Salute the Dark (Shadows of the Apt, #4) in Beyond Reality

Jul 22, 2024 Kathi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 52-book-club-2024-challenge

10/10
Complex, intriguing, heart-breaking…The author explores the savagery, heroism, horror, and tragedy of war; the bonds of friendship, fellowship, and shared experiences; the power of tradition, of fear, of ambition, and of honor and love. It’s all here. Well-written, although I could do with less detail of battles and duels.

The ending feels like a pause for breath in this 10-book series. It will be interesting to see where the story goes next!

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Nov 15, 2010 Jason rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2010, e-books

This might have been my favorite of the series so far. As others have said this is the 4th book that completes the first part of the story ark in a longer tale. Instead of commenting on the story itself I will speak of this series that Adrian Tchaikovsky has created. He has crafted a truly unique and fresh world, where magic, technology, ghosts, and monsters live. If you are a fantasy fan and want to read something that is fresh and new, look no further than here. If you enjoy world building, an ...more

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May 05, 2016 Katy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A very good installment in the series. For a while, this one was "more of the same" with war and war; however, we start to see a turn of events and a few surprises. ...more

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Jul 12, 2024 Natalie rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

Rating 4.5 stars. The fourth entry into the Shadows of the Apt presents us with deeper insight into several characters, the strengths and weaknesses of the Wasp war plan, and the deaths of several characters. In previous books, few have died so the deaths felt more shocking. Tchaikovsky does not introduce too many new characters however a few twists in the plot seemed underdeveloped (including Seda's vye for power).
As in previous books in the series, we follow various kinden in the war between t Rating 4.5 stars. The fourth entry into the Shadows of the Apt presents us with deeper insight into several characters, the strengths and weaknesses of the Wasp war plan, and the deaths of several characters. In previous books, few have died so the deaths felt more shocking. Tchaikovsky does not introduce too many new characters however a few twists in the plot seemed underdeveloped (including Seda's vye for power).
As in previous books in the series, we follow various kinden in the war between the Wasps and the peoples of the Lowlands. Especially key is the fact that the cities Szar and Myna put up a fairly successful fight, pushing the Wasps back.
It felt like we got a bit more of the Wasp POV through some familiar characters (Alvdan, the Emperor, and Generals Maxin, Latvoc, Drephos, and Uctebri) as well as some new voices (Praeter and the intriguing Tynan). We learn that the Emperor is proud and self centered, so instead of overseeing a coordinated war, he allows the generals to try to build their pride and war chests through a fragmented approach. Thalric, a defector, is able to play to a general's and a governor's weaknesses and take them out! (view spoiler). Late in the story, Emperor Alvdan and General Uctebri are tricked by Alvdan's sister, Seda, at a grand spectacle. (view spoiler). This throws the entire Wasp Empire into a panic and all the generals abandon their battles to return to the capital.
Meanwhile, we see various other kinden, including Stenwold, Nero, Che, and Acheaos work to battle against the wasps. Most intriguing to me were Thalric, Tisamon, and Totho.
Thalric decides he must undermine the Wasps and in his efforts, finds himself embroiled in the politics at the top of the chain of the Wasp command.
Tisamon, disheartened, gives himself up to fight various kinden and creatures to audiences of Wasps. He finds an unusual ally in a fighter named Ult. But his skill at fighting is meaningless in the face of the Emperor's fickle tastes.
Totho, who is working for the Wasps as an artificer, designing weapons, finally finds himself too greatly at odds with his master, Drephos's plans. Drephos plans to poison all of Szar with yellow gas, arguing that in war, there is no place for mercy. Every enemy, whether parents or children, has the potential to threaten them, so must be destroyed. Totho, who oscillated between an opposition to to a resignation to the weapons, finds this act too severe.
In the fighting and chaos, we lose several characters: (view spoiler).
I had hoped we would get more magic but we have only two brief appearances. Achaeos and his fellow kinden try to summon magical power to weaken the enemy and the Wasps have the shadow box and in trying to control the magic within, turn destruction on themselves.
This world is vast and well drawn. The many voices contributing to the story allow the reader to see so much of it. Most intriguing to me in this book was the discussion of the reason to kill the enemy (328-330), and the explanation of how the Wasps are so fractured they can't be very effective as a whole (238-239).
I look forward to finding out what happens after the Wasp retreat! ...more

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Jun 11, 2013 Cody rated it really liked it

Finally, the whirlwind of the first four Shadows of the Apt books re-read is finished. I've upped this one's rating to 4 stars. Things packed more of an emotional punch this time around since I was better able to appreciate what had happened and what the personal struggles of the characters meant.

Especially Tisamon's and Felise Mienn's. Their plotlines in this novel were all about their personal struggles and just happened to coincide with the greater plot.

Salute the Dark aptly wraps up the firs Finally, the whirlwind of the first four Shadows of the Apt books re-read is finished. I've upped this one's rating to 4 stars. Things packed more of an emotional punch this time around since I was better able to appreciate what had happened and what the personal struggles of the characters meant.

Especially Tisamon's and Felise Mienn's. Their plotlines in this novel were all about their personal struggles and just happened to coincide with the greater plot.

Salute the Dark aptly wraps up the first arc of the series in a rather satisfying way. Not all of the conflicts end the way you expect them to, and it feels like Tchaikovsky finally took off the kid gloves when it comes to who lives and who dies. Spoiler Alert - not all of your favorite characters will make it through. None of the others come through unscathed.

In the final moments, you can really feel the weight that the survivors bear. The losses have actually added up and what re-building occurs is bittersweet.

After three books of the Empire relentlessly pushing forward and having successes, it's incredibly satisfying to have their war machine start being outwitted and outgunned - mostly due to the protagonists actually having a strategy and fighting to make it work. That's not to say the Wasps don't have their fair share of cruel victories, of course.

The biggest thing that jumped out at me was the talk about progress and war, and how there will always be people striving to find better ways to kill people and then juxtaposing that against people agonizing over how their strategies haven't been seen before or agonizing over the new super weapon introduced in the earlier books, the snapbow. The part of that that jumped out at me was how there seem to be so many unknown resources that the protags aren't taking advantage of just based on the various kinden they have available.

For instance, the Mold Cricket kinden. These guys can use their Art to just walk through walls or easily undermine or tunnel. Once this was figured out, they should have been to forefront over every siege or harrying strategy. But they weren't, just here and there. Then you have the Grasshoppers, which I assume can leap around like madmen - why wasn't the ability taken advantage of? Perfect to scale walls at night or other assassination activities. Or the fact that many kinden can walk up walls like their namesakes. or the Skaters being able to walk on water and being super lean - perfect to infiltrate via waterways at night.

I just hope some of these kinden-specific opportunities are explored a bit further.

Either way, a great read and I'm excited to move on into uncharted territory: The Scarab Path. ...more

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