Empire in Black and Gold (Shadows of the Apt, #1) in Beyond Reality

Aug 15, 2021 Janny rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is an amazing start to a finished series. Topnotch intrigue and action, set against a complex backdrop with many races, a wide range of interests and motivations, with characters that are written with a superb touch - you care about all of them from the very start. There are no cardboard villains, quite the opposite, from the traitors to the 'bad guys' each one is presented with credible motivations, unanswered mysteries of character, adding up to incredible depth and scope.

The execution is ...more

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Sep 01, 2021 Carrie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, steampunk, bugs, under-rated

Damnnnn

That was something I didn't know I needed. ...more

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Jul 03, 2010 Jeffrey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy, read-in-2010

The idea of this novel, human beings who are descended or who take talents from insects is a great conceit borne of a superior imagination. Like the Wasps who are the enemy in this technological fantasy sf mix, the author gives it wings and we fly along pulled inexorably skyward. The Mantis are great warriors, the spider kindin schemers, the Beetle Kindin makers and the Butterfly kindin are dancers, but all are endowed with their heritage, and their ancestor art.

The story is a good one too. Ste The idea of this novel, human beings who are descended or who take talents from insects is a great conceit borne of a superior imagination. Like the Wasps who are the enemy in this technological fantasy sf mix, the author gives it wings and we fly along pulled inexorably skyward. The Mantis are great warriors, the spider kindin schemers, the Beetle Kindin makers and the Butterfly kindin are dancers, but all are endowed with their heritage, and their ancestor art.

The story is a good one too. Stenwold Maker, a Beetle, last fought the Wasp Empire 17 years before when it took the city of Myna. Now he lives at the Collegium, a city founded by the Lowland peoples of all races but mostly run by Beetles, who are artisans and artificers, makers of technology and builders, who cast off their oppressors the Moth Kindin years before in a revolution by using their minds and thoughts to build weapons.

Sten has railed to the other Makers that the Wasp Empire is poised to sweep into the Lowlands where the Collegium is located and enslave his people, but is not listened to. The Wasps are all soldiers who kill and enslave any who stand in their path using their military might and their stinger -- which is a like a laser beam from their body.

The Wasps however have sent "ambassadors" to meet with the Beetle lords in their city of Collegium and Sten scenting a threat and fending off an attack by Wasp agents, has sent his ward a spider kin Tanisa, a dragonfly lord Salma, his niece Che and and a half breed maker apprentice Totho to another city in the Lowlands to join Sten's agents in place. Salma, Che, Tanisa and Totho make a daring escape in a dirigible but are attacked on the way and while two escape, two are captured by Thralic a conflicted Wasp agent who works for a secret society that runs the Wasp Empire - the Rekefs, who takes the two captured ones northward to Myna.

Meanwhile Sten joins up with the other two and old comrades from his youth and journeys north to Myna to free the captives.

Later Sten must try to thwart Thralic's daring plan to end the war in one quick audacious blow.

There are fighting and perils for all and Tchaikovsky never misses a beat in this militaristic fantasy/sf mix that is sure to intrigue fans. There are two other novels out there already, and I am sure I will read them also by the end of the year.

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Feb 14, 2010 Justin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, own

I’ll be honest; I struggled with the beginning of this book. I even tried to pass it off to other reviewers. I felt that I wasn’t jiving with the whole premise. I kept reading because I recognized quality writing and hoped that in itself would endear me to the story. Well, it did. I was so glad I didn’t set this one down. Adrian Tchaikovsky’s characters and world grew on me and I finished the last ¾ of the book in half the time it took me to read the first ¼.

Empire in Black and Gold, at its hear I’ll be honest; I struggled with the beginning of this book. I even tried to pass it off to other reviewers. I felt that I wasn’t jiving with the whole premise. I kept reading because I recognized quality writing and hoped that in itself would endear me to the story. Well, it did. I was so glad I didn’t set this one down. Adrian Tchaikovsky’s characters and world grew on me and I finished the last ¾ of the book in half the time it took me to read the first ¼.

Empire in Black and Gold, at its heart, is very much an epic fantasy. You have a band of heroes from various backgrounds coming together on a quest to stop the conquest of a brutal warrior race, hell-bent on destroying everything in their path. There are sword fights, magic, and exotic beauties. To these classic tropes, Tchaikovsky adds steam engines, flying machines, universities, and the sciences. It’s the weird mix of epic fantasy and more modern elements that gave me such a hard time at the start.

The world Tchaikovsky creates is complex. All the myriad races that inhabit his world are based on a kindred insect. For example: Mantis Kinden are a proud and lean fighting race. They have spurs of bone that protrude from their arms. They are genetically predisposed to blood lust, which gives them special abilities. Beetle Kinden are smart and good with their hands. They can sometimes even fly and see in the dark. These abilities are not necessarily magic, but gained through genetic heritage and a form of meditation. The line between “natural abilities achieved via meditation” and “magic” is confusing and not exactly clear. That may have been the author’s intention, since many of this world’s inhabitants do not acknowledge magic at all. Sprouting wings and firing balls of energy are perfectly acceptable, but scrying and mind reading are just not within the realm of their logic. All these concepts are thrown at the reader right at the start, so it can be difficult at first to get into the flow of the novel. But once you get past the initial learning curve of Tchaikovsky’s world, Empire in Black and Gold turns out to be a wonderfully unique and exciting place to be.

The characters are as diverse as the races they belong to. They each carry with them the baggage of their heritage, but as the story progresses they each grow and change based on the experiences they encounter. I found myself frustrated by the beetle’s lack of imagination, and frightened by the mantis’ lust for violence. These challenges grow the characters in emotional and surprisingly physical ways.

If you are growing a little tired of the medieval sword-and-sorcery style fantasy world, you should certainly give Empire in Black and Gold a read. It’s a unique piece, and the beginning of an ongoing series. I found it enjoyable and believe that most any fan of epic fantasy will find something to like here. The story is continued in Dragonfly Falling, which is due to release in the States this April.

www.fantasyliterature.com.

You can also learn more about Tchaikovsky's books at the Fantasyliterature Tchaikovsky's page ...more

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Jun 11, 2013 Cody rated it really liked it

I liked this better on a re-read than I did on my first trip through. Maybe because I'm now familiar with the insect/bug-kinden concept and am just enjoying reading about all of their powers unfold during the plot all over again.

It has problems, sure. The writing is clunky at times and this means fight scenes aren't the easiest to follow. The structure is a little strange in that there seem to be multiple climaxes, but they are a bit too far apart from each other, so it feels like two books slam ...more

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May 30, 2009 Ken marked it as to-read

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Aug 26, 2009 Antonio marked it as to-read

Shelves: fantasy

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Oct 07, 2009 Shellie (Layers of Thought) marked it as to-read

Shelves: spec-fic-fant-epic-or-high

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Oct 29, 2009 Stephen marked it as to-read

Shelves: war-sff, 2006-2010, fantasy, on-deck-circle, epic

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Apr 27, 2010 seak marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own-to-read

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Sep 16, 2016 Tommy Erhardtsen rated it it was amazing

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Dec 12, 2015 Michelle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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Sep 30, 2016 Deedee marked it as to-read

Shelves: fantasy, epic-fantasy, year-2008, series-1st, title-has-5-words-or-more, e2, published-in-07july, e2-no-articles, a3, title-periodic-table-element

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