A review by rhysciar
Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky
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.