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Elder Race
In Adrian Tchaikovsky's Elder Race, a junior anthropologist on a distant planet must help the locals he has sworn to study to save a planet from an unbeatable foe.
Lynesse is the lowly Fourth Daughter of the queen, and always getting in the way.
But a demon is terrorizing the land, and now she's an adult (albeit barely) with responsibilities (she tells herself). Although she still gets in the way, she understands that the only way to save her people is to invoke the pact between her family and the Elder sorcerer who has inhabited the local tower for as long as her people have lived here (though none in living memory has approached it).
But Elder Nyr isn't a sorcerer, and he is forbidden to help, and his knowledge of science tells him the threat cannot possibly be a demon . . .
Lynesse is the lowly Fourth Daughter of the queen, and always getting in the way.
But a demon is terrorizing the land, and now she's an adult (albeit barely) with responsibilities (she tells herself). Although she still gets in the way, she understands that the only way to save her people is to invoke the pact between her family and the Elder sorcerer who has inhabited the local tower for as long as her people have lived here (though none in living memory has approached it).
But Elder Nyr isn't a sorcerer, and he is forbidden to help, and his knowledge of science tells him the threat cannot possibly be a demon . . .
5 pages, Audiobook
First published November 16, 2021
2118 people are currently reading
27769 people want to read
About the author
Adrian Tchaikovsky
191 books17.4k followersADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY was born in Lincolnshire and studied zoology and psychology at Reading, before practising law in Leeds. He is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor and is trained in stage-fighting. His literary influences include Gene Wolfe, Mervyn Peake, China Miéville, Mary Gently, Steven Erikson, Naomi Novak, Scott Lynch and Alan Campbell.
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December 23, 2021
Elder Race, or, a post on which I muse about feelings, productivity, and the futility of blurbing.
Goodreads lists over thirty books written by Tchaikovsky, and that's not including another seventy plus short stories he lists on his website. This is one prolific author. After joining Nataliya on buddy reads of a number of novellas, I've come to the conclusion that he has a lot of strengths when it comes to the style of sci-fi I enjoy, but lacks a certain attention to detail to move most of his works into the stratosphere. The first work I read by him was the memorable and undoubtedly to-be-classic Children of Time, and nothing has quite stood up to that mind-blowing arachnophilic experience.
Elder Races is no different. As an aside, I'll note that the Goodreads blurb is close to useless at clues to contents and experience. This is a modern remake of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series, anthropologist and all. In fact, if you want an interesting and more profound female-centric and complicated love relationship, I highly recommend The Rununciate trilogy, particularly Thendara House. It also reminded me of Andre Norton's The Witch World saga. Both have their roots in a culture clash of a space-faring sexually egalitarian civilization that was almost absent, and a more feudal and gender-unequal one. Both also play with the idea of Clarke's Third Law, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," adding a fascinating corollary: even technology can't explain everything.
Elder Races sticks to this cultural disconnect and tech-magic heritage, alternating viewpoints between the last anthropologist of a space-faring empire and the young and free-spirited woman who wants to lead the fight against a demon. The anthropologist from the Earth Explorer Corps, Nyr, has been in cold-sleep for decades, waiting for contact from his team while he intermittently collects information on the locals. His work is aided by a Dissociative Cognition System, a 'mod' that allows him to shut away feelings and function only with the 'reason' part of his brain. "Descending in the elevator, I am very aware of all the sad I am not feeling, how lonely and lost I don't care that I am, and how trivial it is that I am utterly cut off from the civilization that gave rise to me, and anyone who might now or care who Nyr Illim Tevitch is."
Lynesse, the headstrong local, is the proverbial fourth child of the Queen, mildly indulged but mostly considered unimportant in a matriarchal lineage of a feudal, status-conscious society. When she learns of a demon devouring people and even villages, she decides to seek the help of Elder Nyr to vanquish it. Nyr, in turn, is haunted by memories of Lynesse's great-grand from the last time he went against his anthropological training.
Clearly, a lot of fascinating ideas to play with, and one of Tchaikovsky's strengths is the way he throws in teasers that give the reader the idea there's more to learn. He delivers just enough to make for a happy ending, but not really enough for a satisfactory and fulfilling one. There's a side bit about Esha, one of the 'marsh-people' that accompanies them that sounds interesting, as well as teasers about the disappearance of the other Earth anthropologists, and the impact of corporal punishment in the local society, but these aren't really germane. In fact, it's the kind of detail that argues for a longer book instead of novella, so that these inclusions can get the development their inclusion warrants.
The plot is easily the least-interesting thing about this novella. Despite the dual narrative, and Tchaikovsky's attempts to make me care about Lynesse's emotional journey, the internal struggles of Nyr have center stage. Deservedly so; the ideas of cultural competence, language, and feelings are timeless and pertinent. Unfortunately, there's too much here, so everything but character development feels a little shorted, with the bit about the DCI the most fascinating. It's a pleasant enough read, but if I want impactful, I'd rather re-read Thendara House--although I read it enough times as a young adult that it's probably not necessary.
As always, the blog has a bunch of linky-links for references. https://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2021/...
Nataliya is on a Tchaikovsky buddy-read binge, and I am completely unable to deny her. This time, Dylan also joined in for the ride. His note that it seemed like a light version of Rocannon's World by LeGuin is particularly interesting, and merits a placement of it on my TBR list.
Goodreads lists over thirty books written by Tchaikovsky, and that's not including another seventy plus short stories he lists on his website. This is one prolific author. After joining Nataliya on buddy reads of a number of novellas, I've come to the conclusion that he has a lot of strengths when it comes to the style of sci-fi I enjoy, but lacks a certain attention to detail to move most of his works into the stratosphere. The first work I read by him was the memorable and undoubtedly to-be-classic Children of Time, and nothing has quite stood up to that mind-blowing arachnophilic experience.
Elder Races is no different. As an aside, I'll note that the Goodreads blurb is close to useless at clues to contents and experience. This is a modern remake of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series, anthropologist and all. In fact, if you want an interesting and more profound female-centric and complicated love relationship, I highly recommend The Rununciate trilogy, particularly Thendara House. It also reminded me of Andre Norton's The Witch World saga. Both have their roots in a culture clash of a space-faring sexually egalitarian civilization that was almost absent, and a more feudal and gender-unequal one. Both also play with the idea of Clarke's Third Law, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," adding a fascinating corollary: even technology can't explain everything.
Elder Races sticks to this cultural disconnect and tech-magic heritage, alternating viewpoints between the last anthropologist of a space-faring empire and the young and free-spirited woman who wants to lead the fight against a demon. The anthropologist from the Earth Explorer Corps, Nyr, has been in cold-sleep for decades, waiting for contact from his team while he intermittently collects information on the locals. His work is aided by a Dissociative Cognition System, a 'mod' that allows him to shut away feelings and function only with the 'reason' part of his brain. "Descending in the elevator, I am very aware of all the sad I am not feeling, how lonely and lost I don't care that I am, and how trivial it is that I am utterly cut off from the civilization that gave rise to me, and anyone who might now or care who Nyr Illim Tevitch is."
Lynesse, the headstrong local, is the proverbial fourth child of the Queen, mildly indulged but mostly considered unimportant in a matriarchal lineage of a feudal, status-conscious society. When she learns of a demon devouring people and even villages, she decides to seek the help of Elder Nyr to vanquish it. Nyr, in turn, is haunted by memories of Lynesse's great-grand from the last time he went against his anthropological training.
Clearly, a lot of fascinating ideas to play with, and one of Tchaikovsky's strengths is the way he throws in teasers that give the reader the idea there's more to learn. He delivers just enough to make for a happy ending, but not really enough for a satisfactory and fulfilling one. There's a side bit about Esha, one of the 'marsh-people' that accompanies them that sounds interesting, as well as teasers about the disappearance of the other Earth anthropologists, and the impact of corporal punishment in the local society, but these aren't really germane. In fact, it's the kind of detail that argues for a longer book instead of novella, so that these inclusions can get the development their inclusion warrants.
The plot is easily the least-interesting thing about this novella. Despite the dual narrative, and Tchaikovsky's attempts to make me care about Lynesse's emotional journey, the internal struggles of Nyr have center stage. Deservedly so; the ideas of cultural competence, language, and feelings are timeless and pertinent. Unfortunately, there's too much here, so everything but character development feels a little shorted, with the bit about the DCI the most fascinating. It's a pleasant enough read, but if I want impactful, I'd rather re-read Thendara House--although I read it enough times as a young adult that it's probably not necessary.
As always, the blog has a bunch of linky-links for references. https://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2021/...
Nataliya is on a Tchaikovsky buddy-read binge, and I am completely unable to deny her. This time, Dylan also joined in for the ride. His note that it seemed like a light version of Rocannon's World by LeGuin is particularly interesting, and merits a placement of it on my TBR list.
September 3, 2022
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
- Arthur C. Clarke
“There is no magic, merely the proper application of universal forces.”
- Adrian Tchaikovsky
—————
Adrian Tchaikovsky and I are a good writer/reader match. He’s yet to disappoint me — and I hope he never does. He’s prolific and versatile and a very competent writer, above all. With most writers it’s either quality or quantity, but Mr. T manages both, seemingly effortlessly. I can only assume that he has so much fun doing what he does that he just keeps churning out these tight clever stories at quite a snappy pace.
In Elder Race Tchaikovsky brings together fantasy and science fiction (normally quite distinct genre despite being usually mashed up under the same umbrella) —which works seamlessly because, really, “I am nothing but a scientist of sufficiently advanced technology, which is to say a magician.” To a post-technology civilization that developed on an Earth colony planet advanced technology may as well be magic, and the sole remaining Earth man - Nyr, anthropologist second class, equipped with knowledge, gadgets and cryosleep - is the legendary Nyrgoth Elder, a mighty sorcerer who may be the only hope to end a demon infestation - or so hopes Lynesse the Fourth Daughter, a young warrior of royal blood and a dreamer.
And he does it better than you’d expect from a swords and sorcery and starships mash-up.
A job of an anthropologist as Nyr sees it is to study a culture, a civilization. It’s not to interfere with events and the course of civilization. But it’s been centuries alone, with rare resurfacing from suspended animation, and Nyr is starting to question the ethics of reducing yourself to observer role, letting life pass by. It’s a struggle between being a bad anthropologist and a decent person, and it’s clear which side we land.
It’s a story built on the contrast of dual perspectives, the different ways of seeing the same world, the culture clashes that are unavoidable and hard to resolve because the frame of reference for one of you just doesn’t exist for the other. In a language where there’s no difference between the concept of a scientist and a wizard how do you even distinguish the two? How do you explain yourself when the language itself - or your linguistic device - turns your science fiction into fantasy? There is actually an entire chapter where one story is told side-by-side in a science fiction way and a fantasy way, and it’s lovely.
Tchaikovsky is really good at novellas. He perfectly balances the relative brevity of the story with just a perfect amount of worldbuilding and character development and plot. He avoids the pitfalls of writing an overlong short story or an abbreviated novel, and instead writes a story just perfect for its length. And that’s a skill indeed.
And I’m very glad there are still many books by him that I haven’t read yet. That means many more exciting reading hours for me.
Solid 4 stars — and swords.
—————
Buddy read with Dylan and Carol.
——————
My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2022
- Arthur C. Clarke
“There is no magic, merely the proper application of universal forces.”
- Adrian Tchaikovsky
—————
Adrian Tchaikovsky and I are a good writer/reader match. He’s yet to disappoint me — and I hope he never does. He’s prolific and versatile and a very competent writer, above all. With most writers it’s either quality or quantity, but Mr. T manages both, seemingly effortlessly. I can only assume that he has so much fun doing what he does that he just keeps churning out these tight clever stories at quite a snappy pace.
“It’s also possible that I’m just resigned to being a very bad anthropologist. Which is a shame. I might be the last one left.”
In Elder Race Tchaikovsky brings together fantasy and science fiction (normally quite distinct genre despite being usually mashed up under the same umbrella) —which works seamlessly because, really, “I am nothing but a scientist of sufficiently advanced technology, which is to say a magician.” To a post-technology civilization that developed on an Earth colony planet advanced technology may as well be magic, and the sole remaining Earth man - Nyr, anthropologist second class, equipped with knowledge, gadgets and cryosleep - is the legendary Nyrgoth Elder, a mighty sorcerer who may be the only hope to end a demon infestation - or so hopes Lynesse the Fourth Daughter, a young warrior of royal blood and a dreamer.
And he does it better than you’d expect from a swords and sorcery and starships mash-up.
“The fact that bringing a sorcerer into a neighbouring land was probably not in accordance with her mother’s foreign policy had since crossed her mind, but at speed because she had actively chased it to the borders and watched until she was sure it wasn’t coming back any time soon.”
A job of an anthropologist as Nyr sees it is to study a culture, a civilization. It’s not to interfere with events and the course of civilization. But it’s been centuries alone, with rare resurfacing from suspended animation, and Nyr is starting to question the ethics of reducing yourself to observer role, letting life pass by. It’s a struggle between being a bad anthropologist and a decent person, and it’s clear which side we land.
“I am only now, at the wrong end of three centuries after loss of contact, beginning to realise just how broken my own *superior* culture actually was. They set us here to make exhaustive anthropological notes on the fall of every sparrow. But not to catch a single one of them. To *know*, but very emphatically not to *care*.”
It’s a story built on the contrast of dual perspectives, the different ways of seeing the same world, the culture clashes that are unavoidable and hard to resolve because the frame of reference for one of you just doesn’t exist for the other. In a language where there’s no difference between the concept of a scientist and a wizard how do you even distinguish the two? How do you explain yourself when the language itself - or your linguistic device - turns your science fiction into fantasy? There is actually an entire chapter where one story is told side-by-side in a science fiction way and a fantasy way, and it’s lovely.
“Is that not what magic is? Every wise man, every scholar I have met who pretended to the title of magician, that was their study. They sought to learn how the world worked, so that they could control and master it. That is magic.”
Tchaikovsky is really good at novellas. He perfectly balances the relative brevity of the story with just a perfect amount of worldbuilding and character development and plot. He avoids the pitfalls of writing an overlong short story or an abbreviated novel, and instead writes a story just perfect for its length. And that’s a skill indeed.
And I’m very glad there are still many books by him that I haven’t read yet. That means many more exciting reading hours for me.
Solid 4 stars — and swords.
“How much worse to think yourself wise, and still be as ignorant as one who knew themselves a fool?”
—————
Buddy read with Dylan and Carol.
——————
My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2022
![Profile Image for s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1735525095i%2F6431467._UX200_CR0%2C11%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
August 4, 2025
‘Stories, myths, contradictory parables. True without being real. But this was real.’
Who hasn’t had bold fantasies of epic quests, marching forward with your action team simply bursting with impetuous idealism and storybook heroism? The tragedy is that, when we grow older, the stories sometimes fade as we become jaded with the harshness of reality. Which is why Elder Race by acclaimed author Adrian Tchaikovksy is such a wonderful reminder that those stories are still alive inside us and can still hold power. A blissful blend of boisterous fantasy and grim sci fi, Elder Race launches on a collection of enticing premises that orchestrate into a truly insightful novel that may just be the most fun I’ve had with a book all year. The story rotates between two perspectives, one as a fantasy quest seen through Princess Lynesse Fourth Daughter as she calls upon an ancient oath with a sorcerer to fight a demon plaguing the lands. The other is from the ‘sorcerer’, revealed as a lonely anthropologist struggling with depression who was sent to study their planet and might need a bit of the magic he knows does not exist. With an insightful look at language and storytelling, Elder Race is a fantastic book that critiques examining other cultures through a colonialist lens while also functioning as an empowering lesson on coping with depression and finding a way to truly live in the world and not merely go through the motions of a life.
Elder Race reads as a dark comedy of perspectives, one that reminds me of the old maxim about seeing a glass half full or half empty. Tchaikovsky pulls this off quite expertly here, and he has a brilliant balance of humor and seriousness to his writing that drives this story home in a comforting way despite addressing some pretty heavy issues. The primary one being the struggle to either see the world as full of magic or simply a cold chaos navigated with academic insights and scientific aid. When you feel you are being pulled into some unthinkably horrifying void and struggling with just basic living, the idea of magic is a comforting hand to hold and a doorway into hopeful thoughts through which you can cling to a larger purpose. Yet, with the knowledge that this is merely fantasy, does it become a distraction or nothing more than an escape from harsh truths of reality? Tchaikovsky shows the pros and cons of both perspectives, yet at the end of the day it seems that there is one that may seem more conducive to a fulfilling life.
Lynesse is seen as ‘still clinging to her childhood,’ (she is a young teen) and has been a disappointment to her more serious parents and siblings due to her recklessness and fantastical mythmaking. She is full of conviction and willpower that make the perfect catalyst for a storybook heroine, though she sometimes fears ‘grand storybook gestures were perhaps not the most efficacious way to help the world. ’On the other hand is Nygroth Elder the sorcerer —or is it Nyr Illim Tevitch, anthropologist—in all his science and academic truthmaking that sees through the myths:
This passage is the perfect conversation between their two perspectives, and the misalignment is an underlying tension for Nyr throughout the book. He is afflicted with terrible depression and only carries on by turning his emotions off. Equipped with the personal computer installed in his head (which looks like a wicked set of horns) is the Dissociated Cognition System (DCS), which quite literally blocks out his emotions and provides him with the technical readouts about them while turned on. The intent is for logical reasoning and observation undisturbed by emotions for his anthropological work. ‘It’s for writing cooly academic papers, DCS engaged for maximum objectivity,’ he says of his writings.
‘I am, frankly, not only the last but the worst anthropologist.’
Nyr is full of guilt and sadness this whole book. He knows he is failing in his mission as an anthropologist as he is meant to not interfere with the locals, only watch them, but he once let emotions interfere and fought in a war and made an oath that he will return if ever the Queen’s lineage needs him. 300 years later, he is called (he’s been in sleep cycles). ‘I did stupid, stupid things, unbecoming of a serious academic, and rode to war at the side of a warrior queen whom, despite absurd differences in age and culture and genetic makeup, I loved.’ Crushed by depression, knowing the woman he loved is centuries dead and Lynesse is not her despite looking exactly like her, and also lonely as his people have not contacted him for hundreds of years and may not even exist anymore, he begrudgingly sets out on the quest.
Nyr’s narration becomes a critique on the history of anthropology, reminding us that much of our early studies of other cultures came from white men viewing the world through a Eurocentric perspective. Though tasked to be objective, Nyr’s grounding in our academics often makes him think of himself as above the people of the planet he is studying. This is certainly symbolized in his anthropologist outpost which is a massive tower from which he looks down at the people below. ‘Now I’m on a fucking quest,’ he complains, ‘with a couple of women who don’t understand things like germs or fusion power or anthropological theories of value.’ Even with DCS fully engaged he cannot help but think of himself as ‘better than’ for his knowledge.
Which is a clever tactic to form an unreliable narrator, or at least one with a different perspective on the world around him than the perspectives held by everyone else. Nyr has studied these people but still only can infer much (they use the brand logo from Earth as a symbol in their death rituals, which he does not understand but the connection between marketing and death is pretty amusing). ‘A lot of their codes here revolve around obligation, both to and from power,’ he tells us, but the reader slowly begins to see this is not as rigid as he assumed. The language barriers become important and there is a lot of stumbles over how to appropriately address one another or how Nyr and Lynesse tend to talk past each other over misalignments of terminology (‘demon’ and ‘monster’, for instance, have different highly-specific meanings and sometimes Nyr cannot comprehend the connotations to certain words like “outside”.) There is plenty of commentary to be made here about colonialism and engaging with other cultures on their own terms, which only becomes more pronounced when the ‘demon’ is addressed and motives are questioned.
‘They think I’m a fucking wizard…and I literally do not have the language to tell them otherwise. I say, “scientist,” “Scholar,” but when I speak to them in their language, these are both cognates for “wizard.”’
Arthur C. Clarke once wrote that ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,’ which seems to be the major theme at play here. When Nyr tries to explain how things ‘really are’ they tend to nod and say, yes that is what we think too, which is a fun comedy of frustration for the reader. When Nyr assets that ‘There is no magic, merely the proper application of universal forces,’ Esha, who is Lynesse’s companion retorts ‘Is that not what magic is? [Scholars] sought to learn how the world worked, so that they could control and master it. That is magic.’ Perhaps this is a duality of perspectives that one can learn from and embrace magic in everyday life. Personally I find this to be kind of beautiful.
Which is why storytelling is so important. Even if the myths don’t tell the exact truth, there is a lesson inside it that can be more valuable than merely reciting facts. Storytelling is also how cultures pass down their values and beliefs, and without a proper understanding of the myths or a people can an anthropologist truly understand them? While Lynesse is chided for being overly engrossed in myths, it is also her greatest strength and something I, as a reader, truly loved about this book. It is about turning off the DCS and letting the emotions in, even the difficult ones.
Of course the book about depression and regrettable decisions vibed with me so well. This is such a fun pairing of fantasy and sci-fi elements with plenty of wit and charm that allows it to address darker themes without necessarily “feeling” overly dark. Which is a gift Tchaikovsky has, as well as his sense of story that keeps this feeling tight and sharp without becoming overly long or bloated. For a short book this still has tons of world building, and not just for the sake of world building but as part of the thematic commentary. Honestly, this book is such a joy to read and a lot of people are now getting this as a holiday gift from me so that’s about as high of a recommendation I can give.
4.5/5
Who hasn’t had bold fantasies of epic quests, marching forward with your action team simply bursting with impetuous idealism and storybook heroism? The tragedy is that, when we grow older, the stories sometimes fade as we become jaded with the harshness of reality. Which is why Elder Race by acclaimed author Adrian Tchaikovksy is such a wonderful reminder that those stories are still alive inside us and can still hold power. A blissful blend of boisterous fantasy and grim sci fi, Elder Race launches on a collection of enticing premises that orchestrate into a truly insightful novel that may just be the most fun I’ve had with a book all year. The story rotates between two perspectives, one as a fantasy quest seen through Princess Lynesse Fourth Daughter as she calls upon an ancient oath with a sorcerer to fight a demon plaguing the lands. The other is from the ‘sorcerer’, revealed as a lonely anthropologist struggling with depression who was sent to study their planet and might need a bit of the magic he knows does not exist. With an insightful look at language and storytelling, Elder Race is a fantastic book that critiques examining other cultures through a colonialist lens while also functioning as an empowering lesson on coping with depression and finding a way to truly live in the world and not merely go through the motions of a life.
Elder Race reads as a dark comedy of perspectives, one that reminds me of the old maxim about seeing a glass half full or half empty. Tchaikovsky pulls this off quite expertly here, and he has a brilliant balance of humor and seriousness to his writing that drives this story home in a comforting way despite addressing some pretty heavy issues. The primary one being the struggle to either see the world as full of magic or simply a cold chaos navigated with academic insights and scientific aid. When you feel you are being pulled into some unthinkably horrifying void and struggling with just basic living, the idea of magic is a comforting hand to hold and a doorway into hopeful thoughts through which you can cling to a larger purpose. Yet, with the knowledge that this is merely fantasy, does it become a distraction or nothing more than an escape from harsh truths of reality? Tchaikovsky shows the pros and cons of both perspectives, yet at the end of the day it seems that there is one that may seem more conducive to a fulfilling life.
Lynesse is seen as ‘still clinging to her childhood,’ (she is a young teen) and has been a disappointment to her more serious parents and siblings due to her recklessness and fantastical mythmaking. She is full of conviction and willpower that make the perfect catalyst for a storybook heroine, though she sometimes fears ‘grand storybook gestures were perhaps not the most efficacious way to help the world. ’On the other hand is Nygroth Elder the sorcerer —or is it Nyr Illim Tevitch, anthropologist—in all his science and academic truthmaking that sees through the myths:
‘Lynesse Fourth Daughter….off to do something that is What Princesses Do when there are monsters and demons and wizards in the world. Something that was surely not actually what they did, back in the days her myth-cycles originated in. Because myths miss out all the sordid realities and preserve only What we wish we’d done, rather than How we actually did it.’
This passage is the perfect conversation between their two perspectives, and the misalignment is an underlying tension for Nyr throughout the book. He is afflicted with terrible depression and only carries on by turning his emotions off. Equipped with the personal computer installed in his head (which looks like a wicked set of horns) is the Dissociated Cognition System (DCS), which quite literally blocks out his emotions and provides him with the technical readouts about them while turned on. The intent is for logical reasoning and observation undisturbed by emotions for his anthropological work. ‘It’s for writing cooly academic papers, DCS engaged for maximum objectivity,’ he says of his writings.
‘I am, frankly, not only the last but the worst anthropologist.’
Nyr is full of guilt and sadness this whole book. He knows he is failing in his mission as an anthropologist as he is meant to not interfere with the locals, only watch them, but he once let emotions interfere and fought in a war and made an oath that he will return if ever the Queen’s lineage needs him. 300 years later, he is called (he’s been in sleep cycles). ‘I did stupid, stupid things, unbecoming of a serious academic, and rode to war at the side of a warrior queen whom, despite absurd differences in age and culture and genetic makeup, I loved.’ Crushed by depression, knowing the woman he loved is centuries dead and Lynesse is not her despite looking exactly like her, and also lonely as his people have not contacted him for hundreds of years and may not even exist anymore, he begrudgingly sets out on the quest.
Nyr’s narration becomes a critique on the history of anthropology, reminding us that much of our early studies of other cultures came from white men viewing the world through a Eurocentric perspective. Though tasked to be objective, Nyr’s grounding in our academics often makes him think of himself as above the people of the planet he is studying. This is certainly symbolized in his anthropologist outpost which is a massive tower from which he looks down at the people below. ‘Now I’m on a fucking quest,’ he complains, ‘with a couple of women who don’t understand things like germs or fusion power or anthropological theories of value.’ Even with DCS fully engaged he cannot help but think of himself as ‘better than’ for his knowledge.
Which is a clever tactic to form an unreliable narrator, or at least one with a different perspective on the world around him than the perspectives held by everyone else. Nyr has studied these people but still only can infer much (they use the brand logo from Earth as a symbol in their death rituals, which he does not understand but the connection between marketing and death is pretty amusing). ‘A lot of their codes here revolve around obligation, both to and from power,’ he tells us, but the reader slowly begins to see this is not as rigid as he assumed. The language barriers become important and there is a lot of stumbles over how to appropriately address one another or how Nyr and Lynesse tend to talk past each other over misalignments of terminology (‘demon’ and ‘monster’, for instance, have different highly-specific meanings and sometimes Nyr cannot comprehend the connotations to certain words like “outside”.) There is plenty of commentary to be made here about colonialism and engaging with other cultures on their own terms, which only becomes more pronounced when the ‘demon’ is addressed and motives are questioned.
‘They think I’m a fucking wizard…and I literally do not have the language to tell them otherwise. I say, “scientist,” “Scholar,” but when I speak to them in their language, these are both cognates for “wizard.”’
Arthur C. Clarke once wrote that ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,’ which seems to be the major theme at play here. When Nyr tries to explain how things ‘really are’ they tend to nod and say, yes that is what we think too, which is a fun comedy of frustration for the reader. When Nyr assets that ‘There is no magic, merely the proper application of universal forces,’ Esha, who is Lynesse’s companion retorts ‘Is that not what magic is? [Scholars] sought to learn how the world worked, so that they could control and master it. That is magic.’ Perhaps this is a duality of perspectives that one can learn from and embrace magic in everyday life. Personally I find this to be kind of beautiful.
Which is why storytelling is so important. Even if the myths don’t tell the exact truth, there is a lesson inside it that can be more valuable than merely reciting facts. Storytelling is also how cultures pass down their values and beliefs, and without a proper understanding of the myths or a people can an anthropologist truly understand them? While Lynesse is chided for being overly engrossed in myths, it is also her greatest strength and something I, as a reader, truly loved about this book. It is about turning off the DCS and letting the emotions in, even the difficult ones.
Of course the book about depression and regrettable decisions vibed with me so well. This is such a fun pairing of fantasy and sci-fi elements with plenty of wit and charm that allows it to address darker themes without necessarily “feeling” overly dark. Which is a gift Tchaikovsky has, as well as his sense of story that keeps this feeling tight and sharp without becoming overly long or bloated. For a short book this still has tons of world building, and not just for the sake of world building but as part of the thematic commentary. Honestly, this book is such a joy to read and a lot of people are now getting this as a holiday gift from me so that’s about as high of a recommendation I can give.
4.5/5
November 14, 2021
At first, I had the impression that I was reading something from Steven Brust, which, I should mention, is not a bad thing at all.
But this tale was much more about Clarke's First Law and with a cool anthropology twist and an old school sword and sorcery couched firmly, and formally, in a transhumanist long-term space-colony context.
Most of those older fantasies I read usually started on the fantasy side and gradually let in the SF. This one started from the opposite direction. So that's cool.
And another interesting addition is the whole technological correction of depression. :) I'm a big fan of certain kinds of representation, and this one kicks it.
But this tale was much more about Clarke's First Law and with a cool anthropology twist and an old school sword and sorcery couched firmly, and formally, in a transhumanist long-term space-colony context.
Most of those older fantasies I read usually started on the fantasy side and gradually let in the SF. This one started from the opposite direction. So that's cool.
And another interesting addition is the whole technological correction of depression. :) I'm a big fan of certain kinds of representation, and this one kicks it.
November 19, 2021
On sale now! 4+ stars for this great fantasy/SF mashup.
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” - Arthur C. Clarke.
This short novel is about the intersection between highly advanced technology and a society that views it as magic, along with the linguistic difficulties that prevent the local society's people from understanding the difference even when the anthropologist who's been studying them for years tries to explain it. Also it's about a quest to destroy a Lovecraftian demon/monstrous entity of some unfamiliar kind, and juggling non-interference rules (Prime Directive, anyone?) with less technologically advanced societies (and where those rules maybe should be tossed out the window). And emotional problems, and friendship. And did I mention the fascinating linguistic aspects?
Adrian Tchaikovsky is such a brilliant, versatile author - I never know what he's going to come up with next, but I know it'll be good. And I love these short stand-alone novels and novellas that he's been writing lately.
Full review to come (I'm working on it...). Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” - Arthur C. Clarke.
This short novel is about the intersection between highly advanced technology and a society that views it as magic, along with the linguistic difficulties that prevent the local society's people from understanding the difference even when the anthropologist who's been studying them for years tries to explain it. Also it's about a quest to destroy a Lovecraftian demon/monstrous entity of some unfamiliar kind, and juggling non-interference rules (Prime Directive, anyone?) with less technologically advanced societies (and where those rules maybe should be tossed out the window). And emotional problems, and friendship. And did I mention the fascinating linguistic aspects?
Adrian Tchaikovsky is such a brilliant, versatile author - I never know what he's going to come up with next, but I know it'll be good. And I love these short stand-alone novels and novellas that he's been writing lately.
Full review to come (I'm working on it...). Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
November 18, 2021
4.5 stars!
My first Tchaikovsky novella and my first of his sci-fi. Loved it.
My full review: https://youtu.be/zY_J8xsGR0U
My first Tchaikovsky novella and my first of his sci-fi. Loved it.
My full review: https://youtu.be/zY_J8xsGR0U
May 29, 2022
This was a very interesting and unique science-fiction book about science, magic, cultural differences and social issues. This book follows Lynesse who is the Fourth Daughter of the Queen and she is always getting in the way. When a demon starts creating havoc on the land Lynesse makes a pact with the Elder sorcerer who has lived in the local tower since her people have lived. Elder Nyr is not a sorcerer and he is not allowed to help. Nyr does not believe that the threat is actually a demon because of his knowledge of science.
This book was very good! The characters were really unique especially Lynesse and Nyr. I really liked Lynesse, she is brave, helpful and selfless. I also liked Nyr, he is smart, interesting and helpful. I wished we learned more about Lynesse’s life and past. Nyr’s inner-monologues were a little long. There were some parts of the book that was a little confusing and I wished the author provided a clearer explanation. The communication and cultural differences between the characters was very interesting and it showed how people can interpret language in different ways. I enjoyed learning about the events from both Lynesse’s and Nyr’s perspective. The author is a very good storyteller and I enjoyed learning about this unique world and interesting characters.
This book was very good! The characters were really unique especially Lynesse and Nyr. I really liked Lynesse, she is brave, helpful and selfless. I also liked Nyr, he is smart, interesting and helpful. I wished we learned more about Lynesse’s life and past. Nyr’s inner-monologues were a little long. There were some parts of the book that was a little confusing and I wished the author provided a clearer explanation. The communication and cultural differences between the characters was very interesting and it showed how people can interpret language in different ways. I enjoyed learning about the events from both Lynesse’s and Nyr’s perspective. The author is a very good storyteller and I enjoyed learning about this unique world and interesting characters.
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April 25, 2022A very clever riff on the Arthur C Clarke like that sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. In that we have a long-lost planetary colony of people that has evolved into something very like your classic medieval fantasy society, and a 'wizard' who is in fact the junior anthropologist sent to study them. It's a lovely story that's really about communication from different mindsets, and also about how you can have all the technology in the world, but what people need to live rather than survive is stories (legends, inspiration, ideals, hope).
January 16, 2024
A fun, quick intersection of Fantasy and SF with a dash of Cosmic Horror. I found Nyr fascinating as he struggled with his role as a Gandalf-like wizard to the people on the planet as he dealt with his own human struggles.
November 18, 2021
There are definitely recognizable elements here from Tchaikovsky's Spiderlight as well as The Expert System's Brother. The former for the fantasy trope of a band of characters on a quest to destroy the evil wizard/demon, the latter for the SFnal setting on a lost colony planet where the population has been biologically modified to fit the ecology and has lost all its technology and scientific knowledge after being cutoff for generations. There's also some Annihilation type weirdness that kind of fits somewhere in between.
But all of this cool stuff really takes a back seat so Tchaikovsky can focus on the two protagonists - the "Elder" anthropologist/sorcerer and the princess - which he does by bouncing the narrative perspective between the two. Their journey becomes an opportunity for introspection, as each struggles to overcome deeply held feelings of inadequacy and a loss of purpose and connection. The elder has some nifty technology to help him deal with his troubling emotions, but it really only amounts to kicking the can down the road. Each has difficulty truly comprehending the other, in terms of language as well as vastly differing socio-cultural contexts. The sorcerer being shrouded in centuries of myth and legend, and the princess a member of a primitive native race which was intended as a subject of scientific study. Each character is developed well individually, yet their relationship never seems to gain much substance.
This may also be the first Tchaikovsky book I've read that I had a good idea how things might end. Not because I'm super clever, but rather due to the lack of a major twist, which he often employs to Earth shattering effect. There is a mystery at the heart of the story, but it's revelation and even ultimate resolution doesn't feel central to the story's main focus on the personal journeys of the sorcerer and the princess. And so, in the final analysis, the pieces of the story feel hung together rather loosely.
But all of this cool stuff really takes a back seat so Tchaikovsky can focus on the two protagonists - the "Elder" anthropologist/sorcerer and the princess - which he does by bouncing the narrative perspective between the two. Their journey becomes an opportunity for introspection, as each struggles to overcome deeply held feelings of inadequacy and a loss of purpose and connection. The elder has some nifty technology to help him deal with his troubling emotions, but it really only amounts to kicking the can down the road. Each has difficulty truly comprehending the other, in terms of language as well as vastly differing socio-cultural contexts. The sorcerer being shrouded in centuries of myth and legend, and the princess a member of a primitive native race which was intended as a subject of scientific study. Each character is developed well individually, yet their relationship never seems to gain much substance.
This may also be the first Tchaikovsky book I've read that I had a good idea how things might end. Not because I'm super clever, but rather due to the lack of a major twist, which he often employs to Earth shattering effect. There is a mystery at the heart of the story, but it's revelation and even ultimate resolution doesn't feel central to the story's main focus on the personal journeys of the sorcerer and the princess. And so, in the final analysis, the pieces of the story feel hung together rather loosely.
May 4, 2024
"Es mucho peor creerse sabio y, aun así, ser un ignorante que reconocer que eres un idiota."
Es mi segundo acercamiento a este autor. La primera novela suya que leí, "Herederos del tiempo", me gustó mucho. "Linaje ancestral" no es para echar cohetes, pero se deja leer.
Dice la sinopsis
Lynesse Cuarta Hija es una princesa rebelde menospreciada por su madre. Ahora el reino se ve amenazado por un terrible demonio que está sembrando el pánico y el horror allá por donde pasa. Su madre, la Regente, no da crédito a sus advertencias, pero ella está decidida a derrotar al monstruo. Para ello invocará el antiguo pacto con el Ancestro Nyrgoth, el gran hechicero que habita en la torre de la cima de la montaña.
Pero Nyr no es un hechicero, y tiene prohibido ayudar a las gentes del lugar. Además, sus conocimientos científicos le dicen que no puede tratarse de un demonio... Sin embargo, todo esto se viene abajo cuando una princesa guerrera llama a su puerta para pedirle ayuda, convencida de que su magia puede salvar su mundo.
Mis impresiones.
Novela corta que parte de una premisa más interesante que el desarrollo de esta en sí. Aúna CF y fantasía. Un científico procedente de una civilización tecnológicamente avanzada y un planeta que ha olvidado sus raíces tecnológicas y está sumido en una especie de era medieval. Así en principio prometía, pero quizá por su brevedad, aunque comienza bien, al final se queda en menos.
La estructura alterna capítulos de CF y de fantasía que nos proporcionan dos puntos de vista, el de cómo interpretan las cosas los habitantes de ese mundo (magia, demonios, etc) y el de cómo son en realidad (ciencia y tecnología). Los primeros sí me gustaron bastante, sobre todo al principio, pero la parte dedicada a la fantasía me resultó un poco lenta. Es posible que esa ralentización en el ritmo haya sido deliberada por parte del autor, con el fin de mostrar el worldbuilding medieval del planeta, pero aun reconociéndolo así hubo momentos que se me hizo repetitiva y pesada. Que sea tan corta y que el autor revele el asunto demasiado pronto tampoco ayuda.
Los personajes están bien trazados. Nyr, el científico al que toman por hechicero y Lynesse Cuarta Hija, la princesa encasillada en sus creencias, que no sabe de ciencia ni tecnología y no entiende las explicaciones que Nyr intenta darle una y otra vez.
El final es correcto, si bien al ser tal corta, me ha faltado algo más.
En conclusión. Una novela corta que combina CF y fantasía. Quizá por su brevedad pudo ser más y se quedó en menos.
Es mi segundo acercamiento a este autor. La primera novela suya que leí, "Herederos del tiempo", me gustó mucho. "Linaje ancestral" no es para echar cohetes, pero se deja leer.
Dice la sinopsis
Lynesse Cuarta Hija es una princesa rebelde menospreciada por su madre. Ahora el reino se ve amenazado por un terrible demonio que está sembrando el pánico y el horror allá por donde pasa. Su madre, la Regente, no da crédito a sus advertencias, pero ella está decidida a derrotar al monstruo. Para ello invocará el antiguo pacto con el Ancestro Nyrgoth, el gran hechicero que habita en la torre de la cima de la montaña.
Pero Nyr no es un hechicero, y tiene prohibido ayudar a las gentes del lugar. Además, sus conocimientos científicos le dicen que no puede tratarse de un demonio... Sin embargo, todo esto se viene abajo cuando una princesa guerrera llama a su puerta para pedirle ayuda, convencida de que su magia puede salvar su mundo.
Mis impresiones.
Novela corta que parte de una premisa más interesante que el desarrollo de esta en sí. Aúna CF y fantasía. Un científico procedente de una civilización tecnológicamente avanzada y un planeta que ha olvidado sus raíces tecnológicas y está sumido en una especie de era medieval. Así en principio prometía, pero quizá por su brevedad, aunque comienza bien, al final se queda en menos.
La estructura alterna capítulos de CF y de fantasía que nos proporcionan dos puntos de vista, el de cómo interpretan las cosas los habitantes de ese mundo (magia, demonios, etc) y el de cómo son en realidad (ciencia y tecnología). Los primeros sí me gustaron bastante, sobre todo al principio, pero la parte dedicada a la fantasía me resultó un poco lenta. Es posible que esa ralentización en el ritmo haya sido deliberada por parte del autor, con el fin de mostrar el worldbuilding medieval del planeta, pero aun reconociéndolo así hubo momentos que se me hizo repetitiva y pesada. Que sea tan corta y que el autor revele el asunto demasiado pronto tampoco ayuda.
Los personajes están bien trazados. Nyr, el científico al que toman por hechicero y Lynesse Cuarta Hija, la princesa encasillada en sus creencias, que no sabe de ciencia ni tecnología y no entiende las explicaciones que Nyr intenta darle una y otra vez.
El final es correcto, si bien al ser tal corta, me ha faltado algo más.
En conclusión. Una novela corta que combina CF y fantasía. Quizá por su brevedad pudo ser más y se quedó en menos.
November 11, 2021
This novella is an entertaining scifi twist on a traditional fairytale trope. Lynette, fourth daughter of the queen, and her trusted companion journey to the high tower of the legendary sorcerer to wake him and request his help in slaying the demon tormenting her people. After all the sorcerer did help her great grandmother do just that and promised to come to her aid again when called. The princess and the sorcerer have differing views of the history of the world in which she lives, making for entertaining and often humorous exchanges as they travel to the demon's lair. The sorcerer also has his own demons to fight along the way, as he battles the depression and loneliness he feels after centuries alone. It might only be a short novella, but with its engaging characters brilliantly portrays the clash of cultures and is a delightful meld of fantasy and scifi.
With thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for a copy to read
With thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for a copy to read
August 15, 2025
“'There is no magic. I am not a magician, but a wizard.” He grimaced. “Not a wizard but a sorcerer, a magus. A . . .' And he said a word she had never heard, sharp and alien sounding, unsettling as metal on a tooth. And then a tirade, a whole sentence of the same words cast upwards, past the ceiling to the uncaring sky. A wizard’s curse.”
Absolutely loved this concept and the play on language and perspective. Was only missing a little bit more emotional oomph. 4.5 stars
Absolutely loved this concept and the play on language and perspective. Was only missing a little bit more emotional oomph. 4.5 stars
March 3, 2024
"Cualquier tecnología suficientemente avanzada es indistinguible de la magia."
–Arthur C. Clarke.
La premisa es atractiva y suena a cierta. ”Anda, pues voy a hacer una novela basada en ella” es lo que se le ocurrió al Sr.Tchaikovsky.
Y dicho y hecho, parió esta novelita de 160 páginas que no es mas que eso, un hombre de la Tierra que va a un planeta con una sociedad que perdió la tecnología y se haya en una especie de Edad Media.
Lo cierto es que esperaba más del autor de "Herederos del tiempo" o "Spiderlight", las dos novelas que había leído suyas.
Vaaaaaale, que sí, que 160 pags no dan para mucho y no se pueden hacer maravillas, pero lo he encontrado flojo. Ni historia ni personajes ni tecnologías valen mucho. Ni siquiera la parte de biotech, que el tío la suele bordar (estudió zoología). Y el tema de aparcar las emociones (tb estudió psicología el autor. Qué casualidad) tampoco me ha emocionado.
Resumen: que se deja leer. Sin más. Volveré a sus novelas más largas.
–Arthur C. Clarke.
La premisa es atractiva y suena a cierta. ”Anda, pues voy a hacer una novela basada en ella” es lo que se le ocurrió al Sr.Tchaikovsky.
Y dicho y hecho, parió esta novelita de 160 páginas que no es mas que eso, un hombre de la Tierra que va a un planeta con una sociedad que perdió la tecnología y se haya en una especie de Edad Media.
Lo cierto es que esperaba más del autor de "Herederos del tiempo" o "Spiderlight", las dos novelas que había leído suyas.
Vaaaaaale, que sí, que 160 pags no dan para mucho y no se pueden hacer maravillas, pero lo he encontrado flojo. Ni historia ni personajes ni tecnologías valen mucho. Ni siquiera la parte de biotech, que el tío la suele bordar (estudió zoología). Y el tema de aparcar las emociones (tb estudió psicología el autor. Qué casualidad) tampoco me ha emocionado.
Resumen: que se deja leer. Sin más. Volveré a sus novelas más largas.
December 30, 2021
I keep teasing myself with these short novels by Adrian Tchaikovsky before I embark on the quest to read his massive space opera books. The premise of this book gives a sneak peak of a clever little story told from different point of views that interpret things so vastly different. It addresses the age-old question of where to draw the line at magic and science. These standalone novels are such a joy to read.
The novel contains two POVs in the form of Nyr and Lynesse. Lynesse is the black sheep of her royal family and is only the fourth daughter to the queen. She is a curious character who jumps first and asks questions later in a medieval type of society. Lyn wants to enlist the help of the Elder Sorcerer to defeat a demon. The only problems are that she came to him without the authority to do so, and the demon problem might not actually exist at all. We follow her on her journey full of perils to vanquish the demon with the help of the sorcerer, Nyr.
Nyr is not a sorcerer. He is a scientist from a futuristic earth left with the duty to observe the inhabitants of this foreign planet. The inhabitants are all colonists who departed earth in a wave earlier than Nyr and have regressed back to the dark ages. Nyr has a secret weapon that the rest of world doesn’t have, technology.
Nyr violated his protocols of no interference years ago when helping an ancestor of Lynesse which comes to bite him in the back when she asks for his help to get to the bottom of this demon nonsense. Forced to embark on this quest while battling depression is tough especially with not knowing if any one back on earth is alive since his last communication from there was hundreds of years ago.
I loved the whole science versus fantasy shtick that this book employed. The two POVs truly felt different with a science fiction POV filled with futuristic jargon, and Lynesse’s POV which felt like the classical trope of going on a journey to defeat the evil monster. The misunderstandings between the two due to language limitations were great and funny. There is a point in the book where Nyr tried to explain that his depression was his greatest adversary, and Lyn believed it to be a physical monster he had to battle.
Another example is Lynesse describing this vicious monster which turns out to be just a mining robot that the first colonists used. My favorite part of the book utilizes the POVs in a chapter where Nyr explains the origin story of the inhabitants and his own story. There is a side-by-side comparison on what he is saying with which what Lynesse is hearing due to the local language limitations such as the word for scientist comes out as wizard.
The story was quite interesting with the two POVs. The characters were also written nicely with some character development to boot. The big mystery overarching the plot was surprising to read about where our sorcerer finds that the inhabitants aren’t quite as ignorant as he thought. The brief introduction to the customs and politics of this planet was fun to read about considering the timeline of the planet. Theorizing what a demon could be in the eyes of an inhabitant such as a plague was a joy to read as well.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. The fantasy versus science POVs and being a quick read with a satisfactory ending made this book an enjoyable experience. Just like with the author’s previous standalone novels, this book has some unexplored mysteries that could maybe be the setting of future books even though the main plot was resolved. This book is just further evidence that I need to stop putting of reading the giant space operas written by the author.
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
The novel contains two POVs in the form of Nyr and Lynesse. Lynesse is the black sheep of her royal family and is only the fourth daughter to the queen. She is a curious character who jumps first and asks questions later in a medieval type of society. Lyn wants to enlist the help of the Elder Sorcerer to defeat a demon. The only problems are that she came to him without the authority to do so, and the demon problem might not actually exist at all. We follow her on her journey full of perils to vanquish the demon with the help of the sorcerer, Nyr.
Nyr is not a sorcerer. He is a scientist from a futuristic earth left with the duty to observe the inhabitants of this foreign planet. The inhabitants are all colonists who departed earth in a wave earlier than Nyr and have regressed back to the dark ages. Nyr has a secret weapon that the rest of world doesn’t have, technology.
Nyr violated his protocols of no interference years ago when helping an ancestor of Lynesse which comes to bite him in the back when she asks for his help to get to the bottom of this demon nonsense. Forced to embark on this quest while battling depression is tough especially with not knowing if any one back on earth is alive since his last communication from there was hundreds of years ago.
I loved the whole science versus fantasy shtick that this book employed. The two POVs truly felt different with a science fiction POV filled with futuristic jargon, and Lynesse’s POV which felt like the classical trope of going on a journey to defeat the evil monster. The misunderstandings between the two due to language limitations were great and funny. There is a point in the book where Nyr tried to explain that his depression was his greatest adversary, and Lyn believed it to be a physical monster he had to battle.
Another example is Lynesse describing this vicious monster which turns out to be just a mining robot that the first colonists used. My favorite part of the book utilizes the POVs in a chapter where Nyr explains the origin story of the inhabitants and his own story. There is a side-by-side comparison on what he is saying with which what Lynesse is hearing due to the local language limitations such as the word for scientist comes out as wizard.
The story was quite interesting with the two POVs. The characters were also written nicely with some character development to boot. The big mystery overarching the plot was surprising to read about where our sorcerer finds that the inhabitants aren’t quite as ignorant as he thought. The brief introduction to the customs and politics of this planet was fun to read about considering the timeline of the planet. Theorizing what a demon could be in the eyes of an inhabitant such as a plague was a joy to read as well.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. The fantasy versus science POVs and being a quick read with a satisfactory ending made this book an enjoyable experience. Just like with the author’s previous standalone novels, this book has some unexplored mysteries that could maybe be the setting of future books even though the main plot was resolved. This book is just further evidence that I need to stop putting of reading the giant space operas written by the author.
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
March 7, 2024
Lynesse Cuarta Hija es una princesa rebelde menospreciada por su madre. Ahora el reino se ve amenazado por un terrible demonio que está sembrando el pánico y el horror allá por donde pasa. Su madre, la Regente, no da crédito a sus advertencias, pero ella está decidida a derrotar al monstruo. Para ello invocará el antiguo pacto con el Ancestro Nyrgoth, el gran hechicero que habita en la torre de la cima de la montaña.
Pero Nyr no es un hechicero, y tiene prohibido ayudar a las gentes del lugar. Además, sus conocimientos científicos le dicen que no puede tratarse de un demonio... Sin embargo, todo esto se viene abajo cuando una princesa guerrera llama a su puerta para pedirle ayuda, convencida de que su magia puede salvar su mundo.
Libro muy corto, narrado muy bien pero tiene un estilo demasiado lento para las páginas que tiene y que de por si que no da para más.
Con una historia que en fin, tampoco es para echar cohetes. La parte de fantasía ni fu, ni fa. La de CF tiene un pase.
Leyendo la sinopsis sonaba más interesante de lo que ha sido. Eso me ha dolido. Siempre me decepciona cuando pasa algo así.
De este libro mañana ya no me acuerdo. Flojo, muy flojo..✍️🎩
Pero Nyr no es un hechicero, y tiene prohibido ayudar a las gentes del lugar. Además, sus conocimientos científicos le dicen que no puede tratarse de un demonio... Sin embargo, todo esto se viene abajo cuando una princesa guerrera llama a su puerta para pedirle ayuda, convencida de que su magia puede salvar su mundo.
Libro muy corto, narrado muy bien pero tiene un estilo demasiado lento para las páginas que tiene y que de por si que no da para más.
Con una historia que en fin, tampoco es para echar cohetes. La parte de fantasía ni fu, ni fa. La de CF tiene un pase.
Leyendo la sinopsis sonaba más interesante de lo que ha sido. Eso me ha dolido. Siempre me decepciona cuando pasa algo así.
De este libro mañana ya no me acuerdo. Flojo, muy flojo..✍️🎩
June 23, 2022
Another “medieval Europe in space” book, great. And now I have to admit that I liked it. A lot. Arg.
It defies everything we know about human civilization to imagine that our future will involve a return to a world of medieval European kingdoms. And it is not a harmless habit, this—to imagine a highly specific moment in European history as a universal template for what would happen if civilization “declined” is to make an idiosyncratic European history the model against which all other societies are measured, a pernicious way of thinking which, in more momentous domains of human endeavor, has proved an enduring justification for colonialism.
And yet, it is hard to escape the thought that, for a variety of reasons, we will be saddled with these histories, these stories, for ever. If we’re stuck with these stories, we might as well do clever things with them. And this is a very clever book indeed.
Not only is this a book a dreaded medieval-fantasy-in-space, but it also joins in that irresistible, self-congratulatory, reflexive habit of modern fiction: treating the “magic of storytelling” as main theme. Show me stories are powerful by telling a powerful story, please—it doesn’t have to be literally about how powerful stories are to make the point! And yet, here again, Tchaikovsky triumphs where so many others fail. Because the gimmick of this book—and a gimmick it is—is so well done. I don’t want to give it away, because even though it comes very early, the moment when you figure out what Tchaikovsky is doing is absolutely delightful. Give it a read and see for yourself—it’s short!
It defies everything we know about human civilization to imagine that our future will involve a return to a world of medieval European kingdoms. And it is not a harmless habit, this—to imagine a highly specific moment in European history as a universal template for what would happen if civilization “declined” is to make an idiosyncratic European history the model against which all other societies are measured, a pernicious way of thinking which, in more momentous domains of human endeavor, has proved an enduring justification for colonialism.
And yet, it is hard to escape the thought that, for a variety of reasons, we will be saddled with these histories, these stories, for ever. If we’re stuck with these stories, we might as well do clever things with them. And this is a very clever book indeed.
Not only is this a book a dreaded medieval-fantasy-in-space, but it also joins in that irresistible, self-congratulatory, reflexive habit of modern fiction: treating the “magic of storytelling” as main theme. Show me stories are powerful by telling a powerful story, please—it doesn’t have to be literally about how powerful stories are to make the point! And yet, here again, Tchaikovsky triumphs where so many others fail. Because the gimmick of this book—and a gimmick it is—is so well done. I don’t want to give it away, because even though it comes very early, the moment when you figure out what Tchaikovsky is doing is absolutely delightful. Give it a read and see for yourself—it’s short!
October 15, 2021
4.5 Stars
What a brilliant novella! At first this read more like fantasy, but don't be deceived… this is definitely science fiction! I encourage readers to go into this one without knowing too much because the surprise is half the fun.
If you enjoy Star Trek, particularly The Next Generation, then you will love this one! This one gave me serious Trekie vibes and I strongly suspect the author is fan himself.
I absolutely loved this novella. It was smart and well plotted with just a touch of humor. The ending was brilliant. If you want a sci-fi story focused on the anthropological side of the sciences then I highly recommend this one.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Tor.com.
What a brilliant novella! At first this read more like fantasy, but don't be deceived… this is definitely science fiction! I encourage readers to go into this one without knowing too much because the surprise is half the fun.
If you enjoy Star Trek, particularly The Next Generation, then you will love this one! This one gave me serious Trekie vibes and I strongly suspect the author is fan himself.
I absolutely loved this novella. It was smart and well plotted with just a touch of humor. The ending was brilliant. If you want a sci-fi story focused on the anthropological side of the sciences then I highly recommend this one.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Tor.com.
July 13, 2023
Arthur C. Clarke dijo: Cualquier tecnología lo suficientemente avanzada es indistinguible de la magia.
Pues con esta premisa Adrian Tchaikovsky construye una novela corta que mezcla la fantasía y la ciencia ficción de una manera perfecta. Lo que para una sociedad es magia, para otra es simplemente los avances científicos de su época.
Está narrado a dos voces, cambiando entre la tercera y la primera persona para diferenciar ambos estilos y contarnos los mismos hechos desde dos puntos de vista distintos. Es verdad que la parte de fantasía se me hacía un poco más lenta pero creo que también lo hace aposta el autor y lo trata con un ritmo más pausado al estilo de la fantasía medieval de demonios y hechiceros. En cambio los capítulos de ciencia ficción son una delicia leerlos.
Es mi primer acercamiento a Tchaikovsky y me ha encantado. Me ha parecido una historia muy inteligente.
Pues con esta premisa Adrian Tchaikovsky construye una novela corta que mezcla la fantasía y la ciencia ficción de una manera perfecta. Lo que para una sociedad es magia, para otra es simplemente los avances científicos de su época.
Está narrado a dos voces, cambiando entre la tercera y la primera persona para diferenciar ambos estilos y contarnos los mismos hechos desde dos puntos de vista distintos. Es verdad que la parte de fantasía se me hacía un poco más lenta pero creo que también lo hace aposta el autor y lo trata con un ritmo más pausado al estilo de la fantasía medieval de demonios y hechiceros. En cambio los capítulos de ciencia ficción son una delicia leerlos.
Es mi primer acercamiento a Tchaikovsky y me ha encantado. Me ha parecido una historia muy inteligente.
July 19, 2023
Loved it.
July 7, 2024
'Linaje ancestral' se encuentra en un punto medio exacto entre fantasía y ciencia ficción, y esta manera de plantear su narración entre dos puntos de vista que caen hacia un lado o hacia otro es su parte más interesante.
La historia está contada desde dos puntos de vista, una princesa en un mundo de fantasía que va a buscar a un mago para que ayude a su pueblo a derrotar a un monstruo, y la visión del "mago" que es en realidad un antropólogo que cuenta con un conocimiento científico muy superior al de los locales.
Eso hace que veamos las dos visiones enfrentadas en todo momento y cómo toda la parte mágica se va explicando de manera más o menos racional desde el punto de vista del (insoportable) antropólogo. Yo, que disfruto muchísimo más del lado fantástico que del racional, me sentí como si me estuvieran chafando todo el rato el truco de magia al contarme sus entresijos.
En general es una historia breve, entretenida, llena de guiños y curiosidades, narrada de manera muy inteligente y que te hará maravillarte con el ingenio del autor, pero al mismo tiempo a mi me resultó una lectura fría con la que me costó comprometerme... realmente la parte científica no me interesaba nada, y el antropólogo menos, pero bueno, ese quizás sea mi problema xD
La historia está contada desde dos puntos de vista, una princesa en un mundo de fantasía que va a buscar a un mago para que ayude a su pueblo a derrotar a un monstruo, y la visión del "mago" que es en realidad un antropólogo que cuenta con un conocimiento científico muy superior al de los locales.
Eso hace que veamos las dos visiones enfrentadas en todo momento y cómo toda la parte mágica se va explicando de manera más o menos racional desde el punto de vista del (insoportable) antropólogo. Yo, que disfruto muchísimo más del lado fantástico que del racional, me sentí como si me estuvieran chafando todo el rato el truco de magia al contarme sus entresijos.
En general es una historia breve, entretenida, llena de guiños y curiosidades, narrada de manera muy inteligente y que te hará maravillarte con el ingenio del autor, pero al mismo tiempo a mi me resultó una lectura fría con la que me costó comprometerme... realmente la parte científica no me interesaba nada, y el antropólogo menos, pero bueno, ese quizás sea mi problema xD
December 14, 2021
I knew I needed this pretty much as soon as I heard what was it about, doubly so when I saw the cover. And after a long string of sub-par reads, a book that actually lived up to its promise was more than welcome.
Lynesse is the fourth daughter of the queen. When a strange monster threatens the land, and nobody seems to want to do anything to help, she goes out to seek the wizard who made a promise to her grandmother. Except the wizard, Nyr, isn’t a wizard at all, but an anthropologist, the last of a technologically advanced civilisation.
Since this is my most common complaint lately, the plot structure was masterful. The two POVs intertwine and contrast each other perfectly, and there is nothing extraneous, but at the same time, it avoids the common pitfalls of most novellas. There’s just enough story and worldbuilding so it doesn’t feel crammed in or stretched out in any way. Novellas are, in my experience, the hardest length to get the balance right, but Tchaikovsky did it.
Besides, I like stories that play with multi-POV ( cough ), so the whole “sci-fi from one POV but fantasy from another” gimmick was exactly up my alley. I especially liked the way Tchaikovsky plays with language and language evolution, how the word that, for example, means “science” to Nyr (and its synonyms) are “magic” for Lynesse. It was a thoughtful little touch and solved a few potential plot issues nicely.
The characters…aside from Nyr’s struggles with chronic depression (who of us wouldn’t like DCS?), there wasn’t much to them, but at this short of a length, with this good of a concept, it didn’t bother me at all.
The one thing I wasn’t a fan of was the body horror. I’m sensitive to it in the first place, it was on the worse end, and took me completely by surprise. But, all in all, this is more a matter of taste and appropriate warnings, and does not detract from the book much.
Most highly recommended.
Enjoyment: 4.5/5
Execution: 5/5
Recommended to: those who want a story that takes “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable for magic” to its logical extremes, language nerds, anyone who wants to see a premise that would usually take an epic trilogy masterfully executed in the span of a novella, those looking for a protagonist with mental health issues
Not recommended to: those very sensitive to body horror
Content warning: body horror, bad
More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.
Lynesse is the fourth daughter of the queen. When a strange monster threatens the land, and nobody seems to want to do anything to help, she goes out to seek the wizard who made a promise to her grandmother. Except the wizard, Nyr, isn’t a wizard at all, but an anthropologist, the last of a technologically advanced civilisation.
Since this is my most common complaint lately, the plot structure was masterful. The two POVs intertwine and contrast each other perfectly, and there is nothing extraneous, but at the same time, it avoids the common pitfalls of most novellas. There’s just enough story and worldbuilding so it doesn’t feel crammed in or stretched out in any way. Novellas are, in my experience, the hardest length to get the balance right, but Tchaikovsky did it.
Besides, I like stories that play with multi-POV ( cough ), so the whole “sci-fi from one POV but fantasy from another” gimmick was exactly up my alley. I especially liked the way Tchaikovsky plays with language and language evolution, how the word that, for example, means “science” to Nyr (and its synonyms) are “magic” for Lynesse. It was a thoughtful little touch and solved a few potential plot issues nicely.
The characters…aside from Nyr’s struggles with chronic depression (who of us wouldn’t like DCS?), there wasn’t much to them, but at this short of a length, with this good of a concept, it didn’t bother me at all.
The one thing I wasn’t a fan of was the body horror. I’m sensitive to it in the first place, it was on the worse end, and took me completely by surprise. But, all in all, this is more a matter of taste and appropriate warnings, and does not detract from the book much.
Most highly recommended.
Enjoyment: 4.5/5
Execution: 5/5
Recommended to: those who want a story that takes “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable for magic” to its logical extremes, language nerds, anyone who wants to see a premise that would usually take an epic trilogy masterfully executed in the span of a novella, those looking for a protagonist with mental health issues
Not recommended to: those very sensitive to body horror
Content warning: body horror, bad
More reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.
January 6, 2022
Another hit from A.Tchaikovsky. Sci-fi and sometimes fantasy depending on who is telling the story and then horror. Slow start but once it hooks you in - unputdownable. Loved it!
March 12, 2024
[ESP/ENG]
Es mucho peor creerse sabio y, aún así, ser un ignorante que reconocer que eres un idiota.
Me acerco a esta novela (novelita, relato alargado, es bastante corta en cualquier caso) gracias a una lectura conjunta, y me ha sorprendido para bien, sin ser para tirar cohetes. No quiero spoilear la trama, así que intentaré contenerlo en la pestaña correspondiente.
Aquí tenemos una historia de fantasía en la que Lynesse cuarta Hija, princesa del reino, acude a buscar la ayuda de un poderoso mago cuando un ¿demonio? ataca los pueblos limítrofes, y ella quiere evitar que su reino sea el siguiente. ¿Será real o es algo distinto a lo que parece?
Esta historia se cuenta con dos puntos de vista alternos, el de Lynesse por un lado y el del ancestro Nyrgoth por el otro. Los capítulos centrados en ella se hacen un poco más pesados, son más repetitivos, sobre todo cuando va avanzando la historia y tú eres consciente de que ella no se está enterando del asunto. Por contra los capítulos de él son más interesantes (razones en el spoiler)
No ha sido una mala lectura, y más viendo los comentarios previos, pero tampoco va a ser la invención de la rueda. Para meter entre lecturas más largas o complejas puede servir.
Ahora vamos al turrón:
👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾
How much worse to think yourself wise, and still be as ignorant as one who knew themselves a fool?
I approached this novel (a novella, an extended short story, it is quite short in any case) thanks to a joint reading, and it has surprised me in a positive way, without being anything to brag about. I don't want to spoil the plot, so I'll try to contain it in the appropriate tab.
Here we have a fantasy story in which Lynesse Fourth Daughter, princess of the kingdom, goes to seek the help of a powerful wizard when a demon? attacks the neighboring realms, and she wants to prevent her kingdom from being the next. Is it real or is it something different than meets the eye?
This story is told from two alternating points of view, that of Lynesse on one side and that of Elder Nyrgoth on the other. The chapters focused on her become a little heavier, they are more repetitive, especially when the story progresses and you are aware that she is not comprehending the matter. On the other hand, his chapters are more interesting (reasons in the spoiler)
It has not been a bad read, especially seeing the previous comments, but it is not going to be the invention of the wheel either. To fit between longer or more complex readings it can be useful.
Now let's get to bussiness:
Es mucho peor creerse sabio y, aún así, ser un ignorante que reconocer que eres un idiota.
Me acerco a esta novela (novelita, relato alargado, es bastante corta en cualquier caso) gracias a una lectura conjunta, y me ha sorprendido para bien, sin ser para tirar cohetes. No quiero spoilear la trama, así que intentaré contenerlo en la pestaña correspondiente.
Aquí tenemos una historia de fantasía en la que Lynesse cuarta Hija, princesa del reino, acude a buscar la ayuda de un poderoso mago cuando un ¿demonio? ataca los pueblos limítrofes, y ella quiere evitar que su reino sea el siguiente. ¿Será real o es algo distinto a lo que parece?
Esta historia se cuenta con dos puntos de vista alternos, el de Lynesse por un lado y el del ancestro Nyrgoth por el otro. Los capítulos centrados en ella se hacen un poco más pesados, son más repetitivos, sobre todo cuando va avanzando la historia y tú eres consciente de que ella no se está enterando del asunto. Por contra los capítulos de él son más interesantes (razones en el spoiler)
No ha sido una mala lectura, y más viendo los comentarios previos, pero tampoco va a ser la invención de la rueda. Para meter entre lecturas más largas o complejas puede servir.
Ahora vamos al turrón:
👾👾👾👾👾👾👾👾
How much worse to think yourself wise, and still be as ignorant as one who knew themselves a fool?
I approached this novel (a novella, an extended short story, it is quite short in any case) thanks to a joint reading, and it has surprised me in a positive way, without being anything to brag about. I don't want to spoil the plot, so I'll try to contain it in the appropriate tab.
Here we have a fantasy story in which Lynesse Fourth Daughter, princess of the kingdom, goes to seek the help of a powerful wizard when a demon? attacks the neighboring realms, and she wants to prevent her kingdom from being the next. Is it real or is it something different than meets the eye?
This story is told from two alternating points of view, that of Lynesse on one side and that of Elder Nyrgoth on the other. The chapters focused on her become a little heavier, they are more repetitive, especially when the story progresses and you are aware that she is not comprehending the matter. On the other hand, his chapters are more interesting (reasons in the spoiler)
It has not been a bad read, especially seeing the previous comments, but it is not going to be the invention of the wheel either. To fit between longer or more complex readings it can be useful.
Now let's get to bussiness:
August 18, 2021
Some authors are excellent in the field of Science Fiction. Some excel in writing Fantasy. Author Adrian Tchaikovsky excels in the two divergent genres, yet he is also gifted in combining the two. In what has variously been termed "Science Fiction Fantasy" or "Science Fantasia," he seamlessly blends the two seemingly disparate genres. ELDER RACE is an exciting example. Side by side we have a space-traveling anthropologist from Earth, hundreds of years old thanks to cryo-suspension, a man of science and intellect, prone unfortunately to depression and despair and hopelessness, an augmented human; and the "natives" of the diasporic planet on which he ekes out a solitary existence. Nyr's role was to study the natives through their generations. They, on the other hand, live as one might find in a medieval fantasy: nobles and citizens, towns and forest-dwellers, legends and "fact," society and politics. When the two aspects almost unintentionally collide, the consequences are both dire and amazing, providing incredibly delineated character arcs and evolution.
March 16, 2023
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[2.5/5 stars]
While a decent novella, this wasn’t my favorite work from Tchaikovsky by a long shot.
The main appeal was discovering what’s inside the structure on the cover and how it’s significant to the people of this world. That aspect was satisfying and actually a lot more reminiscent of his other works than I was expecting.
The best part of the story were the characters. The author played around with cultural communication barriers that added variety depending on which POV we were in. I liked that it wasn’t a blanket “technology will solve all of our problems” situation and certain discrepancies in language still existed. There were also a couple of… alternately composed humans (aquatic) that I wish had gotten more of a highlight. That’s the thing about Tchaikovsky’s works: he’s so creative that he just casually throws in ideas that could warrant entire books within themselves. He did the same thing in Children of Time. It’s so much fun to read, but occasionally you find yourself craving some elaboration on the minor stuff.
There was a technology that allowed the user to compartmentalize emotional reactions, where they could still tell they were having them, but didn’t have to feel them directly. This came at a cost, though, as you’d have to face the emotions eventually to avoid a mental breakdown. I loved this aspect and thought the way it was written into the story was brilliant. The “voice” of the character actively changed in the text depending on whether or not this technology was being used. And I thought it a clever way to give the character depth.
Even with great elements, what didn’t work for me was the pacing. A novella shouldn’t feel like it’s dragging with such a low page count. But I felt the good character moments and the plot reveals we’re just a little too staggered. All working towards and ending that was good, but not quite worth the lengthily build-up. I probably would’ve rated it a lot higher had it been a bit more concise. I think the culprit was a little too much introspection and reiteration of events. There were two POVs and we got internal accounts of everything from both sides. While seeing two such different viewpoints of the same situations was kind of the point of the book, I don’t think it needed to be time equally spent.
Recommendations: Elder Race is an interesting short story from an author shaping up to be a personal favorite, but if you’re new to his sci-fi works, this isn’t the best place to start (go with Children of Time… emphatically).
Thank you to my Patrons: Filipe, Dave, Frank, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Katrin, Melissa, Derek, Tonya, Betsy, Mike, and Jen! <3
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
[2.5/5 stars]
While a decent novella, this wasn’t my favorite work from Tchaikovsky by a long shot.
The main appeal was discovering what’s inside the structure on the cover and how it’s significant to the people of this world. That aspect was satisfying and actually a lot more reminiscent of his other works than I was expecting.
The best part of the story were the characters. The author played around with cultural communication barriers that added variety depending on which POV we were in. I liked that it wasn’t a blanket “technology will solve all of our problems” situation and certain discrepancies in language still existed. There were also a couple of… alternately composed humans (aquatic) that I wish had gotten more of a highlight. That’s the thing about Tchaikovsky’s works: he’s so creative that he just casually throws in ideas that could warrant entire books within themselves. He did the same thing in Children of Time. It’s so much fun to read, but occasionally you find yourself craving some elaboration on the minor stuff.
There was a technology that allowed the user to compartmentalize emotional reactions, where they could still tell they were having them, but didn’t have to feel them directly. This came at a cost, though, as you’d have to face the emotions eventually to avoid a mental breakdown. I loved this aspect and thought the way it was written into the story was brilliant. The “voice” of the character actively changed in the text depending on whether or not this technology was being used. And I thought it a clever way to give the character depth.
Even with great elements, what didn’t work for me was the pacing. A novella shouldn’t feel like it’s dragging with such a low page count. But I felt the good character moments and the plot reveals we’re just a little too staggered. All working towards and ending that was good, but not quite worth the lengthily build-up. I probably would’ve rated it a lot higher had it been a bit more concise. I think the culprit was a little too much introspection and reiteration of events. There were two POVs and we got internal accounts of everything from both sides. While seeing two such different viewpoints of the same situations was kind of the point of the book, I don’t think it needed to be time equally spent.
Recommendations: Elder Race is an interesting short story from an author shaping up to be a personal favorite, but if you’re new to his sci-fi works, this isn’t the best place to start (go with Children of Time… emphatically).
Thank you to my Patrons: Filipe, Dave, Frank, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Katrin, Melissa, Derek, Tonya, Betsy, Mike, and Jen! <3
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
November 28, 2021
This started out as a fantasy story might with royal bloodlines and twoers and quests. But there was always the underlying feel of it being a scifi story and it was indeed. However, I can't shake that feeling of a blend. And a nice one at that.
Lyn is the 4th daughter of a female regent in these strange lands. Nearby is a tower that belongs to a "sorcerer" and it's this last member of an ancient race that Lyn is asking for help to defeat a kind of evil.
Remember Arthur C. Clarke's quote that "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."? Yeah ... that.
So the "sorcerer" is actually a scientist from Earth. An anthropoligist, to be precise. What he's doing here and what the "magic" is that Lyn needs help for, I shall not spoiler though. Suffice it to say that Nyr's (the anthropologist's) story is even more fascinating that that of Lyn and her people, in my opinion at least.
I'm still not used to Tchaikovsky writing short(er) stories though I've read quite a number of them by now. This, however, might be my favourite of them to date. No, not as groundbreaking as some of his novels (especially the newest one that I have just finished), but still fantastic!
There is mystery, there is exploration, there is quirky character development, very nicely addressed mental health issues stemming from exploration, and rich worldbuilding despite the limited number of pages. And yes, of course the tech was why I was reading this and it was as awesome as I had hoped.
Lyn is the 4th daughter of a female regent in these strange lands. Nearby is a tower that belongs to a "sorcerer" and it's this last member of an ancient race that Lyn is asking for help to defeat a kind of evil.
Remember Arthur C. Clarke's quote that "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."? Yeah ... that.
So the "sorcerer" is actually a scientist from Earth. An anthropoligist, to be precise. What he's doing here and what the "magic" is that Lyn needs help for, I shall not spoiler though. Suffice it to say that Nyr's (the anthropologist's) story is even more fascinating that that of Lyn and her people, in my opinion at least.
I'm still not used to Tchaikovsky writing short(er) stories though I've read quite a number of them by now. This, however, might be my favourite of them to date. No, not as groundbreaking as some of his novels (especially the newest one that I have just finished), but still fantastic!
There is mystery, there is exploration, there is quirky character development, very nicely addressed mental health issues stemming from exploration, and rich worldbuilding despite the limited number of pages. And yes, of course the tech was why I was reading this and it was as awesome as I had hoped.
August 30, 2025
4.5*
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
- Arthur C. Clarke.
Another excellent story from the very prolific Tchaikovsky. I particularly loved how through the two narrators, we get the same events but seen from very different angles - one from a technologically advanced person, the other not. This became quickly fascinating, and often very funny. The story however is not a comical one, but rather a search for meaning and identity while dealing with a pretty horrific foe. I also loved how the author featured clinical depression, not as an add-on but as a key component. Brilliant!
P.S. I understand Tchaikovsky was inspired by Gene Wolfe’s short story ’Trip, Trap’, which I very much want to read now.
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
- Arthur C. Clarke.
Another excellent story from the very prolific Tchaikovsky. I particularly loved how through the two narrators, we get the same events but seen from very different angles - one from a technologically advanced person, the other not. This became quickly fascinating, and often very funny. The story however is not a comical one, but rather a search for meaning and identity while dealing with a pretty horrific foe. I also loved how the author featured clinical depression, not as an add-on but as a key component. Brilliant!
P.S. I understand Tchaikovsky was inspired by Gene Wolfe’s short story ’Trip, Trap’, which I very much want to read now.
November 19, 2021
Beautiful! In parts poetic, in parts deeply human, in parts wonderful situational humour. And that all with great representation of us folks suffering from depression. I even had a tear in my eye at the end.
If I could only read one author for the rest of my life, I wouldn't have to think for a second: it would be Adrian Tchaikovsky.
If I could only read one author for the rest of my life, I wouldn't have to think for a second: it would be Adrian Tchaikovsky.
July 1, 2024
I have read a few dozen Tchaikovsky tomes, but this was my first novella of his. Tchaikovsky seems determined to reinvent existent science fiction tropes and does so here in a character driven tale of a stranded 'wizard', e.g., an anthropologist (Nyr) from distant, future Earth, who came with a group of others to examine the outcome of an age old generation ship that colonized the planet a 1000 or so years ago. Our other protagonist, Lynesse (Lyn), starts the tale as the young 'fourth daughter' of one clan; intrepid to be sure, perhaps reckless, but determined to do something about the 'demon' that other clans claim invaded their lands.
Nyr has been stuck on the planet for over 300 years after the rest of his party returned to Earth. He wakes occasionally, but mostly 'sleeps' the decades away, awaiting for news from Earth; sadly, he now believes such news shall not be forthcoming. Elder Nyr, many human generations ago, helped Lyn's clan banish another 'demon'; in that case, some old human tech from the original colonists that some guy turned into weapons to build himself an empire. Nyr swore a blood oath with the leader of Lyn's line that he would return if another demon arose. Well, Lyn, frustrated that her mother has done nothing about the new demon, decides to act and wakes Nyr from his 'outpost' (or wizard tower as the locals know it).
The joy of this story revolves around Nyr, who repeatedly tries to tell Lyn and her friend that he is not a wizard, but merely a scientist who knows how things work, but language barriers make this just about impossible.
One thing missing here, perhaps because of the novella format, concerns the lack of world building, which features so much in Tchaikovsky's other work, but there is enough to keep the story grounded (barely). Similarly, Tchaikovsky developed Lyn just enough to contrast Nyr, no more, no less. Still, a fun reading experience and this guy can write. 3.5 wizards, rounding up!
Nyr has been stuck on the planet for over 300 years after the rest of his party returned to Earth. He wakes occasionally, but mostly 'sleeps' the decades away, awaiting for news from Earth; sadly, he now believes such news shall not be forthcoming. Elder Nyr, many human generations ago, helped Lyn's clan banish another 'demon'; in that case, some old human tech from the original colonists that some guy turned into weapons to build himself an empire. Nyr swore a blood oath with the leader of Lyn's line that he would return if another demon arose. Well, Lyn, frustrated that her mother has done nothing about the new demon, decides to act and wakes Nyr from his 'outpost' (or wizard tower as the locals know it).
The joy of this story revolves around Nyr, who repeatedly tries to tell Lyn and her friend that he is not a wizard, but merely a scientist who knows how things work, but language barriers make this just about impossible.
They think I'm a wizard. They think I'm a fucking wizard. That's what I am to them, some weird goblin man from another time with magic powers. And I literally do not have the language to tell them otherwise. I say, "scientist," "scholar," but when I speak to them, in their language, these are both cognates for "wizard." I imagine myself standing there speaking to Lyn and saying, "I'm not a wizard, I'm a wizard, or at best a wizard." It's not funny. I have lived a long, long life and it has meant nothing, and now I'm on a fucking quest with a couple of women who don't understand things like germs or fusion power or anthropological theories of value.The motif of future humans stranded on feudal worlds has been done many times; Cherryh's Morgaine saga (starts with Gate of Ivrel), or Le Guin's Rocannon's World come to mind, both over 40 years old now. Tchaikovsky (as usual) gives this motif a twist by focusing on the stranded future human's state of mind rather than building some intricate plot. Yes, Elder Race possesses a plot, but really, nothing more than as a vehicle to develop Nyr's character.
One thing missing here, perhaps because of the novella format, concerns the lack of world building, which features so much in Tchaikovsky's other work, but there is enough to keep the story grounded (barely). Similarly, Tchaikovsky developed Lyn just enough to contrast Nyr, no more, no less. Still, a fun reading experience and this guy can write. 3.5 wizards, rounding up!
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