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Returning from their victorious – but costly – campaign in Khandar, Janus bet Vhalnich and his loyal deputies Marcus d’Ivoire and Winter Ihernglass find that the kingdom of Vordan is in turmoil. The king is on his deathbed, leaving no one but his daughter to take his place. Princess Raesinia, though, is a woman with a secret, one that may have placed herself – and the kingdom – into the hands of the dangerous Duke Orlanko. When she turns to Janus, newly named Minister of Justice, the kingdom finds itself on a collision course with events that may throw the entire nation into chaos…
The Thousand Names was a highlight of the fantasy world last year, a well-written, exciting debut that introduced an intriguing world and some fantastic characters. The book wrapped up its own story but introduced a large amount of new possibilities, many of which are explored in The Shadow Throne. Django Wexler does a great job of expanding on those, creating a society at boiling point and a city that is about to explode. Thanks to a couple of new point of view characters, including the Crown Princess, we are introduced to the capital city of Vordan, a place reminiscent of 19th century Paris in the stresses and tensions lying just below the surface. Wexler brings all of this to boil and allows it to overflow, creating a tense, exciting second half to the novel after a more leisurely build up. Everything builds to a fantastic climax that bodes well for the future of the series, introducing some major new antagonists for our characters to deal with. A fantastic follow up to what is shaping up to be a major fantasy.
I gave The Shadow Throne 5 stars.
