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A review by songwind
The Thousand Names by Django Wexler
4.0
The Thousand Names is a "flintlock fantasy" with a distinctly British Empire in Asia feel to it. The action centers around a regiment of musketeers in an arid region far from home. They are hold up in an ancient fort because a populist religious uprising, the Redemption, has driven them out of the country's city along with the former ruler.
They're waiting for recall home - their enemy outnumbers them 10-to-1. But when their new commander arrives, he comes with relief troops and a mission from their king to retake the capital on behalf of their ally, the Prince.
In addition to the greater plot, the book also deals closely with multiple personal subplots for many of the characters, giving the book real life.
My main worry before starting was that this would turn out to be a thinly veiled rant against or libel of Islam. Other than the setting, however, there was not much parallel. Neither the society nor religion of Khandar ends up paralleling the Mideast. In fact, what real world parallelism there is seems like a distant inspiration by Hinduism.
I thought the writing was very solid, though it did not strike me as particularly beautiful or clever. The attraction in this book was the story itself, and the depth of the main characters.
I'll definitely be continuing The Shadow Campaigns.
They're waiting for recall home - their enemy outnumbers them 10-to-1. But when their new commander arrives, he comes with relief troops and a mission from their king to retake the capital on behalf of their ally, the Prince.
In addition to the greater plot, the book also deals closely with multiple personal subplots for many of the characters, giving the book real life.
My main worry before starting was that this would turn out to be a thinly veiled rant against or libel of Islam. Other than the setting, however, there was not much parallel. Neither the society nor religion of Khandar ends up paralleling the Mideast. In fact, what real world parallelism there is seems like a distant inspiration by Hinduism.
I thought the writing was very solid, though it did not strike me as particularly beautiful or clever. The attraction in this book was the story itself, and the depth of the main characters.
I'll definitely be continuing The Shadow Campaigns.