Where I say what's right with Django Wexler's books, for those who didn't know yet

The Guns of Empire by Django Wexler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you read the first three books, you probably already know you will enjoy this book, so you don't need someone (like me) telling you so. If you haven't read the first books, there's not much point in me telling you to read this one--I'll suggest the first book, which I also liked very much. Off you go. ;)

So, with no real audience for this review, I'll still say into the void--this is a great book. Great series, actually, and I highly recommend all of it. There are a lot of reasons to offer up my praise, but the two most compelling, for me, are the author's handling of characters and the realistic portrayal of a military campaign.

In reverse order, since this is going into the void anyway, one of the most impressive things about the whole series is the accuracy and completeness of the author's portrayal of war and soldiers, of camp and campaign and battle. The action and descriptions ring true, with the force of genuine scholarship, so that whatever errors it might contain are beyond my ability to detect or trip over. The effect of that, of course, is that the story hits home more deeply because the reader (well, me) believes it more. In addition, and this is not a minor point, it makes the story more fun.

Returning to characters, this is also a strong point from the beginning of the series. The author has not only created a number of well-drawn, comprehensible, captivating, distinct, round, dynamic characters with interesting arcs, but he has given us as many female characters of that type as male. More, perhaps, if I were to take a tally, and maybe someone wants to accept that job....

Winter is my favorite character--complex and damaged but noble and heroic--though I also love Bobby, and her arc here is spoilerly awesome. Sothe's action is fun to read, and Cyte has become a new favorite, and on and on. I also admire Marcus, and identify with him, and see Janus as an impressive, complex, mysterious, iconic leader, and enjoy any scene with Give-Em-Hell, etc., so there's a great balance that, to me, feels organic rather than forced.

This sharing of the narrative load among many personality types, between men and women, and between civilian, soldier, noble, and officer, makes the story feel more layered and satisfying, as well as more significant thematically and emotionally. And more fun. This helps carry the reader on (well, me again), which matters, because even though it's a long (comparatively long) book, it seldom drags. It's nearly always a pleasure to start the next chapter.

So, in a nutshell--good book. I liked it.

One book to go. It's out in hardcover, so that's cool... but that would just not look right on the shelves next to 4 paperbacks. Nothing I can do. It's a thing. So, I'll have to wait just a bit. But I'm looking forward to it. And in the meantime I may check into his kids' books. They look good, too. :)

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