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A review by rhysciar
Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky
adventurous
challenging
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
Absolutely loved it. I ate this book up. It was ridiculously fun! First it has this awesome and unique worldbuilding, where every nation is resembled to a bug. For example there are the Beetle kinden, the Ant kinden, the Wasp kinden... every one of them has a unique set of talents and skills, some of them can fly, some of them can see in the dark, some of them are apted to machine work, some of them are just plain idiot when it comes to a simple mechanical lock... it's just genius. I knew Tchaikovsky loves bugs, but in this book it's clear to see, and clear how he enjoys making the different kind of species into humans.
Also the plot is great too, if not a bit clichéd. There's this ruthless Empire, and our main hero, Stenwold is the only one who knows that the Empire will one day attack the cities no matter how hard they would deny that. Nobody believes him, so he has to oppose the Empire in his own way: he spies, and sends his agents throughout the Empire. And when he sends out his newest agents, Salma, Tynisa, Totho and Che, we get to follow them, and explore the world Tchaikovsky built up.
I loved this book, and I'm disappointed in myself that I only picked this up now. I always wanted to read this book for years now, and I was a bit hesitant. I thought I wouldn't like it. Tchaikovsky is a hit or miss for me, but this novel was epic. There are a lot of fight scenes, which he handles greatly, and the plot is acting out fast. We doesn't really have any slow burning pages, it's action after action, and I loved it. My only concern is that I wish Tchaikovsky would be more ruthless with his characters, a little bit of torture or pain, or death wouldn't be a sad thing to see. I think it would add some spice in the book.
All in all, I really think this a great book, and I look forward to continue it.
Also the plot is great too, if not a bit clichéd. There's this ruthless Empire, and our main hero, Stenwold is the only one who knows that the Empire will one day attack the cities no matter how hard they would deny that. Nobody believes him, so he has to oppose the Empire in his own way: he spies, and sends his agents throughout the Empire. And when he sends out his newest agents, Salma, Tynisa, Totho and Che, we get to follow them, and explore the world Tchaikovsky built up.
I loved this book, and I'm disappointed in myself that I only picked this up now. I always wanted to read this book for years now, and I was a bit hesitant. I thought I wouldn't like it. Tchaikovsky is a hit or miss for me, but this novel was epic. There are a lot of fight scenes, which he handles greatly, and the plot is acting out fast. We doesn't really have any slow burning pages, it's action after action, and I loved it. My only concern is that I wish Tchaikovsky would be more ruthless with his characters, a little bit of torture or pain, or death wouldn't be a sad thing to see. I think it would add some spice in the book.
All in all, I really think this a great book, and I look forward to continue it.