Captain Marcus d'Ivoire, commander of one of the Vordanai empire's colonial garrisons, was serving out his days in a sleepy, remote outpost-until a rebellion left him in charge of a demoralized force clinging to a small fortress at the edge of the desert.
To flee from her past, Winter Ihernglass masqueraded as a man and enlisted as a ranker in the Vordanai Colonials, hoping only to avoid notice. But when chance sees her promoted to command, she must lead her men into battle against impossible odds.
Their fate depends on Colonel Janus bet Vhalnich. Under his command, Marcus and Winter feel the tide turning and their allegiance being tested. For Janus's ambitions extend beyond the battlefield and into the realm of the supernatural-a realm with the power to reshape the known world and change the lives of everyone in its path.
Customer Review
This military fantasy book is so fascinating, part of the Shadow Campaigns series. This series is one of a few where I bought Book 2 before I even finished Book 1. It is such a page-turner. We are invited to get to know the characters, and even before I get to a fifth of this book, I like the characters too much I am afraid they're going to die. Against my usual rigid rule of never peeking into future pages, I did it two times in the middle of intense battle scenes.
Staff Choice: Tiemen
There is a distinct possibility after reading this book you will yell 'Form square!' at random people in public.
This is a fun and exciting read. Instead of the same old, same old medieval fantasy setting this is so called Musket fantasy; a story deeply inspired by the age of the Napoleonic Wars.
And even though this is fantasy, Wexler has grounded it in a firm foundation of military history and knowledge. Wexler knows his musket from his bayonet and the way he portrays how an army in the Napoleonic age would function is done in a marvelous and interesting way.
Add in a few heartpounding battles - FORM SQUARE! - a Holmes & Watsonesque relationship between the commander and his second-in-command, a mystery about a magical artifact and you get one very entertaining and thrilling read.
