valor. Since the uprising the Colonials have enjoyed lax outpost duty, awaiting ships from Vordanai that will surely take them home. When the ships arrive however, they come bearing reinforcements and resupply - and Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich. The Colonel is determined to retake Ashe-Katarion, but beneath the surface seems to reside another agenda entirely. With only 4,000 men (half of which are fresh from the recruitment office) the Colonel marches inland.

On this merry little expedition we follow Captain Marcus d'Ivoire and Winter Ihernglass. The death of the previous Colonel has thrust d'Ivoire into a role of leadership he had not accounted for. He has done the best he could to keep the regiment together but the arrival of Colonel Vhalnich might very well spell doom for them all. Winter has disguised herself as a man in order to flee her past. Thus far she has survived by sticking to the peripheries and staying relatively unnoticed. The arrival of Colonel Vhalnich results in a promotion for Winter, propelling her into the spotlight she has tried so desperately to avoid. There's nothing exceptional about either character, but they are well written and one can look past the archetypes to the character underneath.

Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich might just be the star of the show, though he is only ever viewed through the perspective of others. The man is a bit of an enigma. He is intelligent and affable, though he can also be distracted and eccentric. Most importantly, Colonel Janus is clever and as any enlisted man (or woman disguised as a man) will tell you, this is the most dangerous sort of officer of all. Janus is an inspired strategist, though he is far from infallible - often relying on advice from d'Ivoire for seemingly "minor" things that may have escaped his notice.

The supporting cast adds much to the story, and though lacking in depth Wexler makes up for it with diversity. The Colonel's manservant Augustin is quite funny in his dry disapproval. The overly enthusiastic Corporal Bobby adds levity to grim situations. The clerk/spy Jen Alhundt might be less or more than she appears. Sergeant Davis is a bully and Lieutenant Farus absolves Captain d'Ivoire of much of his responsibility in running the regiment. There is more of a female presence than I had otherwise expected, especially given the martial nature of the novel. A lot of the time these kind of novels can resemble a sausage fest, but not only does The Thousand Names host a number of female characters, they are also entirely able to hold their own. Amidst a regiment of men, Winter stands out as a compassionate leader as well as a bold and quick thinker. Wexler should be commended for not taking the easy way out.

"Think you can hit that lieutenant?" Winter said.
The boy frowned. "That seems a little unsporting, sir."
"Sporting is for handball. Drop him."

Another major triumph of Wexler's is his ability to write convincingly from the military perspective. This is an author that really seems to have a grasp on strategy, tactics, and the psychology of battle. The Vordanai Colonials, despite their size, have superior training, armament, and leadership. Wexler makes each victory against seemingly insurmountable odds to be believable through his knowledge of the subject matter. The Thousand Names is filled with house-to-house skirmishes, forming squares against cavalry sorties, bayonet charges, artillery duels, sieges, and more besides. Quite honestly it is a book that I would love recreate with some friends and a bunch of table top miniatures. I might have to paint and assemble a mini Vordanai Colonials regiment of my own. The writing suggests Wexler knows the appropriate uses of infantry, cavalry, and artillery as they are applied to dynamic combat scenarios. It results in the sort of writing that I have come to expect of military veterans.

The plot moves along smoothly as the Colonials march across Khandar, clashing with rebel forces and adjusting to ever-changing circumstances. The action doesn't kick in until a hundred or so pages in but once it does it impacts with the effect of a musket ball aimed at unprotected flesh. Politics are at play, though much removed from the current situation and there are plenty of suggestions for what is to come. Magic is introduced early on but doesn't reappear until much later in the novel. Despite talk of wizards and sorcerers, one could replace all the fantasy names with real life estimations and The Thousand Names could be mistaken for a fast paced historical fiction novel. When the magic does come back into play it changes the game, expanding possible avenues for future novels of The Shadow Campaigns in a satisfying and unpredictable way.

I would wholeheartedly recommend The Thousand Names, not only to fans of fantasy but also to fans of military fiction of all types. Fans of Steven Erikson, David Drake, Glen Cook, Naomi Novik, Tom Kratman, Jack Campbell, David Weber, and John Ringo take note - there's a new military fiction cowboy in town and his name is Django.

Nick Sharps
SF Signal

I guess I had my expectations were too high based on all those 5 star reviews yet I find myself very disappointed, this is the first time I read a Django Wexler's book and might as well be the last one, I don't recommend this book.

This one was unplanned. I’d just finished my second April release – “The Night Dahlia” by R.S. Belcher – and I was honestly without direction on to what I was going to read next. It’s not that I didn’t have plenty of choices – the Library’s full of them – I just didn’t have anything that was on its knees – begging to be read. When I wind up in that situation, I sometimes just allow myself to be guided by chance. I’ll sit in my chair in the Library and let my eyes wander – scan the room and see what I fasten on first.

That’s exactly what I did this week and I wound up landing on “The Thousand Names” by Django Wexler. I’d bought this one at Barnes & Noble in 2013 when it first came out but had never gotten ’round to it. Thankfully, my random selection turned out to be a pretty good one.

Once I jumped in, I found that I really didn’t want to put it down. There were so many things Wexler did well in this story that I found myself regretting the need to leave for work every morning – I just wanted to read through to the end. Here’s just a few of the things that made it fun.

First, he keeps it simple. He obviously wrote this as the first volume in an extended narrative but he didn’t feel the need to hit me with too much up front. In the same way that Weber started small in his Honor Harrington epic with “On Basilisk Station”, we start out in a small, insignificant corner of his world with characters who are, at the time, small insignificant people. He gives you a simple yet compelling baseline story that allows you to get to know his protagonists when they’re still nobodies who, at the time, are playing small ball. Marcus and Winter become that much more worthy to the reader because you get to see them at that point in time when they’re on a very slow boat to nowhere. Their growth over the course of the story is more believable and compelling due to how they’re introduced and the minor ugliness they have to overcome during the first few chapters of the book.

Second, I actually love the fact that magic plays no part in the narrative until the final 100 pages or so. The entire first book is devoted to a very conventional military campaign – something that really appealed to me. While you’re introduced to Colonel Janus relatively early in the book and while there are hints that he’s arrived to assume of the Colonials for reasons far more complex than just the purpose of putting down a local rebellion, almost the entire book focuses on just that – his work to rebuild the Colonials and the military campaign he conducts to destroy the rebel coalition. It’s actually a very well written fictional military history. Wexler gets this part right and serves up descriptions of a series of battles that are both exciting and feel factual. While Janus is obviously a skilled tactician, he’s conventional and there’s nothing in his battles that ever strikes me as silly or out of bounds.

In fact, it’s pretty obvious that he’s modeled Janus on Napoleon as a tactician and a battlefield commander. He makes reference to this in the introduction and he calls out David G. Chandler’s “The Campaigns Of Napoleon” as one of his sources of inspiration. This is THE definitive history of Napoleon and his military campaigns. At almost 1,200 pages in hardcover, reading it is no small task but for anyone interested in the time and the man, I would strongly recommend it. I can’t begin to tell you how much I learned by reading this book.

As you read through this first volume of the series, you see Napoleon in Janus – his emphasis on mobility, effective use of cavalry as screening elements, willingness to split his command and fight multiple, concurrent engagements, a willingness to put smaller units at risk in order to isolate and defeat larger elements of an enemy army. Combine this with pretty accurate descriptions of the hardware used by armies during the Napoleonic age as well as the way he makes you feel the random and terrifying nature of the battlefield experience and you have a great fictional military history. If you like this stuff, you’ll love the novel just for the way he marches you through the campaign to defeat the rebels – the Redeemers – and place his King’s allied Prince back on the local throne.

Finally, once he does introduce the element of magic – as well as the larger political context at home that explains Janus’ presence in this far corner of the world – he does it skillfully and in a pretty compelling way. There’s only a taste of this in the last 100 pages of the book but the way Wexler brings it in – giving you just enough to make you want to learn more – he’s opened a huge door for his readers to walk through. By the time you get to the final pages of the book, Janus has convinced Marcus and Winter – who have grown into pretty formidable characters over the course of pretty grueling military campaing – to ally themselves with him in the larger project he’s pursuing on behalf of King and Country.

It’s all very skillfully done and it makes for a great read. Short to long – there’s a lot to like about this book and I enjoyed it enough so that I’ve already ordered Book Two – “The Shadow Throne” – which should be arriving next week.

I was actually amazed that this series, since I picked up the first volume in 2013, has grown to 5 main novels, one short story prequel and one novella. Titles are listed below in reading order:

The Penitant Damned – prequel short story

The Thousand Names – Main Novel #1

The Shadow Throne – Main Novel #2

The Shadow Of Elysium – Supplemental Novella

The Price Of Valor – Main Novel #3

The Guns Of Empire – Main Novel #4

The Infernal Battalion – Main Novel #5

If “The Shadow Throne” is as good as “The Thousand Names”, I’ll be buying and reading all of these.

Captain Marcus D'Ivoire is captain of the 1st Battalion of the Colonials, the Vordanai empire's colonial garrison in a land where rebellion has suddenly exploded. His job has just become much tougher, and it's not made easier of the new colonel. Marcus, as senior captain, has been running the regiment since the death of Colonel Juarez. He's happy to be relieved of the paperwork and extra responsibility that goes along with that, but Count Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich Mieran turns out to be a very odd character indeed. He's here to put down the rebellion, but he has another mission, too, that he isn't telling anyone about.

Winter Ihernglass is a ranker in that same army. Winter's little secret is that she's a woman--she disguised herself as a man and enlisted in the Colonials to escape her past. She relies heavily on not being noticed very much. When changing conditions see her promoted first to sergeant and then to lieutenant, it's very much a mixed blessing. She needs to make herself into a leader of men and take responsibility for leading her company into battle against the rebellion.

Our main viewpoint characters are Marcus and Winter, but we do get a few scenes from the perspective of the "other side," specifically the Vordanai-trained rebel general and some Khandari priestesses.

The story itself is very effectively setting up the beginning of a multi-volume fantasy epic. It's a flintlock fantasy, with government and social institutions appropriate to that time period and technology level, and the people are humans. Other than that, nothing about the politics or culture suggests that this is in any way set on our world. The world-building is good, the characters are complex, and the religions feel real. That last point is a pet peeve of mine; too often in fantasy worlds one sees "religions" that mainly reflect the author's modern skepticism and hostility to whatever flavor of religion they were raised in, with no apparent awareness that other intelligent, honest people might think--and believe--differently, especially in a radically different environment than our present day. It's not a perfect book. There's a lot going on here and sometimes it's hard to keep up. At times, Winter's success in hiding her gender, for so long, and then when she is promoted to command of a company and the higher visibility that brings, strains credulity.

Stick with it, though. It's an enjoyable book, and rewards persistence.

Recommended.

I bought this audiobook.