shermansays's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
untitledlullaby's review against another edition
4.0
4/5 for the great concept and the story. Writing a bit stiff.
aneton's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
reidymartin's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
llmacrae's review against another edition
4.0
My first Tchaikovsky!!
I own several books by him - either firsts in longer series or standalones - and one of my reading goals is to read them all, decide which ones I like best, and continue reading those. As Elder Race is a novella, I thought it would be a good place to start!
It is a sci-fi/fantasy blend, which isn’t always to my taste, but worked extremely well here. There are alternating POV chapters with our two main characters - one is firmly fantasy and the other is firmly sci fi, and I really loved the blend. From language and translation miscommunication, formalities, culture, meaning, emotion, all of it is brilliant!
The writing is sensational and I absolutely loved it. Certain parts became very dark, almost horror-adjacent, which made the stakes feel all the greater.
I loved the world-building, the clear nods to a bigger world/culture than the one we see for 200 pages, and how epic it feels.
My only gripe is the ending. While it is well-written, I found it a bit unsatisfactory with several questions still unanswered (and I was very much looking forward to these answers as I read as it was a big part of the mystery), however it was a very enjoyable read!
I own several books by him - either firsts in longer series or standalones - and one of my reading goals is to read them all, decide which ones I like best, and continue reading those. As Elder Race is a novella, I thought it would be a good place to start!
It is a sci-fi/fantasy blend, which isn’t always to my taste, but worked extremely well here. There are alternating POV chapters with our two main characters - one is firmly fantasy and the other is firmly sci fi, and I really loved the blend. From language and translation miscommunication, formalities, culture, meaning, emotion, all of it is brilliant!
The writing is sensational and I absolutely loved it. Certain parts became very dark, almost horror-adjacent, which made the stakes feel all the greater.
I loved the world-building, the clear nods to a bigger world/culture than the one we see for 200 pages, and how epic it feels.
My only gripe is the ending. While it is well-written, I found it a bit unsatisfactory with several questions still unanswered (and I was very much looking forward to these answers as I read as it was a big part of the mystery), however it was a very enjoyable read!
enbyglitch's review against another edition
5.0
Such a fun novella! I was a little skeptical at first - the famous quote about sufficiently advanced technology appearing as magic has certainly been explored before - but Tchaikovsky delivers wonderfully.
I love the human moments between the characters, and the nuances of language shaping their interactions.
Absolutely adore the idea of the 'demon' which ultimately appears magical to even Nyr. Curious whether this could be in the same setting as Children of Time.
I love the human moments between the characters, and the nuances of language shaping their interactions.
Absolutely adore the idea of the 'demon' which ultimately appears magical to even Nyr. Curious whether this could be in the same setting as Children of Time.
aaronmjnoy's review against another edition
4.0
Even though he churns out about three books a year, Tchaikovsky always has some interesting concepts in his books, especially when it comes to clashes of culture or technology. This had a lot in it for a novella and was an enjoyable little thing.
rhysciar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I remember watching a booktuber talking about this book after it was released. She said she didn't really like this, and since then, I was curious. I was also hesitant to pick this up because of what she said. Which is bs if you ask me, because first: she's never read anything from Tchaikovsky before, and this was her first story by him; second, I didn't really like her.
So right now, I'm furious at myself. I loved this story. It has everything I adore in fiction books: a mix of both sci-fi and fantasy elements; likeable characters; wizards and drones; weird alien entities, etc. What I find absolutely mind-boggling is how Tchaikovsky can write such great stories; and other times his works are absolute boredom. I can definitely say at this point that his books are a hit or miss, but this is what I love about his works.
Anyway, Nyr was the most human wizard of all, despite lacking the body for it. He had some great questions, great thoughts about life, and I loved the fact that he was depressed. The way Tchaikovksy presented us this mental illness was brilliant, and I would love this DCS stuff Nyr had with him to dampen his feelings. It would be great at times, but he did showed us how its use can backfire.
The world, and the worldbuilding was awesome too. I loved it. It reminded me of the video game Horizon Zero Dawn. A mixture of fantasy and sci-fi, of pre-medieval times and technology. Nyr said something very impressive and well stated stuff about magic and technology: if we don't understand how for example a laptop works, it might as well be magic, right? So yes, Tchaikovsky showed us that fantasy and sci-fi can live alongside, and they can be mixed perfectly.
What I lacked is the details. I would have loved a full length novel in this world, and that is my main problem with it. That it's only a short story. And the fact that we never got to know what was that 'demon', and what laid behind that arch. The ending is a bit open, and it doesn't give us the closure I would have wanted, but I guess this makes it even better? All in all, I regret not reading this before, because this story was great.
So right now, I'm furious at myself. I loved this story. It has everything I adore in fiction books: a mix of both sci-fi and fantasy elements; likeable characters; wizards and drones; weird alien entities, etc. What I find absolutely mind-boggling is how Tchaikovsky can write such great stories; and other times his works are absolute boredom. I can definitely say at this point that his books are a hit or miss, but this is what I love about his works.
Anyway, Nyr was the most human wizard of all, despite lacking the body for it. He had some great questions, great thoughts about life, and I loved the fact that he was depressed. The way Tchaikovksy presented us this mental illness was brilliant, and I would love this DCS stuff Nyr had with him to dampen his feelings. It would be great at times, but he did showed us how its use can backfire.
The world, and the worldbuilding was awesome too. I loved it. It reminded me of the video game Horizon Zero Dawn. A mixture of fantasy and sci-fi, of pre-medieval times and technology. Nyr said something very impressive and well stated stuff about magic and technology: if we don't understand how for example a laptop works, it might as well be magic, right? So yes, Tchaikovsky showed us that fantasy and sci-fi can live alongside, and they can be mixed perfectly.
What I lacked is the details. I would have loved a full length novel in this world, and that is my main problem with it. That it's only a short story. And the fact that we never got to know what was that 'demon', and what laid behind that arch. The ending is a bit open, and it doesn't give us the closure I would have wanted, but I guess this makes it even better? All in all, I regret not reading this before, because this story was great.
possibilityleft's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0