Military might and arcane power clash in Django Wexler’s thrilling new Shadow Campaigns novel.   The Beast, the ancient demon imprisoned beneath the fortress-city of Elysium for a thousand years, has been loosed on the world. It absorbs mind after mind, spreading like a plague through the north. The fell army it has raised threatens the heart of Vordan, and it is under the command of the Beast’s greatest prize: legendary general Janus bet Vhalnich.   As Queen Raesinia Orboan and soldiers Marcus D’Ivoire and Winter Ihernglass grapple with the aftermath of a hard-fought military campaign, they soon discover a betrayal they never could have foreseen. The news arrives like a thunderbolt: Janus has declared himself the rightful Emperor of Vordan. Chaos grips the city as officers and regiments are forced to declare for queen or emperor.   Raesinia must struggle to keep her country under control and risks becoming everything she fought against. Marcus must take the field against his old commander, a man who has seemed an unbeatable strategist. And as Winter recovers from her injuries and mourns her losses, she knows the demon she carries inside her might be the only thing standing between the Beast and the destruction of everything in its path....     Praise for the Shadow Campaigns Novels   “A fascinating world of dust and bayonets and muskets...and magic.”—S. M. Stirling, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Novels of the Change   "Gritty, brutal, and yet wonderfully intimate...exceptional military fantasy."—Jason M. Hough, New York Times Bestselling Author of Zero World   “Succeeding volumes may end up doing for the Napoleonic Wars what George R. R. Martin did for the Wars of the Roses. Highly recommended.”—Anthony Ryan, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Raven’s Shadow Novels   “ The Thousand Names is marvelously written, ingeniously conceived, and great fun. Without a doubt the best book of [the] year.”—Simon R. Green, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Secret Histories Novels    "Wexler has written another excellently entertaining novel, filled with battles and politics and personalities....It subverts, interrogates, or outright inverts a good few tropes associated with epic fantasy."—Tor.com Django Wexler  is the author of the Shadow Campaigns novels, including  The Infernal Battalion ,  The Guns of Empire ,  The Price of Valor ,  The Shadow Throne , and  The Thousand Names . His forthcoming novel,  Dungeons & Dragons: Spelljammer: Memory's Wake , will release in June 2024. He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh with degrees in creative writing and computer science, and worked for the university in artificial intelligence research. When not planning Shadow Campaigns, he wrangles computers, paints tiny soldiers, and plays games of all sorts. He is also the author of the middle-grade and YA fantasy novels. Chapter One Raesinia "Is that all?" Raesinia said. "Nearly, Your Highness," said the royal dressmaker, a plump, red-faced woman who towered over her diminutive monarch. "One more, if you please. Take a breath and hold it." Raesinia complied, and the dressmaker whipped a knotted cord around her middle with expert speed. She muttered to herself and tugged it a bit tighter, then looked. "Wonderful. Thank you, Your Highness. I must say you are very lucky to have such a slender frame. And such beautiful skin! You will look magnificent." Raesinia caught her own gaze in the mirror over the dressmaker's shoulder and rolled her eyes. Stripped down to her underthings, she could see the truth clearly enough. I look like a child. And she always would. Her unaging state could be inconvenient, but her actual appearance had never really bothered her. It could be useful even-with the right outfit, she could pass for a boy, and political opponents had a persistent tendency to underestimate her. She'd never particularly wanted male attention, though it had occasionally come her way regardless. Poor Ben, who tried to protect me and died for it. Now, though . . . "One in sea green, I think," the dressmaker was saying. "And one in that lovely Hamveltai crimson. I know just the supplier. And then-" "I leave it entirely in your hands," Raesinia said. "But you must excuse me. There's a great deal of business to attend to." That was wrong, she realized at once. A queen didn't ask a servant to excuse her. I should tell her to go. But politeness had been ground into Raesinia since her earliest education, and now that she was back in the palace, all the old lessons had resurfaced. "Of course." The dressmaker bowed deeply. "I am honored by your custom, Your Highness." Joanna opened the door. The large, silent woman and her slim, more talkative partner, Barely, were on permanent detachment from the Girls' Own as Raesinia's personal guards. Their presence had already become a comforting part of her landscape, and it was hard to imagine that she'd