The Guns of Empire

I really enjoy this series, which is funny because it's made up of some big elements that are generally not my sort of thing, to whit: flintlock fantasy (which is often too martial for me, but this binds the military stuff up with character and I love it) and superhero shenanigans (I just don't care about varied powers, but there's so much else happening in this world that I don't mind having that along as well).

The characters remain fantastic and I am wildly invested in all of them; politics remains such a knotty and realistic problem in the world; and there were a number of "OH SHIT" moments in this book that really kicked everything up a notch. Including the one on the final page that really sets the stage for an epic last book that show more I am definitely looking forward to. show less

I had been really looking forward to this book since last year. The reasons for my eagerness were both because of the characters and story the author was writing so well as well as the historical analogues he was employing. To put it in a nutshell I was extremely interested to see how far he was going to carry the Napoleon archetype.

The book not only answered these questions very well, it made for a riveting read and left me gasping for more.

One of the great strengths of this series are the great characters Wexler has sketched out. Winter Ihernglass is one of my favourite protagonists and I was very interested in character growth arcs in this book, for Winter as well as Marcus.

Winter's story was a fascinating read - how she struggles show more with losing Jade, the problems of accelerated promotion and leadership, and of course how she stands to the near Godlike Janus. I think the book did a very good job in showing how Winter isn't perfect, was never perfect and is in fact a little broken inside. Also the question of whether Winter can actually lead an entire army column in combat is raised and I think that given her rapid ascent and lack of formal training this was a very necessary topic for scrutiny.

Marcus' development left me very happy. Initially in the series Marcus was my favourite PoV. He was simply, straightforward, brave, moderately skilled and honest. But as the series progressed his lack of growth compared to Winter or the dynamic Raesina made him an irritating character. I confess to eyerolling when he thinks yet again about the suitability of women in combat even when the Girl's Own had fought admirable a number of times. So the room he gets to grow and develop in the second half of the book, to spread his wings and step out of shadows was very welcome.

The story itself was well done. Heavy on military detail, its a nice twist on Napoleon's doomed invasion of 1812 and it details the continues progress of the enigmatic Janus. The inevitable cracks in his facade were coupled very nicely with some necessary details about the enemy. The true nature of the enemy came as a bit of a surprise and has in my opinion upped the stakes considerably.

Overall it was an extremely enjoyable book. And what an ending! Can't wait for the next one. show less

This is a continuation of an ongoing flintlock fantasy series, meaning that it employs a Napoleon-Era-like setting and wars that are fought with muskets, bayonets, artillery . . . and magic.

The first book (The Thousand Names) was in many ways a war chronicle. The second (The Shadow Throne) turned to the home front in Vordan after the military victory obtained in the first book, and to the Royal Palace at Ohnlei, where the king was dying, and his only heir, 20-year-old Raesinia, was scheduled to become Queen.

In the third book (The Prince of Valour), Raesinia - now Queen, along with her First Counsul, General Janus bet Vhlanich Mieran, tried to consolidate power at home and fight opponents from other kingdoms, who were up in arms over show more the Kingdom of Vordan’s threatening example of elected democracy.

In the background of all of these books, Raesinia, Vhalnich and the others we have come to know, battle not only “regular” forces but also forces of darkness - members of a shadowy church employing supernatural powers. This church started out as a movement to destroy the evil demons of the world, but ended up very much in their service.

Demons are not corporeal, but can inhabit host bodies, who are thereafter known as naathem. A would-be host must summon the demon by name. The more powerful the demon, the harder it is for a human soul to bear its weight, but those who are strong survive to become naathem, harboring the demons within them and summoning them when needed.

The “Priests of the Black” use naathem in nefarious ways. They have anointed naathem who absorbed particularly nasty demons as the Penitent Damned. The priests call upon the Penitent Damned to help them augment their own power.

As this fourth book begins, Vhalnich is determined to reach the Church’s headquarters in Elysium and destroy the Priests of the Black and their Damned. He asserts the continual wars will never be over until and unless Elysium is taken.

One of his best military leaders is Winter Ihernglass, a brave, resourceful female disguised as a male. Ihrenglass also hosts in her body Infernivore, a powerful demon that can devour other demons.

Unbeknownst to Winter, the body of Jane Verity, Winter’s former lover, is now being used as a corporeal host by the most formidable demon, The Demon King, called The Beast. It differs from other demons in that it is not restricted to a single host, and, unlike other demons, it is intelligent in its own right. For thirteen hundred years, the Church held the Beast captive; all this time, it has been remembering, and learning.

There are several developments of significance in this story. Vlahnich falls ill, and in his delirium, provides an indication of why he is really obsessed with getting to Elysium. Raesinia meanwhile, is beginning to doubt that attacking Elysium is in fact the best course of action, and contemplates allying with Vordan’s enemies. Marcus and Raesinia grow closer, and Marcus finally discovers who killed his parents. And Winter, who heads toward Elysium in search of a cure for Vlahnich, discovers a new development that could change the course of humanity. An exciting cliff-hanger ending ensures followers of the series will be back for more.

Note: This isn’t really a standalone book.

Evaluation: I enjoy this series. It is very unique in its use of females in central roles in a typically male-dominated military setting. The characters, in particular the females, are drawn with love and compassion. The complex political and military machinations seem very true to life, and the romances, both gay and straight, are developed with nuance and realism. I look forward to the next installment. show less

The Guns of Empire is the fourth book in one of my favorite ongoing fantasy series, The Shadow Campaigns. You most definitely need to have read at least books two and three, although you could possibly get away with skipping book one (The Thousand Names). Spoilers for the prior three books may follow.

After being soundly defeated by Janus, Vordan’s enemies are gathered at the negotiating table, but in vain. Janus bet Vhalnich will not stop until he has marched his grand army all the way to Elysium itself, the heart of the Priests of the Black. Queen Raesinia wants to see a return to peace, but she is uncertain if the army would listen to her over Janus. Marcus d’Ivoire and Winter Ihernglass are unaware of these dangerous questions of show more authority and are dealing with greater responsiblity than they’ve ever had before. Winter is also still dealing with the emotional aftermath of Jane’s betrayal. Meanwhile, the Priests of the Black are not going to let themselves be captured. It’s time for them to throw everything they’ve got at Janus and the soldiers who follow him, no matter what the costs.

Like The Price of Valor, The Guns of Empire balances military action with some political intrigue (mostly through Raesinia). There’s also more focus on the magical aspects, the demons, and the Penitent Damned than ever before, which I love.

Actually, there’s a lot I love about this book and this series. Primarily, there’s just so many important and awesome female characters. Winter, one of our three POV characters, is a lesbian and now a general, and I’ll admit that I may have started to obsess just a bit over her romantic prospects. I mean, this is a book series that gives me an action packed fight scene where all four characters involved are female and have supernatural powers. This is what I’m here for. The only thing that could make it better is if the series included any PoC characters, which it still doesn’t.

I care deeply about so many of the main characters, so it really hurts when something happens to one of them. Winter remains my favorite, but I love all of them I really do. I was constantly worried if or how these characters would escape the increasingly perilous situations they find themselves in. And the last twenty percent or so of the book was intense, believe me!

Since The Guns of Winter is the fourth book out of what I hear will be a five book series, it’s no wonder that it’s intense. It’s got to build things up for the final installment. And, oh wow, does it succeed. The situation is worse than it ever has been, and that cliffhanger left me reeling. Ahhh, I feel almost too excited to wait for the fifth book!

Basically, I’m becoming a complete fangirl for this series. It’s a bit frightening.

Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. show less

There were slightly too many battles in this installment for me. Wexler does them very well but they are not my favourite aspect of these books, so TBH I tend to skip quite a lot of the battle description. It's the characters and the mystery that I like in this series. But that end - I was like nooooooooooooo..........

The Guns of Empire is the fourth book in Django Wexler’s The Shadow Campaigns flintlock fantasy series. Only one more book to go.

I liked this a lot. The over-all plot advances quite a bit, we’re starting to get some more answers to various questions, and some things were revealed that I had been waiting for. Also, the one plot thread that has been annoying me in this series was mostly absent.

I’m giving this 4.5 stars and rounding down to 4 on Goodreads. As much as I’m enjoying this, it has never quite reached that “can’t put it down” level, at least not consistently, that I would associate with a 5-star read. It’s still very good, though.

I have many more comments, but they’ll have to go behind the spoiler tags.
I was so show more happy to get a reprieve from the Winter/Jane plot. If Winter must have a love interest, Cyte is at least a much more likeable and sympathetic character. Also, while I’m on the topic of relationships, I kind of enjoyed the development of the relationship between Marcus and Raesinia over the last couple of books. However, the moment when they revealed their mutual affection to each other was cringeworthy. I think I would have appreciated something a little subtler.

I was happy to see the reveal I had been expecting since the last book, that Sothe was responsible for the fire that killed Marcus’ family. However, I was a little exasperated that we still don’t know why his family was killed, unless I’ve missed something along the way. And I can’t believe Marcus didn’t ask. He asked Sothe why she did it, but not why Orlanko ordered it.

Now it looks pretty clear that Winter is Marcus’ long-lost sister. I began to suspect early in this book when we learned Winter used to have dreams of fire when she was younger, although it seemed a bit too coincidental. There were increasingly blatant hints as the book progressed that I took as confirmation of my suspicion. It will be amusing to see how Marcus reacts when he learns that this “boy” who is a colonel in the army, who he’s steadfastly refused to imagine might actually be a girl even when he saw her dressed like a girl, is actually his baby sister.

I was sad that Bobby died, or turned into a statue, or whatever. She was a great character. I remember early in book 1 thinking, “this character is going to die” because he (this was before her gender reveal) just seemed like the type – the young, eager, loyal soldier who gets killed to create an emotional reaction in the audience. Then when she was badly wounded in book 1 I thought “Yep, I was right,” only to be proven wrong when Feor saved her. After that I stopped worrying about Bobby’s fate so much, aside from occasional twinges of concern as to where her ongoing transformation might lead, so I was surprised when she did die.

I was happy to finally find out what had happened to the characters from the novella, The Shadow of Elysium. I would have liked to have learned more about how Alex and Abraham evaded the hunter, but at least in this book we learned they succeeded.

I was very happy in this book to get some hints as to Janus’ real motivations. They’re pretty fuzzy hints that give more questions than answers, but it was nice to get something. I’m anxious to continue on to the next book after the way this one ended, with the Beast apparently about to take control of Janus. show less

Well it's been quite awhile since I have posted a book review. I took a break from reviewing due to burnout and then things in life just kept rolling and a lot of changes took place, the two biggest being my marriage and the death of my father.

I will be easing back into this with reviews of some of the books I read during my hiatus along with books I am currently reading. By easing, I mean that the reviews of books I read during my hiatus will be brief but let you know how I felt about them. This blog was originally meant as a fun outlet for my favorite hobby and it's a plus when I can bring others along with me on my adventure!

One of the best books that I read during my hiatus was Django Wexler's The Guns of Empire which was the show more fourth installment in The Shadow Campaigns series. This one has gone on my favorites shelf.

Book Blurb:
As the roar of the guns subsides and the smoke of battle clears, the country of Vordan is offered a fragile peace…

After their shattering defeats at the hands of brilliant General Janus bet Vhalnich, the opposing powers have called all sides to the negotiating table in hopes of securing an end to the war. Queen Raesinia of Vordan is anxious to see the return of peace, but Janus insists that any peace with the implacable Sworn Church of Elysium is doomed to fail. For their Priests of the Black, there can be no truce with heretics and demons they seek to destroy, and the war is to the death.

Soldiers Marcus d’Ivoire and Winter Ihernglass find themselves caught between their general and their queen. Now, each must decide which leader truly commands their loyalty—and what price they might pay for final victory.

And in the depths of Elysium, a malign force is rising—and defeating it might mean making sacrifices beyond anything they have ever imagined.

I love this series and I became an instant fan of Django Wexler after reading the first book! No one writes military tactics like this author. You feel like you're right there in the middle of each campaign. Every single character is a dynamic force in their own right! In this book, we're really gearing up for Book 5 and it definitely leaves you with a high degree of anticipation!

I want to thank the publisher (Berkley Publishing Group) for providing me with the ARC through NetGalley for an honest review. show less