Scan barcode
darkskybooks's review against another edition
4.0
I think insects are under represented in fantasy. Yes, you get your tropey Giant Spiders, but other insects really are not so present. Adrian Tchaikovsky is on a mission to change that. Shadows of the Apt is almost a fantasy celebration of insects. Here we come across different insect 'Kinden'. The Kinden are all humans, but each has abilities linked to a specific arthropod, be it Beatle, Mantis, Spider, Wasp etc... These are further divided into 'apt' and 'inapt' - those who can use machines and those who can use magic. This all has combined into an incredibly layered and fascinatingly realized world.
Empire in Black and Gold opens this story up with a shadow brewing in the East - the Wasp Kinden, hyper-militaristic, are on the march. This is a very military focused novel - a lot of fighting goes on, spread over multiple cities and multiple points of view. The scale is certainly epic and whilst a lot goes on in the novel there is very much a sense that this is only the opening act to something much larger.
There is a lot of creativity here. The different Kinden are really fascinating and I really am intrigued to see where this goes. Some of the fighting was taken a bit to extremes, but the world built was so fascinating that it just kept drawing me in
Empire in Black and Gold opens this story up with a shadow brewing in the East - the Wasp Kinden, hyper-militaristic, are on the march. This is a very military focused novel - a lot of fighting goes on, spread over multiple cities and multiple points of view. The scale is certainly epic and whilst a lot goes on in the novel there is very much a sense that this is only the opening act to something much larger.
There is a lot of creativity here. The different Kinden are really fascinating and I really am intrigued to see where this goes. Some of the fighting was taken a bit to extremes, but the world built was so fascinating that it just kept drawing me in
bekah_beks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
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? No
5.0
uhtceara's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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? No
3.0
forroan's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75
I really like the different kinden and the characters but something kept me from fully connecting and feeling wowed by the book. I’m going to continue the series so it’s not that I didn’t like it, I’ve just read better I suppose.
sherwoodreads's review
I hadn't even known about this epic fantasy series, until a friend outside the USA mentioned it. The good thing about that is: all ten books in the series are out (though one or two are not published here yet), which means not having to wait, if the succeeding volumes entranced me as much as this first one did.
It has a zillion reviews, most of which give a general outline of the plot, and hint at the world building: basically a world of human-insect races, called kinden. Within some of these are clans, like the Ant-kinden, who fight each other when not menaced by outsiders, in this story arc, the imperialistic Wasps.
Tchaikovsky does what I thought a terrific job of developing his characters, young and old. The old ones are weighed down by experience, but still demonstrate vitality and drive, especially Stenwold Maker, the old, fat Beetle who mentored the four young kinden central to this story. When it looks like a Wasp assassin squad is coming after Stenwold and his group, he sends them ahead to safety--or what he assumed would be safety, and their adventures begin.
I loved all the characters, but especially Che, (Cheerwell Maker), Stenwold's niece. I wonder if the series is going to be centered around her, and I'll be more than fine with that if it is. She's so determinedly certain she knows how the world works, but that doesn't get in the way of her natural compassion as slowly her worldview gets hammered, and she herself falls into extreme danger.
The villains are as interesting as the protagonists, which is a rarity I treasure. I find it more difficult these days to stick with a book in which the villains are all torture and evil all the time. Unless you enjoy reading all that graphic misery, it can get tediously predictable. not that torture doesn't happen in this book, but I appreciated the way it was handled, and even more, I found the chief villain, Captain Thalric, interesting in his determined dedication to the empire. He is aware that that makes ethical and moral decisions moot: honor requires totally loyalty to the empire, even when carrying out utterly horrific orders. Except that certain memories will keep coming back at him.
Thalric reminds me a little of Rommel, without the Junker sense of aristocratic entitlement. But similar in that conviction that the military is the only calling for a man, which means your life is necessarily organized around war, and loyalty to the government being the dividing line between savagery and honor, which can come back to haunt you when it becomes increasingly clear that the government is run by seriously flawed humans whose power guarantees that their whims affect countless thousands.
Exiting chases, betrayals, battles, and moments of awe and a sense of numinous otherness filled the tale richly around characters I am excited to follow into their next adventure.
It has a zillion reviews, most of which give a general outline of the plot, and hint at the world building: basically a world of human-insect races, called kinden. Within some of these are clans, like the Ant-kinden, who fight each other when not menaced by outsiders, in this story arc, the imperialistic Wasps.
Tchaikovsky does what I thought a terrific job of developing his characters, young and old. The old ones are weighed down by experience, but still demonstrate vitality and drive, especially Stenwold Maker, the old, fat Beetle who mentored the four young kinden central to this story. When it looks like a Wasp assassin squad is coming after Stenwold and his group, he sends them ahead to safety--or what he assumed would be safety, and their adventures begin.
I loved all the characters, but especially Che, (Cheerwell Maker), Stenwold's niece. I wonder if the series is going to be centered around her, and I'll be more than fine with that if it is. She's so determinedly certain she knows how the world works, but that doesn't get in the way of her natural compassion as slowly her worldview gets hammered, and she herself falls into extreme danger.
The villains are as interesting as the protagonists, which is a rarity I treasure. I find it more difficult these days to stick with a book in which the villains are all torture and evil all the time. Unless you enjoy reading all that graphic misery, it can get tediously predictable. not that torture doesn't happen in this book, but I appreciated the way it was handled, and even more, I found the chief villain, Captain Thalric, interesting in his determined dedication to the empire. He is aware that that makes ethical and moral decisions moot: honor requires totally loyalty to the empire, even when carrying out utterly horrific orders. Except that certain memories will keep coming back at him.
Thalric reminds me a little of Rommel, without the Junker sense of aristocratic entitlement. But similar in that conviction that the military is the only calling for a man, which means your life is necessarily organized around war, and loyalty to the government being the dividing line between savagery and honor, which can come back to haunt you when it becomes increasingly clear that the government is run by seriously flawed humans whose power guarantees that their whims affect countless thousands.
Exiting chases, betrayals, battles, and moments of awe and a sense of numinous otherness filled the tale richly around characters I am excited to follow into their next adventure.
agob187's review against another edition
3.0
I actually really liked this book and all of action, but was definitely craving more world-building and some finer details. It’s a huge series so hoping I get more with time. :)
billiams01's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
prs21376's review against another edition
5.0
I won't say too much because a few of my friends are still reading this as part of the Library of Allenxandria readalong. But this was a 5 star read for me. It had everything I love about epic fantasy. It contains a large cast of well-rounded and interesting characters, incredible worldbuilding, unique fantasy races, Art and magic, and a story that sucked me in from the very first chapter. Even though Allen's readalong is only covering the first 4 books, I already know I'm that all in for the entire 10 book series. I enjoyed this story that much. Definitely glad I picked this one up.
waheinz14's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
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? No
4.0