Shadows of the Apt — (2008-2011) Publisher: Seventeen years ago Stenwold witnessed the Wasp Empire storming the city of Myna in a brutal war of conquest. Since then he has preached vainly against this threat in his home city of Collegium, but now the Empire is on the march, with its spies and its armies everywhere, and the Lowlands lie directly in its path. All the while, Stenwold has been training youthful agents to fight the Wasp advance, and the latest recruits include his niece, Che, and his mysterious ward, Tynisa. When his home is violently attacked, he is forced to send them ahead of him and, hotly pursued, they fly by airship to Helleron, the first city in line for the latest Wasp invasion.Stenwold and Che are Beetle-kinden, one of many human races that take their powers and inspiration each from a totem insect, but he also has allies of many breeds: Mantis, Spider, Ant, with their own particular skills. Foremost is the deadly Mantis-kinden warrior, Tisamon, but other very unlikely allies also join the cause. As things go from bad to worse amid escalating dangers, Stenwold learns that the Wasps intend to use the newly completed railroad between Helleron and Collegium to launch a lightning strike into the heart of the Lowlands. Then he gathers all of his agents to force a final showdown in the engine yard...
  
 
 Empire in Black and Gold
If all I had to go by was the cover art (Tor 2008 edition), the title of the book and the synopsis, I probably wouldn’t give Adrian Tchaikovsky’s debut a second glimpse. After all, the artwork fails to capture the eye, the book title is bland, and the summary makes the novel sound formulaic. I mean how many times have authors written about a powerful ‘Empire’ bent on conquering the world and the unlikely heroes determined to stop them? For that matter, how many novels feature youthful protagonists who become much more than they ever dreamed of, haunted forests, a spy who can steal peoples’ faces, rescuing characters from slavers, inciting a revolution and so on? These are all common fantasy conventions utilized by Adrian Tchaikovsky, not to mention the requisite world map, hefty page count, and inevitable sequels. Yet, Empire in Black and Gold is much more than a traditional epic fantasy and readers would be making a big mistake by overlooking this spectacular debut
So what makes Empire in Black and Gold special? Well for starters, it’s the setting. Unlike a lot of fantasy series that take place in a pseudo-medieval world, the Lowlands and its surrounding environs owe more to steampunk and the industrial age than it does Camelot. So don’t expect castles, wizards, knights in shining armor, or dragons. Instead, look for artificers, secret spy sects, dualing societies, the Olympic-like Great Games, gangsters, cities fueled by commerce and industry, and such technological advances as orthopters, lighter-than-air fliers, repeating crossbows, grenades, automobiles, engine-mills, and a lightning engine locomotive. Mr. Tchaikovsky does incorporate a few medieval concepts into this world, including magic, but such aspects are notably understated. In fact, the majority of characters in the book grew up with the belief that magic is not real — that science and logic governs the world — so it’s interesting to see how they react when sorcery is introduced into their lives.
What really sets apart this setting from other fantasy worlds however, is not so much the world itself, but the different races inhabiting the world. By that, I’m not talking about elves, dwarves, hobbits, trolls, orcs, etc. I’m instead referring to the simple, yet ingenious idea of insect-kinden. To break it down, insect-kinden are humans, who long ago adapted to the prehistoric insects that terrorized their world by adopting their traits. For instance, Ant-kinden operate as a hive-mind, Wasp-kinden can fly and use stingers, and Mantis-kinden are deadly warriors, blessed with prodigious speed, skill and such natural weapons as spines jutting from their arms. The technique by which the insect-kinden are able to accomplish such feats is simply known as meditation:
Meditation was the Ancestor Art, the founding basis of all the insect-kinden. Whether it was the meditation to make the Fly-kinden fly, and the Ants live within each other’s minds; to make the Mantids swift, the Spiders subtle, meditation was the Art that lived within them all, waiting to be unlocked.
Personally, I love the concept of insect-kinden. It immediately gives the book a unique flavor and the potential of this setup is just endless. I mean how many different kinds of insects are there in the world? Just in this book alone, we get to meet Beetles, Spiders, Mantids, Wasps, Dragonflies, Ants, Flies, Scorpions, Butterflies, Grasshoppers, and Thorn Bugs. And who knows how many others Tchaikovsky has waiting to be revealed in the sequels. Centipedes perhaps? Mosquito Lords? Regardless, there’s much more to the insect-kinden than just a cool concept. Tchaikovsky has really fleshed out the insect-kinden to the point where each kinden not only has their own distinctive physical traits, but also personality characteristics, history, beliefs, prejudices, etc. Even better, he's created a whole word of insect dynamics like the contempt they feel for halfbreeds, the hate shared between Spiders and Mantids, the disparity between the forward-thinking, technologically-driven Beetles and the mystical Moths, and so on. Of course, for all that insect-kinden might be different from you and I physically and in other areas, they are still human and act accordingly. So expect insect-kinden to fall in love, to feel jealousy, anger, grief, to sacrifice themselves, betray one another, and to indulge in all sorts of other compelling human drama, which is just accentuated by their kinden backgrounds.
The novel’s strongest characteristic as a whole however, is its balance. By this, I mean most fantasy novels are usually stronger in certain areas. For example, one book might feature great characterization and worldbuilding, but comes up short in the story department. Another may be well-written and entertaining, but lacks imagination. And so on. Then there’s Empire in Black and Gold, which doesn't suffer from any glaring weaknesses or isn't dominated by one attribute over another, but instead is just an incredibly well-rounded novel. Sure, the insect-kinden and the technologically evolved world might immediately stand out to the reader, but they are complemented by a plot which is gripping, intelligent, and action-packed. While the book may feature some familiar story elements, Empire in Black and Gold is quite a departure from dark lords, prophecy, and the chosen one, and keeps readers on their toes with an unexpected blend of intrigue, politics, warfare, and emotional drama — which in turn is balanced by exciting pacing.
Characters, meanwhile, are written with depth and compassion, and contribute to the story’s effectiveness since you care about what happens to them. And providing the glue to the entire book is Tchaikovsky's consistent, if not economical, prose. Granted, some of the background history is a little vague like how the kinden were first created, the oft-mentioned Bad Old Days, and the Age of Lore; there are times when POVs suddenly switch characters without warning; religion in the world is surprisingly unexplored; and a few surprises are easy to figure out; but overall, Empire in Black and Gold has little to criticize and much to admire.
For every over-hyped debut novel that is released each year, there are always at least one or two titles that just don’t get enough attention. In 2007, one of those highly underrated debuts was Felix Gilman’s Thunderer. This year, could it be Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Empire in Black and Gold? That question remains to be answered, but as of now Tchaikovsky’s debut has received little fanfare despite being one of the best first novels that I’ve read all year. In fact, I strongly believe Adrian Tchaikovsky is already on the same level talent-wise as such rising fantasy authors as Patrick Rothfuss, Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie, Brandon Sanderson, Daniel Abraham, Mark J. Ferrari, and David Anthony Durham. Enjoying their level of success is a different story altogether, but I for one am extremely excited by the potential Empire in Black and Gold offers, and sincerely believe that Adrian Tchaikovsky's Shadows of the Apt is a fantasy series to watch. —Robert Thompson
Empire in Black and Gold
I’ll be honest; I struggled with the beginning of this book. I even tried to pass it off to other reviewers. I felt that I wasn’t jiving with the whole premise. I kept reading because I recognized quality writing and hoped that in itself would endear me to the story. Well, it did. I was so glad I didn’t set this one down. Adrian Tchaikovsky’s characters and world grew on me and I finished the last ¾ of the book in half the time it took me to read the first ¼.
Empire in Black and Gold, at its heart, is very much an epic fantasy. You have a band of heroes from various backgrounds coming together on a quest to stop the conquest of a brutal warrior race, hell-bent on destroying everything in their path. There are sword fights, magic, and exotic beauties. To these classic tropes, Tchaikovsky adds steam engines, flying machines, universities, and the sciences. It’s the weird mix of epic fantasy and more modern elements that gave me such a hard time at the start.
The world Tchaikovsky creates is complex. All the myriad races that inhabit his world are based on a kindred insect. For example: Mantis Kinden are a proud and lean fighting race. They have spurs of bone that protrude from their arms. They are genetically predisposed to blood lust, which gives them special abilities. Beetle Kinden are smart and good with their hands. They can sometimes even fly and see in the dark. These abilities are not necessarily magic, but gained through genetic heritage and a form of meditation. The line between “natural abilities achieved via meditation” and “magic” is confusing and not exactly clear. That may have been the author’s intention, since many of this world’s inhabitants do not acknowledge magic at all. Sprouting wings and firing balls of energy are perfectly acceptable, but scrying and mind reading are just not within the realm of their logic. All these concepts are thrown at the reader right at the start, so it can be difficult at first to get into the flow of the novel. But once you get past the initial learning curve of Tchaikovsky’s world, Empire in Black and Gold turns out to be a wonderfully unique and exciting place to be.
The characters are as diverse as the races they belong to. They each carry with them the baggage of their heritage, but as the story progresses they each grow and change based on the experiences they encounter. I found myself frustrated by the beetle’s lack of imagination, and frightened by the mantis’ lust for violence. These challenges grow the characters in emotional and surprisingly physical ways.
If you are growing a little tired of the medieval sword-and-sorcery style fantasy world, you should certainly give Empire in Black and Gold a read. It’s a unique piece, and the beginning of an ongoing series. I found it enjoyable and believe that most any fan of epic fantasy will find something to like here. The story is continued in Dragonfly Falling, which is due to release in the States this April.
—Justin Blazier
 Dragonfly Falling
Dragonfly Falling is the amazing follow-up to Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Empire in Black and Gold. The story directly follows the events of book 1. The wasps have increased their hold on the lowlands, and the position of our heroes is much more precarious. The empire has begun its assault and the blood is flowing. Tchaikovsky’s battle descriptions are nothing short of epic, bloody, and gritty, with nail-biting sequences that seem to run for pages. Empire in Black and Gold introduced you to the players, and set the overall stage. I struggled a bit with its pacing, but had none of that problem here. Dragonfly Falling is truly when the dung beetle hits the fan.
The characters continue to grow and change in amazing ways. Like Empire in Black and Gold, Dragonfly Falling explores the many facets of the various characters. Who’s good and who’s bad is not always so clear cut, and that’s refreshing. I’ve also come to realize that there are just as many “Insect Kinden” in Tchaikovsky’s world as there are insects. I stopped keeping track of them about a quarter of the way through the book. As nice as it is to have a diverse population in your story, you lose a bit by always having a convenient race to solve various issues. It’s not a device often used in the story, but the potential for abuse is there. I wonder if it will become a little more prominent as the series progresses.
I am so glad Pyr has decided to release the Shadows of the Apt series in the US, as so far it has been incredibly well written and unique. Dragonfly Falling raises the stakes in every way possible, and I’m excited to see how everything progresses in book 3, Blood of the Mantis. Dragonfly Falling does everything right, and I really can’t find many faults. Tchaikovsky’s writing is top notch and seems to be getting even better. In a genre where a lot of ho-hum stuff gets over-hyped, do not let Shadows of the Apt fly under your radar. —Justin Blazier
 Dragonfly Falling
Between introducing the uniquely imaginative concept of ‘Insect-kinden’ and showcasing a well-rounded display of characterization, world-building, story, pacing and prose, Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Empire in Black and Gold was not only an impressive debut, it was also a memorable start to an exciting new fantasy series. A direct continuation of Empire in Black and Gold, Dragonfly Falling is basically more of the same, just on a larger and more entertaining scale.
Like Empire in Black and Gold, the highlight of Dragonfly Falling is once again the Insect-kinden who, with their diverse Arts and philosphies, continue to lend the saga a distinctive quality despite utilizing such familiar fantasy themes as war, slavery, conspiracy, racial/culturual barriers, etc. For example, battles and sieges are given a whole new dynamic because of the different ways that each race fights — the Ant-kinden use their hive-mind to give them an advantage in tactics and coordination; the Wasps ruthlessly use their superior numbers and Auxillian slaves to overwhelm the enemy, yet are also forward-thinking in exploiting the weaknesses of other races; the Moth-kinden use magic; and the Beetle-kinden use their artificers to forge new weapons of war. Other examples of the uniqueness that the Insect-kinden bring to the books are the way Bee-kinden can be forced into slavery just by the capture of their Queen and Spider-kinden who are masters of deception and subterfuge, which makes loving one extremely dicey, especially if she’s already betrayed you once. As far as new Insect-kinden, Dragonfly Falling introduces Woodlouse-kinden, the giant Mole Crickets and the vampire-like Mosquito-kinden. Unfortunately, we don’t get to learn too much about them, although I expect the Mosquito-kinden will play a much larger role in future volumes. On the flipside, we do receive a somewhat deeper look at Spider and Mantis-kinden cultures.
Story-wise, with the groundwork already laid out in Empire in Black and Gold, Dragonfly Falling starts out fast and furious and doesn’t really let up for the entire book. For the most part, Dragonfly Falling concentrates on the Wasp Empire’s invasion of the Lowlands including seiges at Tark and Collegium, the takeover of Helleron, and the Battle of the Rails; but at the same time there’s a lot of other stuff going on as well — the Wasp Emperor’s desire for immortality, a power struggle among the Wasp Empire’s CIA-like Rekef sect, a Dragonfly-kinden’s quest for revenge, Salma finding the Butterfly dancer Aagen’s Joy, Tynisa embracing her heritage, and a magical ‘Shadow Box’ just to name a few.
Of the characters, Stenwold Maker, Che, Tynisa, Tisamon, Prince Salma, Totho, and Thalric remain among the series’ most important players, but — with the exception of Stenwold, Totho, Thalric and possibly Salma — they take a backseat to a ton of new characters that could be just as, if not more, important going forward. Among the new faces, I particularly enjoyed the storylines involving the haunted Felise Mienn, the Mosquito-kinden Uctebri the Sarcad, and the Colonel-Auxillian Dariandrephos, the Wasp Empire’s most gifted artificer. Strangely, the Moth-kinden Achaeos had a really small role in the book, but it looks like he will play a much bigger part in future volumes, along with a certain Spider spymaster…
The setting meanwhile, with all of its technological advances, remains fantastic with the book introducing all sorts of new toys like submersibles, one-person winged fliers, a sandbow and Totho’s devastating invention, the snapbow — a firearm basically — which promises to not only change the face of the war, but the future of the world. Magic in the meantime, remains subtle, but the Darakyon are still around, Uctebri supposedly has the power to grant Alvdan immortality, and there’s that aforementioned Shadow Box. In short, you just get the feeling that magic and technology are going to soon collide with one another in this series with catastrophic results.
On the negative side, Dragonfly Falling is plagued by pretty much the same problems that Empire in Black and Gold was including lackluster background history, POVs that occasionlly switch between characters without warning, a narrative that is at times predictable, and prose that is a bit bland — even if it is consistent and accessible. However, with Dragonfly Falling’s stronger and more engaging story, a better cast of characters, and the book’s more epic scope, I found such issues to be even less of a nonfactor than it was when reading Tchaikovsky’s debut.
Overall, Dragonfly Falling is another impressive offering from Adrian Tchaikovsky which builds on the solid foundation established by Empire in Black and Gold, while setting the stage for what promises to be exciting and dark times for the rest of the Shadows of the Apt series. Personally, I can’t wait for more. —Robert Thompson
Dragonfly Falling
Adrian Tchaikovsky has a terrific series going with his Shadows of the Apt. Dragonfly Falling, the second in what will be a series of at least ten books, continues building a unique new fantasy world in which mankind is divided into numerous races that resemble, in some ways, various species of insects. It’s a weird idea, but it works, and the differences between the races seem often to drive the narrative.
Dragonfly Falling gives us many more species than we’ve seen previously, and draws out the characteristics of each race. Ants, for instance — and there are several different species (and cities) of ants — tend to be excellent soldiers, particularly as they share a hive mind. If you’ve ever wondered what a city of telepaths would sound like, Tchaikovsky has the answer: it’s quiet. And an army of ants is darned near undefeatable, because the whole army can simultaneously act as one unit and as many individuals. Beetles, on the other hand, tend to be pretty terrible soldiers, but they are excellent technicians and can create weapons that would never occur to other species. Indeed, some species, like Dragonflies, can barely comprehend most technology, even to simply use it. It makes for an awesome place to visit in 500 page segments.
There are a plethora of characters in this novel, some of whom we’ve met in Empire in Black and Gold (Stenwold Maker, a Beetle-kinden spymaster and statesman, a resident of Collegium, and Thalric, a major in the Wasp secret service, most notably among them) and some of whom are new — and the canvas on which Tchaikovsky is drawing continues to grow. We’re introduced to the Emperor of the Wasp Empire, his sister, and various of his hangers-on. We confront the Spider culture; meet the enclave of the Mantises; and learn more about the mysterious Moths. And we learn, as we always do in the best books, that no one is purely evil and no one is purely good: Totho, one of Stenwold’s coterie, is the primary example we have of that, though Thalric isn’t far behind him. Moral questions are pondered, dissected, acted upon, regretted, making this far more than a novel about a war in a fantasy world.
Indeed, the actual warmaking is perhaps the least interesting part of this book. I found it easy to set the book down in the middle of a siege, but much more difficult to let go of when the subject was spycraft. Wasps letting loose their stings, Beetles their crossbows, and so on, starts to sound repetitive after awhile, but treachery and diplomacy both never seem to be predictable or any less than exciting. Watching alliances form and fail and re-form and sometimes succeed is fascinating.
There is a steampunk feel to much of Dragonfly Falling. Automotives seem to have legs rather than wheels; flying machines are rare and spectacular and of all sorts, from fixed wing aircraft to what we would call dirigibles; weapons technology has not yet come upon gunpowder. Invention is, in fact, one of the real themes of this series, and we get to see a good deal more of it in this installment. War, as ever, seems to cause new inventions and new applications of technology at an incredible rate. The question, as ever, is whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing; or is it, simply, mixed? The philosophical questions never get lost in the action, but are given their due in the conversations, thoughts and even the agonies of the various characters.
The third book in the series, Blood of the Mantis, awaits my attention. I can’t wait to dive in.
—Terry Weyna
 Blood of the Mantis
Things begin to slow down some in Blood of the Mantis. The third book in the Shadows of the Apt series is the smallest, and yet took the longest for me to read. Adrian Tchaikovsky maintains the same level of writing established in the first two, but seems to be struggling a bit with middle-book syndrome. The events in book 3 are too important to completely leave out of the story, it’s too long to be split between other books, and feels a little wanting after the first two books’ onslaught of awesomeness.
Blood of the Mantis is not a bad book by any stretch of the imagination; it’s just not as good as the first two. It had some seriously high standards to meet after Dragonfly Falling. Dragonfly blew me away and is likely to be a contender for my favorite book this year. I think my perspective might be a little skewed as well. I’ve been reading these one right after the other, so the differences between the two are immediately apparent to me, possibly making my judgment a little unfair. With the previous two so fresh in my mind, I simply can’t help making comparisons.
The plot is a continuation of what is set in motion in the previous books, and Blood of the Mantis doesn’t have an strong subplot of its own. The characters are still hunting the ShadowBox, and Stenwold is still dealing with political intrigue in Collegium and Sarn while trying to rally an increasingly unlikely Lowland alliance. The character development that was so amazing in both the previous books is almost nonexistent here. A few side characters get a little more attention, but nothing develops to the level of the previous books.
Tchaikovsky does take the reader to some new places. We get to see the lands around the Exalsee, and the potpourri of kinden that inhabit that area. I did enjoy the notion that Shadows of the Apt will have a much larger geographical playground. The first two books never talked much about anything beyond the Spiderlands. Blood of the Mantis is the first to take the story into those other foreign lands.
Tchaikovsky has set himself up with a beautiful and amazing world to play in. The variety of races and characters at his disposal is limitless. Blood of the Mantis may be a bit of a stumble in the series, but it’s a very small stumble. I’m very excited for book 4, and I get the feeling my reservations about Blood of the Mantis will be quickly forgotten. —Justin Blazier
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