Reviews

Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky

simmonsj's review

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I did like most of this book of space travelling anthropologists and their impact on a more "primitive" society that has forgotten about scientific advances. I enjoyed the role of language - how even though they might be descendents of the same humans, the last Elder and the current humans have different words and different ways of expressing themselves. I enjoyed the idea of orality, how stories change with time and become a life of their own. I enjoyed the scientific aspects that come with a people able to travel the stars and keep people alive for generations. And I enjoyed the idea of anthropologists in space.

Nyr was a realistic character. Depressed from centuries alone but with scientific help to dampen his emotions. Lyn was maybe misguided and naive, but from a place of wanting to help her people. 

The demon to slay and the ending was slightly disappointing. There is very little explanation and I wish there was just a bit more about that. But other than that I thought it was a relatively short read about some interesting sci-fi concepts.

hugyourface's review

adventurous emotional informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Agree with most of the other reviews here, tbh. Nice. 

chippyfiend's review

adventurous emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

lauracooleyjohnson's review

3.0

I do not precisely recall how this particular novella made it onto my TBR pile. It is a mash up of science fiction (satellites and robots and future tech like regeneration) and fantasy (heroes and princesses with swords, and of course a magician). The clever thing here is that the magician isn’t really magical, but simply an anthropologist from a super high tech civilization sent to observe but not interfere with our quaint princess and her cute fairy tales. I’m betting this title got recommended because I liked the Murderbot diaries. The anthropologist “magician” protagonist Nyr has a lot in common with the quirky AI Murderbot. But I give it 3 stars. Maybe 3.5. The story has a lot of potential and the character arc for Nyr is solid and rewarding. But somehow there were holes in the telling; things aren’t entirely explored or explained and as a result I’m not feeling especially fulfilled from the read.

fantaseareader's review

adventurous hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

sizezero's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

cannibalsnack's review

adventurous mysterious reflective relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

nevtelen's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bhrach's review

adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

It took me awhile to get into the writing style and narrative structure, probably finally hitting a stride by 2/3 of the way through. I liked Lyn and Nyr, and thought the combination of seeing science as magic and desperately trying to convey what science is through a translator interesting. I also liked the depiction of depression and the moments of humanity Nyr shared with Lyn. I don't know that I fully understand what the demon was, but I guess if they don't either I wouldn't. All in all, I enjoyed it. 

kortnireads's review against another edition

4.0

This was a short novella that I picked up not knowing very much besides being familiar with the author.. Which lead to this story being pretty funny to play out on page with me going OH this is what this story is about. I would recommend doing the same so I won't go into much detail.

This is told in two POVs, which kept the pacing consistent and built towards the end of the novella. This book is a unique case of being truly "sci-fantasy" and I really enjoyed the particular blend that this book presents. I also really clicked with the humor (May 2024 seems to be my month for reading humorous books?). The humor of this story was nicely balanced with some very nice mental health representation (depression) which I found to be very well written.

While this is a short and sweet review, I would recommend giving this novella a chance if you are looking for a quick read that blends sci-fi and fantasy together in a clever way!!