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Terrible Worlds: Revolutions #1
Ironclads
Scions have no limits
Scions do not die
And Scions do not disappear
Sergeant Ted Regan has a problem. A son of one of the great corporate families, a Scion, has gone missing at the front. He should have been protected by his Ironclad – the lethal battle suits that make the Scions masters of war—but something has gone catastrophically wrong.
Now Regan and his men, ill-equipped and demoralised, must go behind enemy lines, find the missing Scion, and uncover how his suit failed. Is there a new Ironcladkiller out there? And how are common soldiers lacking the protection afforded the rich supposed to survive the battlefield of tomorrow?
A new standalone novella by the Arthur C Clarke Award-winning author of Children of Time.
160 pages, ebook
First published November 11, 2017
188 people are currently reading
1971 people want to read
About the author
Adrian Tchaikovsky
194 books17.9k followersADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY was born in Lincolnshire and studied zoology and psychology at Reading, before practising law in Leeds. He is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor and is trained in stage-fighting. His literary influences include Gene Wolfe, Mervyn Peake, China Miéville, Mary Gently, Steven Erikson, Naomi Novak, Scott Lynch and Alan Campbell.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 313 reviews
November 13, 2017
Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature. Ironclads was published on November 7, 2017 in a special limited hardback edition; the Kindle edition will be published on December 31, 2017.
In Ironclads (2017), the gap between the haves and have-nots has become drastically wider in this near-future novella, especially in the military, where it’s become popular for rich young men, called Scions, to engage in war, battling foes in high-tech, weaponized and near-impenetrable suits of armor paid for by their wealthy family corporations. It’s a little like having Iron Man, Iron Patriot, and several of their friends in your military, though without, apparently, the flying ability. In contrast, the regular army “grunts” are underpaid and denied most of the high-tech protections available to the Scions, who always outrank everyone else.
Sergeant Ted Regan of the U.S. 203rd Infantry Division and two of his men, Sturgeon and Franken, are on two weeks leave in England (now a territory of the U.S.), preparing for battle against the Nords (formerly Scandinavians) when they are called to London and given a special mission: One of the Scions, Jerome Speling, has gone missing on the Nord front, and his cousin assigns Regan and his men to a covert mission and rescue Jerome, or at least find out what happened to him. Since Scion armored shells are supposedly infallible, the Speling family is concerned. Regan’s team is joined by two others, a weasel of a man named Lawes and a black woman named Cormoran who’s a drone specialist, but they’re still severely understaffed and ill-equipped for such a dangerous mission.
Adrian Tchaikovsky’s new SF novella dishes up imaginative, fast-paced military science fiction in the form of a rescue mission against long odds, with a large side of social commentary. Tchaikovsky takes some of the more worrisome elements and trends in our world today, and extrapolates from there. Global warming has caused the oceans to rise and wiped out many coastal cities, with Thailand and the Netherlands gone the way of Atlantis. Fundamental religion, sexism, and discrimination play an increasingly large role in society. Corporate interests and wealthy families rule, with the Scions’ role in the military being expressly analogized to feudal days, when the sons of the rich would go off to battle in armor unavailable to the common men, protected by the fact that if they ran into trouble, they were more likely to be captured and ransomed than killed. Now the military technology has brought them back to the battlefield:
The twists in the plot are intriguing, doubling down on the social themes that Tchaikovsky explores in Ironclads. In fact, there’s a subtler meaning to the use of “ironclad” in the title, suggesting the protections that money and secrecy bring to the privileged few. On one level this novella is enjoyable as a straight-up military SF adventure, but it has additional depths and implications that are worth pondering.
I received a free copy of this ebook from NetGalley and the publisher. Thanks!
Content note: Scattered F-bombs and violence.
In Ironclads (2017), the gap between the haves and have-nots has become drastically wider in this near-future novella, especially in the military, where it’s become popular for rich young men, called Scions, to engage in war, battling foes in high-tech, weaponized and near-impenetrable suits of armor paid for by their wealthy family corporations. It’s a little like having Iron Man, Iron Patriot, and several of their friends in your military, though without, apparently, the flying ability. In contrast, the regular army “grunts” are underpaid and denied most of the high-tech protections available to the Scions, who always outrank everyone else.
Sergeant Ted Regan of the U.S. 203rd Infantry Division and two of his men, Sturgeon and Franken, are on two weeks leave in England (now a territory of the U.S.), preparing for battle against the Nords (formerly Scandinavians) when they are called to London and given a special mission: One of the Scions, Jerome Speling, has gone missing on the Nord front, and his cousin assigns Regan and his men to a covert mission and rescue Jerome, or at least find out what happened to him. Since Scion armored shells are supposedly infallible, the Speling family is concerned. Regan’s team is joined by two others, a weasel of a man named Lawes and a black woman named Cormoran who’s a drone specialist, but they’re still severely understaffed and ill-equipped for such a dangerous mission.
Adrian Tchaikovsky’s new SF novella dishes up imaginative, fast-paced military science fiction in the form of a rescue mission against long odds, with a large side of social commentary. Tchaikovsky takes some of the more worrisome elements and trends in our world today, and extrapolates from there. Global warming has caused the oceans to rise and wiped out many coastal cities, with Thailand and the Netherlands gone the way of Atlantis. Fundamental religion, sexism, and discrimination play an increasingly large role in society. Corporate interests and wealthy families rule, with the Scions’ role in the military being expressly analogized to feudal days, when the sons of the rich would go off to battle in armor unavailable to the common men, protected by the fact that if they ran into trouble, they were more likely to be captured and ransomed than killed. Now the military technology has brought them back to the battlefield:
They were like gods: human figures head and shoulders over the soldiers around them, made of gleaming silver and gold and darkly menacing black steel. And they were gods, in a way. This was what human ingenuity could achieve, when price was no object. The corporations wouldn’t shell out to give us common grunts that sort of protection, but it was only the best when their sons wanted to play soldier.Sergeant Regan, an everyman type of character, is the jaded but still somewhat idealistic narrator of Ironclads. He’s a fairly standard military type of character, but some of the others in his group are more memorable, particularly Lawes, whose many illicit connections are helpful but untrustworthy, and Cormoran, with her fleet of small, high-tech drones and a past history that she eventually discloses to Regan, causing him to reevaluate her role and even the entire mission.
The twists in the plot are intriguing, doubling down on the social themes that Tchaikovsky explores in Ironclads. In fact, there’s a subtler meaning to the use of “ironclad” in the title, suggesting the protections that money and secrecy bring to the privileged few. On one level this novella is enjoyable as a straight-up military SF adventure, but it has additional depths and implications that are worth pondering.
I received a free copy of this ebook from NetGalley and the publisher. Thanks!
Content note: Scattered F-bombs and violence.
November 2, 2017
Tchaikovsky is writing up a great SF storm here, folks! I've said before that I love his SF much more than his fantasy, and this one is easily my proof positive. Right after Dogs of War and Children of Time, I didn't know if he could keep it up, but he does. And this ain't no throwaway novella, either. My only complaint is that there are only a thousand copies made!
Here's the best part of the tale... ARMOR! Think Gundam meets Special-Ops, a war-torn world with very interesting lines drawn, a world-building that is pretty fantastic AND with great reasons behind it, and very memorable characters. Right, Sturgeon?
The haves and the have-nots hearken right back to the good old days of chivalry and suits of armor. If you're rich, you have great armor, if you're not rich, you're meat. Let's get us back to those roots! :) We need to turn the world into a playground for rich soldiers like it should always have been! :)
Honestly, this is one of the best mil-sf tales I've read in a while and I may have enjoyed it even more than the author's Dogs of War. That was all about genetically altered animals and war and I may be wrong, but Ironclad seems to be a PREQUEL to that world!
War is constantly a tale of evolving means and methods and sometimes (or often) it gets really wonky. This is no different.
Above all, though, I love the characters. The stories that Sturgeon told and the reveals were great, but there was enough action in this short novella to pack a few novels, too.
Eagerly awaiting a lot more!
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
Here's the best part of the tale... ARMOR! Think Gundam meets Special-Ops, a war-torn world with very interesting lines drawn, a world-building that is pretty fantastic AND with great reasons behind it, and very memorable characters. Right, Sturgeon?
The haves and the have-nots hearken right back to the good old days of chivalry and suits of armor. If you're rich, you have great armor, if you're not rich, you're meat. Let's get us back to those roots! :) We need to turn the world into a playground for rich soldiers like it should always have been! :)
Honestly, this is one of the best mil-sf tales I've read in a while and I may have enjoyed it even more than the author's Dogs of War. That was all about genetically altered animals and war and I may be wrong, but Ironclad seems to be a PREQUEL to that world!
War is constantly a tale of evolving means and methods and sometimes (or often) it gets really wonky. This is no different.
Above all, though, I love the characters. The stories that Sturgeon told and the reveals were great, but there was enough action in this short novella to pack a few novels, too.
Eagerly awaiting a lot more!
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!
September 22, 2017
In days of old, soldiering was the first choice of career. The rich obtained the best armor and weaponry money could buy. If captured, an officer might be ransomed but eventually return home. The tables have turned and soldiering has now fallen upon the common man. In the not so distant future, the rich now remain behind the front lines. They run the companies, supporting and profiting from the war effort.
A team of three "expendable" army men from the 203rd Recon Platoon are flown to London to be briefed on a secret mission. Ted Regan with fellow soldiers Franken and Sturgeon are informed that a son of an important corporate family, a Scion, was reported missing. Jerome's Scion "shell" a molded chassis, had "cut out" and his location is now unknown. Ironclads were the battle dress of heirs or spares and were never unlatched except in the confines of their compounds. What happened to Jerome? Regan and his team venture out to investigate, however, wearing inferior gear, they are considered replaceable.
Ted Regan, as narrator, introduces two additional members of the search and rescue team. Lawes, a slovenly man who is an expert pathfinder having worked on England's expeditionary force and Ms. Cormoran, a specialist in drone surveillance. A battle of competing technologies ensues pitting virtually impenetrable Scions, autonomous mechs and inconsequential humans. Will the team be able to find Jerome, the missing Scion? Will they safely return from their mission?
"Ironclads" by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a fun romp into a dystopian world where corporation fights corporation using peons as the first line of defense in a cutthroat world. A novella well worth reading!
Thank you Rebellion Books, Solaris Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Ironclads".
A team of three "expendable" army men from the 203rd Recon Platoon are flown to London to be briefed on a secret mission. Ted Regan with fellow soldiers Franken and Sturgeon are informed that a son of an important corporate family, a Scion, was reported missing. Jerome's Scion "shell" a molded chassis, had "cut out" and his location is now unknown. Ironclads were the battle dress of heirs or spares and were never unlatched except in the confines of their compounds. What happened to Jerome? Regan and his team venture out to investigate, however, wearing inferior gear, they are considered replaceable.
Ted Regan, as narrator, introduces two additional members of the search and rescue team. Lawes, a slovenly man who is an expert pathfinder having worked on England's expeditionary force and Ms. Cormoran, a specialist in drone surveillance. A battle of competing technologies ensues pitting virtually impenetrable Scions, autonomous mechs and inconsequential humans. Will the team be able to find Jerome, the missing Scion? Will they safely return from their mission?
"Ironclads" by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a fun romp into a dystopian world where corporation fights corporation using peons as the first line of defense in a cutthroat world. A novella well worth reading!
Thank you Rebellion Books, Solaris Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Ironclads".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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August 28, 2024Not sure I've ever encountered a Tchaikovsky SF I didn't like. This is a great novella, perfectly judged length, that sketches in a world where corporates are just as much warring parties as governments. Brings the concept of mounted knights up to date: instead, the sons of the rich now wear mecha armour, and the poor are laser-cannon fodder. There is also gene tech, and a splashy trek through Finlan, a place of terror, and a genuine sense of heart and decency underpinning it all.
December 28, 2019
Actual rating: 2.4999956897569 stars.
Great premise + intriguing world + yummilicious military SF - blah blah blah blah blah - a cast of characters with flatter personalities than my favorite herd of ironing boards - skim skim skim skim - I couldn't care less about any of these people = this 200 page novella feels like a 500 page book and it's a bloody shrimping miracle I didn't DNF the fish out of it and stuff. Bye now.
P.S. Most of my Friends of Despicable Book Taste (FoDBT™) lurved this one. Obviously. Because they have despicable taste in books. Obviously.
P.P.S. Next time I want to read about evil corporations in a SF setting I'll just rerereread Jennifer Government. Thank thee kindly and stuff.
Great premise + intriguing world + yummilicious military SF - blah blah blah blah blah - a cast of characters with flatter personalities than my favorite herd of ironing boards - skim skim skim skim - I couldn't care less about any of these people = this 200 page novella feels like a 500 page book and it's a bloody shrimping miracle I didn't DNF the fish out of it and stuff. Bye now.
P.S. Most of my Friends of Despicable Book Taste (FoDBT™) lurved this one. Obviously. Because they have despicable taste in books. Obviously.
P.P.S. Next time I want to read about evil corporations in a SF setting I'll just rerereread Jennifer Government. Thank thee kindly and stuff.
May 30, 2021
The future of warfare involves expensive and almost impenetrable iron suits to protect those fighting on the battlefield. It still involves the same old underhand political scheming and tactics, though. This is something that Sargent Ted Regan, and the handful of soldiers under his command, understand intimately. When a Scion, the metal-clad soldier son of a wealthy family, is lost across the borders of enemy lines it is up to his grunts to return him to safety. Or is it?
I really liked how convoluted the story-line was, how much of it took place behind-the-scenes of the action in the forefront, and how clever the construction was to align the two together. There was a constant barrage of questions thrown at the reader and protagonist alike, and it created the illusion of the antagonist lying everywhere and nowhere at the same time. As the story closes, both of us are still divided on the real truth of this.
I really liked how convoluted the story-line was, how much of it took place behind-the-scenes of the action in the forefront, and how clever the construction was to align the two together. There was a constant barrage of questions thrown at the reader and protagonist alike, and it created the illusion of the antagonist lying everywhere and nowhere at the same time. As the story closes, both of us are still divided on the real truth of this.
October 30, 2024
I don’t write reviews.
And I don’t read military fiction, but I’m glad I decided to give this a try. This is the first Tchaikovsky book I’ve read (well, I started Walking to Aldebaran, too). He’s a well-rounded talent. World-building, character development, interesting premise; this story has it all. I liked the message of “government and corporations are evil aka if you aren’t doing the fucking, you’re getting fucked.” So now that I know I can handle a bit of military, a bit of tech, I’m thinking about Forever War. I’ve always wanted to read it. Maybe I will…
And I don’t read military fiction, but I’m glad I decided to give this a try. This is the first Tchaikovsky book I’ve read (well, I started Walking to Aldebaran, too). He’s a well-rounded talent. World-building, character development, interesting premise; this story has it all. I liked the message of “government and corporations are evil aka if you aren’t doing the fucking, you’re getting fucked.” So now that I know I can handle a bit of military, a bit of tech, I’m thinking about Forever War. I’ve always wanted to read it. Maybe I will…
January 28, 2021
This is difficult to rate.
On one hand we get the author's signature writing quality that delivers the story of three US soldiers being sent to team up with a spoof and a British whateverhistitleismeanttosay in order to find a scion and its occupant. Scions are impressive and expensive exoskeletons operated by very rich humans belonging to the corporations that now rule the world. Due to money not being an issue, their design is damn near perfect, certainly nothing a normal battalion can crack. However, this one particular scion has gone dark and its occupant, being a rich boy, needs to be found (preferrably alive, of course). Especially since many fear there could now be a technology that strips scions of their awesome superiority in battle (and we can't have the rich boys not having the best toys in the war).
So yeah, this is a fucked-up grim future where we are ruled by governments only in name but by companies in actuality. Where soldiers are sent, once again, to die as cannon fodder, equipped with the cheapest gadgets while some brats play at war. This world combined with the mystery of what happened to that scion is what drew me to the book.
On the other hand I just wasn't that impressed. I read two other books by the same author and know he can write fantastic adventures in galaxies far far away or right here on Earth. And he always delivers technology-rich environments with very poignant moral messages and suggestions for a better future - or at least criticisms of the worst humanity has to offer. But here? The people left me cold and the mystery petered out.
So while I didn't hate it, it also didn't wow me and for a story so short, I needed quite a long time to get through (because I needed to force myself to pick it up). I missed the emotional impact the others had and wanted more fun regarding the technology and science this world supposedly had to offer.
On one hand we get the author's signature writing quality that delivers the story of three US soldiers being sent to team up with a spoof and a British whateverhistitleismeanttosay in order to find a scion and its occupant. Scions are impressive and expensive exoskeletons operated by very rich humans belonging to the corporations that now rule the world. Due to money not being an issue, their design is damn near perfect, certainly nothing a normal battalion can crack. However, this one particular scion has gone dark and its occupant, being a rich boy, needs to be found (preferrably alive, of course). Especially since many fear there could now be a technology that strips scions of their awesome superiority in battle (and we can't have the rich boys not having the best toys in the war).
So yeah, this is a fucked-up grim future where we are ruled by governments only in name but by companies in actuality. Where soldiers are sent, once again, to die as cannon fodder, equipped with the cheapest gadgets while some brats play at war. This world combined with the mystery of what happened to that scion is what drew me to the book.
On the other hand I just wasn't that impressed. I read two other books by the same author and know he can write fantastic adventures in galaxies far far away or right here on Earth. And he always delivers technology-rich environments with very poignant moral messages and suggestions for a better future - or at least criticisms of the worst humanity has to offer. But here? The people left me cold and the mystery petered out.
So while I didn't hate it, it also didn't wow me and for a story so short, I needed quite a long time to get through (because I needed to force myself to pick it up). I missed the emotional impact the others had and wanted more fun regarding the technology and science this world supposedly had to offer.
December 6, 2018
„Finding Private Ryan!“ in an alternate timeline with elite soldiers in fancy, mechanized suits, reminiscent of Iron Man, just bigger and meaner. Well, at least the rich guys get the fancy suits. Our heroes are ill-equipped cannon fodder and sadly aware of it. Off goes the rescue party into enemy territory. Add some odd goings from across the border and things get interesting fast.
„White Walker!“ she cried, and that‘s when our day got a whole lot worse.
That is so weird. Damn you, GRR Martin.
Timewise I placed this in WWII at first, but I adjusted it towards modern times during the course of the story. It picks up current developments in the world and spins them forward. Politics, capitalism, religious fundamentalism and climate change all have their say. Some pretty cool predictions. The creepiest part—genetic engineering.
Nice level of dark humour, too.
"For all I knew, Ikea was mass-producing a flat-pack lean-to called the ‘Fükd‘ just for the occasion."
Yes, our heroes are pretty much fükd from the get-go. Or maybe not?
Well fleshed-out characters. Multi-layered, complex personalities. Our narrator, Sergeant Regan, was the most boring of the lot. I really liked Cormoran.
Great stuff, although the ending almost was a bit too much run-of-the-mill-conspiracy and overly constructed after all the other crazy that happened before it. Half a star off for that.
I would have loved to find out more about the Finns. I hope the open ending is indicative of a potential sequel.
Stuff I looked up while reading this:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vättern
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahehus
„White Walker!“ she cried, and that‘s when our day got a whole lot worse.
That is so weird. Damn you, GRR Martin.
Timewise I placed this in WWII at first, but I adjusted it towards modern times during the course of the story. It picks up current developments in the world and spins them forward. Politics, capitalism, religious fundamentalism and climate change all have their say. Some pretty cool predictions. The creepiest part—genetic engineering.
Nice level of dark humour, too.
"For all I knew, Ikea was mass-producing a flat-pack lean-to called the ‘Fükd‘ just for the occasion."
Yes, our heroes are pretty much fükd from the get-go. Or maybe not?
Well fleshed-out characters. Multi-layered, complex personalities. Our narrator, Sergeant Regan, was the most boring of the lot. I really liked Cormoran.
Great stuff, although the ending almost was a bit too much run-of-the-mill-conspiracy and overly constructed after all the other crazy that happened before it. Half a star off for that.
I would have loved to find out more about the Finns. I hope the open ending is indicative of a potential sequel.
Stuff I looked up while reading this:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vättern
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahehus
January 19, 2019
I love all of Tchaikovsky’s work that I’ve read so far but was a bit meh about this one. It just never fully gripped me and lacked some of the deeper ethical/moral questions I’ve grown to expect from this author.
It’s a short read, novella length, and the plot follows a group of soldiers in a dystopian future. Some clever world building and engaging prose make this a pleasant read, but I didn’t connect with it like I did with Dogs of War.
I highly recommend you read Dogs of War; it’s my favourite Tchaikovsky read. Of course, he’s also the author of the brilliant Children of Time.
If you’re a fan of fantasy, try Guns of the Dawn.
It’s a short read, novella length, and the plot follows a group of soldiers in a dystopian future. Some clever world building and engaging prose make this a pleasant read, but I didn’t connect with it like I did with Dogs of War.
I highly recommend you read Dogs of War; it’s my favourite Tchaikovsky read. Of course, he’s also the author of the brilliant Children of Time.
If you’re a fan of fantasy, try Guns of the Dawn.
November 26, 2017
A fun and thrilling tale of a mission impossible for a plucky band of U.S. Marines sent in to help the U.K. in a war with the Nord coalition of Scandinavian forces. Their task is to go into the battleground to figure out why a zillion-dollar mech warrior juggernaut disappeared on a reconnaissance job and extract the corporate scion who was at the control. We get a quality version of the band-of-brothers scenario of complementary personalities and skill sets (a brute, a brain, a com wizard, a leader with heart) , cool zippy dialog in the tradition of Gibson’s cyberpunk and the “Alien” movies, great pacing, and harrowing action scenes with exploding drones, missiles, and laser rifles, cyberattacks, and plenty of reversals of fortunes and shifting alliances.
The future politics in this tale are cynically portrayed as typical of all soldiers used as cannon fodder since before there were cannons. The Brits, 20 years after Brexit, have become a third-world nation and sold out to the Americans as a staging ground for its military:
Turned out England couldn’t stand on its little Union Jack-gartered legs the way it once had, but that was fine: its new leaders had already got them selves a place on the board of a dozen US corporations, so they were all right.
As our band of heroes set out with their standard technology of mechanized vehicles and drone support, they soon find themselves in a series of battles against superior technology in the Nordic hinterlands. They have trouble figuring out who they are fighting. The Swedes, have caused trouble to the balance of power by moving toward extremes of socialism, but retain supreme control of EU military forces. But with every government there is always the issue of the corporations carrying out their own agenda, either by puppet strings or through mercenary forces on the side. The philosophical older member of the squad, Sturgeon, warns:
If you think this is a fight between U.S. and Nord govs then you’re bloody morons. This is corps versus corps using poor bastards like us as meat in the grinder.
The Swedes partner with the Finns, who have developed a broad range of bioweapons, such as swarming insects with metal in their wings that can block communication transmissions. The rumors that they have bioengineered humanoids with extreme strength, speed, and healing capacity turns out to be true in our squad’s horrific dismay. Yet, but for some reason one of these killing beasts in the form of a woman joins their side when the supreme mech warriors of the White Russian variety put their crew on their shit list.
Despite the success of the squad in passing numerous gauntlets and firefights, they begin to suspect that the mission was meant to fail. Was this just a typical example of their being cannon fodder for a higher strategic goal or a betrayal by a traitorous cadre in the chain of command? We get to a satisfying resolution, though we still get important ends left dangling for the next entry in the series. The projections by the author on the technology of war in the near future was imaginative in the same rich vein I have recently encountered in Gibson’s “The Peripheral” and Nagata’s “The Last Good Man”. This was surprisingly good for me as a fan of military science fiction, and I suspect it could be entertaining to a larger scope of readers. I certainly look forward to tapping into others in the series or other works by the author.
This book was provided for review by the publisher through the Netgalley program.
The future politics in this tale are cynically portrayed as typical of all soldiers used as cannon fodder since before there were cannons. The Brits, 20 years after Brexit, have become a third-world nation and sold out to the Americans as a staging ground for its military:
Turned out England couldn’t stand on its little Union Jack-gartered legs the way it once had, but that was fine: its new leaders had already got them selves a place on the board of a dozen US corporations, so they were all right.
As our band of heroes set out with their standard technology of mechanized vehicles and drone support, they soon find themselves in a series of battles against superior technology in the Nordic hinterlands. They have trouble figuring out who they are fighting. The Swedes, have caused trouble to the balance of power by moving toward extremes of socialism, but retain supreme control of EU military forces. But with every government there is always the issue of the corporations carrying out their own agenda, either by puppet strings or through mercenary forces on the side. The philosophical older member of the squad, Sturgeon, warns:
If you think this is a fight between U.S. and Nord govs then you’re bloody morons. This is corps versus corps using poor bastards like us as meat in the grinder.
The Swedes partner with the Finns, who have developed a broad range of bioweapons, such as swarming insects with metal in their wings that can block communication transmissions. The rumors that they have bioengineered humanoids with extreme strength, speed, and healing capacity turns out to be true in our squad’s horrific dismay. Yet, but for some reason one of these killing beasts in the form of a woman joins their side when the supreme mech warriors of the White Russian variety put their crew on their shit list.
Despite the success of the squad in passing numerous gauntlets and firefights, they begin to suspect that the mission was meant to fail. Was this just a typical example of their being cannon fodder for a higher strategic goal or a betrayal by a traitorous cadre in the chain of command? We get to a satisfying resolution, though we still get important ends left dangling for the next entry in the series. The projections by the author on the technology of war in the near future was imaginative in the same rich vein I have recently encountered in Gibson’s “The Peripheral” and Nagata’s “The Last Good Man”. This was surprisingly good for me as a fan of military science fiction, and I suspect it could be entertaining to a larger scope of readers. I certainly look forward to tapping into others in the series or other works by the author.
This book was provided for review by the publisher through the Netgalley program.
October 30, 2024
Sf, kind of military, dystopic future, set in an american military intervention in Scandinavia, a trio of basic military grunts are recruited to save a captured corporate scion. It's very much Tchaikovsky, his themes and his skills (perfect for the length, the pace, the characterization, the humor) and my main criticism of it is that with the same length, he went won to do more dazzling things (fangirl here, probably). But hey, it is still pretty good and by any other author it would make me check more of his work.
First published in 2017, and it feels a bit like a 2016 hangover book, post Brexit-shock in its future America and future Europe. It also makes fun use of a trope which I am not even sure if it's a sf/fantasy fan thing or specific to Europeans which is to poke (lovingly) fun at Finland and the Finns by implying they are . (That bit about near future scandinavians needing translators to handle ENGLISH as a language was totally oh-come-on).
First published in 2017, and it feels a bit like a 2016 hangover book, post Brexit-shock in its future America and future Europe. It also makes fun use of a trope which I am not even sure if it's a sf/fantasy fan thing or specific to Europeans which is to poke (lovingly) fun at Finland and the Finns by implying they are . (That bit about near future scandinavians needing translators to handle ENGLISH as a language was totally oh-come-on).
August 23, 2019
3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2019/08/18/...
It’s always somewhat challenging to review a shorter work like this. Over the past year I’ve become quite a fan of Adrian Tchaikovsky which has led me to sample as many of his books as I found interesting, hence Ironclads. But considering the length constraints of a novella, developing a strong storyline and deep realistic characters can be tricky.
The book is set in a near-future version of our world in which the government of the United Kingdom has all but dissolved along with many other countries, bought up piecemeal by the powerful American corporate conglomerates. A new elite class has emerged, called the “Scions”—essentially the children of the super-rich who can afford the protection and security of mecha-like suits that make them practically invincible on a battlefield, which is pretty handy indeed with war raging all across the planet.
For the ordinary grunts like Sergeant Ted Regan, however, the fighting is as dangerous, brutal and ugly as it’s ever been. Now his squad has been called in for a special mission to investigate and track down a Scion who went missing somewhere in Scandinavia where the Americans are at war with the Nordic alliance. Together with his teammates plus a corporate liaison cast out by her bosses, Regan must trek across enemy lines to recover a lost rich kid whose supposedly impenetrable armor should have made him invulnerable.
As always, the author is a wizard with his world-building, constructing a strong framework in which to set this tale. The future in Ironclads is bleak, but also strangely alluring, in an imposing, terrifying kind of way. Yes, the inegalitarian conditions are horrific, but Tchaikovksy has also packed this dystopian world with a lot of impressive and awe-inspiring elements. In a word, his ideas are just so…well, cool. After all, it’s hard not to get excited over anything related to battle suits and giant robots and superhumans and the like.
Other aspects of the book are a bit light though, I’m afraid. Again, I understand the challenges of a novella when it comes to developing a solid plotline and full-bodied characters, but I didn’t feel like these areas were prioritized. Ironclads is heavy on the action, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But I also know that Tchaikovsky is capable of a lot more. Sure, the book is interesting enough and the action sequences help keep the momentum going, but at the end of the day, it’s nothing to write home about. Strip away the fascinating premise and the aforementioned cool world-building elements, and what you’re left with is a storyline that’s actually rather thin. And it’s the same with the characters. There’s not really enough time to explore them in any kind of keep or meaning way, so the narrative is forced to fall back on some predictable patterns, like old soldiering tropes and other clichés.
Don’t get me wrong, Ironclads wasn’t a bad book by any means, but let’s just say I knew what I would be getting when I went into this, and the quality of the experience ended up being in line with my expectations. There simply wasn’t enough time for the story and characters to develop into something more, and the heavy emphasis on action probably got in the way of that too. It’s also why I’m typically not big on novellas, though the excellent world-building by Adrian Tchaikovsky was definitely a highlight of this one. Fans will find Ironclads perfectly enjoyable, even if it’s not his most memorable work.
It’s always somewhat challenging to review a shorter work like this. Over the past year I’ve become quite a fan of Adrian Tchaikovsky which has led me to sample as many of his books as I found interesting, hence Ironclads. But considering the length constraints of a novella, developing a strong storyline and deep realistic characters can be tricky.
The book is set in a near-future version of our world in which the government of the United Kingdom has all but dissolved along with many other countries, bought up piecemeal by the powerful American corporate conglomerates. A new elite class has emerged, called the “Scions”—essentially the children of the super-rich who can afford the protection and security of mecha-like suits that make them practically invincible on a battlefield, which is pretty handy indeed with war raging all across the planet.
For the ordinary grunts like Sergeant Ted Regan, however, the fighting is as dangerous, brutal and ugly as it’s ever been. Now his squad has been called in for a special mission to investigate and track down a Scion who went missing somewhere in Scandinavia where the Americans are at war with the Nordic alliance. Together with his teammates plus a corporate liaison cast out by her bosses, Regan must trek across enemy lines to recover a lost rich kid whose supposedly impenetrable armor should have made him invulnerable.
As always, the author is a wizard with his world-building, constructing a strong framework in which to set this tale. The future in Ironclads is bleak, but also strangely alluring, in an imposing, terrifying kind of way. Yes, the inegalitarian conditions are horrific, but Tchaikovksy has also packed this dystopian world with a lot of impressive and awe-inspiring elements. In a word, his ideas are just so…well, cool. After all, it’s hard not to get excited over anything related to battle suits and giant robots and superhumans and the like.
Other aspects of the book are a bit light though, I’m afraid. Again, I understand the challenges of a novella when it comes to developing a solid plotline and full-bodied characters, but I didn’t feel like these areas were prioritized. Ironclads is heavy on the action, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But I also know that Tchaikovsky is capable of a lot more. Sure, the book is interesting enough and the action sequences help keep the momentum going, but at the end of the day, it’s nothing to write home about. Strip away the fascinating premise and the aforementioned cool world-building elements, and what you’re left with is a storyline that’s actually rather thin. And it’s the same with the characters. There’s not really enough time to explore them in any kind of keep or meaning way, so the narrative is forced to fall back on some predictable patterns, like old soldiering tropes and other clichés.
Don’t get me wrong, Ironclads wasn’t a bad book by any means, but let’s just say I knew what I would be getting when I went into this, and the quality of the experience ended up being in line with my expectations. There simply wasn’t enough time for the story and characters to develop into something more, and the heavy emphasis on action probably got in the way of that too. It’s also why I’m typically not big on novellas, though the excellent world-building by Adrian Tchaikovsky was definitely a highlight of this one. Fans will find Ironclads perfectly enjoyable, even if it’s not his most memorable work.
November 4, 2018
This author writes great military science fiction. I think his other near-future military SF novel Dogs of War si the superior one, but this one certainly has its moments.
The background is a militarized near future where a corporate-controlled US sets itself against socialist countries that respond to climate change by nationalizing key assets owned by multi-national corporations. It's also a return to a medieval style of warfare, where heavily armored corporate families (Scions) go to war with little risk to themselves (because power armor) with large numbers of traditional military who are nether well equipped or well cared for if they survive battle. Think medieval serfs. Unfortunately, all too believable.
The setup is basically Saving Private Ryan, with a corporate Scion in the role of "Ryan", but it's clear from the beginning that not all is as it seems and the battlefield is far from a traditional one.
It's pretty amazing everything that gets crammed into this short novel, and I'd love to read much more about this world and key parts in particular (the Finnish bioweapons are fascinating). Unfortunately the whole thing feels a little truncated towards the end though, with a quick and relatively unsatisfying wrap-up.
The background is a militarized near future where a corporate-controlled US sets itself against socialist countries that respond to climate change by nationalizing key assets owned by multi-national corporations. It's also a return to a medieval style of warfare, where heavily armored corporate families (Scions) go to war with little risk to themselves (because power armor) with large numbers of traditional military who are nether well equipped or well cared for if they survive battle. Think medieval serfs. Unfortunately, all too believable.
The setup is basically Saving Private Ryan, with a corporate Scion in the role of "Ryan", but it's clear from the beginning that not all is as it seems and the battlefield is far from a traditional one.
It's pretty amazing everything that gets crammed into this short novel, and I'd love to read much more about this world and key parts in particular (the Finnish bioweapons are fascinating). Unfortunately the whole thing feels a little truncated towards the end though, with a quick and relatively unsatisfying wrap-up.
Read
November 15, 2017At first I thought this tightly written novella was positing that the near-future “Union” of the UK (apparently Scotland and Ireland were swept along for the ride) and the US with the UK dominating, because our narrator, Sergeant Ted Regan of the US 203rd Infantry kept using British idiom and occasional verb forms.
But I soon discovered that nope, not long after Brexit shipwrecked the UK, the latter was bought up by US conglomerates, who pretty much have the world divided up now, as ancient warlords did in their day, and while the CEOs go about gobbling up more and more countries and resources, their sons are busy having fun making war back and forth.
Of course the rich, just as in medieval days, get all the cool tech, and the government grunts are basically cannon fodder, targets while the big boys get to run the main action within their nearly invulnerable mecha tech.
Meanwhile the Russians are the world’s mercs.
This pared-down novel gives us Ted and two of his trusted survivors of many wars, weedy Sturgeon the intellectual socialist and huge Franken the Christian Liberatian, on two weeks leave in England before being sent to the current war against the Nords in Scandinavia.
They find themselves called to London for a special mission, to find the cousin of one of the corporate bosses, who in his Scion suit has gone missing on the Nord front.
Regan and his men are assigned two others to form a team for covert infiltration, search, and rescue.
Tchaikovsky manages to pack an amazing amount of unnervingly accurate prediction into this action-packed novella, not leaving out the devastating effects of global warming. The entire world seems to be one giant videogame for the privileged sons of the rich to rampage about in their personalized war machines fighting one another, pretty much as warlords did back in the days after the Roman Empire fell.
Each of our five characters are surprisingly complex, given the shortness of the novella, each with his (or her—Cormoran, the drone tech, very much holds her own here) reasons for being in the army, and for taking this assignment, which of course becomes worse and worse.
Twists and turns in the story reflect the deeper commentary on the corruption of the rich and powerful, and the ambivalence in human nature that keeps permitting that to happen, to devastating effect on ourselves and our planet.
Meanwhile, there are the Finns . . .
It’s vivid, tightly written, and I got a little private amusement out of a typical USAan sergeant calling the head snakes “boffins”, other men “lads,” ACUs “battledress” and so forth.
Copy provided by NetGalley
But I soon discovered that nope, not long after Brexit shipwrecked the UK, the latter was bought up by US conglomerates, who pretty much have the world divided up now, as ancient warlords did in their day, and while the CEOs go about gobbling up more and more countries and resources, their sons are busy having fun making war back and forth.
Of course the rich, just as in medieval days, get all the cool tech, and the government grunts are basically cannon fodder, targets while the big boys get to run the main action within their nearly invulnerable mecha tech.
Meanwhile the Russians are the world’s mercs.
This pared-down novel gives us Ted and two of his trusted survivors of many wars, weedy Sturgeon the intellectual socialist and huge Franken the Christian Liberatian, on two weeks leave in England before being sent to the current war against the Nords in Scandinavia.
They find themselves called to London for a special mission, to find the cousin of one of the corporate bosses, who in his Scion suit has gone missing on the Nord front.
Regan and his men are assigned two others to form a team for covert infiltration, search, and rescue.
Tchaikovsky manages to pack an amazing amount of unnervingly accurate prediction into this action-packed novella, not leaving out the devastating effects of global warming. The entire world seems to be one giant videogame for the privileged sons of the rich to rampage about in their personalized war machines fighting one another, pretty much as warlords did back in the days after the Roman Empire fell.
Each of our five characters are surprisingly complex, given the shortness of the novella, each with his (or her—Cormoran, the drone tech, very much holds her own here) reasons for being in the army, and for taking this assignment, which of course becomes worse and worse.
Twists and turns in the story reflect the deeper commentary on the corruption of the rich and powerful, and the ambivalence in human nature that keeps permitting that to happen, to devastating effect on ourselves and our planet.
Meanwhile, there are the Finns . . .
It’s vivid, tightly written, and I got a little private amusement out of a typical USAan sergeant calling the head snakes “boffins”, other men “lads,” ACUs “battledress” and so forth.
Copy provided by NetGalley
June 7, 2023
Very engaging
August 9, 2022
Ironclads is the first Tchaikovsky novella I would consider not worth reading. I was bored for most of it, and while it had some interesting elements, nothing about it gripped me.
The setting is the not too distant future, where corporations have become extremely powerful and control their private armies, engaging in wars. The exceptionally rich have Scions, battle mech armour that makes them functionally impossible to defeat or kill, so they treat this as a game. The portrayal of this soulless greed and needless waste of lives that would just increase the wealth gap was fairly well-done.
However, there really isn’t any story here. It follows a trio of US soldiers and a few other specialists who are very forgettable. Their task is to retrieve a Scion who was — to the shock of everyone — captured by the enemy. The story went in a few random directions before just ending without any satisfying resolution. Even thematically, I remain confused at what was trying to be accomplished here, besides the acknowledgement of the vast unfairness and inequity of the situation. The biologically modified Finns were an interesting element, but didn’t amount to much — like most other aspects.
This novella is skippable, on the whole. Not only because I found it unengaging, but also the fact that it feels like a clutter of barely touched-on themes and story elements that are explored in such a better and more satisfying way in his other works. I didn’t hate it, but was fairly indifferent — I didn’t get anything out of it like with most of Tchaikovsky’s other works. It felt more like a hastily put-together test run for more interesting future stories.
The setting is the not too distant future, where corporations have become extremely powerful and control their private armies, engaging in wars. The exceptionally rich have Scions, battle mech armour that makes them functionally impossible to defeat or kill, so they treat this as a game. The portrayal of this soulless greed and needless waste of lives that would just increase the wealth gap was fairly well-done.
However, there really isn’t any story here. It follows a trio of US soldiers and a few other specialists who are very forgettable. Their task is to retrieve a Scion who was — to the shock of everyone — captured by the enemy. The story went in a few random directions before just ending without any satisfying resolution. Even thematically, I remain confused at what was trying to be accomplished here, besides the acknowledgement of the vast unfairness and inequity of the situation. The biologically modified Finns were an interesting element, but didn’t amount to much — like most other aspects.
This novella is skippable, on the whole. Not only because I found it unengaging, but also the fact that it feels like a clutter of barely touched-on themes and story elements that are explored in such a better and more satisfying way in his other works. I didn’t hate it, but was fairly indifferent — I didn’t get anything out of it like with most of Tchaikovsky’s other works. It felt more like a hastily put-together test run for more interesting future stories.
November 11, 2018
Not my favourite by Tchaikovsky. As usual, written in an engaging style, although I did't feel the story was as good as I am used to with this author.
October 17, 2024
This is a near future military adventure, set in a world where the power and influence of big business on international relations and war is open and explicit.
This is political satire and parody dressed up in a tale of military adventure. The story and the characters are solid enough - and I always enjoy the slightly world-weary, slightly snarky characters that Tchaikovsky tends to put front and centre. And there are some nice twists along the way, and a conclusion that is pleasantly surprising and reasonably satisfying.
But I just wasn’t that engaged by it, and that’s probably because it had a bit too much to say about politics for my liking. This is based in a world in which Brexit resulted in the UK being sold to the USA; a world in which there is means-tested voting resulting in those with the least having even less power than they do now; a world in which corporate interests can start and stop wars, and trump nation states; a world in which those in power are tacitly (or explicitly) complicit with all of those things. And those are fine ideas around which to build a political satire, but that’s not a book that I would have chosen to read.
When you strip those things away, though (or ignore them), you’re still left with a competent and well written story - albeit a relatively straight-forward one for most of the book, as our heroes bounce from one predicament to the next. There are some tantalisingly interesting details around the biotechnology that has been developed by some of the factions, but the amount of other plot to fit into this novella meant that those things weren’t really developed.
If you appreciate the political points that the author was making, you might enjoy it more than I did - but this wasn’t really for me.
Sergeant Ted Regan has a problem. A son of one of the great corporate families, a Scion, has gone missing at the front. He should have been protected by his Ironclad – the lethal battle suits that make the Scions masters of war – but something has gone catastrophically wrong.In Regan’s world, the great corporate families engage openly in warfare - any pretence that warfare is for anything other than protecting their business interests has long since gone. And the corporate families have the money for the technology and weapons that the regular military can only dream of.
Now Regan and his men, ill equipped and demoralised, must go behind enemy lines, find the missing Scion, and uncover how his suit failed.
This is political satire and parody dressed up in a tale of military adventure. The story and the characters are solid enough - and I always enjoy the slightly world-weary, slightly snarky characters that Tchaikovsky tends to put front and centre. And there are some nice twists along the way, and a conclusion that is pleasantly surprising and reasonably satisfying.
But I just wasn’t that engaged by it, and that’s probably because it had a bit too much to say about politics for my liking. This is based in a world in which Brexit resulted in the UK being sold to the USA; a world in which there is means-tested voting resulting in those with the least having even less power than they do now; a world in which corporate interests can start and stop wars, and trump nation states; a world in which those in power are tacitly (or explicitly) complicit with all of those things. And those are fine ideas around which to build a political satire, but that’s not a book that I would have chosen to read.
When you strip those things away, though (or ignore them), you’re still left with a competent and well written story - albeit a relatively straight-forward one for most of the book, as our heroes bounce from one predicament to the next. There are some tantalisingly interesting details around the biotechnology that has been developed by some of the factions, but the amount of other plot to fit into this novella meant that those things weren’t really developed.
If you appreciate the political points that the author was making, you might enjoy it more than I did - but this wasn’t really for me.
November 14, 2018
Though only a novella, Adrian Tchaikovsky quickly lays out the world, with power held by barons, or corporations, and everyone else is dirt, I mean serfs. Corporations wage war against countries, and the corporate sons sport practically impregnable armoured and weaponized suits, known as Scions. The Scions are ‘supported’ by soldiers who are intended to be thrown at countries as meat to be ground up, while the Scions play their political and war games protected by their suits.
When a US Scion goes missing in enemy territory, a tiny group is sent in to find and retrieve the guy. The main character and narrator of this story is Sergeant Regan, who has an understated sense of humour and an overdeveloped sense of duty. We follow Regan, Cormoran, a young black woman with a wicked ability in drone combat and infiltration, Sturgeon, a guy with facts aplenty in his head and a grasp of languages and Franken, the muscle of the group.
The group runs into plenty of trouble and come across some interesting tech, while attempting to evade enemy Scion.
I expected some of the plot twists, but one of them surprised me. The novella wraps up fairly quickly, and I was sufficiently intrigued by some of the details in the story to hope Tchaikovsky returns to this world.
When a US Scion goes missing in enemy territory, a tiny group is sent in to find and retrieve the guy. The main character and narrator of this story is Sergeant Regan, who has an understated sense of humour and an overdeveloped sense of duty. We follow Regan, Cormoran, a young black woman with a wicked ability in drone combat and infiltration, Sturgeon, a guy with facts aplenty in his head and a grasp of languages and Franken, the muscle of the group.
The group runs into plenty of trouble and come across some interesting tech, while attempting to evade enemy Scion.
I expected some of the plot twists, but one of them surprised me. The novella wraps up fairly quickly, and I was sufficiently intrigued by some of the details in the story to hope Tchaikovsky returns to this world.
July 19, 2025
This is the first of three thematically linked "Terrible Worlds: Revolutions" novellas, in which Adrian Tchaikovsky takes the reader "into the mud and horror of a future battlefield, into the dust and burning heat of a scorched equator, into the grinding poverty of a newly-feudal village, with the folk who give their lives every day in the service of undeserving masters... and sows the seed of revolution".
Ironclads is a military, science fiction novella set in a dystopian, near-future world ruled by governments that are themselves ruled by large corporations (behind the scenes, of course). The story is told to us (in Peter Nobles gravelly voice) by jaded Sergeant Regan, whose team is sent on a hazardous rescue mission that hits a snag. This story has something like enhanced-genetically-engineered animal-human mutants, and also "Scions" - imposing and very expensive military exoskeletons operated by the sons of extremely wealthy family-corporations. Tchaikovsky's vision of a future world is fairly interesting, and is scarily plausible if extrapolated from current events. The fast pace and matter-of-fact style peppered with humour works well for this particular story. Tchaikovsky also manages to explore social themes without sound like a sociology professor. The plot twists were interesting, the story entertaining, there was food for thought, and Peter Nobles narration was excellent.
Ironclads is a military, science fiction novella set in a dystopian, near-future world ruled by governments that are themselves ruled by large corporations (behind the scenes, of course). The story is told to us (in Peter Nobles gravelly voice) by jaded Sergeant Regan, whose team is sent on a hazardous rescue mission that hits a snag. This story has something like enhanced-genetically-engineered animal-human mutants, and also "Scions" - imposing and very expensive military exoskeletons operated by the sons of extremely wealthy family-corporations. Tchaikovsky's vision of a future world is fairly interesting, and is scarily plausible if extrapolated from current events. The fast pace and matter-of-fact style peppered with humour works well for this particular story. Tchaikovsky also manages to explore social themes without sound like a sociology professor. The plot twists were interesting, the story entertaining, there was food for thought, and Peter Nobles narration was excellent.
October 19, 2024
3.5/5
I was reading this and thinking "This is very American and it's a story I've read or watched several times already" so tell me why I binged this in one go and got me hyped for book 2.
Tchaikovsky, the man you are. You know how easily I get behind an anti-government plot that criticises rich society.
I was reading this and thinking "This is very American and it's a story I've read or watched several times already" so tell me why I binged this in one go and got me hyped for book 2.
Tchaikovsky, the man you are. You know how easily I get behind an anti-government plot that criticises rich society.
November 24, 2018
This is a novella by Adrian Tchaikovsky, published around 2011 I guess (GR gives publication date as 2018, but on the author’s site there is a short story, which is a follow-up to this novella, published in 2011). This is the third work of the author I’ve read, after The Expert System's Brother and Children of Time, and it is so far the weakest.
A near future, the UK merged with the US, where pseudo-libertarian ideology has won. Corporations rule the world and they return their offspring to battlefield in impenetrable armor aka battle-mechs, called Scions. Battles moved a few centuries back, with glorious noble cavalry of Scions, and poor ordinary troops as a mere cannon fodder. Now once of Scions disappeared behind enemy lines in the northern Europe (which turned socialist and thus the US brings ‘freedom of capitalism’ back) and a group of solders plus a corp drone specialist should find what has happened.
Adventures, world-building and dialogues are good but not great. Two minor drawbacks for me are, firstly, the concept and powers of Scions – they are too small to be that decisive both in defense and offence. Secondly, the Libertarian views as presented are a parody – actually corporate capitalism that entrenches incumbents is anti-libertarian. However, the later can be just a fig leaf used by propaganda, just like the countries, which called themselves communist were quite far from Marxist ideas.
A nice book, but not great.
A near future, the UK merged with the US, where pseudo-libertarian ideology has won. Corporations rule the world and they return their offspring to battlefield in impenetrable armor aka battle-mechs, called Scions. Battles moved a few centuries back, with glorious noble cavalry of Scions, and poor ordinary troops as a mere cannon fodder. Now once of Scions disappeared behind enemy lines in the northern Europe (which turned socialist and thus the US brings ‘freedom of capitalism’ back) and a group of solders plus a corp drone specialist should find what has happened.
Adventures, world-building and dialogues are good but not great. Two minor drawbacks for me are, firstly, the concept and powers of Scions – they are too small to be that decisive both in defense and offence. Secondly, the Libertarian views as presented are a parody – actually corporate capitalism that entrenches incumbents is anti-libertarian. However, the later can be just a fig leaf used by propaganda, just like the countries, which called themselves communist were quite far from Marxist ideas.
A nice book, but not great.
September 16, 2017
Awesome science-fiction military battle story. Tchaikovsky makes this story roar right from the first page with a superb narrative voice. Told in a vernacular all its own, that voice tells the tale, sounding for all the world like an Army grunt of the future relating his good buddy Sturgeon's sayings and theories. It's just an ordinary guy telling a story from his point of view.
But, wow, what a story! A future where there is a constant war being fought and the rich elites are in giant armored suits of near-invincibility and the grunts are just cannon fodder. There are cyber-beings and underground forces. And half-human and half something else things. The whole book is one secret mission behind enemy lines and the battle scenes are vivid, stark, and brutal.
Thank you to Rebellion Press for an advance copy.
But, wow, what a story! A future where there is a constant war being fought and the rich elites are in giant armored suits of near-invincibility and the grunts are just cannon fodder. There are cyber-beings and underground forces. And half-human and half something else things. The whole book is one secret mission behind enemy lines and the battle scenes are vivid, stark, and brutal.
Thank you to Rebellion Press for an advance copy.
September 3, 2018
3 1/2 stars.
A very correct military science fiction story but in fact brings little news to the subgenre, with the particularity that the corporative Lords of War wear impressive robotic armors (the Ironclads).
It can be understood as a criticism about the absurdity of wars, frequently framed in the interests of the great corporations that create they, although for this the author must enter militarist tropes, such as discipline, camaraderie, etc. Indeed he is trying to avoid these "clichés" but it seems a very difficult task.
The Ironclads that are perhaps the most innovative part must be more explained in my opinion but to be fair the novel has some little surprises. So you can enjoy it at it is: a well written science fiction military, not more not less.
A very correct military science fiction story but in fact brings little news to the subgenre, with the particularity that the corporative Lords of War wear impressive robotic armors (the Ironclads).
It can be understood as a criticism about the absurdity of wars, frequently framed in the interests of the great corporations that create they, although for this the author must enter militarist tropes, such as discipline, camaraderie, etc. Indeed he is trying to avoid these "clichés" but it seems a very difficult task.
The Ironclads that are perhaps the most innovative part must be more explained in my opinion but to be fair the novel has some little surprises. So you can enjoy it at it is: a well written science fiction military, not more not less.
February 2, 2021
What a delightful, fun filled, one off romp through a futuristic war torn earth. Humans, mechs, robots, drones, bio-weapons, mega corps; it's literally all here in a short but engaging story. Perfect for a day's distraction between longer fare.
Makes me excited to own other books of his, both series and one offs. Likely will be purchasing more of his work as well. Honestly wish there was more written about this world even if it doesn't follow the same characters.
Makes me excited to own other books of his, both series and one offs. Likely will be purchasing more of his work as well. Honestly wish there was more written about this world even if it doesn't follow the same characters.
January 6, 2018
Skorašnji dobitnik prestižne nagrade koja nosi ime počivšeg Artura Klarka, Adrijan Čajkovski, ovim kratkim delom pokazao se možda najvećom novom uzdanicom naučne fantastike, možda i više nego romanom za koji je zapravo nagrađen.
U 200 stranica u tvrdom povezu, Čajkovski je na vrlo savremen način obradio antiratni motiv, ali je pružio i hirurški preciznu kritiku novog kapitalizma, libertarijanskog maspoka koji sve više uzima maha u SAD, pa i socijalizam u njegovoj evropskoj iteraciji. Na izvestan način, Ironclads je ono što bi se dobilo spajanjem Haldemanovog "Večitog rata" i Hajnlajnovih "Vojnika zvezdanog broda". Na stranu ekstremna filmičnost ove novele, ona za promenu vidno nije pisana s tom ambicijom, budući da je društvena kritika koja izbija iz bezmalo svake rečenice čini potpuno neprikladnom za ma koju publiku osim eventualno kineske.
S druge strane, ovo je izvanredno delo za sve poklonike militarističke fantastike, bilo naučnog bilo fantazijskog predznaka. Ovakav spoj neprekidne akcije, društvene angažovanosti i vrhunskog kvaliteta pisanja ne pamtim da sam skoro čitao. Da se razumemo, Čajkovski nije književni virtouz kakav je recimo Gregori, ali se u petnaestak romana i zbirki izveštio do majstorstva, a uspeo da zadrži dušu u onome što piše, za razliku od nekih možda i poznatijih žanrovskih pisaca.
Ironclads je dragulj od početka do kraja, a ostavlja taman dovoljno nedorečenosti da čitalac istovremeno zaželi da čita još, ali i da još više i jače poželi da pisac nikada više ne napiše ništa u tom svetu, niti nedajbože nastavak, kako ne bi pokvario izuzetan utisak.
Ovo ne samo da vredi 5 zvezdica, već je i prvi naslov za vrlo dugo vremena koji će poneti Nightflier's Seal of Approval.
U 200 stranica u tvrdom povezu, Čajkovski je na vrlo savremen način obradio antiratni motiv, ali je pružio i hirurški preciznu kritiku novog kapitalizma, libertarijanskog maspoka koji sve više uzima maha u SAD, pa i socijalizam u njegovoj evropskoj iteraciji. Na izvestan način, Ironclads je ono što bi se dobilo spajanjem Haldemanovog "Večitog rata" i Hajnlajnovih "Vojnika zvezdanog broda". Na stranu ekstremna filmičnost ove novele, ona za promenu vidno nije pisana s tom ambicijom, budući da je društvena kritika koja izbija iz bezmalo svake rečenice čini potpuno neprikladnom za ma koju publiku osim eventualno kineske.
S druge strane, ovo je izvanredno delo za sve poklonike militarističke fantastike, bilo naučnog bilo fantazijskog predznaka. Ovakav spoj neprekidne akcije, društvene angažovanosti i vrhunskog kvaliteta pisanja ne pamtim da sam skoro čitao. Da se razumemo, Čajkovski nije književni virtouz kakav je recimo Gregori, ali se u petnaestak romana i zbirki izveštio do majstorstva, a uspeo da zadrži dušu u onome što piše, za razliku od nekih možda i poznatijih žanrovskih pisaca.
Ironclads je dragulj od početka do kraja, a ostavlja taman dovoljno nedorečenosti da čitalac istovremeno zaželi da čita još, ali i da još više i jače poželi da pisac nikada više ne napiše ništa u tom svetu, niti nedajbože nastavak, kako ne bi pokvario izuzetan utisak.
Ovo ne samo da vredi 5 zvezdica, već je i prvi naslov za vrlo dugo vremena koji će poneti Nightflier's Seal of Approval.
January 6, 2020
This story is fine. It’s a throwback to classic sci-fi both in length and theme. Corporations and the rich families thereof rule the world, and perpetual war is good for business. When the rich kids go to war, they ride around in mecha that dominates the battlefield. If they are ever captured, they are ransomed back to their families. It’s all very civilized... for the 1%. Everyone else besides these Fortunate Sons is expendable.
I listened to the audiobook as I had chores to do, and the faux-American accent of the narrator was hilariously bad at times, which elevated my enjoyment somewhat. He’s like that actor who played the Texan uncle on the wedding episode of “Are You Being Served?” where he pronounced words like “ceremony” as “seerah-minny”. 😂
I listened to the audiobook as I had chores to do, and the faux-American accent of the narrator was hilariously bad at times, which elevated my enjoyment somewhat. He’s like that actor who played the Texan uncle on the wedding episode of “Are You Being Served?” where he pronounced words like “ceremony” as “seerah-minny”. 😂
August 30, 2020
War games
4/5
I fell in love Tchaikovsky with Children of Time and Ironclads just adds more support for the foundation. In a near future war stricken Europe that is all induced due to corporations gaining a buck, grunts are enlisted to track down the whereabouts of a missing Scion, a person of high wealth and influence that essentially wears mech armor. Plenty of cool set pieces and ideas, I enjoyed the quick pace of this. It is short and the ending is somewhat abrupt but Adrian is a talent to watch out for.
4/5
I fell in love Tchaikovsky with Children of Time and Ironclads just adds more support for the foundation. In a near future war stricken Europe that is all induced due to corporations gaining a buck, grunts are enlisted to track down the whereabouts of a missing Scion, a person of high wealth and influence that essentially wears mech armor. Plenty of cool set pieces and ideas, I enjoyed the quick pace of this. It is short and the ending is somewhat abrupt but Adrian is a talent to watch out for.
November 7, 2017
Check out more reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...
A limited edition military sci-fi novella... Ted Regan has been sent by the government to help a corporate family in the Sweden /Finland area to recover their missing Scion. This corporate son should have been protected by the ironclad! His suit is way out of the league of Regan and his men but he must go behind enemy lines, find the missing Scion, and uncover what happened.
Unknown to most people who know me I had a secret passion for military sci-fi fiction set in the future! I LOVED John Ringo's work and yeah I still have a crush. I ALSO happen to know Adrian Tchaikovsky's work as I've read some of his Shadows of the Apt series and I quite admired his world building. So when I saw this book to request I HAD TO HAVE IT! I didn't know that it was a novella or limited or anything... though now I know there really was a very real reason to be urgent about reading it... And I'm HAPPY I DID!
I wasn't really a fan of the setup. The writing style took a while to adjust to as it felt like a pseudo military voice was telling me everything while nothing was happening. When I fit the first battle though I knew that it was worth sticking with...
Well I still was struggling at 35%... It was reading like your average military sc-fi story with a rather ho-hum group that didn't stand out to me with a plot that was slow going. At this point I was still struggling to get through the writing style and all the TELLING (which is a pet peeve of mine!)
Then just 5% later I AM LOVING THIS NOVELLA! This is a regular-Joe group with experience working with what they get as far as gear goes doing the crappy jobs in a future world that we've seen glimpses of even if not this exact rendition. Once all this was firmly established the STORY GOT STARTED! And I loved where it went!
#1 - Viina killed it!
Like literally and figuratively... she was my favorite character and such a stunning addition to this story... Literally this could be the beginning of a GREAT SERIES because of her.
#2 - Cormoran diversified the drones...
She is this badass corporate black woman who shouldn't be on their team but is and she uses drones like a pro! She added a ton to the story where normally we just have a grunt sitting there.
#3 - Mega-Scion Killer on the loose.
As a turning point goes I LOVED it! And a lot of that had to do with Regan finally pulling his weight as the narrator and giving us MORE than info dumps on the world and allowing his personality to shine through!
#4 - The TWISTS were EPIC!!
I'm not going to reference them AT ALL... you want to go into this blind with just the barest clues of what to look for (see #1-#3 above!) This is a single mission... can you imagine an entire book of this?! (YES I CAN!)
Wow! That ending! That was a cool little story! I love the Finns... not sure which I would rather see again... Regan or the Finns, both maybe! The narrative was different... I did get used to it, but it’s rather a waste unless this is a series... Scions and the corporate takeover of the world make for solid world building.
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Premise & World Building
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Cover & Title
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Development & Storycraft
⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Writing & Narrative
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot & Pacing
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Relationships
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Feelings
BOTTOM LINE: Military Sci-fi World Worth Expanding...
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my special perspective at the bottom of my reviews under the typewriter...
A limited edition military sci-fi novella... Ted Regan has been sent by the government to help a corporate family in the Sweden /Finland area to recover their missing Scion. This corporate son should have been protected by the ironclad! His suit is way out of the league of Regan and his men but he must go behind enemy lines, find the missing Scion, and uncover what happened.
Unknown to most people who know me I had a secret passion for military sci-fi fiction set in the future! I LOVED John Ringo's work and yeah I still have a crush. I ALSO happen to know Adrian Tchaikovsky's work as I've read some of his Shadows of the Apt series and I quite admired his world building. So when I saw this book to request I HAD TO HAVE IT! I didn't know that it was a novella or limited or anything... though now I know there really was a very real reason to be urgent about reading it... And I'm HAPPY I DID!
I wasn't really a fan of the setup. The writing style took a while to adjust to as it felt like a pseudo military voice was telling me everything while nothing was happening. When I fit the first battle though I knew that it was worth sticking with...
Well I still was struggling at 35%... It was reading like your average military sc-fi story with a rather ho-hum group that didn't stand out to me with a plot that was slow going. At this point I was still struggling to get through the writing style and all the TELLING (which is a pet peeve of mine!)
Then just 5% later I AM LOVING THIS NOVELLA! This is a regular-Joe group with experience working with what they get as far as gear goes doing the crappy jobs in a future world that we've seen glimpses of even if not this exact rendition. Once all this was firmly established the STORY GOT STARTED! And I loved where it went!
#1 - Viina killed it!
Like literally and figuratively... she was my favorite character and such a stunning addition to this story... Literally this could be the beginning of a GREAT SERIES because of her.
#2 - Cormoran diversified the drones...
She is this badass corporate black woman who shouldn't be on their team but is and she uses drones like a pro! She added a ton to the story where normally we just have a grunt sitting there.
#3 - Mega-Scion Killer on the loose.
As a turning point goes I LOVED it! And a lot of that had to do with Regan finally pulling his weight as the narrator and giving us MORE than info dumps on the world and allowing his personality to shine through!
#4 - The TWISTS were EPIC!!
I'm not going to reference them AT ALL... you want to go into this blind with just the barest clues of what to look for (see #1-#3 above!) This is a single mission... can you imagine an entire book of this?! (YES I CAN!)
Wow! That ending! That was a cool little story! I love the Finns... not sure which I would rather see again... Regan or the Finns, both maybe! The narrative was different... I did get used to it, but it’s rather a waste unless this is a series... Scions and the corporate takeover of the world make for solid world building.
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Premise & World Building
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Cover & Title
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Development & Storycraft
⋆ ⋆ ⭐⭐⭐ Writing & Narrative
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot & Pacing
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Relationships
⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Feelings
BOTTOM LINE: Military Sci-fi World Worth Expanding...
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my special perspective at the bottom of my reviews under the typewriter...
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