Seventeen years ago Stenwold witnessed the Wasp Empire storming the city of Myna in a brutal war of conquest. Since then he has preached vainly... read full description
reviews
Sep 05, 2008
Joe
rated it: 
I'm in a very small minority here as most reviewers on Goodreads and Amazon simply love this book. While it may not be a 1 star book, I'm stuck without an applicable rating to give it. There really needs to a be a "can't finish it" rating. I tried to like this book but about of a third into it, I realized what I just couldn't stand anymore. There is simply no description of ANYTHING.
You really have no idea what the cities are like nor what the world scape consists More...
You really have no idea what the cities are like nor what the world scape consists More...
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Jan 01, 2012
Daniel
rated it: 
Months after reading through Steph Swainston's excellent Castle series, I gradually developed the urge to return to the fantasy genre. So when I read a positive review of the seventh Apt book, by Tchaikovsky, I considered giving the series a shot (for, in fact, the umpteenth time--really, I should probably spend more time actually reading, as opposed to looking up things that I might like to read). A subsequent Amazon search revealed that the first three books were on sale for six smacks a piece
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(4 people liked it)
Feb 23, 2009
edifanob
rated it: 
Empire in Black and Gold is the first volume of the fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
My impressions:
There is a wise man, a threat, a "party", a travel, betrayal, fights. Hmmh, sounds familiar. But there are no elves, dwarfs, hobbits or trolls. Instead we find steampunk elements and most unsual: insect-kinden.
Insect-kinden? There are several human races who long ago adapted to prehistoric insects. Examples: mantis-kinden are warriors, More...
My impressions:
There is a wise man, a threat, a "party", a travel, betrayal, fights. Hmmh, sounds familiar. But there are no elves, dwarfs, hobbits or trolls. Instead we find steampunk elements and most unsual: insect-kinden.
Insect-kinden? There are several human races who long ago adapted to prehistoric insects. Examples: mantis-kinden are warriors, More...
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Jul 25, 2008
Liviu
rated it:
Excellent debut fantasy set in a quite unusual world of various human races that have some specific insect adaptation and are called insect-kinden, e.g. beetle-kinden squat, mechanically inclined, mantis-kinden fast deadly warriors, spider-kinden masters of intrigue in whose society women dominate, moth-kindeb mystical former rulers until the mechanically inclined kinden, beetle, ants and flies overthrew them and built an early industrial society of city states - Lowlands - loosely allied More...
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Jan 18, 2012
Millie
rated it:
I've noticed a lot of reviewers mentioning that they had trouble getting into this book at first, but I myself have found no such issue and was drawn into the book almost instantly by the opening prologue. After that it was a case of reading whenever I had the chance, and the book was finished before the week was out due to this attraction.
Admittedly, this is the first properly science fiction thing I have read, and it seems to be a good one to start on. Not only has a large amount of More...
Admittedly, this is the first properly science fiction thing I have read, and it seems to be a good one to start on. Not only has a large amount of More...
Jun 21, 2011
Mjhancock
rated it:
A small band attempts to rally support in the ethnically diverse Lowlands in order to combat the rising threat of invasion from the Wasp Empire to the east. As the name Wasp may suggest, the fantasy part of this book comes largely from the notion that each cultural group is an insect/human hybrid, with traits associated with that type of bug. The Mantis-kinden are fierce warriors, the Moth-kinden are night-time mystics, the Beetle-kinden are slow moving but dependable artificers. Given the n
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May 27, 2011
Forrest
rated it:
Empire in Black and Gold is very hard to pin down, as my failure to assess its profile should indicate. It is a piece of epic fantasy, complete with clashing kingdoms, valiant warriors and good versus evil. It is also a story of spies and political intrigue. And the world is a strange and wonderful hybrid of classic medieval kingdoms, post-renaissance sensibility and industrial age technology. The mash-up of setting tropes is jarring at first, but becomes endearing as more of the world and t
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Jan 26, 2011
Ahimsa
rated it:
Like many, I was a little skeptical about this book. I wasn't sure that a fantasy about bug men could be very good. A lot of people seemed to like it, though, so I gave it a chance--and I'm really glad that I did.
The setting and worldbuilding are the most noticeable elements, of course. The tech level is steampunk-y, but there is some magic. The races of bugs, from mantis to dragonfly, from beetle to moth, are plausibly developed and it's fun to learn about their powers.
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The setting and worldbuilding are the most noticeable elements, of course. The tech level is steampunk-y, but there is some magic. The races of bugs, from mantis to dragonfly, from beetle to moth, are plausibly developed and it's fun to learn about their powers.
More...
Aug 08, 2010
Paul
rated it:
It's an audacious idea that you might laugh at if I describe it in print. Here goes.
On a parallel world, giant insects grew to enormous size, threatening mammals, reptiles, and primitive humans in the process. In order to adapt to this threat, tribes of humans form mystical alliances with these giant insects, taking on their traits and abilities even while remaining human.
Thus is Shadows of the Apt, the start of a new series by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
This worl More...
On a parallel world, giant insects grew to enormous size, threatening mammals, reptiles, and primitive humans in the process. In order to adapt to this threat, tribes of humans form mystical alliances with these giant insects, taking on their traits and abilities even while remaining human.
Thus is Shadows of the Apt, the start of a new series by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
This worl More...
Jan 09, 2012
Alytha
rated it:
Short summary:
The population of the world is divided into kinden, which each carry the name of, and display some characteristics of certain insects or arachnids, like flies, wasps, mantises, beetles, scorpions etc. (I wonder if there are Ladybird kinden?)
In the east, there lies the Wasp Empire, threatening to engulf the Lowland citystates.
In the City of Collegium, the centre of learning in the Lowlands, a quartet of friends, students and aspiring duellists, get recruited as s More...
The population of the world is divided into kinden, which each carry the name of, and display some characteristics of certain insects or arachnids, like flies, wasps, mantises, beetles, scorpions etc. (I wonder if there are Ladybird kinden?)
In the east, there lies the Wasp Empire, threatening to engulf the Lowland citystates.
In the City of Collegium, the centre of learning in the Lowlands, a quartet of friends, students and aspiring duellists, get recruited as s More...
Feb 23, 2011
Dear Kenny,
You are going to love this one, man. I know you’re all about the epic fantasy, when you can’t have military space opera, so Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Empire in Black and Gold, filled with fantasy combat both individual and at the army level, is right up your alley. Up you alley and out onto your main street even.
I mentioned in my last letter that this one was loaned to me by Matt in the condo next door. Not sure where he found this guy, but he’s a British writer, though More...
You are going to love this one, man. I know you’re all about the epic fantasy, when you can’t have military space opera, so Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Empire in Black and Gold, filled with fantasy combat both individual and at the army level, is right up your alley. Up you alley and out onto your main street even.
I mentioned in my last letter that this one was loaned to me by Matt in the condo next door. Not sure where he found this guy, but he’s a British writer, though More...
Sep 15, 2011
Pepper
rated it:
I didn't think this book was "my kind of thing" but boy was I wrong. I literally just finished reading it and if I had the second book to hand I wouldn't have even stopped to write this review.
The world concept is interesting, unique, and very well fleshed out. The action is detailed and beautiful, almost a dance. It is brutal and tender by appropriate turns and completely believable. But the strength of this book is it's characters. Even when they are brutal killers there More...
The world concept is interesting, unique, and very well fleshed out. The action is detailed and beautiful, almost a dance. It is brutal and tender by appropriate turns and completely believable. But the strength of this book is it's characters. Even when they are brutal killers there More...
Jun 14, 2011
Mark
rated it:
You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, of course, but if I was going to judge this one, I would have expected something a lot different from what I ended up with. Between the title of the book, the title of the series and the cover (on my edition, an endless stream of the Wasp soldiers) I was thinking I was going to end up with something along the veins of Codex Alera by Jim Butcher, kind of a fun read fantasy where the influences from other works are very clear and there's not much more to it
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Jul 07, 2010
Jeffrey
rated it:
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 More...
The story is a good More...
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Jan 30, 2012
sologdin
rated it: 
So, initially, I thought it was going to be The Lord of the Rings, but with Bug-People. We read that Gandalf sends four young hobbits from the Shire to Bree, where they are to meet Strider. Strider is scary. They are attacked by the roving agents of the Enemy. Some escape, and some don't. The captured ones are taken deep into Enemy territory. They are rescued, with the aid of new allies, and the rescue even involves tangentially a haunted forest. It's all set in the context of an invasion
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Jun 28, 2011
Amanda
rated it: 
I liked it. I won't lie; it wasn't super-duper fantastical that I read it straight through the night, and I did have a few problems with it, but it was alright. And that's saying something, amidst all the garbage I've been reading so far. It was a slow read for me - it took me much longer than it should - and I only started enjoying it approaching the end of the book.
What makes Empire in Black and Gold different from other fantasies are the insect-humanoid races introduced in this se More...
What makes Empire in Black and Gold different from other fantasies are the insect-humanoid races introduced in this se More...
Aug 02, 2011
Peter
rated it:
The unusual setting with steampunk elements and insectoid-like human races maybe is the biggest strong point of this book. In a world in the middle of 'industrial revolution' the long-ago overthrown rulers of the Lowlands struggle and cannot keep up with the progress all around them. While the now de-facto leaders of the Lowlands, the academics, engineers and scientists live in city states that struggle with each other, there grows a threat from the great Wasp Empire that expands it's border sin
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Sep 06, 2009
Mikko
rated it:
Adrian Tchaikovsky's Empire in Black and Gold has been praised a lot, but for it me it was a very mixed bag. On the other hand, it had some very glaring and irritating problems, on the other hand, once I got past those, it was a very enjoyable read.
The main strengths of the book are its characters and writing. An unusually varied - although at times somewhat stereotypical - cast with surprisingly complex relationships and motivations do a good work carrying the somewhat run-of-the-mi More...
The main strengths of the book are its characters and writing. An unusually varied - although at times somewhat stereotypical - cast with surprisingly complex relationships and motivations do a good work carrying the somewhat run-of-the-mi More...
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Feb 23, 2011
Rob
rated it:
In case you might not have noticed, I am a bit of a Science Fiction and Fantasy fan. (I grew up during the Star Wars rage, what can I say?)
But though I am infatuated with the genre, there is one particular sub-type of Fantasy that I’ve had a hard time with: that know as “High Fantasy.”
Which is a bit odd, frankly; since High Fantasy is what the genre is best well known for. It’s here that you will find stories of elves, dwarves, dragons, and knights. It’s also where strong More...
But though I am infatuated with the genre, there is one particular sub-type of Fantasy that I’ve had a hard time with: that know as “High Fantasy.”
Which is a bit odd, frankly; since High Fantasy is what the genre is best well known for. It’s here that you will find stories of elves, dwarves, dragons, and knights. It’s also where strong More...
Jan 11, 2012
Dena
rated it:
My first two books of the year are decidedly not 'me' books. This is a not 'me' book. I would never have picked it up on my own, therefore I'm very glad that someone bought it for me as a gift because I liked it a lot. Unusual and imaginative worldbuilding, with races that are aligned with different insects (Kinden), the story follows the beginning of what will be the invasion of the Wasp army into the Lowlands. I'm not usually a fan of militaristic fantasy, but I did enjoy this one, partial
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Mar 07, 2011
Kathryn
rated it:
I'll be honest. I struggled with this book, and found it very slow going - even during the fasted paced sections.
However, this book was very intriguing and well worth the hard work. Tchaikovsky has created this rather unusual world, one which seems to have a mixture of influences from Tolkien through to the Steampunk genre, and it blends rather well. Instead of using the traditional races such as Elves and Dwarves, he's taken the aspects of those races along with types of insect/bug More...
However, this book was very intriguing and well worth the hard work. Tchaikovsky has created this rather unusual world, one which seems to have a mixture of influences from Tolkien through to the Steampunk genre, and it blends rather well. Instead of using the traditional races such as Elves and Dwarves, he's taken the aspects of those races along with types of insect/bug More...
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May 23, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
There is nothing incredibly unique about the plot of this book. There is a bad empire, and one man knows about them. No one will believe that man, so it's a "one man against the world" type thing. He has his lovable sidekicks which start out ignorant and age throughout the novel because they endured some horrible events and fights and all that.
You don't read this book for the plot. You read it because Tchaikovsky has succeeded in creating one of the most unique worlds I've More...
You don't read this book for the plot. You read it because Tchaikovsky has succeeded in creating one of the most unique worlds I've More...
Aug 20, 2011
Neil
rated it:
First off, this is probably the most original idea for a fantasy world in a long time; a world where insects were the dominant species and tribes of humans co-evolved with a single insect to gain some of their totems abilities. The cool thing about this concept is that it's really easy to figure out how the various races work as they fit with the insects (Wasps are viscious warlords, Mantids are elite warriors, flies are mischievous thieves etc). The story itself has few surprises but moves alon
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Aug 04, 2011
415 pages Fantasy/Scifi . This reader must decide if they want to invest the time and effort to get past the 1st 150 pages to get to a good story, This book was hard to read to but worth it in the final analysis. It builds momentum like a train. Tchaikovsky is writing a spy story using human/bugs as the primary characters. The story is dense with details in an unnecessary way. Yet once I got involved with the characters I wanted to know more and finished a book I almost chucked. The next books
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Mar 18, 2010
Justin
rated it:
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, More...
Empire in Black and Gold, More...
Feb 02, 2012
Daniel
rated it:
I really didn't enjoy reading Empire in Black and Gold much. It got more exciting towards the end, but I still don't care about anything that happened, or about any of the characters.
The concept is the only interesting part; a world where the humans have inherited aspects of various insects; Beetle, Mantis, Spider, Ant, and the apparently evil Wasp.
The worst part of this novel is that the enemy never feels like that much of a threat. We're constantly told that the Wasp Empire More...
The concept is the only interesting part; a world where the humans have inherited aspects of various insects; Beetle, Mantis, Spider, Ant, and the apparently evil Wasp.
The worst part of this novel is that the enemy never feels like that much of a threat. We're constantly told that the Wasp Empire More...
May 24, 2010
penny
rated it:
I stumbled across this author and this series by accident. I purchased the second book at Strand as a book proof a few weeks ago. I wasn't sure if I'd like the series at all, the nomenclature often felt as ornate and detailed as a dragonfly-kin prince's coat. But once I read past that and it became part of the language and cadence I was quite impressed at the depth of both world and character building. I'm already deep into book #2 (Dragonfly Falling) and am pleased that the first four books app
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Jan 29, 2012
Khairul H.
rated it:
Yet another book that failed the 50 page rule (which states that, in case you don't know, if a book fails to grab your interest by page 50 then drop it). Its in medias res opening chapter was interesting enough what with a battle against overwhelming odds, last gasp escape by the good guys and a mission to warn the remaining cities of the coming dread.
Unfortunately, the next chapters did nothing to keep that interest. None of the characters jumped out and faced with 600 over pages o More...
Unfortunately, the next chapters did nothing to keep that interest. None of the characters jumped out and faced with 600 over pages o More...
May 11, 2011
Drew
rated it:
I've got to admit: I put this on my read shelf, despite the fact that I only managed to read about a third of it. The world here is certainly interesting, with bug-kin of all different varieties, and sort of a steampunk level of technology. I guess I should say, rather, that the world has interesting qualities. The world is actually ill-described and boring. The characters seem like characters newly minted role-players thought up just before they started playing D&D. Let's see... rogue, fighte
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Jan 27, 2012
Traci
rated it:
Abandoned at 20%
This just isn't something I'm going to like and it's too long to continue just so I can "finish" it.
The good is it's unique. If you're tired of clichés and fantasy tropes maybe you should give this a whirl.
It's about a nation of bug people, beetles, spiders, ants, and others, and a new type of invading bug men that are wasps. This was a part of my problem. Are they men with the attributes of these bugs? Are they men with some of the feature More...
This just isn't something I'm going to like and it's too long to continue just so I can "finish" it.
The good is it's unique. If you're tired of clichés and fantasy tropes maybe you should give this a whirl.
It's about a nation of bug people, beetles, spiders, ants, and others, and a new type of invading bug men that are wasps. This was a part of my problem. Are they men with the attributes of these bugs? Are they men with some of the feature More...
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