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    The Guns of Empire
    The Guns of Empire
    The Guns of Empire
    Audiobook19 hours

    The Guns of Empire

    Written by Django Wexler

    Narrated by Richard Poe

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    As the roar of 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 hope of securing an end to the war. Queen Raesinia of Vordan is eager 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 the 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 could mean making sacrifices beyond anything they have ever imagined.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateAug 9, 2016
    ISBN9781501923968
    The Guns of Empire
    Author

    Django Wexler

    Django Wexler is a self-proclaimed computer/fantasy/sci-fi geek. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with degrees in creative writing and computer science, worked in artificial intelligence research and as a programmer/writer for Microsoft, and is now a full-time fantasy writer. Django is the author of The Shadow Campaigns, an epic fantasy series for adults published by Roc (an imprint of Penguin), and The Forbidden Library, a classic fantasy series for young readers published by Kathy Dawson Books (an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group).

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    Reviews for The Guns of Empire

    4/5

    79 ratings6 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Well I read this book during a long hiatus from reviewing so my apologies for a very belated review! 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! We're really gearing up for Book 5 and I just can't wait!
    • 4/5
      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..........
    • 5/5
      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 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.
    • 4/5
      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 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.
    • 5/5
      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 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.
    • 5/5
      The fourth book in a substantial fantasy series that has been tracking an alternate world version of the French Revolution since the second. In this volume, the triumphant Grand Army of Vordan invades Murnsk in a deliberate echo of Napoleon's Russian campaign. All goes well at first, but the Pontifex of the Black invokes a great demon who will bog them down. In the dungeons of Elysium, First Consul Janus bet Valnich's goal, and evil greater evil lurks.Unlike the last two books, this one is mostly military rather than revolutionary. The fantasy aspects are not neglected, as new aspects of the demons and the Sworn Church are revealed. For a while, it looks as if this might be the final book in the series, but it clearly is not.For anyone who likes big, chewy fantasy series full of battles large and small. Start with the first one, The Thousand Names.