Tchaikovsky, Adrian

While it is possible to enjoy this book as a stand-alone, recurring emotional threads and connections to Tchaikovsky’s previous novels make this better experienced as part of a series. It’s difficult to imagine a follow-up novel, but listeners will hope for one anyway.

This stand-alone epic fantasy from Tchaikovsky (Children of Memory) is highly recommended for lovers of big sprawling sagas who don’t want to wait years for a climactic conclusion.

Recommended for lovers of portal fantasy, lost colony science fiction, and stories on the border between the two genres.

Tchaikovsky’s “Shadows of the Apt” series brought this world to fascinating life in exquisite detail. The story may follow familiar fantasy tropes, but the characters make the story seem fresh and new. Highly recommended for fantasy and steampunk readers looking for a truly epic (and complete!) tale, fans of the author, and anyone looking for a great but different story about the rise and overthrow of fantastic empires. A good purchase for libraries that don’t own older editions of the series.

Meticulous and spectacular worldbuilding make this slow-building sf novel a truly fascinating read.