Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Del Rey (2013), 528 pages
Description
Winter Ihernglass poses as a man to enlist in the Vordanai Colonials and must form an allegiance with a new colonel, appointed by the king to restore order, after she's promoted to a command post.
User reviews
LibraryThing member stefferoo
Apparently, I love "flintlock fantasy". The phrase, which according to Wikipedia has been around since the 1990s to describe a sub-genre of fantasy "set in a Regency or Napoleonic-era period", admittedly only entered my lexicon just this year. But all this time, I knew deep in my gut that there
There's just something so attractive to me about fantasy inspired by this period, mostly because of the fascinating historical ideas and imagery that immediately come to mind, themes like revolution and war, battles waged with gunpowder weaponry, discovering new worlds and colonialism, etc. That's what first drew me to Django Wexler's The Thousand Names. Just the first sentence in the blurb was enough to make me add this to my must-read list, and the positive reviews it received only made me bump it up to the top.
The book is mostly told through the perspectives of two soldiers, assigned to a sleepy desert colonial fort out in the fringes of the Vordanai empire. However, a recent uprising and subsequent takeover of the city of Ashe-Katarion by a local sect called the Redeemers has resulted in the outpost not being so sleepy anymore. Now the king of Vordan has sent reinforcements, and Captain Marcus d'Ivoire finds himself welcoming a whole new garrison of inexperienced recruits to join his Old Colonial troops. Then there's Winter Ihernglass, a low ranking soldier who unexpectedly earns a promotion and comes into command -- except getting more attention is the last thing Winter wants, given the fact she is actually a woman who masqueraded as a man in order to enlist and flee her past.
With the Colonials on the march to take back the city, both Marcus' and Winter's lives are in the hands of the newly arrived Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, a military genius whose demeanor and tactics are unlike anything anyone has ever seen before. But despite the confidence and aptitude Janus exudes, it soon becomes clear there is a lot more to the mysterious commander. Marcus begins to suspect that his colonel's objectives -- and ambitions -- may extend beyond simply defeating the Redeemers, encroaching into the realm of magic and the supernatural.
My experience with this book pretty much played out like a fast-paced and passionate relationship. The Thousand Names practically came out of nowhere for me; I'd probably only heard about it around a month before its release, leaving me not much time to anticipate it. Nevertheless, I went into this with higher-than-high expectations, and ultimately I have to say even those were met and exceeded. I fell in love with this book really quickly, probably within the first few chapters, especially after the two main characters were established. This might make me sound silly, but I won't deny after turning the last page I actually couldn't help but feel slightly lost and a bit melancholy, finding myself caught in a sort of "oh crap, I'm finished, what the heck do I do with myself now?" kind of fugue. I was just that addicted to this book.
Obviously, I loved the setting and the world-building. The writing had a way of putting you right there with the colonial garrison, so it wasn't hard to sympathize with the characters and the foreignness of their situation or the awkwardness of being strangers in a strange land. I was also fascinated with the idea of this ragtag colonial army that's made up of one-part green recruits and one-part jaded-and-couldn't-care-less old veterans, and all the rules of warfare go out the window. The Redeemer forces may vastly outnumber the Vordanai, but the fact that the former is made up of mostly militia and over-confident Auxiliary troops gave their clashes plenty of suspense, and the detailed battle scenes in the desert are worthy of any military fantasy.
But the highlight of this book had to be the characters. I absolutely adored Winter; she was probably my favorite character, but Marcus wasn't far behind either. What's great about these two characters is that they feel deep and real, and are immediately the kind of people you want to like and to see succeed. Beyond that, everyone in this book also has secrets and mysteries, and so you just want to keep reading to find out more.
This even applies to the supporting cast. Most of them are pretty well fleshed out too, and I think the fact that Colonel Janus is my second favorite character in this book despite him not being a point-of-view character is a testament to that. The author also focuses briefly here and there on Jaffa, a character inside the city of Ashe-Katarion, giving insights into what's happening on the side of the Redeemers. I felt this was important, as it gives us a look at the opposition, or else it's easy just to think of them as a faceless enemy army.
All told, this book was hard to put down. For its length, I finished it in really good time, and it was one of those rare gems where I knew it would go straight onto my shelf of favorites even before I had reached the quarter-way point. Easily one of the best books I've read this year so far.
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simply had to be a term out there for this incredible and distinctly unique brand of fantasy with the musket-era setting that I so adore; I just never knew the name for it until now.There's just something so attractive to me about fantasy inspired by this period, mostly because of the fascinating historical ideas and imagery that immediately come to mind, themes like revolution and war, battles waged with gunpowder weaponry, discovering new worlds and colonialism, etc. That's what first drew me to Django Wexler's The Thousand Names. Just the first sentence in the blurb was enough to make me add this to my must-read list, and the positive reviews it received only made me bump it up to the top.
The book is mostly told through the perspectives of two soldiers, assigned to a sleepy desert colonial fort out in the fringes of the Vordanai empire. However, a recent uprising and subsequent takeover of the city of Ashe-Katarion by a local sect called the Redeemers has resulted in the outpost not being so sleepy anymore. Now the king of Vordan has sent reinforcements, and Captain Marcus d'Ivoire finds himself welcoming a whole new garrison of inexperienced recruits to join his Old Colonial troops. Then there's Winter Ihernglass, a low ranking soldier who unexpectedly earns a promotion and comes into command -- except getting more attention is the last thing Winter wants, given the fact she is actually a woman who masqueraded as a man in order to enlist and flee her past.
With the Colonials on the march to take back the city, both Marcus' and Winter's lives are in the hands of the newly arrived Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich, a military genius whose demeanor and tactics are unlike anything anyone has ever seen before. But despite the confidence and aptitude Janus exudes, it soon becomes clear there is a lot more to the mysterious commander. Marcus begins to suspect that his colonel's objectives -- and ambitions -- may extend beyond simply defeating the Redeemers, encroaching into the realm of magic and the supernatural.
My experience with this book pretty much played out like a fast-paced and passionate relationship. The Thousand Names practically came out of nowhere for me; I'd probably only heard about it around a month before its release, leaving me not much time to anticipate it. Nevertheless, I went into this with higher-than-high expectations, and ultimately I have to say even those were met and exceeded. I fell in love with this book really quickly, probably within the first few chapters, especially after the two main characters were established. This might make me sound silly, but I won't deny after turning the last page I actually couldn't help but feel slightly lost and a bit melancholy, finding myself caught in a sort of "oh crap, I'm finished, what the heck do I do with myself now?" kind of fugue. I was just that addicted to this book.
Obviously, I loved the setting and the world-building. The writing had a way of putting you right there with the colonial garrison, so it wasn't hard to sympathize with the characters and the foreignness of their situation or the awkwardness of being strangers in a strange land. I was also fascinated with the idea of this ragtag colonial army that's made up of one-part green recruits and one-part jaded-and-couldn't-care-less old veterans, and all the rules of warfare go out the window. The Redeemer forces may vastly outnumber the Vordanai, but the fact that the former is made up of mostly militia and over-confident Auxiliary troops gave their clashes plenty of suspense, and the detailed battle scenes in the desert are worthy of any military fantasy.
But the highlight of this book had to be the characters. I absolutely adored Winter; she was probably my favorite character, but Marcus wasn't far behind either. What's great about these two characters is that they feel deep and real, and are immediately the kind of people you want to like and to see succeed. Beyond that, everyone in this book also has secrets and mysteries, and so you just want to keep reading to find out more.
This even applies to the supporting cast. Most of them are pretty well fleshed out too, and I think the fact that Colonel Janus is my second favorite character in this book despite him not being a point-of-view character is a testament to that. The author also focuses briefly here and there on Jaffa, a character inside the city of Ashe-Katarion, giving insights into what's happening on the side of the Redeemers. I felt this was important, as it gives us a look at the opposition, or else it's easy just to think of them as a faceless enemy army.
All told, this book was hard to put down. For its length, I finished it in really good time, and it was one of those rare gems where I knew it would go straight onto my shelf of favorites even before I had reached the quarter-way point. Easily one of the best books I've read this year so far.
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LibraryThing member ladycato
A really good book is one that, even when you're in abject misery, allows you to completely escape. That's what this one did as I had dental work done this week. I was actually happy to sit there and have a full excuse to read for a prolonged period.
Wexler creates a fantasy world with Napoleonic
I will definitely continue with this series, hopefully under more pleasant reading conditions.
Wexler creates a fantasy world with Napoleonic
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influences. It's a military with bayonets and muskets, where magic is regarded as a lost or demonic art. The military strategy is sound. The characters are complex, and the governments are not portrayed in clear black or white. What really made this book for me is the character of Winter. I adored her. I've always deeply admired women who bind their breasts and live as men to fight for their country.I will definitely continue with this series, hopefully under more pleasant reading conditions.
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LibraryThing member agingcow2345
Start with a kick ass frontiers of 19th century empire story - tech level is post-Napoleonic and pre-rifled musket. The land feels a cross between the Sahel/Sahara and the foothills of the Hindu Kush. Add a dash of occult mystery, then keep slowly adding occult and then fantasy elements until the
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last section is true high fantasy. The author's battle scenes and characters are excellent. The world building is much better than average although the stand-ins for Christianity and Islam were annoying [either make them different enough or just use them IMO]. All in all an excellent stand alone novel with just a dab at the end of a segue towards the next volume in the trilogy. If you like Stirling you will love this. Ditto if you are a fan of most of the Baen stable. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookwormdreams
The Thousand Names is one of the books I was eagerly awaiting in 2013. I have never read anything written by Django Wexler before but awesome cover, genre and the fact that heroine, Winter Ihernglass, is disguised as a man, promised that The Thousand Names will be a book I will thoroughly enjoy.
The Thousand Names turned out to be something I did not expect. A military fantasy epic. I thought The Thousand Names will be much lighter and less serious in tone. The theme of female main character enlisted in military reminded me of Mulan, so I expected that focus will be on her personal drama and reasons why she is in that particular situation. Although these topics are briefly explained the focus of The Thousand Names is war.
But somehow as marches and battles alternated and the stakes got higher, I found myself unexpectedly enjoying The Thousand Names. Django Wexler does not overwhelm you with unknown terms or fancy military expressions, so although I did not have any experience in that field, I was sucked into the battle, cheering for our heroes and literally devouring the pages.
I can not say I had a favorite character. I was charmed by quirky and mad genius of Colonel Janus, loyal and truthful Captain Marcus and, of course, Winter Ihernglass. But there were a lot of side characters, ordinary soldiers but heroes never-the-less who I also loved. There was a lot of friendship and warm moments amidst the battles that brought smile to my lips. Django Wexler managed to transfer a sense of accomplishment and good teamwork trough the pages to me and I found myself unexpectedly cheering for the whole Vordanai army.
As for the fantasy elements: we have imaginary world where two countries fight over one territory. Most of the battles will be won by wit and cunning, not by magic. In fact, magic is not part of everyday life.
"Wizards and demons were something that happened to someone else, in some far-away country, or else deep in the past where they belonged, with the Saints and knights in shining armor."
But, similar to A Game of Thrones, after Django Wexler has made us trust his character's judgement, details and events that can not explained without mentions of magic will start to happen.
And then there will be a big finale that will resolve most of the questions, but still leave you wanting for more. More battles and more from our heroes. And, lucky for me, since The Thousand Names is first part of the series The Shadow Campaigns, my wish for more will be fulfilled. There is no info, title or publication date for the next part of the series but I can be optimistic and hope that we will get more to read next year. :)
In The End...
The Thousand Names is a book that will appeal to both seasoned veterans and newbies to the military fantasy genre. It's full of epic battles, friendship and vast array of characters that you will find hard not to admire, love and cheer for. In a flock of fantasy books that are published this year, this is a gem that should not be missed and I warmly recommend it to all fans of fantasy.
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for a honest review.
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And luckily for me, the promise was kept.The Thousand Names turned out to be something I did not expect. A military fantasy epic. I thought The Thousand Names will be much lighter and less serious in tone. The theme of female main character enlisted in military reminded me of Mulan, so I expected that focus will be on her personal drama and reasons why she is in that particular situation. Although these topics are briefly explained the focus of The Thousand Names is war.
But somehow as marches and battles alternated and the stakes got higher, I found myself unexpectedly enjoying The Thousand Names. Django Wexler does not overwhelm you with unknown terms or fancy military expressions, so although I did not have any experience in that field, I was sucked into the battle, cheering for our heroes and literally devouring the pages.
I can not say I had a favorite character. I was charmed by quirky and mad genius of Colonel Janus, loyal and truthful Captain Marcus and, of course, Winter Ihernglass. But there were a lot of side characters, ordinary soldiers but heroes never-the-less who I also loved. There was a lot of friendship and warm moments amidst the battles that brought smile to my lips. Django Wexler managed to transfer a sense of accomplishment and good teamwork trough the pages to me and I found myself unexpectedly cheering for the whole Vordanai army.
As for the fantasy elements: we have imaginary world where two countries fight over one territory. Most of the battles will be won by wit and cunning, not by magic. In fact, magic is not part of everyday life.
"Wizards and demons were something that happened to someone else, in some far-away country, or else deep in the past where they belonged, with the Saints and knights in shining armor."
But, similar to A Game of Thrones, after Django Wexler has made us trust his character's judgement, details and events that can not explained without mentions of magic will start to happen.
And then there will be a big finale that will resolve most of the questions, but still leave you wanting for more. More battles and more from our heroes. And, lucky for me, since The Thousand Names is first part of the series The Shadow Campaigns, my wish for more will be fulfilled. There is no info, title or publication date for the next part of the series but I can be optimistic and hope that we will get more to read next year. :)
In The End...
The Thousand Names is a book that will appeal to both seasoned veterans and newbies to the military fantasy genre. It's full of epic battles, friendship and vast array of characters that you will find hard not to admire, love and cheer for. In a flock of fantasy books that are published this year, this is a gem that should not be missed and I warmly recommend it to all fans of fantasy.
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for a honest review.
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LibraryThing member majkia
A very interesting presentation of a magic that hardly anyone still exists. The buildup to the use of it was very well done. Good characterizations, interesting world-building, intriguing plot, with lots of characters to care about.
LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
*I received this book through GoodReads First Reads Giveaway.*
I don't typically like my fantasy so heavy on military campaigns, but this book was surprisingly easy to read and enjoy. Well-written and well-paced, The Thousand Names focuses on a military campaign in the remote reaches of a far-flung
I don't typically like my fantasy so heavy on military campaigns, but this book was surprisingly easy to read and enjoy. Well-written and well-paced, The Thousand Names focuses on a military campaign in the remote reaches of a far-flung
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empire. Going from almost certain defeat to victory against incredible odds, this makes a fun read. I look forward to seeing this series continue! Show Less
LibraryThing member Jenn.S
For a debut novel this turns out to a fairly good book. There are a few issues with how the story flows but nothing terribly distracting. While not the top of the list it's certainly better than the thousands more trying to enter this genre. I'd look to see better releases in the future from this
Unrelated to my rating: Since the copy I read was prior to editing I'm going to hope the mistakes I noticed are all fixed or removed, especially the apparent love of commas. Nothing ruins a good book more than a poor editing job.
Free ARC provided through Goodreads First Reads. Thank you.
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author once he's gotten his feet wet and learned from the experiences. Unrelated to my rating: Since the copy I read was prior to editing I'm going to hope the mistakes I noticed are all fixed or removed, especially the apparent love of commas. Nothing ruins a good book more than a poor editing job.
Free ARC provided through Goodreads First Reads. Thank you.
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LibraryThing member norachan
There were a couple of times I started skimming simply because the battle descriptions got a little tedious but overall I liked this book. Wonderful character development. I had to go out and get the next book as soon as I had finished this one.
LibraryThing member ragwaine
Looks like it's going to be the year of unfinished novels. I listened to half of this. The writing was fine. The characterization was there but it was just not my thing. I did read that it was a "military fantasy" but really the "fantasy" part seemed to be missing. There was one cool scene with
I would definitely recommend it to people who are into military troop movements and military life AND fantasy because it seemed like eventually there might be more magic etc...
Just don't have the time anymore to read books I'm not that into, especially when it's "Book 1" of series that might end up being really long.
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magic and some other interesting sounding meetings between people in power but other than that it was all fighting, troop movements, cannons and loading muskets. It just got to be tedious.I would definitely recommend it to people who are into military troop movements and military life AND fantasy because it seemed like eventually there might be more magic etc...
Just don't have the time anymore to read books I'm not that into, especially when it's "Book 1" of series that might end up being really long.
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LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
In a space something like Arabia with England and colonial powers there comes a brilliant commander with a purpose he's reluctant to share, his actions will change several lives, two of those are Winter Ihernglass and another is Captain Marcus d'Ivoire. Magic will enter both of their lives and
There are another few interesting characters and I hope they are used again.
While it was slow to start the end really pulled me in. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
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nothing will ever be the same again.There are another few interesting characters and I hope they are used again.
While it was slow to start the end really pulled me in. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
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LibraryThing member nbmars
Apparently this book falls into the sub-fantasy genre of “Flintlock Fantasy,” which means it has a Napoleon-Era-like setting and wars that are fought with muskets, bayonets, and artillery …and magic… But the biggest appeal of this particular book for me is that one of the protagonists in
The book is basically a war chronicle, focusing on a ragtag colonial regiment in the desert region of a place called Khandar, where the most precious commodity is water, and the dangers presented by scorpions and snakes loom as formidably as confrontations with the enemy. As the book explains, service in Khandar was usually a “reward” for an ill-spent military career.
As the story begins, the veteran Colonials are joined by an influx of raw recruits to combat an attempted coup d’état of the government by religious fanatics.
The story alternates among several points of view. One is that of Captain Marcus d’Ivoire: not brilliant, but conscientious and loyal. He was in charge of the regiment until the arrival of the head of the new recruits, Count Colonel Janus bet Vhlanich Mieran. Janus puzzles Marcus; Janus seems to have an irrational faith in their ability to confront the more numerous forces of the enemy. Does he have some tricks up his sleeve, or is he just crazy?
Another voice is that of Winter Ihernglass, a girl disguised as a boy, who is promoted to Sergeant - much to her own horror, but who acquits herself resourcefully and bravely, even as she constantly struggles to guard her secret.
As the story unfolds, so do the secrets of the characters. In addition, we observe vicariously the many ways in which desert battles depend on creativity, innovation, and of course, availability of water. But in this story, there is something more; the magic of “The Thousand Names,” about which we learn incrementally as the book progresses.
Discussion: I enjoyed this book immensely as a story about war. In this way it reminded me a bit of Norman Mailer’s 1948 The Naked and the Dead, one of my favorite books.
I could have done entirely without the magical elements, however. It was a bit too off the rails for me, although it did serve several functions in the plotline. And I suppose such things may be “necessary” when writing a “fantasy” even though I wished it were just a “regular” war novel. Nevertheless, I intend to follow up on this book; although it does come to an ending of sorts, it is the first of a continuing series.
Evaluation: Even if you think you might not enjoy a novel about the nitty gritty aspects of war, this story has lots of added interest, in my opinion, because of the inclusion of females in various guises who figure into the plot.
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the war being fought is a female disguised as a male.The book is basically a war chronicle, focusing on a ragtag colonial regiment in the desert region of a place called Khandar, where the most precious commodity is water, and the dangers presented by scorpions and snakes loom as formidably as confrontations with the enemy. As the book explains, service in Khandar was usually a “reward” for an ill-spent military career.
As the story begins, the veteran Colonials are joined by an influx of raw recruits to combat an attempted coup d’état of the government by religious fanatics.
The story alternates among several points of view. One is that of Captain Marcus d’Ivoire: not brilliant, but conscientious and loyal. He was in charge of the regiment until the arrival of the head of the new recruits, Count Colonel Janus bet Vhlanich Mieran. Janus puzzles Marcus; Janus seems to have an irrational faith in their ability to confront the more numerous forces of the enemy. Does he have some tricks up his sleeve, or is he just crazy?
Another voice is that of Winter Ihernglass, a girl disguised as a boy, who is promoted to Sergeant - much to her own horror, but who acquits herself resourcefully and bravely, even as she constantly struggles to guard her secret.
As the story unfolds, so do the secrets of the characters. In addition, we observe vicariously the many ways in which desert battles depend on creativity, innovation, and of course, availability of water. But in this story, there is something more; the magic of “The Thousand Names,” about which we learn incrementally as the book progresses.
Discussion: I enjoyed this book immensely as a story about war. In this way it reminded me a bit of Norman Mailer’s 1948 The Naked and the Dead, one of my favorite books.
I could have done entirely without the magical elements, however. It was a bit too off the rails for me, although it did serve several functions in the plotline. And I suppose such things may be “necessary” when writing a “fantasy” even though I wished it were just a “regular” war novel. Nevertheless, I intend to follow up on this book; although it does come to an ending of sorts, it is the first of a continuing series.
Evaluation: Even if you think you might not enjoy a novel about the nitty gritty aspects of war, this story has lots of added interest, in my opinion, because of the inclusion of females in various guises who figure into the plot.
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LibraryThing member blodeuedd
I guess I do like military fantasy, this is like my 4th? series so far and they have all been good. I know it might bot be for everyone, the name says it all. They march, they camp, they fight, they march, they fight. Military fantasy. It's also of course flintlock fantasy, no medieval guys running
The book then. Let's see, think United Kingdom and a state they ruled. The king is overthrown, a new religious order cleans out the older more female friendly religion, and the soldiers stationed in the area are pushed back. We have cultural clashes, religious clashes, you name it. But then Vordonai decides to take back power and we begin.
Marcus is a captain and life was pretty good up to the rebellion. He mixed with the locals, he learned the language. All was good. I enjoyed his story and he was a good leader (even if he should have been stricter a few times).
The other big POV is the one of Winter, who rises to the ranks as the campaign begins. He is actually a she who joined the army. Her storyline was good too. And I believed that she could stay hidden.
A few other characters, oh do I have to mention them all? Anyway, good men Winter meets. Officers in charge and more. I am not gonna mention them all know. But they were fleshed out. The bad ones and the goods guys.
As I said in the beginning the book is about setting out to push back the rebels. A skirmish here, a skirmish there, bigger battles. Life in camp. Setting out again and then another story emerges too. The one dealing with magic. Of course there is still magic, and there is something people want.
A great book. I really want to read the next one to see how it all turns out.
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around with swords here. No, they got guns (swords too of course), but this is is a new era. Society moved forward, guns came around, the way of fighting changed. It is different but I enjoy it.The book then. Let's see, think United Kingdom and a state they ruled. The king is overthrown, a new religious order cleans out the older more female friendly religion, and the soldiers stationed in the area are pushed back. We have cultural clashes, religious clashes, you name it. But then Vordonai decides to take back power and we begin.
Marcus is a captain and life was pretty good up to the rebellion. He mixed with the locals, he learned the language. All was good. I enjoyed his story and he was a good leader (even if he should have been stricter a few times).
The other big POV is the one of Winter, who rises to the ranks as the campaign begins. He is actually a she who joined the army. Her storyline was good too. And I believed that she could stay hidden.
A few other characters, oh do I have to mention them all? Anyway, good men Winter meets. Officers in charge and more. I am not gonna mention them all know. But they were fleshed out. The bad ones and the goods guys.
As I said in the beginning the book is about setting out to push back the rebels. A skirmish here, a skirmish there, bigger battles. Life in camp. Setting out again and then another story emerges too. The one dealing with magic. Of course there is still magic, and there is something people want.
A great book. I really want to read the next one to see how it all turns out.
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LibraryThing member ConalO
A fun and entertaining read overall and one that I will be continuing on with the rest of the series. It started off somewhat different than I expected with plenty of action going on but little to no magic apparent. I had in my mind that this was a similar type story to Brian McClellan's Powder
4.5 Stars for a really fun read and recommended for all fantasy fans.
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Mage series but, except for the muskets and cannons, this was a completely different animal that took me awhile to get my head around. I am glad I stuck it out as this one provides some serious magic stuff later in the book and a really great ending to this chapter of the series. I can't wait to get started on the next bool!!!4.5 Stars for a really fun read and recommended for all fantasy fans.
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LibraryThing member Vinjii
I'm 100% here for Winter. She's one of the best characters I've come across lately, and I loved her story arc. I will definitely continue this series because of her.
The rest of the book didn't really grip me. I'm not sure if the military aspect of the book was too dominant (which wouldn't be the
The world building is clever and intricate, the magic system promising. I thought the first half of the book was quite slow, and I ended up finding the bad guys much more interesting than the good guys. I wish we could have seen more of the other side. Their magic is nifty!
Maybe in the next book?
The rest of the book didn't really grip me. I'm not sure if the military aspect of the book was too dominant (which wouldn't be the
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book's fault, since that's its genre) or if me and Marcus just didn't click. Sadly half the book is about Marcus, and I just couldn't bring myself to care about him or his arc.The world building is clever and intricate, the magic system promising. I thought the first half of the book was quite slow, and I ended up finding the bad guys much more interesting than the good guys. I wish we could have seen more of the other side. Their magic is nifty!
Maybe in the next book?
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LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
A fantasy which seemingly takes its inspiration from the Anglo-Afghan wars of the 19th century. The military feel and several other aspects of the book reminded me a bit of R. Scott Bakker’s ‘Darkness that Comes Before’ – but much, much better. (I really didn’t like the Bakker book, but
Marcus d’Ivoire is a commander at the far reaches of the Empire, part of a force assigned to support the deposed ruler of the Vordanai – not an enviable job, by most people’s lights. Few of the forces are volunteers. Marcus is – he followed an old friend into the army out of a sense of obligation. Unfortunately, his friend is a terrible soldier.
Meanwhile, Winter von Ihrenglass, a young woman who joined the army in a boy’s disguise in order to escape the clutches of a girl’s reform school, finds herself both cruelly persecuted – and on an unlikely trajectory of promotion and success within military ranks.
Both may have the path of their careers - and their lives - changed by the arrival of a new commander – the eccentric Colonel Vhalnich, who looks like a wizard, and is either a madman or a brilliant tactician.
Add in a woman spy, a couple of mysterious priestesses, and a legendary relic of power, and off we go...
This was a very impressive start to a series(?), and I wouldn’t mind reading the sequel (there’s a very clear setup for a sequel; it doesn’t end as satisfyingly as it might.) The first half of the book is military fiction with a good bit of realism – the latter part seems like it might veer into more familiar fantasy-quest territory; I’d personally hope the story doesn’t go too far in that direction. My only other slight criticism is that, in military fiction, it always feels more balanced to hear both sides’ perspective on a conflict. There are only a few brief scenes from a Vordanai perspective here, and they sort of feel like they were dropped in almost as lip service to that idea. I’d like to see a more fleshed-out perspective from the ‘other’ side.
Thanks to the publisher and the Goodreads First Reads program for giving me a copy of this book!
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this one I quite enjoyed.)Marcus d’Ivoire is a commander at the far reaches of the Empire, part of a force assigned to support the deposed ruler of the Vordanai – not an enviable job, by most people’s lights. Few of the forces are volunteers. Marcus is – he followed an old friend into the army out of a sense of obligation. Unfortunately, his friend is a terrible soldier.
Meanwhile, Winter von Ihrenglass, a young woman who joined the army in a boy’s disguise in order to escape the clutches of a girl’s reform school, finds herself both cruelly persecuted – and on an unlikely trajectory of promotion and success within military ranks.
Both may have the path of their careers - and their lives - changed by the arrival of a new commander – the eccentric Colonel Vhalnich, who looks like a wizard, and is either a madman or a brilliant tactician.
Add in a woman spy, a couple of mysterious priestesses, and a legendary relic of power, and off we go...
This was a very impressive start to a series(?), and I wouldn’t mind reading the sequel (there’s a very clear setup for a sequel; it doesn’t end as satisfyingly as it might.) The first half of the book is military fiction with a good bit of realism – the latter part seems like it might veer into more familiar fantasy-quest territory; I’d personally hope the story doesn’t go too far in that direction. My only other slight criticism is that, in military fiction, it always feels more balanced to hear both sides’ perspective on a conflict. There are only a few brief scenes from a Vordanai perspective here, and they sort of feel like they were dropped in almost as lip service to that idea. I’d like to see a more fleshed-out perspective from the ‘other’ side.
Thanks to the publisher and the Goodreads First Reads program for giving me a copy of this book!
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LibraryThing member LisCarey
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
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.
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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.
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LibraryThing member cavernism
Ooo this was so engrossing and I loved the characters! So many twists. I can't wait to read the next one...
LibraryThing member pwaites
The Thousand Names is a very good military, “flintlock fantasy” novel that I enjoyed more than I expected. My past attempts with military fantasy were not very successful, so it was with some trepidation I approached The Thousand Names. However, I needn’t have been worried, for The Thousand
The colonial garrison of the Vordanai empire is a dumping ground for the dregs of the army. They’re sent to an outpost in the desert where they support the rule of a local prince. They have relatively few duties until a religious rebellion overthrows the prince and pushes the troops to a small fort. Most of the troops believe that the sensible thing to do would be to get on boats and head back to Vordanai, but the newly arrived Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich has other ideas.
The Thousand Names is told through the perspective of two different characters: Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, the leader of the garrison prior to the Colonel’s arrival, and Winter Ihernglass, a woman who disguised herself to join the army and escape an unfortunate past. Both of these characters are well written, likable, and sympathetic, and I connected with both of them almost immediately.
Notably, The Thousand Names does well by it’s female characters, of which there are multiple of importance. These women felt like real people and not stereotypes and they actively engaged in the plot. Winter is a fantastic female lead – smart, a tactical thinker, clear headed, and capable. She actually reminded me of Polly Perks from Monstrous Regiment in some ways. Oh, and it’s also noteworthy that she’s constantly interacting with other female characters and that she’s either lesbian or bisexual. Both are rare for the epic fantasy genre.
Being military fantasy, battles and military life in general play a large role in The Thousand Names. I might have had trouble with this, but Wexler’s excellent writing kept me going through all the various attacks and ambushes. In general, the book’s very well written, and even has the occasional touches of humor.
The worldbuilding was serviceable but not anything noteworthy. The technology was early 1800s with muskets and cannons, so this was at least something different than the oh so common medieval setting. However, there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly new going on with the culture of the Vordanai and not enough of the native culture is seen to be able to make any judgement of it.
Going in, I was sort of worried about how The Thousand Names would treat imperialism, given that it’s clearly based on or at least inspired by the European colonialism of the Middle East and North Africa. The Thousand Names seems to be largely ignoring it, which doesn’t work for me. If you’re using a problematic part of history, you need to acknowledge that it’s problematic. At least it’s not glorifying it, though.
Related to this, all the characters in The Thousand Names are either white or grey skinned. My best guess is that the author figured making the native population grey skinned would avoid some of the racial connotations this whole scenario brings up. Again, this doesn’t really work. The desert culture has vague “Middle Eastern” feelings while the Vordanai are white and seem European based, so the visual description of what the natives looks like means very little.
There’s a lot of questions here. For one, we’re never told why the colonials are there in the first place, besides that they’ve been sent to support the prince. Why does Vordanai care about this little desert country? We’re never given an answer. Similarly, there’s not a lot seen of the native side. However, there is at least one major, sympathetic native character, and it looks like she’ll be reappearing in the next book of the series.
While I won’t argue that The Thousand Names has a gritty aspect, I wouldn’t classify it as grimdark, mainly because the protagonists are more straight up heroes than anti-heroes. The level of magic is also fairly low, coming in mostly at the end, but it looks like they’ll be more magic in the sequels.
I’d recommend The Thousand Names to people looking for an entertaining fantasy novel with a fairly strong female presence. While I did have a few quibbles, I overall really enjoyed it and will be reading the sequel at the nearest opportunity.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
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Names turned out to be a book that I had a hard time putting down.The colonial garrison of the Vordanai empire is a dumping ground for the dregs of the army. They’re sent to an outpost in the desert where they support the rule of a local prince. They have relatively few duties until a religious rebellion overthrows the prince and pushes the troops to a small fort. Most of the troops believe that the sensible thing to do would be to get on boats and head back to Vordanai, but the newly arrived Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich has other ideas.
The Thousand Names is told through the perspective of two different characters: Captain Marcus d’Ivoire, the leader of the garrison prior to the Colonel’s arrival, and Winter Ihernglass, a woman who disguised herself to join the army and escape an unfortunate past. Both of these characters are well written, likable, and sympathetic, and I connected with both of them almost immediately.
Notably, The Thousand Names does well by it’s female characters, of which there are multiple of importance. These women felt like real people and not stereotypes and they actively engaged in the plot. Winter is a fantastic female lead – smart, a tactical thinker, clear headed, and capable. She actually reminded me of Polly Perks from Monstrous Regiment in some ways. Oh, and it’s also noteworthy that she’s constantly interacting with other female characters and that she’s either lesbian or bisexual. Both are rare for the epic fantasy genre.
Being military fantasy, battles and military life in general play a large role in The Thousand Names. I might have had trouble with this, but Wexler’s excellent writing kept me going through all the various attacks and ambushes. In general, the book’s very well written, and even has the occasional touches of humor.
The worldbuilding was serviceable but not anything noteworthy. The technology was early 1800s with muskets and cannons, so this was at least something different than the oh so common medieval setting. However, there doesn’t seem to be anything particularly new going on with the culture of the Vordanai and not enough of the native culture is seen to be able to make any judgement of it.
Going in, I was sort of worried about how The Thousand Names would treat imperialism, given that it’s clearly based on or at least inspired by the European colonialism of the Middle East and North Africa. The Thousand Names seems to be largely ignoring it, which doesn’t work for me. If you’re using a problematic part of history, you need to acknowledge that it’s problematic. At least it’s not glorifying it, though.
Related to this, all the characters in The Thousand Names are either white or grey skinned. My best guess is that the author figured making the native population grey skinned would avoid some of the racial connotations this whole scenario brings up. Again, this doesn’t really work. The desert culture has vague “Middle Eastern” feelings while the Vordanai are white and seem European based, so the visual description of what the natives looks like means very little.
There’s a lot of questions here. For one, we’re never told why the colonials are there in the first place, besides that they’ve been sent to support the prince. Why does Vordanai care about this little desert country? We’re never given an answer. Similarly, there’s not a lot seen of the native side. However, there is at least one major, sympathetic native character, and it looks like she’ll be reappearing in the next book of the series.
While I won’t argue that The Thousand Names has a gritty aspect, I wouldn’t classify it as grimdark, mainly because the protagonists are more straight up heroes than anti-heroes. The level of magic is also fairly low, coming in mostly at the end, but it looks like they’ll be more magic in the sequels.
I’d recommend The Thousand Names to people looking for an entertaining fantasy novel with a fairly strong female presence. While I did have a few quibbles, I overall really enjoyed it and will be reading the sequel at the nearest opportunity.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
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LibraryThing member 1N07
The characters were interesting, but the story felt a bit drawn-out. I struggled to care about the war itself, which is most of the book.
LibraryThing member Ralphd00d
What a great book! If you are into military, flintlock fantasy, this is for you! I myself was a bit skeptical once the story started involving strategies, military formations, etc, but I just couldn't stop reading it. Everytime I thought I had had enough of the military strategies, something would
Wexler did a wonderful job in descriptions of battles, that he seems to be pretty knowledgeable about military strategies. His characters were well developed, the writing style easy to read.
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happen with a character, or a new event would occur that I had not expected. Definitely wanting to read the next book in this series.Wexler did a wonderful job in descriptions of battles, that he seems to be pretty knowledgeable about military strategies. His characters were well developed, the writing style easy to read.
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LibraryThing member renbedell
A military flintlock fantasy in a setting similar a Napoleon-era but with a small amount of fantasy elements. The book has two protagonists in the same army as they are going to war. It is filled with a wide variety of characters that give the environment an enjoyable and exciting read. I really
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enjoyed the book and if you liked any other military-based fantasy books, you will likely enjoy this one too. Show Less
LibraryThing member quondame
I read this book in 2013 and remembered only a whiff of 1 non-essential side discussion. Which is why, fresh from reading it I cannot give it more than 3/5 where if I had reviewed it in 2013 I might have ranked it as high as 4/5 but 3.5 is more likely. While some scenes are absorbing and Wexler
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keeps the battles fairly brief, I was too often wanting the current bit to finish up to get to the more interesting stuff. The characters aren't bad, but not quite top notch, the most interesting being Colonel Janus. Winter, the woman in disguise as a soldier never convinces me, but isn't otherwise annoying. Show Less
LibraryThing member infjsarah
This has been on my shelf for a very long time and I finally picked it up.
I mostly enjoyed it a lot too. Really good characters with some twists and turns and hints of a wider world background. I did have some issues but that is more my taste than the book itself. I find battle descriptions pretty
I mostly enjoyed it a lot too. Really good characters with some twists and turns and hints of a wider world background. I did have some issues but that is more my taste than the book itself. I find battle descriptions pretty
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boring so there was a bit too much of that for me. But I enjoyed it enough to get the next in the series. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2013
Physical description
528 p.; 6.38 inches
ISBN
0091949890 / 9780091949891
Local notes
In the desert colony of Khandar, a dark and mysterious magic, hidden for centuries, is about to emerge from darkness. Marcus d'Ivoire, senior captain of the Vordanai Colonials, is resigned to serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost, when a rebellion leaves him in charge of a demoralised force in a broken down fortress.