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inverarityBook six in the Shadows of the Apt series.
Tor Books, 2011, 697 pages
I hate to call any book I enjoyed "filler," but when you are writing a 10-book series, some books are clearly meant to move the story along with some plot elements that could have fit into a few chapters but are padded out to novel length. Additionally, we now have several main characters in the series, so the author gets to indulge in writing an entire book from one character's POV, then leaving that character off in the boonies while making the next book about the character who was off-page in the last one.
So it is in the last few books in the Shadows of the Apt series. Book five, The Scarab Path, focused on Cheerwell Maker and her adventures in the desert city of Khanaphes. In the sixth book, The Sea Watch, we leave Cheerwell in the desert with her foe-yay Wasp romantic interest Thalric, and turn back to her uncle, Stenwold Maker, the real main character of the series, who is still trying to hold his alliance together and defend Collegium's independence, as he has been since the first book.
Adrian Tchaikovsky often betrays his nerdy RPG roots. He does (IMO) a better job than Brandon Sanderson of writing a fantasy universe influenced by RPG tropes without being consumed by the details of magic systems and racial attribute bonuses, but The Sea Watch really felt like one of the RPG supplements that's packed full of new races and lands for a side campaign. This is the Underwater campaign book, where Stenwold discovers that the mythical "Sea Kinden" actually exist, and thus we are introduced to a whole bunch of new Kinden and their Arts. Crab-kinden! Shrimp-kinden! Squid-kinden! Octopus-kinden! Coral-kinden!
No Shark-kinden, though. I am disappoint.
(Also, I don't think any mammals, other than the "Kinden" humans, have ever been mentioned in this series. All the fauna is giant bugs or aquatic creatures. But it's been mentioned that they drink milk. Where is the milk coming from???)
Stenwold has to negotiate his way through factional disputes with Sea Kinden (who like the land Kinden have kingdoms and coups and tribal warfare, ancient grudges, fanatical religions, and a few inventive Apt Kinden discovering technology.) Meanwhile, the Spider Kinden are preparing to launch an Armada at the Collegium. There is a sort of MacGuffin quest for a lost heir. Stenwold navigates his way through this with a lot of diplomacy and deal-making and a maybe slightly too convenient resolution at the end. The Wasp Empire remains a looming off-page threat for most of the book.
I've found all the Shadows of the Apt books to be good reads, and this is a very satisfying series. The Sea Watch wasn't the most dramatic or game-changing volume (even with the introduction of Sea Kinden), but the author was clearly having fun with it, and it does keep the metaplot boiling along.
Also by Adrian Tchaikovsky: My reviews of Children of Time, Children of Ruin, Children of Memory, Empire in Black and Gold, Dragonfly Falling, Blood of the Mantis, Salute the Dark, The Scarab Path, The Expert System's Brother, The Expert System's Champion, Made Things, Shards of Earth, Eyes of the Void.
My complete list of book reviews.
Tor Books, 2011, 697 pages
Danger lurks beneath dark waters....
A shadow is falling over Collegium. Despite the tenuous peace, Stenwold Maker knows that the Empire will return for his city. Even as he tries to prepare for the resurgence of the black-and-gold army, a hidden threat is working against his people. Ships that sail from Collegium's harbour are being attacked, sunk by pirates. Some just go missing....
Lulled by the spread of lies and false promises, Stenwold's allies are falling away. He faces betrayal on every side, and the Empire is just waiting for the first sign of weakness to strike. But they are not the only power that has its eyes on Collegium. And even with all their military strength and technology, they may not be powerful enough to stave off the forces massing in the darkness.
I hate to call any book I enjoyed "filler," but when you are writing a 10-book series, some books are clearly meant to move the story along with some plot elements that could have fit into a few chapters but are padded out to novel length. Additionally, we now have several main characters in the series, so the author gets to indulge in writing an entire book from one character's POV, then leaving that character off in the boonies while making the next book about the character who was off-page in the last one.
So it is in the last few books in the Shadows of the Apt series. Book five, The Scarab Path, focused on Cheerwell Maker and her adventures in the desert city of Khanaphes. In the sixth book, The Sea Watch, we leave Cheerwell in the desert with her foe-yay Wasp romantic interest Thalric, and turn back to her uncle, Stenwold Maker, the real main character of the series, who is still trying to hold his alliance together and defend Collegium's independence, as he has been since the first book.
Adrian Tchaikovsky often betrays his nerdy RPG roots. He does (IMO) a better job than Brandon Sanderson of writing a fantasy universe influenced by RPG tropes without being consumed by the details of magic systems and racial attribute bonuses, but The Sea Watch really felt like one of the RPG supplements that's packed full of new races and lands for a side campaign. This is the Underwater campaign book, where Stenwold discovers that the mythical "Sea Kinden" actually exist, and thus we are introduced to a whole bunch of new Kinden and their Arts. Crab-kinden! Shrimp-kinden! Squid-kinden! Octopus-kinden! Coral-kinden!
No Shark-kinden, though. I am disappoint.
(Also, I don't think any mammals, other than the "Kinden" humans, have ever been mentioned in this series. All the fauna is giant bugs or aquatic creatures. But it's been mentioned that they drink milk. Where is the milk coming from???)
Stenwold has to negotiate his way through factional disputes with Sea Kinden (who like the land Kinden have kingdoms and coups and tribal warfare, ancient grudges, fanatical religions, and a few inventive Apt Kinden discovering technology.) Meanwhile, the Spider Kinden are preparing to launch an Armada at the Collegium. There is a sort of MacGuffin quest for a lost heir. Stenwold navigates his way through this with a lot of diplomacy and deal-making and a maybe slightly too convenient resolution at the end. The Wasp Empire remains a looming off-page threat for most of the book.
I've found all the Shadows of the Apt books to be good reads, and this is a very satisfying series. The Sea Watch wasn't the most dramatic or game-changing volume (even with the introduction of Sea Kinden), but the author was clearly having fun with it, and it does keep the metaplot boiling along.
Also by Adrian Tchaikovsky: My reviews of Children of Time, Children of Ruin, Children of Memory, Empire in Black and Gold, Dragonfly Falling, Blood of the Mantis, Salute the Dark, The Scarab Path, The Expert System's Brother, The Expert System's Champion, Made Things, Shards of Earth, Eyes of the Void.
My complete list of book reviews.
