Django Wexler Books in Order

Where to Start Reading Django Wexler

Django Wexler is a versatile author who bridges the gap between meticulous, strategic military planning and high-flying fantasy magic. Because he writes across several distinct subgenres, the best place for you to start depends on your personal tastes:

• For Epic Flintlock Fantasy: Start with The Thousand Names, the opening novel of The Shadow Campaigns. This is Wexler's signature series, widely celebrated for its detailed military tactics, deep character arcs, and Napoleonic-era flavor mixed with dark magic.
• For Post-Apocalyptic Science-Fantasy: Start with Ashes of the Sun, the first book of the Burningblade & Silvereye trilogy. It offers a fast-paced, action-heavy adventure set in a world of ancient technology and ruined civilizations, centering on siblings who find themselves on opposite sides of a global conflict.
• For Lighthearted Portal Fantasy and Comedy: Start with How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, the opening of the Dark Lord Davi duology. This series plays with classic fantasy tropes, featuring a protagonist trapped in a brutal time loop who decides that the only way to win is to become the villain.
• For Middle-Grade Magic: Start with The Forbidden Library, a whimsical and slightly dark portal fantasy perfect for younger readers or fans of magical archives and talking familiars.

The Shadow Campaigns: Complete Reading Order

This is Wexler's most famous work, a sprawling five-book flintlock fantasy epic. The main narrative follows the Vhalnich Empire's campaigns, focusing heavily on military realism, logistics, and mysterious magical forces. Alongside the five primary novels, Wexler wrote three shorter works that expand the setting and flesh out supporting characters. You can read the series in two main ways: publication order or chronological order.

Option 1: Recommended Chronological Order

Reading chronologically allows you to see the backstory of key players before the main campaign begins. The novellas fit neatly into the timeline as follows:

1. The First Kill (Short Story, 2015) – A prequel set years before the first novel, detailing the early partnership between the enforcer Andreas and Sothe (the Gray Rose). Published in the Blackguards anthology.
2. The Penitent Damned (Short Story, 2013) – A short prequel set shortly before the main series, introducing the early magical threats.
3. The Thousand Names (Book 1, 2013) – The core starting point, introducing Winter Ihernglass and Captain Janus bet Vhalnich in the deserts of Khandar.
4. The Shadow Throne (Book 2, 2014) – The conflict shifts to the capital city, focusing on political intrigue, revolution, and the royal succession.
5. The Shadow of Elysium (Novella, 2015) – Set between Books 2 and 3, focusing on a rebellion in a conquered province and introducing characters who reappear later.
6. The Price of Valor (Book 3, 2015) – The war expands as Janus takes control of the military, and the threat of the Beast looms larger.
7. The Guns of Empire (Book 4, 2016) – The grand campaign takes the army across the continent in a massive tactical offensive.
8. The Infernal Battalion (Book 5, 2018) – The explosive conclusion to the epic saga, bringing all storylines to a final resolution.

Option 2: Publication Order

If you prefer to read the works exactly as they were released, you can skip the prequel stories until you are invested in the world, or read them as companion pieces:

1. The Thousand Names (2013)
2. The Penitent Damned (Short Story, 2013)
3. The Shadow Throne (2014)
4. The Shadow of Elysium (Novella, 2015)
5. The Price of Valor (2015)
6. The First Kill (Short Story, 2015)
7. The Guns of Empire (2016)
8. The Infernal Battalion (2018)

Burningblade & Silvereye Trilogy

This completed trilogy is often described as Star Wars meets fantasy, set in a world littered with the dangerous relics of an ancient war. It centers on Maya, who is trained by the ruling class to wield magical solar weapons, and her brother Gyre, who joins a rebellion and relies on dark, forbidden biopunk mutations.

1. Ashes of the Sun (2020)
2. Blood of the Chosen (2021)
3. Emperor of Ruin (2023)

The Wells of Sorcery Trilogy (Young Adult)

A fast-paced Young Adult trilogy featuring a young thief, Isoka, who is sent on a suicide mission aboard the Solatus, a legendary ghost ship made of smoke and steel. The series features dynamic magic systems, sky battles, and a strong cast of characters.

1. Ship of Smoke and Steel (2019)
2. City of Stone and Silence (2020)
3. Siege of Rage and Ruin (2021)

Dark Lord Davi Duology

A hilarious, trope-bending portal fantasy duology. Davi has died in a fantasy world hundreds of times trying to act as the legendary hero. Exhausted by the loop, she decides to take over the evil empire instead.

1. How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying (2024)
2. Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me (2025)

The Forbidden Library Series (Middle Grade)

For younger readers (or adults who love magical library adventures), this four-book series follows Alice Creighton as she discovers she is a Reader—someone who can step inside books and bind the magical creatures within them.

1. The Forbidden Library (2014)
2. The Mad Apprentice (2015)
3. The Palace of Glass (2016)
4. The Fall of the Readers (2017)

Other Projects, Standalones, and Tie-In Fiction

Wexler has written several other standalone stories, novellas, and official tie-in books for popular gaming universes:

• The Diamond Knife Series: Starts with Last Stop (2024), a dieselpunk-style adventure featuring the crew of a mercenary airship flying above a world dominated by giant insects.
• John Golden Series: A humorous urban fantasy series about a "freelance debugger" who hunts down computer viruses that have manifested as real-world magical threats. Includes Freelance Debugger (2014) and The Heroes of Mazaroth (2014).
• Hard Reboot (2021): A sci-fi novella centered on mech-combat gambling and underworld politics on a ruined Old Earth.
• Netherwings (2021): An Audible Original fantasy adventure following dragon-like riders in a mysterious realm.
• Hoard (2024): A digital novella focused on the comedic logistical struggles of adventurers trying to transport a dragon's treasure back to civilization.
• The Thirteenth God (2026): A military progression fantasy web serial published on Royal Road, featuring an ancient mecha and tactical sky battles.
• Gaming Tie-Ins: Includes Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths - Sundered Bond (2020) and The Gathering Storm (2019) for Magic: The Gathering, as well as Spelljammer: Memory's Wake (2024) for Dungeons & Dragons.