 What's up everybody I'm the Mangus, you are awesome and it's been a while since I've done a book review on the channel and I've been thinking a lot about a gunpowder fantasy novel I read called The Thousand Names by Django Wexler. I probably never would have even tried a title from the gunpowder fantasy subgenre if this one wasn't suggested to me by my friend Chuffy, but I'm very glad that I did and hopefully I can convince you to give this one a try as well. The Thousand Names is book one of the Shadow Campaign series, it's set in a fantasy world that mirrors Europe and North Africa in the early like 1800s. The story follows an army currently occupying a desert nation. The assignment is considered to be one of the worst since the land is hostile and there really isn't much to do. This unit is where the drags of the army end up and we follow the paths of three soldiers of varying rank that have voluntarily taken this post. We have private winter iron glass, a youngster that requested the desert as a means to get as far away from their past as possible, Captain Marcus de Voire a capable leader with a guilt complex wasting his talent away in a remote outpost, and finally Colonel Janus Bitvalnich, an eccentric yet brilliant leader that sweeps the other two heroes up in the wake of his ambition and dogged determination to attain an unknown supernatural power hidden in the desert sands. What I find interesting about the Thousand Names is that the characters are fairly static. While they of course have secrets and character flaws that make them interesting. They don't really go on a journey of self discovery and improvement. They're simply placed in increasingly dynamic situations that allow the grit character and intelligence of each to shine through. They aren't forged in the fires of battle. Combat simply gives the inner steel they already had a chance to be recognized. Even Winter, who is by far the most dynamic of the three, doesn't suddenly attain some mystic knowledge, find a fantastic magical weapon or unlock hidden powers. No, the determination, intelligence and dedication to duty was already there. Those qualities just needed an extraordinary situation to be recognized. The other thing I like about the Thousand Names is that the fantasy serves to enhance the experience without overshadowing the story. The titular Thousand Name serves as a McGuffin that drives Colonel Valundish forward, but you could easily replace it with another goal and the book would still be an enjoyable read. Not as enjoyable, I do like my fantasy elements, but still a good book. Too many fantasy writers seem to be focused on creating fantastic creatures or building insanely complicated magical systems that they forget that they also need to tell a captivating story. Django Wexler did an amazing job of weaving in just the right amount of supernatural influence to fortify his unique approach to character progression. As I mentioned at the beginning, the Thousand Names is book one of the Shadow Campaign series. If you pick this one up and just can't walk away from this world, there are more books out there that continue the story. I however kind of wish that I would have stopped with the Thousand Names. I've read through the Shadow Campaigns and became a little less interested with each installment. Book two was good, not as good as book one, but still good. Three was a bit of a slog for me to get through and I didn't even finish the fourth. Maybe that's a me problem and you'll enjoy the story more and more, but I for one wish that I would have read the Thousand Names as a standalone entry. That's about all I have to say about the Thousand Names. I'd like to thank Django Wexler for creating such an enjoyable experience. If you like the video, please hit that like button for me. But for now, this is the man who's signing off. You guys have a good one. Man. Shout out to channel members, foolish blood hunter, jelly knees and me. I'll mix for men.