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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
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.
tisamon's review
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
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!
ibesz's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
kevinscorner's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic!
I read this so I could decide whether the whole 10-book series would be worth investing in since The Broken Binding is coming out with a complete set of special editions. And based on this first book, the series certainly is!
The world building is complex and thought out. The story went places I did not expect. The characters are all likable, and I can see myself being completely invested in them. Empire in Black and Gold laid out a great foundation for the series, but also manages to tell a self-contained story. One this I could use less of is the shapeshifting character. I just dislike that whole concept because it really feels like a cop out to me.
I read this so I could decide whether the whole 10-book series would be worth investing in since The Broken Binding is coming out with a complete set of special editions. And based on this first book, the series certainly is!
The world building is complex and thought out. The story went places I did not expect. The characters are all likable, and I can see myself being completely invested in them. Empire in Black and Gold laid out a great foundation for the series, but also manages to tell a self-contained story. One this I could use less of is the shapeshifting character. I just dislike that whole concept because it really feels like a cop out to me.
breenmachine's review
3.0
I'm making my way through Adrian Tchaikovsky's books and this was the first one that I feel conflicted about if I liked it or not. (My favorite by far is the Children of Time series, but I also really enjoyed The Expert System's Brother.) This book started out intriguing and I love the types of "kinden" (Ant-kinden, Beatle-kinden etc). I also like the characters and their complex relationships - some of my favorites relationships are Che and Tynisa - Stenwold and Che - Achaeos and Totho - Thalric and Stenwold - Thalric and Che. Also great descriptions of the cities, they feel real and alive - Helleron and Tharn especially.
*spoilers*
Empire in Black and Gold still feels like Adrian Tchaikovsky's writing and style, but I think it could have been edited down and polished more to make it truly enjoyable throughout.
*spoilers*
Spoiler
However I felt that too much of the book was spent trying to rescue Che and Salma and the end felt rushed to tie up the ending in a meaningful way for the war. The battle of the Iron Road was too long in my opinion too. My favorite part was when Che found her Art (both times but especially the last). My least favorite story line is Salma and Grief in Chains. The second book in the series is mostly about Salma, so I'm undecided if I want to read it or stop here.Empire in Black and Gold still feels like Adrian Tchaikovsky's writing and style, but I think it could have been edited down and polished more to make it truly enjoyable throughout.
kadomi's review
4.0
Empires of Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky is the first book of a 10-book series called Shadows of the Apt. I added it to my reading list when I was on a steampunk kick. It's classic fantasy meets steampunk, with some rather interesting concepts. The fantasy world the series is set in sounds rather generic, but the people living in it are anything but. There are different races called Kinden, who have all descended from an Ancestor Spirit and share traits with insects. They are Ants who can communicate via telepathy, spiders who can crawl walls and plot nefariously, scorpions who have claws, flies who can fly, etc. People with insect traits. Fascinating. The Kinden are split again. There are some who are apt, like beetles, who can use and create technology like flying machines, trains, and cars. Those who are not apt cannot. Some, like the moths, cling to old and forgotten magic. Yet now they all have to come together, because they are threatened by a race of kinden that comes and offers trade and prosperity: the Empire of the wasps. Master Stenwold, a Beetle-kinden teacher in the university city Collegium, has witnessed how brutally the wasp-kinden advance their empire and is organizing a spy-ring for what he thinks is impending invasion of the Lowlands. He is sending his most promising students to the industrial city of Helleron, to get in touch with his contacts there, to find out more about the plans of the wasps. But the wasps interfere with the plan, splitting the group up, and no one knows the wasps' masterplan just yet. - Yeah, so Stenwold is the Gandalf of this series, and his niece Cheerwell is a bit like Frodo. You have the classic party on a grand quest. I loved the book for the worldbuilding and the concept of insect-kinden + technology, that was very well done. The writing is probably the weakest part of the book, but I am definitely planning on reading the sequel.