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sechurae's review against another edition
3.75
Not as convinced by this compared to Tchaikovsky's other works. There were some poignant moments and interesting reveals/plot progressions, but I wasn't very invested in the characters motivations. Maybe the audiobook narrator just isn't for me. May or may not continue the series.
paull9115's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A great start to this series. Tchaikovsky doesn't feel like a new author here, and yet it's one of his first. Great pace and actioning characters that you care about. Its genius really comparing these nations with insect life. I was hooked from the start. 4.5 stars
mhedgescsus's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars rounded up for goodreads. A fantastic intro into a wonderfully built world. Can't wait to continue reading this underrated series.
Watch my video review by clicking here.
Watch my video review by clicking here.
kenlaan's review against another edition
4.0
Empire of Black and Gold, the first book of the completed 10-book Shadows of the Apt series, starts somewhat slow (after the first chapter, anyway) and was a little confusing for me, such that I was feeling a little disappointed with it. By about the halfway point though, I realized I was really enjoying it. I'm happy to have a new series to read through and am looking forward to see where things go.
Shadows of the Apt is, at least according to the number of Goodreads reviews, Tchaikovsky's lesser-known epic fantasy series when compared against his sci-fi novels Children of Time and Shards of Earth. Set in a vaguely-steampunk world populated by "kinden", which are humans named after and sharing the traits and abilities of arthropods, it focuses on the Wasp-kinden empire's attempted conquest of the Lowlands, a collection of loosely affiliated city-states populated by various kinden (beetle, fly, spider, dragonfly, etc.). It's a pretty unconventional conceit in the epic fantasy genre, and it took me a while to understand this (I was wondering if the characters were human/insect hybrids or something at first). It honestly reminded me a little of Red Rising with that aspect only (there aren't really any narrative commonalities so don't take that comparison too far).
Stenwold Maker, a beetle-kinden veteran of one of the Wasp empire's previous conquests, has become a statesman and dedicated a decade to convincing the people of the Lowlands of the empire's threat, but his warnings have largely fallen on deaf ears. He's also put together a small band of apprentices and trained them in various skills. The story begins as the Wasp empire begins making diplomatic entreaties to the Lowlands.
I started out thinking that between how this begins and my previous read of the excellent Children of Time, Tchaikovsky was one of those authors that had really good ideas and could tell a good story, but his characters seemed to fall a little flat. It turned out I wasn't giving this one enough time, because by the end I was fully invested in the fates of Stenwold, Cheerwell, Tisamon, Achaeos, and all the others.
I think I would've appreciated a bit more time spent with Stenwold forming his band and training them - the book largely skips that - but that would've presumably further slowed a beginning I'm already critiquing so I think Tchaikovsky made the right choice.
Very strongly recommended to fans of epic fantasy looking for something unique - just give it time to get going, and you'll be happy you did.
Shadows of the Apt is, at least according to the number of Goodreads reviews, Tchaikovsky's lesser-known epic fantasy series when compared against his sci-fi novels Children of Time and Shards of Earth. Set in a vaguely-steampunk world populated by "kinden", which are humans named after and sharing the traits and abilities of arthropods, it focuses on the Wasp-kinden empire's attempted conquest of the Lowlands, a collection of loosely affiliated city-states populated by various kinden (beetle, fly, spider, dragonfly, etc.). It's a pretty unconventional conceit in the epic fantasy genre, and it took me a while to understand this (I was wondering if the characters were human/insect hybrids or something at first). It honestly reminded me a little of Red Rising with that aspect only (there aren't really any narrative commonalities so don't take that comparison too far).
Stenwold Maker, a beetle-kinden veteran of one of the Wasp empire's previous conquests, has become a statesman and dedicated a decade to convincing the people of the Lowlands of the empire's threat, but his warnings have largely fallen on deaf ears. He's also put together a small band of apprentices and trained them in various skills. The story begins as the Wasp empire begins making diplomatic entreaties to the Lowlands.
I started out thinking that between how this begins and my previous read of the excellent Children of Time, Tchaikovsky was one of those authors that had really good ideas and could tell a good story, but his characters seemed to fall a little flat. It turned out I wasn't giving this one enough time, because by the end I was fully invested in the fates of Stenwold, Cheerwell, Tisamon, Achaeos, and all the others.
I think I would've appreciated a bit more time spent with Stenwold forming his band and training them - the book largely skips that - but that would've presumably further slowed a beginning I'm already critiquing so I think Tchaikovsky made the right choice.
Very strongly recommended to fans of epic fantasy looking for something unique - just give it time to get going, and you'll be happy you did.
ianl1963's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable for much of the book.
That and ten books in series feels too WoT.
That and ten books in series feels too WoT.
tisamon's review against another edition
5.0
I saw many reviws that warned of how slow paced this book was. I had the opposite experience. The main characters went through a series of thrilling events that forced them to grow up far quicker than any of them could have expected. This pace was maintained with Tchaikovsky simultaneously built one of the most unique and engaging worlds I've experienced. If you love modern epic fantasy with a unique sense of world building then this is for you!
mifterkim's review against another edition
3.0
Empire in Black and Gold is the first fantasy novel from the popular science fiction author Adrian Tchaikovsky, which has since spawned many sequels. It's also the first book of his I have read so I went in not knowing what to expect. It is about a world in which the humans are in many very different races based on types of insect, with each having different powers based on their race - such as flight, built-in weapons, and body armour.
I loved the idea of this novel and enjoyed much of the action, but I suspect I have been reading too many long and stodgy epic fantasy novels and am getting a bit sick of them. The plot was extremely plodding and the writing longwinded, and I kept expecting it to come to a conclusion and being surprised when yet one more little thing kept happening (I listened to this one as an audiobook, so didn't have the physical reminder of how much was left). I was really interested in the world and the characters, but I felt we didn't get to know them beyond a shallow level, which seemed a shame in such a long book.
I would still recommend this to fans of epic fantasy, but I feel I should probably take a break from this type of book for a while!
I loved the idea of this novel and enjoyed much of the action, but I suspect I have been reading too many long and stodgy epic fantasy novels and am getting a bit sick of them. The plot was extremely plodding and the writing longwinded, and I kept expecting it to come to a conclusion and being surprised when yet one more little thing kept happening (I listened to this one as an audiobook, so didn't have the physical reminder of how much was left). I was really interested in the world and the characters, but I felt we didn't get to know them beyond a shallow level, which seemed a shame in such a long book.
I would still recommend this to fans of epic fantasy, but I feel I should probably take a break from this type of book for a while!