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Adrian Tchaikovsky
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Publisher | Tor | ||
ISBN | 978-023070413 | ||
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Reviewer
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Ann
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Synopsis
Seventeen years ago Stenwold witnessed the Wasp Empire storming the city of Myna in a brutal war of conquest. Since then he has preached vainly against this threat in his home city of Collegium, but now the Empire is on the march, with its spies and its armies everywhere, and the Lowlands lie directly in its path. All the while, Stenwold has been training youthful agents to fight the Wasp advance, and the latest recruits include his niece, Che, and his mysterious ward, Tynisa. When his home is violently attacked, he is forced to send them ahead of him and, hotly pursued, they fly by airship to Helleron, the first city in line for the latest Wasp invasion.Stenwold and Che are Beetle-kinden, one of many human races that take their powers and inspiration each from a totem insect, but he also has allies of many breeds: Mantis, Spider, Ant, with their own particular skills. Foremost is the deadly Mantis-kinden warrior, Tisamon, but other very unlikely allies also join the cause. As things go from bad to worse amid escalating dangers, Stenwold learns that the Wasps intend to use the newly completed railroad between Helleron and Collegium to launch a lightning strike into the heart of the Lowlands. Then he gathers all of his agents to force a final showdown in the engine yard ...
Review
At first sight another fantasy epic with a disparate group seeking desperately to overcome an evil empire, but, thankfully, with a couple of twists which make it something special.
This first novel in the trilogy begins with an episode years before the main action of the remainder of the book takes over, and consequently one feels somewhat dropped in it without much idea of the nature of the world one is visiting, but, persevere, it does get better !
While the inhabitants are human they may have the characteristics - mental and physical - of insects. For example the empire of black and gold are waspkin, the main protagonist is beetlekin with his group of young spies comprising spiderkin, dragonflykin and halfbreeds (always a good idea as could have abilities of both, or neither, or totally different !). Other groups are encountered during the course of the tale with varying talents and characteristics. The other main twist is that alongside the magic there is technology, albeit only steam and clockwork, so giving a broader range of problems and solutions.
The characters are believable, developing throughout, and not stereotypically good or bad, which makes for much more interesting reading. The story picks up pace and the ending is satisfying but it is just the first skirmish, and there is still much more to discover.
Familiar yet different - recommended.
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