Dragonfly Falling is the second book in the critically acclaimed epic fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of the Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning Children of Time.
Every hero must be tested . . .
The Wasp Empire’s armies are on the move. The city of Tark will be first to feel their might, now preparing for siege. And within its walls, Salma and Totho will take a stand alongside their Ant-kinden brethren. But they’ll face weaponry and numbers such as the Lowlands have never seen.
Meanwhile, the Empire's secret service has deemed Stenwold Maker too dangerous to live. So Major Thalric is dispatched to eliminate Stenwold and destroy his beloved city of Collegium. For if this centre of learning is lost, it will crush all hope of intelligent resistance.
As the Empire's troops continue their relentless advance, their young Emperor pursues another, even darker goal. His success would trigger a reign of blood lasting a thousand years.
Dragonfly Falling is followed by the third book in the Shadows of the Apt series, Blood of the Mantis.
From the author of the thrilling science-fiction epic Children of Time,
winner of the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award.
Christopher Paolini described Adrian Tchaikovsky as 'one of the most interesting and accomplished writers in speculative fiction.'
Shards of Earth is the first high-octane instalment in the Final Architecture trilogy.
The war is over.
Its heroes forgotten.
Until one chance discovery . . .
Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade his mind in the war. And one of humanity’s heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers.
Eighty years ago, Earth was destroyed by an alien enemy. Many escaped, but millions more died. So mankind created enhanced humans such as Idris - who could communicate mind-to-mind with our aggressors. Then these ‘Architects’ simply disappeared and Idris and his kind became obsolete.
Now, Idris and his crew have something strange, abandoned in space. It’s clearly the work of the Architects – but are they really returning? And if so, why? Hunted by gangsters, cults and governments, Idris and his crew race across the galaxy as they search for answers. For they now possess something of incalculable value, and many would kill to obtain it.
Praise for Adrian Tchaikovsky:
'Enthralling, epic, immersive and hugely intelligent' – Stephen Baxter on Shards of Earth
'He writes incredibly enjoyable sci-fi, full of life and ideas' – Patrick Ness
‘Brilliant science fiction’ – James McAvoy on Children of Time
The Scarab Path is the fifth book in the critically acclaimed epic fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
Ancient powers are waking . . .
The war with the Wasp Empire has ended in a bitter stalemate, and Collegium has nothing to show for it but wounded veterans. Cheerwell Maker finds herself broken in ways no doctor can mend, haunted by ghosts of the past. Meanwhile, the powerful Wasp Empress is regaining control over those imperial cities that refused to bow to her. But she draws her power from something more sinister than armies and war machines.
Only her consort, the former spymaster Thalric, knows the truth. As assassins seek to end him, he finds his life and his loyalties under threat once again. And in an ancient city beyond the desert, a terrible secret stirs beneath its stones.
The Scarab Path is followed by the sixth book in the Shadows of the Apt series, The Sea Watch.
Ten years ago, the renegade demigod known as the Kinslayer returned. His armies of monsters issued from the pits of the earth, spearheaded by his brutal Yorughan soldiers. He won every battle, leaving burnt earth and corruption behind. Thrones toppled and cities fell as he drove all before him. And then he died. A handful of lucky heroes and some traitors amongst his own, and the great Kinslayer was no more. Celestaine was one such hero and now she has tasked herself to correct the worst excesses of the Kinslayer and bring light back to her torn-up world. With two Yorughan companions she faces fanatics, war criminals and the monsters and minions the Kinslayer left behind as the fragile alliances of the war break down into feuding, greed and mistrust. The Kinslayer may be gone, but he cast a long shadow she may never truly escape.
They face a hunger that could consume the gods themselves
From the depths of myth an ancient enemy has returned: the Plague People, whose very presence obliterates whole villages; whose terror destroys minds. In their wake, nothing is left of the people, not their places, not their ways.
On the plains, the warriors and the wise of all tribes gather to confront the aggressor. Loud Thunder leads his great war-host south, even as Tecumet and Asman head north with the Sun River army. With Maniye Many Tracks, they plan to forge a new unity between the tribes such as the world has never seen. But will it be enough to stave off an oblivion that might devour even their gods?
Their adversary's presence is like a wound in the world, and wakes all the old terrors and evils from the peoples' stories. But before they can deal with the enemies without, they must conquer their demons within.
The Hyena and the Hawk is the third book in Adrian Tchaikovsky's epic fantasy trilogy, Echoes of the Fall, following The Bear and the Serpent.
Bestselling British master of science fiction Adrian Tchaikovsky brings listeners a new, mind-expanding science fantasia in The Expert System's Brother.
After an unfortunate accident, Handry is forced to wander a world he doesn't understand, searching for meaning. He soon discovers that the life he thought he knew is far stranger than he could even possibly imagine.
Can an unlikely savior provide the answers to the questions he barely comprehends?
I'M LOST. I'M SCARED. AND THERE'S SOMETHING HORRIBLE IN HERE.
My name is Gary Rendell. I'm an astronaut. When they asked me as a kid what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said, 'astronaut, please!' I dreamed astronaut, I worked astronaut, I studied astronaut. I got lucky; when a probe exploring the Oort Cloud found a strange alien rock and an international team of scientists was put together to go and look at it, I made the draw.
I got even luckier. When disaster hit and our team was split up, scattered through the endless cold tunnels, I somehow survived.
Now I'm lost, and alone, and scared, and there's something horrible in here.
Lucky me.
Lucky, lucky, lucky.
Salute the Dark is the fourth book in the critically acclaimed epic fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky, winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award. As spymaster Stenworld makes a stand in his home city, others must chose where their loyalties lie.
All must face the end of days . . .
Uctebri’s long search for the Shadow Box is finally over. Now the vampiric sorcerer can begin his dark ritual. The Wasp-kinden’s Emperor believes this will grant him immortality, but Uctebri has his own plans – for the Emperor and the Empire.
The mighty Wasp armies are on the march. And now war is imminent, spymaster Stenwold can finally separate allies from false friends. For the Empire won’t stop until a black and gold flag hangs over Collegium, Stenwold's home city.
Tisamon the Weaponsmaster could chose to face the Wasp Emperor himself with a blade in his hand. But he’d need to abandon friends and family, embracing degradation and loss. Yet is he driven by Mantis-kinden honour, or being manipulated by something far more sinister?
Salute the Dark is followed by the fifth book in the Shadows of the Apt series, The Scarab Path.
The Sea Watch is the sixth book in the critically acclaimed epic fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
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.
The Sea Watch is followed by the seventh book in the Shadows of the Apt series, Heirs of the Blade.
In Adrian Tchaikovsky's The Expert System's Champion, sometimes the ones you hate are the only ones that can save you.
It's been ten years since Handry was wrenched away from his family and friends, forced to wander a world he no longer understood. But with the help of the Ancients, he has cobbled together a life, of sorts, for himself and his fellow outcasts.
Wandering from village to village, welcoming the folk that the townships abandon, fighting the monsters the villagers cannot-or dare not-his ever-growing band of misfits has become the stuff of legend, a story told by parents to keep unruly children in line.
But there is something new and dangerous in the world, and the beasts of the land are acting against their nature, destroying the towns they once left in peace.
And for the first time in memory, the Ancients have no wisdom to offer . . .
The sun is bloated, diseased, dying perhaps. Beneath its baneful light, Shadrapar, last of all cities, harbours fewer than 100,000 human souls. Built on the ruins of countless civilisations, Shadrapar is a museum, an asylum, a prison on a world that is ever more alien to humanity. Bearing witness to the desperate struggle for existence between life old and new is Stefan Advani: rebel, outlaw, survivor. This is his testament, an account of the journey that took him into the blazing desolation of the western deserts and into the labyrinths and caverns of the underworld. He will meet with monsters and mutants. The question is, which one of them will inherit this Earth?
Humanity clings to life on a dying Earth.
Epic, far-future science fiction from an award-winning author.
The first novel in the Echoes of the Fall series, The Tiger and the Wolf is an accomplished high fantasy by Adrian Tchaikovsky, and winner of the 2017 British Fantasy Award for Best Novel. Adrian Tchaikovsky is also the author of the Arthur C. Clarke award-winning Children of Time.
In the bleak northern crown of the world, war is coming
Maniye's father is the Wolf clan's chieftain, but she's an outcast. Her mother was queen of the Tiger and these tribes have been enemies for generations. Maniye also hides a deadly secret. All can shift into their clan's animal form, but Maniye can take on tiger and wolf shapes. She refuses to disown half her soul so escapes, rescuing a prisoner of the Wolf clan in the process. The killer Broken Axe is set on their trail, to drag them back for retribution.
The Wolf chieftan plots to rule the north and controlling his daughter is crucial to his schemes. However, other tribes also prepare for strife. Strangers from the far south appear too, seeking allies in their own conflict. It's a season for omens as priests foresee danger and a darkness falling across the land. Some say a great war is coming, overshadowing even Wolf ambitions. A time of testing and broken laws is near, but what spark will set the world ablaze?
Shortlisted for the British Fantasy Society Best Novel Award
