malloreigh's review
4.0
This book is really heavy on the 19th century war stuff - tactics, rankings, etc. I did enjoy it but as far as fantasy goes, there’s just a sprinkling of magic in what is otherwise a bit of a colonial British army novel. On that note, I expected a bit of complexity to become apparent in the relationship between the conquering Vordanai, putting down a rebellion in their conquered state of Khandar, but it never materialized. What a missed opportunity for the character of Feor, or maybe Jaffa, to provide context for Winter or Marcus to consider that their army’s role in Khandar was potentially morally questionable. I hope this is addressed in the next book.
leathor's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
abigcoffeedragon's review against another edition
1.0
Where is the Gunpowder and Fantasy?
this reads more like an Alternate History than a Flintlock Fantasy
I am at the 25% mark and the verdict is in - this book is bo-o-o-oring - nothing happens - I mean, marching happens in a boring way - and drill and ceremony happens, which being ex-military is straight forward - and characters talk to each other - but nothing HAPPENS - and the whole 'magic' part - not in the first 25% - gunpowder - not really in the first quarter of the book -
So many reviews like this book, but, if you can't grab my attention by page 100, then who cares how awesome the book is at the 75% mark? Get me from the beginning or not at all - this book is not at all
this reads more like an Alternate History than a Flintlock Fantasy
I am at the 25% mark and the verdict is in - this book is bo-o-o-oring - nothing happens - I mean, marching happens in a boring way - and drill and ceremony happens, which being ex-military is straight forward - and characters talk to each other - but nothing HAPPENS - and the whole 'magic' part - not in the first 25% - gunpowder - not really in the first quarter of the book -
So many reviews like this book, but, if you can't grab my attention by page 100, then who cares how awesome the book is at the 75% mark? Get me from the beginning or not at all - this book is not at all
diaryofthebookdragon's review
5.0
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. 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.
My rating: 4.5 stars
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
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.
My rating: 4.5 stars
Disclaimer: I was given a free eBook by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for a honest review. This text is also posted on my blog Bookworm Dreams in a little bit more styled edition.
nwilliams96's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
beorn_101's review
4.0
I really enjoyed how different of a setting this took place in, Napoleonic era technology mixed with some magic makes for a refreshing change to the normal time period for fantasy series.
I do think, like many fantasy series building their world, the beginning of this book is a bit confusing, different areas, cultures, and even items all have unique names, which can make it a bit tough to follow early on, but as the story progresses you get familiar pretty fast.
The biggest strength of this book is the impressive detail that Wexler puts into his battles, we get a lot of perspective of tactics and strategy, as well as some great soldier's eye view.
Our main characters are a Captain and Ranker, which gives some nice variety in the styles of events and perspectives the characters have. Wexler manages to work in some great variety in representation of their characters as well.
My biggest complaint was that I felt like the ending wasn't as compelling as the military campaigns that took place earlier in the book. The end is where most of the fantasy elements pop up, and I think while it works, it also created a slightly different tone. There are also a few "twists" which I thought were incredibly predictable based on the foreshadowing of the book.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading further in the series.
I do think, like many fantasy series building their world, the beginning of this book is a bit confusing, different areas, cultures, and even items all have unique names, which can make it a bit tough to follow early on, but as the story progresses you get familiar pretty fast.
The biggest strength of this book is the impressive detail that Wexler puts into his battles, we get a lot of perspective of tactics and strategy, as well as some great soldier's eye view.
Our main characters are a Captain and Ranker, which gives some nice variety in the styles of events and perspectives the characters have. Wexler manages to work in some great variety in representation of their characters as well.
My biggest complaint was that I felt like the ending wasn't as compelling as the military campaigns that took place earlier in the book. The end is where most of the fantasy elements pop up, and I think while it works, it also created a slightly different tone. There are also a few "twists" which I thought were incredibly predictable based on the foreshadowing of the book.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading further in the series.
jcooper221's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Randomly picked this up from an Audible recommendation and wow, it was good. Nothing super deep here, just a well put-together story and great characters with lots of character growth. It struck all the right chords for what I wanted out of a gunpowder fantasy.
There is the inevitable comparison to Promise of Blood, which for a gunpowder fantasy didn't have nearly enough gunpowder action. Too much meandering, weird plot threads that didn't go anywhere, almost non-existent character growth, and overall kind of flat. The Thousand Names was action-packed from beginning to end, a lot more of the "in the trenches" kind of feel, where PoB was more like sipping tea in a gentleman's parlor. It struggled with too many POVs, while TTN just focused on two, and that was perfect.
I only have minor complaints for TTN. The marching and day-to-day banalities of drilling started to get pretty old and repetitive, but I think Wexler recognized that and sped it up more towards the end. Also, A little uncool and disappointing, but I'm hoping there's more to it in the next book.
There is the inevitable comparison to Promise of Blood, which for a gunpowder fantasy didn't have nearly enough gunpowder action. Too much meandering, weird plot threads that didn't go anywhere, almost non-existent character growth, and overall kind of flat. The Thousand Names was action-packed from beginning to end, a lot more of the "in the trenches" kind of feel, where PoB was more like sipping tea in a gentleman's parlor. It struggled with too many POVs, while TTN just focused on two, and that was perfect.
I only have minor complaints for TTN. The marching and day-to-day banalities of drilling started to get pretty old and repetitive, but I think Wexler recognized that and sped it up more towards the end. Also,
Spoiler
Winter gaining magic powers at the end was a cool twist I did not see coming, but I was disappointed by the result. She gains the power to kill people by touch, but only specific people, and these specific people happen to be so powerful that getting that close is nearly impossible.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
nserafino14's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
lizzy_22's review against another edition
4.0
I hadn't read any military fantasy before this and I wasn't even sure that the genre was going to be to my liking, happily I was wrong.
I never thought I'd enjoy reading about military maneuvering, bayonets affixing, and muskets exploding but the story kept me very entertained. I did think we'd get more of a fantasy flavor based on the prequel but it seems like The Thousand Names set the stage for book 2 when we go back to Vordan with our persevering trio. I am looking forward to it!
I never thought I'd enjoy reading about military maneuvering, bayonets affixing, and muskets exploding but the story kept me very entertained. I did think we'd get more of a fantasy flavor based on the prequel but it seems like The Thousand Names set the stage for book 2 when we go back to Vordan with our persevering trio. I am looking forward to it!
liveorange55's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25