Book 1 of Shadows of the Apt
Rating: 4 out of 5
Adrian Tchaikovsky’s real name is Adrian Czajkowski (pronounced the same way). It was thought that the Polish spelling of his name would confuse potential readers and so his surname was given its Latinized spelling. Whatever… this reviewer always thought that it is a good story that always attracts readers and not how an author spells his name, especially if the new pseudonym seems to borrow from a famous classical Russian composer. But if you have a story as good as Tchaikovsky’s first offering, Empire in Black and Gold, you can spell your name any way you want.
The Wasp Empire is on the march. They have just conquered the city of Myna and are now poised to invade the Lowlands. One man, Stenwold Maker, who just escaped the fall of the city, has decided to make the detriment of the plans of the Wasp Empire his life’s work. He becomes a member of the council of the city of Collegium where he tries to spread his warnings against the coming catastrophe. The problem? No one believes him. It has now been 20 years since the fall of Myna and the Wasps seem to have their attention elsewhere.
But Stenwold is sure they are coming. He has established a school which he can use as a vehicle to teach students of the dangers of the Wasps and find suitable recruits for a spy network he also planted within the Lowlands. But the enemy knows this and is now making plans to eliminate Stenwold lest someone starts to believe him, because the time has indeed come for them to make their move. This forces Stenwold to send four of his most cherished students into the jaws of danger, possibly never to see them alive again.
Looking at the plot, one wouldn’t be faulted for thinking this is another one of those “evil empire invades peaceful land threatening to engulf the place into a dark age” kind of story, and the thought would probably be right. But Tchaikovsky capably manages to bring a fresh look into this story and present something new. Tchaikovsky’s concept presents a world not of dwarves and elves and any of the usual fantasy creatures. In his world, humans (or human-like creatures) have developed in ways that they have acquired features and characteristics that are similar to insects. Hence, each community (or race) of these people seem to be classified according to their “totem” insects with their own unique characteristics.
There are the Beetle-kinden, who are tough as well as great artificiers (machine-makers). The Spider-kinden are known for their beauty and their deadly subtlety and decetifulness. The Dragonfly-kinden are graceful flyers and exceptional archers. The Ant-kinden are great fighters and are capable of linking minds which they use to perfectly coordinate their actions. The Mantis-kinden are the best individual fighters in the world. The Moth-kinden are night-fighters and the only remaining practitioners of the art of sorcery (if it ever was real). And, of course, the Wasp-kinden, the story’s antagonists, who are ferocious warriors of great number and posses a deadly “sting” in the form of some sort of plasma blasting from their hands. There are more of these kinden, and they are presented in the book.
The world is also not your usual medieval-flavored fantasy world of fairies, dragons and wizards. This is a world were early scientific technology has begun to appear and the kindens are subdivided into the “inapt” – who once ruled most of the lands but who can’t understand the concepts of technology which is the cause of their downfall; and the “apt” – former subjects who because of their proficiency in technology are able to break the bonds of subjection and rise as powerful city-states. It has elements of steampunk and more. There are gunpowder weapons, repeating bolt guns, airships, single-wing flyers, automotive “walkers” and electric-powered trains. And magic is practiced by a few and is disbelieved by the vast majority as nonexistent.
It is a world that is unique and fascinating, but that in itself isn’t just the reason why this book is good. Adrian Tchaikovsky creates a story that is well-thought, and quite interesting. The story has a good pace and easy to read; the action scenes are quite exciting. One can easily get immersed in the story and before one knows it, the reader is halfway through the book.
However, as good as the story is, the main strong point is the characters. Well-rounded and quite alive, they have well-defined strengths and weaknesses that readers will find themselves able to relate to all of them, including the main antagonist of the story, Captain Thalric, who is probably the most interesting and sympathetic persona, if one can say such things for story antagonists (but then again, George R.R. Martin made a living of doing just that).
The bad part? Sometimes the reader might wish there was more information and background on the world Tchaikovsky has created, because interestingly enough the author offers nothing in this book with regards to distant history, culture or society structure of each of the kindens (at least in this book, there are five more books coming up), making his world seem a little bit “shallow” without any soul. But the story isn’t finished yet, so we may get more data in later installments.
Tchaikovsky has made a quite commendable effort for Empire in Black and Gold as an initial work. With an easy-to-read style, fascinating concept and great characters, he gives readers something to look forward to in the coming months and years as the Shadows of the Apt series unfolds. Another good news? Book Two is out almost at the same time as Book One and it seems that readers do not have long to wait before the succeeding books hit the stands. Always a plus for any epic fantasy writer.
