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Shadows of the Apt #4
Salute the Dark
Salute the Dark is the fourth book in the critically acclaimed epic fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky, winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award. As spymaster Stenworld makes a stand in his home city, others must chose where their loyalties lie.
All must face the end of days . . .
The mighty Wasp armies are on the march. And with war imminent, spymaster Stenwold must finally separate allies from false friends. He knows the Empire won’t stop until its flag hangs over Collegium, Stenwold's home city. Tisamon the Weaponsmaster favours a more direct strategy – facing the Wasp Emperor himself, with a blade in his hand. He’d be abandoning both friends and family to do so. Yet is he driven by honour, or being manipulated by something far more sinister?
With the Shadow Box in his possession at last, Uctebri can begin his dark ritual. The Wasp-kinden’s Emperor believes this will grant him immortality. However, Uctebri has his own plans – for the Emperor and the Empire.
Salute the Dark is followed by the fifth book in the Shadows of the Apt series, The Scarab Path.
All must face the end of days . . .
The mighty Wasp armies are on the march. And with war imminent, spymaster Stenwold must finally separate allies from false friends. He knows the Empire won’t stop until its flag hangs over Collegium, Stenwold's home city. Tisamon the Weaponsmaster favours a more direct strategy – facing the Wasp Emperor himself, with a blade in his hand. He’d be abandoning both friends and family to do so. Yet is he driven by honour, or being manipulated by something far more sinister?
With the Shadow Box in his possession at last, Uctebri can begin his dark ritual. The Wasp-kinden’s Emperor believes this will grant him immortality. However, Uctebri has his own plans – for the Emperor and the Empire.
Salute the Dark is followed by the fifth book in the Shadows of the Apt series, The Scarab Path.
486 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
196 people are currently reading
3237 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews
November 25, 2021
Some weird pacing issues almost landed this bad boy at a 4/4.5 but with a climax like what was delivered here, hoooo boy, that was amazing. What a fantastic series.
March 18, 2018
4 Stars
Wow. That was something. After a slower paced third book in the Shadows of the Apt series, Salute the Dark made up for lost time with a frantic flurry of action, resulting in a surprising ending that sets the stage for a whole new chapter in the story.
At the end of Blood of the Mantis, the Wasp armies were marshaling their forces, preparing for another foray into the Lowlands. Meanwhile the Shadow Box had been lost, stolen away by the mosquito kinden Uctebri to further his own plans. Stenwold gathers his allies for the fight they know is coming, worried that even together they won’t be able to stand against the Wasp Empire.
The action in this book is fast and furious, particularly in the last third. As in the previous books, the scope of the story continues to grow, with each new entry showing more of the vast and fascinating world the author has created. This time a glimpse is given into the Dragonfly Commonweal and the Bee city of Szar. Even more so than before, this increased scope meant that the narration jumped from character and location over and over as the conflict unfolded on several fronts. One of the side effects was that fewer characters were given a chance to shine in this book. Tisamon was given perhaps the most page time. Thalric also had several standout moments, cementing him as one of the most interesting characters in the series. One scene in particular was very memorable.
In Salute the Dark we see the plot threads began in Blood of the Mantis come to fruition. The alliance with Sarn, Salma and his army of renegades, the sowing of discord in the Spider city of Solarno, the schemes of Uctebri and Princess Seda in the Wasp capital. All of these come to some kind of resolution, some of them in surprising ways. More so than any of the previous books, the events were bloody and brutal. People die, battles are won and lost, and everywhere the cost of war is steep.
While I think Dragonfly Falling remains my favorite book so far in the series, Salute the Dark was another excellent book that left me very interested to see what happens next.
Wow. That was something. After a slower paced third book in the Shadows of the Apt series, Salute the Dark made up for lost time with a frantic flurry of action, resulting in a surprising ending that sets the stage for a whole new chapter in the story.
At the end of Blood of the Mantis, the Wasp armies were marshaling their forces, preparing for another foray into the Lowlands. Meanwhile the Shadow Box had been lost, stolen away by the mosquito kinden Uctebri to further his own plans. Stenwold gathers his allies for the fight they know is coming, worried that even together they won’t be able to stand against the Wasp Empire.
The action in this book is fast and furious, particularly in the last third. As in the previous books, the scope of the story continues to grow, with each new entry showing more of the vast and fascinating world the author has created. This time a glimpse is given into the Dragonfly Commonweal and the Bee city of Szar. Even more so than before, this increased scope meant that the narration jumped from character and location over and over as the conflict unfolded on several fronts. One of the side effects was that fewer characters were given a chance to shine in this book. Tisamon was given perhaps the most page time. Thalric also had several standout moments, cementing him as one of the most interesting characters in the series. One scene in particular was very memorable.
In Salute the Dark we see the plot threads began in Blood of the Mantis come to fruition. The alliance with Sarn, Salma and his army of renegades, the sowing of discord in the Spider city of Solarno, the schemes of Uctebri and Princess Seda in the Wasp capital. All of these come to some kind of resolution, some of them in surprising ways. More so than any of the previous books, the events were bloody and brutal. People die, battles are won and lost, and everywhere the cost of war is steep.
While I think Dragonfly Falling remains my favorite book so far in the series, Salute the Dark was another excellent book that left me very interested to see what happens next.
January 5, 2022
Reads like a Fantasy mash up of Spartacus, Gladiator and Star Wars! Absolutely brilliant and highly recommended. This is a must read series.
April 28, 2023
Tchaikovsky's "Shadows of the Apt" is a truly excellent series. Not only is the Insect-based (the "Apt") races and their resulting political structures a fascinating concept for a fantasy setting, the story is also wonderful. Great characters, great events and complex plots all make for a series that's hard to put down.
"Salute The Dark", the fourth book, is one of the best ones yet. The events are truly momentous and, without being spoilery, be prepared for many an established, and likely popular, characters to mee their ends. I was a bit surprised by some of the deaths, but they were no less impactful to the overall story.
From Tisamon to Drephos, many of the major story arcs seem to be closed. The Wasp Empire will have some truly momentous changes, several characters will make a break from their "traditional" loyalties or roles and the outcomes are somewhat unexpected. I can honestly say, quite a few storylines of characters or "entities" (eg, The Empire, the spirits of the Shadow-Box, the Rekef, etc) outcomes caught me by surprise.
But Tchaikovsky didn't just kill off characters to be shocking, they all play pivotal roles in the story. One of the best books of a great series, count me in for book 5. Highly recommend this series to fantasy fans.
"Salute The Dark", the fourth book, is one of the best ones yet. The events are truly momentous and, without being spoilery, be prepared for many an established, and likely popular, characters to mee their ends. I was a bit surprised by some of the deaths, but they were no less impactful to the overall story.
From Tisamon to Drephos, many of the major story arcs seem to be closed. The Wasp Empire will have some truly momentous changes, several characters will make a break from their "traditional" loyalties or roles and the outcomes are somewhat unexpected. I can honestly say, quite a few storylines of characters or "entities" (eg, The Empire, the spirits of the Shadow-Box, the Rekef, etc) outcomes caught me by surprise.
But Tchaikovsky didn't just kill off characters to be shocking, they all play pivotal roles in the story. One of the best books of a great series, count me in for book 5. Highly recommend this series to fantasy fans.
July 12, 2025
Развръзката на четирилогията е доволно брутална и кървава!
В разгара на войната за Равнините падат много от познатите ни и вече любими герои...
Дали обаче единството, саможертвите и справедливата кауза ще са достатъчни да отблъснат агресията жестока практикувана от империята на осородните?
Почвам петата част - "Пътят на скарабея" на английски. Тя е и първа книга от новата арка, състояща се от 6 части.
В разгара на войната за Равнините падат много от познатите ни и вече любими герои...
Дали обаче единството, саможертвите и справедливата кауза ще са достатъчни да отблъснат агресията жестока практикувана от империята на осородните?
Почвам петата част - "Пътят на скарабея" на английски. Тя е и първа книга от новата арка, състояща се от 6 части.
May 14, 2025
Another stellar installment in Mr T's epic fantasy series. Some authors struggle to maintain the reader's interest in a series; it is hard not to fall into some sort of standardization or repetition (George RR Martin's work for example). Tchaikovsky manages to maintain a taut, tense story going by consistently expanding the world and adding in more and more complexity, all the while utilizing some of the key tropes as anchors. Hence, we find many of the same characters in StD from previous volumes struggling against the wasp kinden invasion of the lowlands, but we quickly learn here about the divisions plaguing the wasp empire and more and more hints about the 'days of lore', or the history of the world.
Once again, the wasps are on the march in the lowlands here, and likewise, Stenwold keeps trying to build some sort of lowland alliance to thwart them. Mr T introduces something of an arms race here, and it gets ugly. Totho, the half-breed former student of the lowlands, now working for the famed 'artificer' Drephos of the wasps (long story, see the second volume) came up with a new weapon, the 'snap bow'. This is basically an air-compression fired nail gun that goes right through armor and has a longer range than traditional bows or crossbows; the wasps used it to deadly effect in the last volume against the Sarn ants of the lowlands. That knowledge has leaked (via Che) to the lowlands and Stenwold is very cautious about disseminating it-- sure, great against the wasps, but will the ever quarreling lowland city states use it against one another?
Meanwile, Drephos is still working, and just invented some sort of poison gas that will radically change warfare. We are treated to a philosophical discussion of war and arms, and the consequences of ever greater weapons that still hits home today. War drives technology after all, producing weapons with greater killing power, and Drephos sees this as an acme of innovation. Che, after getting her wounded lover back to the moths sets off on a perilous mission to incite revolution in wasp occupied cities to take the pressure off the lowlands, and Selma continues his guerilla campaign against the wasps with his displaced lowlanders fleeing the wasp encroachment.
Lots of balls in the air here as T keeps several story arcs going, with frequently changing POVs. Each arc is engaging and kept me hooked. I thought this ended a bit abruptly, but T gives us a nice conclusion to the first part of the series, and leaves us with some nasty cliff hangers regarding the next installments. 4 glowing stars!
Once again, the wasps are on the march in the lowlands here, and likewise, Stenwold keeps trying to build some sort of lowland alliance to thwart them. Mr T introduces something of an arms race here, and it gets ugly. Totho, the half-breed former student of the lowlands, now working for the famed 'artificer' Drephos of the wasps (long story, see the second volume) came up with a new weapon, the 'snap bow'. This is basically an air-compression fired nail gun that goes right through armor and has a longer range than traditional bows or crossbows; the wasps used it to deadly effect in the last volume against the Sarn ants of the lowlands. That knowledge has leaked (via Che) to the lowlands and Stenwold is very cautious about disseminating it-- sure, great against the wasps, but will the ever quarreling lowland city states use it against one another?
Meanwile, Drephos is still working, and just invented some sort of poison gas that will radically change warfare. We are treated to a philosophical discussion of war and arms, and the consequences of ever greater weapons that still hits home today. War drives technology after all, producing weapons with greater killing power, and Drephos sees this as an acme of innovation. Che, after getting her wounded lover back to the moths sets off on a perilous mission to incite revolution in wasp occupied cities to take the pressure off the lowlands, and Selma continues his guerilla campaign against the wasps with his displaced lowlanders fleeing the wasp encroachment.
Lots of balls in the air here as T keeps several story arcs going, with frequently changing POVs. Each arc is engaging and kept me hooked. I thought this ended a bit abruptly, but T gives us a nice conclusion to the first part of the series, and leaves us with some nasty cliff hangers regarding the next installments. 4 glowing stars!
May 19, 2023
Very Enjoyable With Some Mixed Feelings
I feel like there isn't much I can say without spoiling given that this is book 4 and the end to the first arc but I can give some general thoughts.
First I would like to emphasize that even though I had some issues with this particular book overall I'm still very much enjoying the series, and I think it is very much a hidden gem among fantasy literature. Also, despite having some mixed feelings on portions of this book overall it was still a good time and I found the ending satisfying and appropriate while making me eager to continue.
The problems that I had were all related to storytelling choices by the author. I thought book 3 had some pacing issues and created confusion by splitting up all of the characters while I tried to figure out who was where and why. There is more of that here, but it's something I can overlook. It was harder to other look certain choices the author makes in what he has characters do. Sometimes I felt like things get told instead of shown, or outcomes were less interesting than what I thought they could be. Thankfully, the main climax of the book I found very compelling. The falling action made me need to know more as well. I won't say it made up all the difference but probably moved this from a 3 to 4 star rating. Still good but definitely 4th in my rankings. I still highly recommend the series.
I feel like there isn't much I can say without spoiling given that this is book 4 and the end to the first arc but I can give some general thoughts.
First I would like to emphasize that even though I had some issues with this particular book overall I'm still very much enjoying the series, and I think it is very much a hidden gem among fantasy literature. Also, despite having some mixed feelings on portions of this book overall it was still a good time and I found the ending satisfying and appropriate while making me eager to continue.
The problems that I had were all related to storytelling choices by the author. I thought book 3 had some pacing issues and created confusion by splitting up all of the characters while I tried to figure out who was where and why. There is more of that here, but it's something I can overlook. It was harder to other look certain choices the author makes in what he has characters do. Sometimes I felt like things get told instead of shown, or outcomes were less interesting than what I thought they could be. Thankfully, the main climax of the book I found very compelling. The falling action made me need to know more as well. I won't say it made up all the difference but probably moved this from a 3 to 4 star rating. Still good but definitely 4th in my rankings. I still highly recommend the series.
April 26, 2012
Finishing Dance with Dragons, I'm reminded of something - just how hard it is to keep a long series going, to give the books a proper book shape and generally keep control of it all.
Tchaikovsky could teach George Martin a lesson or two, and Robert Jordan's meanderings pale hugely in comparison. Why are more people not reading this series? It baffles me. There's a focus and purpose to each novel that shows just how in control Tchaikovsky is - details worryingly absent from George Martin's books. In the Shadows of the Apt, despite the dizzying pace of technological change and evolving wars going on, you're always reassured the author knows what he's doing and where he's going - and you'll always have very human and sympathetic characters to read about too. This series is proving to be a remarkable achievement and while some people have had misgivings with the first book, it being a debut and all, every single one I know who's persisted has quickly been surprised and delighted with the world that unfolds before them.
September 8, 2013
Perhaps the single most devastating book I have ever read...
http://abitterdraft.com/2013/09/salut...
After I finished Blood of the Mantis, I immediately sent an email to Pyr asking after the rest of the series and they obliged. I soon found out that Pyr didn’t have plans for anything after book 5, The Scarab Path, which is a shame because they format the books to be a bit taller, shortening the page count in exchange and making the books more feasible and less daunting. Not to mention having the beautiful covers designed by the very skilled Jon Sullivan. In the review, I also wrote about how quickly Shadows of the Apt was becoming my favorite series to date. After Salute, there can no longer be any doubt - Apt has taken the throne by force.
The world of the Apt and Inapt is in total war. The expansionist Wasp Empire is sweeping across the Lowlands and any outlying city that sparks a glint in Emperor Alvdan II’s eye. War Master Stenwold Maker’s agents are scattered everywhere in attempt to give the Lowlands any sort of advantage against the encroaching horde. Cities like Sarn and Myna are in open rebellion. Plots and twists are commonplace. Everything that has been building up over the first three books in the series culminate in Salute the Dark.
One of the highlights of the series is how Tchaikovsky manages to weave cultures of our world into the story and make them feel so real. The Solarnese feel genuinely like Renaissance Italians, the Wasps like the Romans or various other empires, as well as many others. Some of my favorite scenes from Blood of the Mantis took place in the sky – in orthopters, heliopters, fixed-wings, and even huge insects. The aerial aspect returns in Salute the Dark in much greater scale. To put the culture in perspective – just prior to World War I, some of the first stable propeller-driven aircraft began to be manufactured with the purpose of war in mind. People were drawn to these fascinating machines, and throughout the war the pilots styled themselves knights of the air. There was a distinct system of honor in the aerial part of the war, drawn from some branch of chivalry that medieval knights adhered to. Pilots would rarely aim to kill in their dogfights, their dances in the sky – they’d aim for wings, the rudder, anywhere but the cockpit. It was an almost unspoken rule – if you hit someone’s engine and they could no longer fight, they’d glide to the ground in an attempt to land and, for the most part, would not be pursued – this counted as an aerial victory. Tchaikovsky implemented these same chivalrous ideals – the early tech of the vehicles, the aerial chivalry – into Blood and Salute, making the story feel that much more vivid.
Whereas Dragonfly Falling had some large battles and sieges in it, Salute truly felt like a total and utter world war. Sieges, rebellions, field battles, ambushes in the black of night, cavalry charges, aerial battles, flamethrowers, and even some horrific chemical warfare that felt all too real. Not only did the story include these traditional aspects of war, there was also an entire thread of gladiatorial combat with a huge culmination, again reminiscent of the Romans. People are reduced to savages in the audience, where skill is a non-factor for entertainment on the sands. The only thing that matters is that blood is spilled and in great quantity.
Salute the Dark is an incredibly apt name for the story. It is absolutely brutal. My heart was racing whenever I picked it up to read. Nobody is safe – you can feel the danger seeping from the pages. Aside from a few average characters of no outstanding martial quality, there is an abundance of characters in Shadows of the Apt who are peerless in combat, able to cut down enemy after enemy without breaking a sweat. After finishing Salute, it almost seems like Tchaikovsky purposely used that trope of fantasy – the nigh-invincible swordsman or mage or rogue – just so he could turn it on its head and smack you in the face with it. This is real, visceral, brutal war.
Thus ends the first arc of Shadows of the Apt. Ties are wrapped up, but there is a definite sense of foreboding that has me compelled to continue the series. Unique in culture and character, massive in scale in every sense of the word, Shadows of the Apt has become my favorite fantasy series of all time and Salute the Dark is one of the best books I have read this year. If you haven’t even started the series, you are really, really missing out.
http://abitterdraft.com/2013/09/salut...
After I finished Blood of the Mantis, I immediately sent an email to Pyr asking after the rest of the series and they obliged. I soon found out that Pyr didn’t have plans for anything after book 5, The Scarab Path, which is a shame because they format the books to be a bit taller, shortening the page count in exchange and making the books more feasible and less daunting. Not to mention having the beautiful covers designed by the very skilled Jon Sullivan. In the review, I also wrote about how quickly Shadows of the Apt was becoming my favorite series to date. After Salute, there can no longer be any doubt - Apt has taken the throne by force.
The world of the Apt and Inapt is in total war. The expansionist Wasp Empire is sweeping across the Lowlands and any outlying city that sparks a glint in Emperor Alvdan II’s eye. War Master Stenwold Maker’s agents are scattered everywhere in attempt to give the Lowlands any sort of advantage against the encroaching horde. Cities like Sarn and Myna are in open rebellion. Plots and twists are commonplace. Everything that has been building up over the first three books in the series culminate in Salute the Dark.
One of the highlights of the series is how Tchaikovsky manages to weave cultures of our world into the story and make them feel so real. The Solarnese feel genuinely like Renaissance Italians, the Wasps like the Romans or various other empires, as well as many others. Some of my favorite scenes from Blood of the Mantis took place in the sky – in orthopters, heliopters, fixed-wings, and even huge insects. The aerial aspect returns in Salute the Dark in much greater scale. To put the culture in perspective – just prior to World War I, some of the first stable propeller-driven aircraft began to be manufactured with the purpose of war in mind. People were drawn to these fascinating machines, and throughout the war the pilots styled themselves knights of the air. There was a distinct system of honor in the aerial part of the war, drawn from some branch of chivalry that medieval knights adhered to. Pilots would rarely aim to kill in their dogfights, their dances in the sky – they’d aim for wings, the rudder, anywhere but the cockpit. It was an almost unspoken rule – if you hit someone’s engine and they could no longer fight, they’d glide to the ground in an attempt to land and, for the most part, would not be pursued – this counted as an aerial victory. Tchaikovsky implemented these same chivalrous ideals – the early tech of the vehicles, the aerial chivalry – into Blood and Salute, making the story feel that much more vivid.
Whereas Dragonfly Falling had some large battles and sieges in it, Salute truly felt like a total and utter world war. Sieges, rebellions, field battles, ambushes in the black of night, cavalry charges, aerial battles, flamethrowers, and even some horrific chemical warfare that felt all too real. Not only did the story include these traditional aspects of war, there was also an entire thread of gladiatorial combat with a huge culmination, again reminiscent of the Romans. People are reduced to savages in the audience, where skill is a non-factor for entertainment on the sands. The only thing that matters is that blood is spilled and in great quantity.
Salute the Dark is an incredibly apt name for the story. It is absolutely brutal. My heart was racing whenever I picked it up to read. Nobody is safe – you can feel the danger seeping from the pages. Aside from a few average characters of no outstanding martial quality, there is an abundance of characters in Shadows of the Apt who are peerless in combat, able to cut down enemy after enemy without breaking a sweat. After finishing Salute, it almost seems like Tchaikovsky purposely used that trope of fantasy – the nigh-invincible swordsman or mage or rogue – just so he could turn it on its head and smack you in the face with it. This is real, visceral, brutal war.
Thus ends the first arc of Shadows of the Apt. Ties are wrapped up, but there is a definite sense of foreboding that has me compelled to continue the series. Unique in culture and character, massive in scale in every sense of the word, Shadows of the Apt has become my favorite fantasy series of all time and Salute the Dark is one of the best books I have read this year. If you haven’t even started the series, you are really, really missing out.
July 14, 2025
What a thrilling conclusion to this 4-book arc!
The scope of this series is just wonderful, with so many brilliant character moments, action set pieces, and overall revelations. There are deaths, there are near-misses, and there is a tonne of emotion. In particular, the last quarter was especially brilliant
So many plot threads weave together and cross over, and it’s incredible to keep all the sub-plots and character locations accurate and understandable.
There is a tonne of lore and magic that are left unsaid, and these are mysteries I cannot wait to dive into (and hope they are explored in the future books of this series)
Everything is written so well and crisply. The pacing never drags, the stakes never drop, and though we get a few minutes to breathe in between some of the bigger battles and conflicts, my interest was absolutely hooked throughout.
Very excited to see where this world goes in the next arc!
The scope of this series is just wonderful, with so many brilliant character moments, action set pieces, and overall revelations. There are deaths, there are near-misses, and there is a tonne of emotion. In particular, the last quarter was especially brilliant
So many plot threads weave together and cross over, and it’s incredible to keep all the sub-plots and character locations accurate and understandable.
There is a tonne of lore and magic that are left unsaid, and these are mysteries I cannot wait to dive into (and hope they are explored in the future books of this series)
Everything is written so well and crisply. The pacing never drags, the stakes never drop, and though we get a few minutes to breathe in between some of the bigger battles and conflicts, my interest was absolutely hooked throughout.
Very excited to see where this world goes in the next arc!
April 23, 2021
Мотиви от филма “Гладиатор” и най-сетне надзъртане в света на тайнствената Федерация. Чайковски продължава да се заиграва с популярни исторически събития и архетипове - отново се мярка фентъзи двойник на Жана Д’Арк, а за един разбунтуван град се готви холокост. Чайковски продължава с трънливите уроци на историята (като омагьосания кръг война- технически прогрес-война, например), пригодени за олекотен (но не чак прекалено) фентъзи формат. Балансът магия - мистика - рационалност - техника - лична драма - политика - кофти последици на добри намерения - морални дилеми от по-сложничко естество, е много добре спазен.
Наглед основните конфликти от предните три части сякаш приключват, но ни най-малко в стил “и заживели щастливо”. При това поне единият сюжетен обрат не ми се стори особено логичен за сметка на търсен кърваво-драматичен ефект.
Видно е, че оттук нататък предстои нов цикъл от историята на Равнините и Империята с оцелялата част от героите, които вече са на цяла вселена разстояние от безгрижните дни в първа част. Чакам с нетърпение новите перипетии на Талрик, че нещо неочаквано извади един късмет, дето ми изскочи от нищото и назаем.
Преводът на Милена Илиева отново радва. Уви, оттук нататък продълженията са само на английски - а би било прекрасно да ги бяха допревели, историята си заслужава. Това е едно от най-смислените фентъзита, което ми е попадало, и решението на българския издател да прекрати поредицата е достойно за съжаление.
***
➡️ Цитати:
“Спокойно можехме да минем без тази война.”
“Колко си склонен да жертваш, щом победата е по-страшна от поражението?”
“Какво в крайна сметка е религията, ако не сляпа вяра в нещо недоказано?”
“Те бяха простички, работливи и кротки хора, силни в единството си, но слаби в почти всичко останало. Това беше причината да не налазят по целия свят.”
Наглед основните конфликти от предните три части сякаш приключват, но ни най-малко в стил “и заживели щастливо”. При това поне единият сюжетен обрат не ми се стори особено логичен за сметка на търсен кърваво-драматичен ефект.
Видно е, че оттук нататък предстои нов цикъл от историята на Равнините и Империята с оцелялата част от героите, които вече са на цяла вселена разстояние от безгрижните дни в първа част. Чакам с нетърпение новите перипетии на Талрик, че нещо неочаквано извади един късмет, дето ми изскочи от нищото и назаем.
Преводът на Милена Илиева отново радва. Уви, оттук нататък продълженията са само на английски - а би било прекрасно да ги бяха допревели, историята си заслужава. Това е едно от най-смислените фентъзита, което ми е попадало, и решението на българския издател да прекрати поредицата е достойно за съжаление.
***
➡️ Цитати:
“Спокойно можехме да минем без тази война.”
“Колко си склонен да жертваш, щом победата е по-страшна от поражението?”
“Какво в крайна сметка е религията, ако не сляпа вяра в нещо недоказано?”
“Те бяха простички, работливи и кротки хора, силни в единството си, но слаби в почти всичко останало. Това беше причината да не налазят по целия свят.”
February 18, 2023
‘All things die. All things reach the end of their journey, be they trees, insects, people or even principalities. All things die so that others may take their place. To die is no tragedy. The tragedy is dying with a purpose unfulfilled.’
“Salute the Dark” is the fourth book and the conclusion of the first arc in the Shadows of the Apt series. There’s not much I want to say so I’ll keep this review short but my heart hurts. Reading and falling in love with the characters and the story made me forget that this is a book about war and war has casualties
Achaeos, injured and on death’s door, needs help only his people can give. Che recruits Thalric and together, they journey to get him the help he needs. When they arrive, they discover news that has Che and Thalric rushing to Myna to provide the resistance with news that could change the course of the war. Meanwhile Achaeos deals with the consequence of opening the shadow box, Uctebri, the mosquito having benefited from his choices.
Magic had died, year on year, giving place and ground before the monsters of artifice and engineering, fading from the minds of the Lowlands until only those like the Skryres of Tharn even believed in it still. And belief was all, in the final analysis.
Tisamon, struggling with grief, runs away to earn redemption. Tynisa, desperate to help him, follows. While Stenwold wishes she would remain, well…
‘The world around us is about to fall apart at the seams, and I suppose a father is a better reason than many for casting yourself out into the storm.’
Stenwold, together with Felise Mienn, travel to the Commonweal hoping to get aid from the Dragonflies. They’ve had experience fighting the Wasps in their twelve year war but they might not be so willing to give aid. For they’ve seen the future and it is not a hopeful one.
‘Perhaps you are wise not to credit prophecy,’ she said carefully, ‘for all your future is the shadow of the world’s own.’
Salma continues his rampage, causing chaos wherever he is and Totho undergoes a moral dilemma when he comes to understand what Drephos plans to do to the Bee kinden. This was dark and emotional. While the last act was the most gut-wrenching, Chapter 16 was the most painful. The fall of Felyal was bleak in its description of war and what a people can lose in the process. This specific paragraph made me stop reading because I couldn’t see through the tears.
There were too few, in the end. Against that scythe of shot, too few ever came together within the walls to break the Wasps, but they tried over and over, until the bodies of their warriors were scattered like wheat after a storm. Their armoured beasts lay still with the fletching of snap-bow bolts riddling their carapaces, eyes dull and barbed limbs stilled. The Mantids shouted their defiance of the invader, each one of them honed to a degree of skill that no Wasp soldier could ever know, masters of a fighting art a thousand years old and more. The snapbows and the crossbows did not care: they found their mark, automatic as machines. And the Mantids charged and died, and charged and died, until even their spirits failed, their proud hearts broke, and they could come no more.
This book was emotional punches one after another one. I couldn’t even get excited about the potential romantic relationship (I called it from book one!) that was being set up. Adrian Tchaikovsky showed me that one is safe from war and I should be prepared for more loss and pain. Dark magic has been released and there’s a lot that can happen. I can’t wait.
She was surrounded by a host of half-seen figures: Mantis-kinden with claws and spears, fearful winged insects with killing arms, a leaning, arching train of thorns that tore up the ground towards them. The echo of the Darakyon had come to Myna, but the echo was quite enough.
September 28, 2024
Revolution is in the air and heads will roll.
The final installment of the first arc in Shadows of the Apt series has a bittersweet ending. Most character arcs are finished satisfyingly but
There is only one way to save Lowlands. To spread Wasps so thin that they won't have the manpower to continue their conquest. And so all of our characters spread throughout the world to either fuel flames of regional rebellions or stop the marching armies in the Lowlands. On top of that Wasp Empire faces a conflict in one of their most important industrial cities, Szar.
We get to see Commonweal, albeit briefly, and it left me wanting more. It was my favorite part of the book although there really wasn't much there. But the culture is fascinating and completely different than any we've seen before. Mix of medieval Europe with castles and eastern mysticism, elvish vibes.
The book starts really solid, to a point I thought this may rival Dragonfly Falling but it slows down in the middle with solid final third but not quite matching book two. Most of my complaints about Blood of the Mantis are gone with the obvious exception of Che's character. Thankfully after the first 150 pages she isn't in the book that much. But I have two more books on my shelf and she is unfortunately in the glossary of both...
I had similar issue with Atryssa at the climax of this book. Why is half of the women in this series so dumb? Fraking damsels in distress that always mess up or very nearly mess up the plans through their unrealistic stupidity.
However, Thalric's character kinda worked for me this time. I always found his character absurd but since the end of Blood of the Mantis he finally keeps making sense and acts like a real person. There's finally depth to him and is much more relatable. Dare I say Tchaikovsky finally made him likeable. I write these words with caution, though. I still think he's insane maniac.
Tysamon is my favorite character from the series and his decent into madness could've easily been messed up but instead it worked brilliantly. We've been prepared for this since the first book and this book didn't disappoint. Nor did the weird relationship with Felise. Chef's kiss.
Overall a decent ending to the story. I'm curious what's next. There's six more books that I think comprise the second arc of the series but I think I will take a break for a while. Time to catch up on other series.
The final installment of the first arc in Shadows of the Apt series has a bittersweet ending. Most character arcs are finished satisfyingly but
There is only one way to save Lowlands. To spread Wasps so thin that they won't have the manpower to continue their conquest. And so all of our characters spread throughout the world to either fuel flames of regional rebellions or stop the marching armies in the Lowlands. On top of that Wasp Empire faces a conflict in one of their most important industrial cities, Szar.
We get to see Commonweal, albeit briefly, and it left me wanting more. It was my favorite part of the book although there really wasn't much there. But the culture is fascinating and completely different than any we've seen before. Mix of medieval Europe with castles and eastern mysticism, elvish vibes.
The book starts really solid, to a point I thought this may rival Dragonfly Falling but it slows down in the middle with solid final third but not quite matching book two. Most of my complaints about Blood of the Mantis are gone with the obvious exception of Che's character. Thankfully after the first 150 pages she isn't in the book that much. But I have two more books on my shelf and she is unfortunately in the glossary of both...
I had similar issue with Atryssa at the climax of this book. Why is half of the women in this series so dumb? Fraking damsels in distress that always mess up or very nearly mess up the plans through their unrealistic stupidity.
However, Thalric's character kinda worked for me this time. I always found his character absurd but since the end of Blood of the Mantis he finally keeps making sense and acts like a real person. There's finally depth to him and is much more relatable. Dare I say Tchaikovsky finally made him likeable. I write these words with caution, though. I still think he's insane maniac.
Tysamon is my favorite character from the series and his decent into madness could've easily been messed up but instead it worked brilliantly. We've been prepared for this since the first book and this book didn't disappoint. Nor did the weird relationship with Felise. Chef's kiss.
Overall a decent ending to the story. I'm curious what's next. There's six more books that I think comprise the second arc of the series but I think I will take a break for a while. Time to catch up on other series.
September 14, 2024
Continuing the story of a world divided between different insect like races, each with unique abilities now fighting for their existence. The story is full of political intrigue, action, and character development. Although a slower read it’s got a lot of different points of view which gives a fuller picture of the war and keeps it engaging.
”There is more to life than just the things we can see.”
The characters face difficult choices that impact both their personal lives and the fate of their world. Tchaikovsky does a fantastic job of balancing the large scale battles with more intimate moments of tension and growth for the characters. This book really brings home the horrors of war which, with a heavy heart I found to be all to realistic.
”All things reach the end of their journey, be they trees, insects, people or even principalities. All things die so that others may take their place.”
It’s safe to say that I loved this book. The characters are beautifully written in all their glory and horror and the world building as usual is outstanding. The endings and beginnings of stories are thoughtfully written and I can’t wait to read what happens next. Id recommend this book to all readers of fantasy and those who like strategy and warfare. Tchaikovsky never disappoints..
”There is more to life than just the things we can see.”
The characters face difficult choices that impact both their personal lives and the fate of their world. Tchaikovsky does a fantastic job of balancing the large scale battles with more intimate moments of tension and growth for the characters. This book really brings home the horrors of war which, with a heavy heart I found to be all to realistic.
”All things reach the end of their journey, be they trees, insects, people or even principalities. All things die so that others may take their place.”
It’s safe to say that I loved this book. The characters are beautifully written in all their glory and horror and the world building as usual is outstanding. The endings and beginnings of stories are thoughtfully written and I can’t wait to read what happens next. Id recommend this book to all readers of fantasy and those who like strategy and warfare. Tchaikovsky never disappoints..
September 7, 2017
Immensely entertaining read. This series rivals anything I've read in ambition and scope and entertainment value. If you have not read any of thew Apt books, do yourself a favor and do so, these are as good as anything else out there.
Now for the emotions. This was a gut-punch. If you've read Deadhouse Gates in Erikson's Malazan series you'll be at a good starting point. No one is safe in this world. EVERYONE is expendable and the author does not shy away from killing off beloved characters. Four books in and these people have become my friends, and it is this connection that Tchaikovsky spends fostering that makes it that much more excruciating. And this world is not done evolving, there have been technologies introduced that need exploring, characters coming to power that are still unknown players in the grand scheme of things, and revenges yet to be handed out. This guy has an unbelievable imagination, nothing is cliched, and there are still six books left for me to read in all.
Five very enthusiastic stars and a strong recommendation to those yet to explore these pages. Enjoy!
Now for the emotions. This was a gut-punch. If you've read Deadhouse Gates in Erikson's Malazan series you'll be at a good starting point. No one is safe in this world. EVERYONE is expendable and the author does not shy away from killing off beloved characters. Four books in and these people have become my friends, and it is this connection that Tchaikovsky spends fostering that makes it that much more excruciating. And this world is not done evolving, there have been technologies introduced that need exploring, characters coming to power that are still unknown players in the grand scheme of things, and revenges yet to be handed out. This guy has an unbelievable imagination, nothing is cliched, and there are still six books left for me to read in all.
Five very enthusiastic stars and a strong recommendation to those yet to explore these pages. Enjoy!
February 27, 2021
+ 5 additional stars for breaking my heart again ... and again. The title of this 4th volume in the series is so apt!
What was prepared step by step in the first three books comes now to a fulminant temporary finale. The pace is neck breaking at times, I found myself stopping the audio to just take a deep breath before going on. Since Adrian Tchaikovsky had managed to build up nearly each one of his characters to such layered personalities that I deeply cared for them, their fates now hit me hard and had me biting my nails while I had to forcibly restrain myself from peeking at blurbs of later books to see who will maybe survive.
Now having finished the book I feel physically exhausted - this is how good it was!
A firework of action, drama and passion in an intensitiy I have seldom read in epic Fantasy.
Now I have to ponder if I wait for the next audiobook release, because Ben Allen's narration is terrific and enhances the brilliant worldbuilding even more, or if I buy the next book for reading, because I am eager to learn what happens next after the foreshadowing of the last chapter.
What was prepared step by step in the first three books comes now to a fulminant temporary finale. The pace is neck breaking at times, I found myself stopping the audio to just take a deep breath before going on. Since Adrian Tchaikovsky had managed to build up nearly each one of his characters to such layered personalities that I deeply cared for them, their fates now hit me hard and had me biting my nails while I had to forcibly restrain myself from peeking at blurbs of later books to see who will maybe survive.
Now having finished the book I feel physically exhausted - this is how good it was!
A firework of action, drama and passion in an intensitiy I have seldom read in epic Fantasy.
Now I have to ponder if I wait for the next audiobook release, because Ben Allen's narration is terrific and enhances the brilliant worldbuilding even more, or if I buy the next book for reading, because I am eager to learn what happens next after the foreshadowing of the last chapter.
July 6, 2021
Book:1 4.5
Book 2: 4.5
Book 3: 4
Book 4: 4.5
Terrific ending. I didn't see a major convergeance like this coming so early in the series and expected mini ones like the first 3 books.
Book 2: 4.5
Book 3: 4
Book 4: 4.5
Terrific ending. I didn't see a major convergeance like this coming so early in the series and expected mini ones like the first 3 books.
December 29, 2015
This is a review of the entire series - there are NO spoilers.
When I look back at the Shadows of the Apt, what strikes me at first might seem incongruous to most.
There are no unnecessary descriptions of food.
None at all.
10 books, each of them 400 to 700 pages in length - covering battles, history and multiple points of view - and not a single one of them had any descriptions of food.
Or sex, clothing, family crests, whores or incest.
And I loved it.
Not a single wasted line.
There may be many reasons why the Shadows of the Apt is a success, why you SHOULD read these books no matter how difficult it may get at times. If I had to choose one, however, its this - Tchaikovsky doesn't waste a single page, character or event in his storytelling - the march of story is relentless through thousands of pages, culminating in a satisfying finale.
The World in which the Shadows of the Apt (SOTA) is set is astonishing in its originality. There are no elves, trolls, orcs or dwarves - instead, Tchaikovsky populates this world with Insect Kinden - human beings of different races who derive their primary characteristics from insects. Beetle kinden are slow, plodding, hardworking and intelligent with a flair for statesmanship. The Ant Kinden are warlike and live in each other's heads, attempting to work towards the betterment of the Ant city - a frightening and at the same time amusing allegory for communism. The Mantis Kinden live in the woods, are excellent fighters and are generally rooted in arcane magic and rituals - individualists who are dying out due to adherence to traditions which have lost all meaning. There are Spiders, Moths, Thorn Bugs and Flies each with their own definite characteristics that would require an encyclopedia to cover in entirety. At someone's last count there were close to thirty distinct kinden introduced in the series and I belive that must just be scratching the surface.
Another important differentiating factor amongst the people of this world is Aptitude. The Apt are those who are skilled in the art of artifice, and mechanics. They are scientists, using the laws of nature to change the world around them. Crossbows, artillery and even primitive air power all based on the principles of clockwork make their appearance in the early pages of the series. On the other end of the spectrum however, are the Inapt - the erstwhile rulers of the world to whom the apt were but slaves until a long ago revolution altered the power structure forever. The Inapt live in a world of magic, intuition and prophecy - incapable of so much as unlatching a door, their minds unable to comprehend the machine world in form or function.
This status quo is under threat from the Wasp Kinden of the north - a ferocious warlike race which has come into its own and seeks to conquer the world. While this might sound like a cliche far too common to all fantasy fiction there is an important difference - the Wasps aren't inherently evil. The initial stand off is more one of culture and ideology than of good and evil. Two of my favourite characters are, in fact, Wasps. The only people who are aware of the threat the Wasps pose to the world are the beetle Stenwold Maker, a master in Collegium and his Mantis friend Tisamon. As the series begins Stenwold sends his niece Che, his adopted daughter Tynisa, a spider and his halfbreed student Totho and the dragonfly prince Salme Dien to the factory city of Helleron for espionage against the Wasp empire. Having turned its eyes towards the university city of Collegium, a beacon of enlightenment and artifice in the Lowlands, the Wasps are determined to stop Stenwold Maker at any cost.
Anymore would give away the joy of experiencing the plot for yourself. Rest assured, things get complicated very quickly, alliances shift and change, people die and before you know you might find yourself rooting for a villain. Over ten books we are treated to multiple detailed accounts of various battles, war movements and deaths. The narrative moves effortlessly between personal accounts of war and one on one battles. There is a very real sense of forward progression in the book with characters always changing, finding their ideals and comfort zone being challenged on a regular basis and reacting to the world in new ways. These interactions might not always be pleasant and not everyone might walk away from them alive - however, it is wonderful to see such attention to character progression. No one walks out of this book unscathed or unchanged. Some change for the better, some for the worse - but all changes seem normal, organic and make sense. This series capitalises on this characterisation to make things all the more gripping.
SOTA cannot be labelled as grimdark fantasy either. There is war, death, murder, rape and cruelty. There are slave camps, dying civilisations and loss. A large chunk of characters are dead towards the end of the book. However, there is a resilience to all the characters that makes it possible to believe they will eventually find a way out. It might be because the author is British but all the characters have a stoic, stiff upper lip approach to situations which makes even the darkest segments of the book immensely enjoyable. The dialogue is witty, snappy and fluid - more importantly, it's distinctive in a sense and tailor made to each character. Atrocities, when they are committed are mentioned but not described in detail. This seems to be a more effective method of conveying the horrors of war. I have seen fantasy where rape and murder are described to a distasteful degree under the excuse of realism. Tchaikovsky actually doesn't indulge in voyeurism which significantly increased the emotional impact when bad things eventually DID happen. (Basically books 4 and 10)
A standard fantasy talks about heroism in the face of darkness with a well demarcated line between good and evil. SOTA takes a different tack. While set in a fictional world the themes are often all too relevant. The novels are given over to varied themes - whether duty to oneself comes over and above duty to the city state, are we willing to enslave others so that we may be free, the struggle between the old world and new, between science and superstition. There are also deeper questions about the creation of weapons of war and deterrents- does an inventor take pride in a weapon that has been created solely for killing, and if he is horrified what mental toll does this take? The stark contrast between killing a person yourself and ordering the deaths of hundreds in a mechanised attack is also touched upon. The question asked of a lot of the artificers in this series is whether they feel war has allowed them progress and innovation and whether, coming on the heel of the human cost, this innovation is worth it. A lot of the characters might answer yes. The beauty in Tchaikovsky's characters lies in how easy it is to understand if not exactly sympathise this point of view.
Over the course of the series, we are also treated to innovation and how it can change the face of war. Ranged weapons are deployed against an unarmed infantry, submersibles are invented out of necessity and there is an entire book devoted to an Air War that brings to mind the Battle of Britain and the RAF during World War II. This mechanical progress is a plot point which drives the book forward. The enemy improvising and modifying weapons while the defenders need to think on their feet to win the war and vice versa.
The only criticism I might want to level against this series is that it seems a little too dry at times.Tchaikovsky's prose is fluid, and wonderful on page. However, at times, it fails to convey the images necessary to visualise the world around. I am an extremely visual reader, by which I mean that I enjoy building the environment around me. Tchaikovsky was adequate to this task but I wanted more. However, I choose not to reduce any points for this - This is Tchaikovsky's first work. A ten volume series which serves as a nuanced account of the wages of war in a fantasy world. It is rare for anyone to get something THIS RIGHT on the first round and I am sure he will only get better as he continues to write more.
The SOTA is unlike any fantasy I have read in a long long time - nuanced, with wonderful characterisation, multiple plot threads and points of view and absolutely no narrative drag. It begins, builds to a crescendo and ends almost perfectly. I don't recommend this to just lovers of fantasy but to all lovers of good literature. Don't turn your nose down on this, you won't be disappointed.
When I look back at the Shadows of the Apt, what strikes me at first might seem incongruous to most.
There are no unnecessary descriptions of food.
None at all.
10 books, each of them 400 to 700 pages in length - covering battles, history and multiple points of view - and not a single one of them had any descriptions of food.
Or sex, clothing, family crests, whores or incest.
And I loved it.
Not a single wasted line.
There may be many reasons why the Shadows of the Apt is a success, why you SHOULD read these books no matter how difficult it may get at times. If I had to choose one, however, its this - Tchaikovsky doesn't waste a single page, character or event in his storytelling - the march of story is relentless through thousands of pages, culminating in a satisfying finale.
The World in which the Shadows of the Apt (SOTA) is set is astonishing in its originality. There are no elves, trolls, orcs or dwarves - instead, Tchaikovsky populates this world with Insect Kinden - human beings of different races who derive their primary characteristics from insects. Beetle kinden are slow, plodding, hardworking and intelligent with a flair for statesmanship. The Ant Kinden are warlike and live in each other's heads, attempting to work towards the betterment of the Ant city - a frightening and at the same time amusing allegory for communism. The Mantis Kinden live in the woods, are excellent fighters and are generally rooted in arcane magic and rituals - individualists who are dying out due to adherence to traditions which have lost all meaning. There are Spiders, Moths, Thorn Bugs and Flies each with their own definite characteristics that would require an encyclopedia to cover in entirety. At someone's last count there were close to thirty distinct kinden introduced in the series and I belive that must just be scratching the surface.
Another important differentiating factor amongst the people of this world is Aptitude. The Apt are those who are skilled in the art of artifice, and mechanics. They are scientists, using the laws of nature to change the world around them. Crossbows, artillery and even primitive air power all based on the principles of clockwork make their appearance in the early pages of the series. On the other end of the spectrum however, are the Inapt - the erstwhile rulers of the world to whom the apt were but slaves until a long ago revolution altered the power structure forever. The Inapt live in a world of magic, intuition and prophecy - incapable of so much as unlatching a door, their minds unable to comprehend the machine world in form or function.
This status quo is under threat from the Wasp Kinden of the north - a ferocious warlike race which has come into its own and seeks to conquer the world. While this might sound like a cliche far too common to all fantasy fiction there is an important difference - the Wasps aren't inherently evil. The initial stand off is more one of culture and ideology than of good and evil. Two of my favourite characters are, in fact, Wasps. The only people who are aware of the threat the Wasps pose to the world are the beetle Stenwold Maker, a master in Collegium and his Mantis friend Tisamon. As the series begins Stenwold sends his niece Che, his adopted daughter Tynisa, a spider and his halfbreed student Totho and the dragonfly prince Salme Dien to the factory city of Helleron for espionage against the Wasp empire. Having turned its eyes towards the university city of Collegium, a beacon of enlightenment and artifice in the Lowlands, the Wasps are determined to stop Stenwold Maker at any cost.
Anymore would give away the joy of experiencing the plot for yourself. Rest assured, things get complicated very quickly, alliances shift and change, people die and before you know you might find yourself rooting for a villain. Over ten books we are treated to multiple detailed accounts of various battles, war movements and deaths. The narrative moves effortlessly between personal accounts of war and one on one battles. There is a very real sense of forward progression in the book with characters always changing, finding their ideals and comfort zone being challenged on a regular basis and reacting to the world in new ways. These interactions might not always be pleasant and not everyone might walk away from them alive - however, it is wonderful to see such attention to character progression. No one walks out of this book unscathed or unchanged. Some change for the better, some for the worse - but all changes seem normal, organic and make sense. This series capitalises on this characterisation to make things all the more gripping.
SOTA cannot be labelled as grimdark fantasy either. There is war, death, murder, rape and cruelty. There are slave camps, dying civilisations and loss. A large chunk of characters are dead towards the end of the book. However, there is a resilience to all the characters that makes it possible to believe they will eventually find a way out. It might be because the author is British but all the characters have a stoic, stiff upper lip approach to situations which makes even the darkest segments of the book immensely enjoyable. The dialogue is witty, snappy and fluid - more importantly, it's distinctive in a sense and tailor made to each character. Atrocities, when they are committed are mentioned but not described in detail. This seems to be a more effective method of conveying the horrors of war. I have seen fantasy where rape and murder are described to a distasteful degree under the excuse of realism. Tchaikovsky actually doesn't indulge in voyeurism which significantly increased the emotional impact when bad things eventually DID happen. (Basically books 4 and 10)
A standard fantasy talks about heroism in the face of darkness with a well demarcated line between good and evil. SOTA takes a different tack. While set in a fictional world the themes are often all too relevant. The novels are given over to varied themes - whether duty to oneself comes over and above duty to the city state, are we willing to enslave others so that we may be free, the struggle between the old world and new, between science and superstition. There are also deeper questions about the creation of weapons of war and deterrents- does an inventor take pride in a weapon that has been created solely for killing, and if he is horrified what mental toll does this take? The stark contrast between killing a person yourself and ordering the deaths of hundreds in a mechanised attack is also touched upon. The question asked of a lot of the artificers in this series is whether they feel war has allowed them progress and innovation and whether, coming on the heel of the human cost, this innovation is worth it. A lot of the characters might answer yes. The beauty in Tchaikovsky's characters lies in how easy it is to understand if not exactly sympathise this point of view.
Over the course of the series, we are also treated to innovation and how it can change the face of war. Ranged weapons are deployed against an unarmed infantry, submersibles are invented out of necessity and there is an entire book devoted to an Air War that brings to mind the Battle of Britain and the RAF during World War II. This mechanical progress is a plot point which drives the book forward. The enemy improvising and modifying weapons while the defenders need to think on their feet to win the war and vice versa.
The only criticism I might want to level against this series is that it seems a little too dry at times.Tchaikovsky's prose is fluid, and wonderful on page. However, at times, it fails to convey the images necessary to visualise the world around. I am an extremely visual reader, by which I mean that I enjoy building the environment around me. Tchaikovsky was adequate to this task but I wanted more. However, I choose not to reduce any points for this - This is Tchaikovsky's first work. A ten volume series which serves as a nuanced account of the wages of war in a fantasy world. It is rare for anyone to get something THIS RIGHT on the first round and I am sure he will only get better as he continues to write more.
The SOTA is unlike any fantasy I have read in a long long time - nuanced, with wonderful characterisation, multiple plot threads and points of view and absolutely no narrative drag. It begins, builds to a crescendo and ends almost perfectly. I don't recommend this to just lovers of fantasy but to all lovers of good literature. Don't turn your nose down on this, you won't be disappointed.
October 14, 2023
La storia torna ad alzare il livello, e in un modo inaspettato...
L'azione è divisa un po' in tutto il mondo, con Collugium che per sopravvivere cerca di aprire quanti più fronti di guerra può contro l'Impero.
L'Impero però sembra una macchina inarrestabile, capace di triturate tutto e tutti nella sua costante e imprescindibile spinta espansionistica.
Seguiamo tantissimi fili diversi, ma tutti legati dalla stessa finalità e dalla stessa mano che li ha tessuti.
E pur essendo solo al quarto volume di questa lunga serie, ci ritroveremo a stupirci per una discreta serie di morti eccellenti, e di colpi di scena francamente inaspettati che fanno soprassedere su alcune piccole ingenuità.
Un bel passo avanti per questa serie, chissà cosa potrà succedere adesso...
Totho comunque mi continua a risultare insopportabile.
E resto un po' perplesso da una quasi love story accennata e fortunatamente abortita subito.
Ma un ottimo volume, che lascia il mondo aperto per il proseguio.
L'azione è divisa un po' in tutto il mondo, con Collugium che per sopravvivere cerca di aprire quanti più fronti di guerra può contro l'Impero.
L'Impero però sembra una macchina inarrestabile, capace di triturate tutto e tutti nella sua costante e imprescindibile spinta espansionistica.
Seguiamo tantissimi fili diversi, ma tutti legati dalla stessa finalità e dalla stessa mano che li ha tessuti.
E pur essendo solo al quarto volume di questa lunga serie, ci ritroveremo a stupirci per una discreta serie di morti eccellenti, e di colpi di scena francamente inaspettati che fanno soprassedere su alcune piccole ingenuità.
Un bel passo avanti per questa serie, chissà cosa potrà succedere adesso...
Totho comunque mi continua a risultare insopportabile.
E resto un po' perplesso da una quasi love story accennata e fortunatamente abortita subito.
Ma un ottimo volume, che lascia il mondo aperto per il proseguio.
August 27, 2025
Through the first 4 books in this series, I feel like each book has been better than the last. The emotion has continued to build, and the stakes keep getting bigger and bigger. I am so enamored with this world, and the whole concept behind the people and the magic. It is just fascinating, and I give all the credit to Mr. Tchaikovsky for coming up with such a unique and believable world. This book 4 was just terrific as I was on the edge of my seat pretty much the whole time. I’m going to be sad to step away from this part of the story and begin a new part, but I look forward to it. I’m amazed to not hear more people talking about this series.
July 23, 2024
10/10
Complex, intriguing, heart-breaking…The author explores the savagery, heroism, horror, and tragedy of war; the bonds of friendship, fellowship, and shared experiences; the power of tradition, of fear, of ambition, and of honor and love. It’s all here. Well-written, although I could do with less detail of battles and duels.
The ending feels like a pause for breath in this 10-book series. It will be interesting to see where the story goes next!
Complex, intriguing, heart-breaking…The author explores the savagery, heroism, horror, and tragedy of war; the bonds of friendship, fellowship, and shared experiences; the power of tradition, of fear, of ambition, and of honor and love. It’s all here. Well-written, although I could do with less detail of battles and duels.
The ending feels like a pause for breath in this 10-book series. It will be interesting to see where the story goes next!
April 5, 2010
From the very beginning, this series has been amazing. The characters are real, three dimensional people with loves and fears and concerns. The setting is diverse and EXPANSIVE - so much so, that at times, it's difficult to keep track of where everything is.
There are men of honor, there are men with no honor, with greed, some with integrity and principles...
The fourth book brings to a conclusion a huge number of plot lines that have run throughout the first three volumes. It could, possibly, end the series here and leave a reader feeling well satisfied. But there is an inevitability to the ending... war is inevitable. Always, inevitable.
I can't say enough good things about the book without giving more of it away. It is very fast paced, aggressive in its resolutions of each plot line without stagnating or ever leaving you wondering about events for too long.
Be forewarned - some of your favorite characters are going to die. Some of the worst villains will survive - if you can't handle character death as a part of the plot line, you won't like this book.
There are men of honor, there are men with no honor, with greed, some with integrity and principles...
The fourth book brings to a conclusion a huge number of plot lines that have run throughout the first three volumes. It could, possibly, end the series here and leave a reader feeling well satisfied. But there is an inevitability to the ending... war is inevitable. Always, inevitable.
I can't say enough good things about the book without giving more of it away. It is very fast paced, aggressive in its resolutions of each plot line without stagnating or ever leaving you wondering about events for too long.
Be forewarned - some of your favorite characters are going to die. Some of the worst villains will survive - if you can't handle character death as a part of the plot line, you won't like this book.
March 5, 2022
This was an absurdly good climax to the first 4-book arc of the series. I couldn't put it down for the life of me, and I was on the edge of my seat nearly the entire time. Tchaikovsky managed to interweave the climaxes happening in about 5 different locations just tremendously well, and the ending to most of them really blew me away -- both in terms of impact and unpredictability. The very end left some great avenues open for where things go from here, and I'm so pumped for it.
This type of accessible, fast-paced fantasy with lots of high-stakes action and characters you care about all around the map is really my jam, and I can't wait to resume the series when the new trade paperbacks for the next bunch come in soon.
If you like John Gwynne's books in particular, I can't imagine not loving these too since they have such a similar style. Shadows of the Apt is unique though in how it blends together very realistic industrial revolution era Earth elements with extraordinarily creative fantastic/magical elements -- there's definitely nothing like it that I've read!
This type of accessible, fast-paced fantasy with lots of high-stakes action and characters you care about all around the map is really my jam, and I can't wait to resume the series when the new trade paperbacks for the next bunch come in soon.
If you like John Gwynne's books in particular, I can't imagine not loving these too since they have such a similar style. Shadows of the Apt is unique though in how it blends together very realistic industrial revolution era Earth elements with extraordinarily creative fantastic/magical elements -- there's definitely nothing like it that I've read!
October 2, 2021
Salute the dark indeed: that was very intense, and maybe I am still reeling from the way things wrapped up but I think this is my favourite book in the Apt series so far. It's really impressive how focused this book feels, even though in terms of POV characters, locations, plot threads and all-out action, it's careening all over the place at high speed. And the scope of the series as a whole is just a LOT: there are a ton of characters all struggling against something that is big and dark and scary for them, be that an external foe or a self-reckoning (or both!) and meanwhile every major location is caught up in the horrors of war and there's action and politics and personal drama aplenty. And yet it's not messy, it's confidently told, and even when things get brutally painful or sad, I find it a pleasure to read. So: another good one of these - I hope they just keep getting better - and big shout-out to Thalric for always surprising me.
February 25, 2016
This is rapidly turning into one of my favourite fantasy series that I've read. It's not quite a full five though, more like a 4.5 - but if you haven't already read the Shadows of the Apt series then you really should be.
June 19, 2025
I am enjoying this series so much. This is number 4 out of (I think) 12. Here we got to travel with our bug friends across the Commonweal and get to know the world in more detail. Basically the wasp empire has finally come to a standstill, and we have lost some major characters who got a really well-deserved emotional arc. It's hard to write a review of this without spoilers. While the plot is not anything new-- Empire vs. Resistance, the world-building and characters are all the creativity and uniqueness of Tchaikovsky with enough steroids to make up for any semblance of sameness with anything else. This never feels like just another empire. We are getting emotional arcs for several characters that I'm invested in, and getting to know the different species of kinden much better, plus the writing is addictive, I just love the rhythm and style.
July 9, 2012
Books 1 and 3: Four stars.
Books 2 and 4: Three stars.
What does it all mean?! It means: I liked this series. It was fun. Swords and magic were wielded, and adventures were had. Peeps fought, bled, hurt, lost, died, and triumphed. Tchaikovsky proves himself to be adept (dare I say: apt) at combining his ideas with established fantasy fiction conventions and creating a story that is worth reading for entertainment that one has never before experienced--such as entertainment of the aerial-warfare-with-giant-bugs-and-flying-people-and-swords-and-magic-and-steampunk-aeroplanes-and-gatling-guns variety. And that is just one example of some of the crazy-talk that Tchaikovsky pours into the genre.
So, having read the first four books that comprise the first cycle of a projected 10 books (and guess what: Tchaikovsky has already finished the first draft of the final volume! The man works hard!), I want to say "Thank you for all of the fun" and "To be continued--some day." Hell, book five is sitting on my to-read shelf right now, leering at me with its big, fat spine. "Oh the secrets I hold!"
Books 2 and 4: Three stars.
What does it all mean?! It means: I liked this series. It was fun. Swords and magic were wielded, and adventures were had. Peeps fought, bled, hurt, lost, died, and triumphed. Tchaikovsky proves himself to be adept (dare I say: apt) at combining his ideas with established fantasy fiction conventions and creating a story that is worth reading for entertainment that one has never before experienced--such as entertainment of the aerial-warfare-with-giant-bugs-and-flying-people-and-swords-and-magic-and-steampunk-aeroplanes-and-gatling-guns variety. And that is just one example of some of the crazy-talk that Tchaikovsky pours into the genre.
So, having read the first four books that comprise the first cycle of a projected 10 books (and guess what: Tchaikovsky has already finished the first draft of the final volume! The man works hard!), I want to say "Thank you for all of the fun" and "To be continued--some day." Hell, book five is sitting on my to-read shelf right now, leering at me with its big, fat spine. "Oh the secrets I hold!"
August 6, 2023
I confirm the love for the world, the stakes, the characters and that the death(s) have actually bothered me and left a (bookish) mark.
This book does a lot with the idea of uprising and David vs Goliath. Just wonderful; so much so that this time, the read is a full 5-star read.
And then I find myself wanting to know more of certain aspects of this world: how did the mosquito-kinden become so unknown? Where are other butterfly-kinden? I want to explore the Spider kinden (and I am starting to wonder if this experience would be similar to Menzoberranzan and the spider queen, Lolth?) and I want to see more of their world! What about Cesta's kinden? This world is so vast and I am not sure we will get the right amount of information to know it all!
- - -
I genuinely love this world, the characters and their stories.
It was quite a short book but pretty brutal and key to the development of the story going forward.
I mourned in this book though. I did not expect that to be a possibility yet it was.
I am also curious about the new “power couple” with Totho being one of the members.
This book genuinely twisted the plot in a way that almost a brand new series is starting!
This book does a lot with the idea of uprising and David vs Goliath. Just wonderful; so much so that this time, the read is a full 5-star read.
And then I find myself wanting to know more of certain aspects of this world: how did the mosquito-kinden become so unknown? Where are other butterfly-kinden? I want to explore the Spider kinden (and I am starting to wonder if this experience would be similar to Menzoberranzan and the spider queen, Lolth?) and I want to see more of their world! What about Cesta's kinden? This world is so vast and I am not sure we will get the right amount of information to know it all!
- - -
I genuinely love this world, the characters and their stories.
It was quite a short book but pretty brutal and key to the development of the story going forward.
I mourned in this book though. I did not expect that to be a possibility yet it was.
I am also curious about the new “power couple” with Totho being one of the members.
This book genuinely twisted the plot in a way that almost a brand new series is starting!
September 5, 2022
This book gave me GOOSEBUMPS!
What an epic ending to the first cycle of Shadows of the Apt.
If someone had told me that a war fantasy would become one of my favourite series, I would not have believed them. But I guess when the writing is good, you can be surprised and fall in love hopelessly with unexpected authors... I mean books!
In this one, the structure felt a bit chaotic at times but somehow it worked really well for me, in a way symbolising the chaos of war, as well as people's emotions and struggles. All characters got their share of the spotlight, as the point of view often shifted. It kept me on my toes until it blew my mind with a blazing finale.
Granted, I have only read the three previous books in this series and Children of time, but I am already convinced that Tchaikovsky can do no wrong by me.
Needless to say, I cannot wait to continue with the second part of the series (Books 5 through 10).
"All things reach the end of their journey, be they trees, insects, people or even principalities. All things die so that others may take their place. To die is no tragedy. The tragedy is dying with a purpose unfulfilled."
What an epic ending to the first cycle of Shadows of the Apt.
If someone had told me that a war fantasy would become one of my favourite series, I would not have believed them. But I guess when the writing is good, you can be surprised and fall in love hopelessly with unexpected authors... I mean books!
In this one, the structure felt a bit chaotic at times but somehow it worked really well for me, in a way symbolising the chaos of war, as well as people's emotions and struggles. All characters got their share of the spotlight, as the point of view often shifted. It kept me on my toes until it blew my mind with a blazing finale.
Granted, I have only read the three previous books in this series and Children of time, but I am already convinced that Tchaikovsky can do no wrong by me.
Needless to say, I cannot wait to continue with the second part of the series (Books 5 through 10).
"All things reach the end of their journey, be they trees, insects, people or even principalities. All things die so that others may take their place. To die is no tragedy. The tragedy is dying with a purpose unfulfilled."
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