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Ivan

https://www.goodreads.com/nightflier

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Ivan is Currently Reading

Ivan is currently reading

The Tiger and the Wolf (Echoes of the Fall, #1)

by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: 2016, favorites, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in February 2016

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Ivan said: " I've read Shadows of Apt series by Adrian Tchaikovsky and back then I was impressed by the originality of his world building and quite interested in a weird steampunk-ish military fantasy he created. Nevertheless, I felt that his writing was a little I've read Shadows of Apt series by Adrian Tchaikovsky and back then I was impressed by the originality of his world building and quite interested in a weird steampunk-ish military fantasy he created. Nevertheless, I felt that his writing was a little clunky and his characterization lacking in some ways. Overall, I gave the series 3/5 stars.

The Tiger and the Wolf is another story entirely. This novel is beautifully written - it's structure crafted to perfection, it's sentences sometimes borderline lyrical and never heavy-handed. This is a language of an A-list author who has mastered his craft.

Another thing about this novel is that this one of the rare non-eurocentric fantasies that I've enjoyed. Although we are all aware that there is more to human history and mythology than medieval Europe, and Western Europe at that, this knowledge is for some reason quite hard to translate into good fantasy story. The Tiger and the Wolf manages this feat just fine, and takes the reader to a multi-ethnic human world (I strongly suspect that experience of writing the Shadows of Apt series came handy) on the brink of Iron Age. Protagonists are of all possible skin colors - and once again we have something rarely achieved: People of color in a fantasy novel, but without anything jarring or smacking of some current political agenda. These characters feel integral to the world and the immanent conflict of world views between various characters of various skin tones is described perfectly, normally and without a hint of what would we now call racism. The novel is an anthropological marvel in this regard, since it's gifted with self-awareness that the skin tone is the source of otherness, and otherness is a source of conflict - but this conflict is born not out of prejudice but out of lack of understanding. Once again, a view point completely lacking in modern storytelling and a way to approach an extremely sensitive topic in a way that is elegant and above everything else - humane.

With the same grace Tchaikovsky takes on other issues that plague modern society, such as child abuse, patriarchal society norms and misogyny, gender issues (and even transgender issues) and a host of other topics. It's almost bewildering that he managed to cram all of that into single novel.

In a way, this one is YA novel. In a way - it's not. Let me explain.

Since the world-wide success of Hunger games, we are exposed to a flood of YA series that are quite formulistic, and more than often lackluster. The Tiger and the Wolf has all the paradigms of an YA novel: A young female protagonist, strong authoritarian figures to rebel against, somewhat dystopian society (there are hint of that throughout the novel), and personal growth and empowerment of the heroine. What this novel lacks are the cliches of YA novels: no love triangles, no cheap theatrics, no artificial drama. But it bears the message of emancipation, loud and clear, which is something that large number of more popular YA novels fails to achieve.

The Tiger and the Wolf is a perfect blend of YA with heroic fantasy. It is suitable epic and just enough grim for mature readers, but still approachable enough for the younger ones. This is really a masterpiece of fantasy literature, worthy of World Fantasy Award. ...more "

Feb 24, 2016 01:58AM · see review

Ivan is currently reading

Zagor n. 168: La tribù scomparsa

by Guido Nolitta

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Apr 21, 2026 12:54PM

Ivan is currently reading

Winter's Reach (Revanche Cycle, #1)

by Craig Schaefer (Goodreads Author)

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Apr 16, 2026 05:22PM

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Ivan’s Quotes

“Read the books you love, tell people about authors you like, and don’t worry about it.”
― Neil Gaiman

63 likes

“Sometimes it is hard because we have to make choices. I remember when having to make choices scared me more than anything else except Master being angry with me. Now I know that making choices is the price of being free.”
― Adrian Tchaikovsky, Dogs of War

tags: choices, freedom

16 likes

“This is why magic is worse even than quantum physics. Because, while both spit in the eye of common sense, I've never yet had a Higgs bosun turn up and try to have a conversation with me.”
― Ben Aaronovitch, Whispers Under Ground

tags: magic, physics

56 likes

“Children are dying."
Lull nodded. "That's a succinct summary of humankind, I'd say. Who needs tomes and volumes of history? Children are dying. The injustices of the world hide in those three words.”
― Steven Erikson, Deadhouse Gates

816 likes

“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
― Steve Jobs

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