|
508 pp
ISBN: 978-1-61614-192-9
Trade Paperback
$16.00
March 2010
Cover Illustration: ŠJon Sullivan
www.jonsullivanart.com/
The city states of the Lowlands have lived in peace for decades, bastions of civilization, prosperity and sophistication, protected by treaties, trade and a belief in the reasonable nature of their neighbours.
But meanwhile, in far-off corners, the Wasp Empire has been devouring city after city with its highly trained armies, its machines, it killing Art . . . And now its hunger for conquest and war has become insatiable.
Only the ageing Stenwold Maker, spymaster, artificer and statesman, can see that the long days of peace are over. It falls upon his shoulders to open the eyes of his people, before a black-and-gold tide sweeps down over the Lowlands and burns away everything in its path.
But first he must stop himself from becoming the Empire's latest victim.
To order this book, please select a bookseller at the left,
or click "Contact Us" to order directly.
Praise for the series:
"Tchaikovsky succeeds at creating a compelling, absorbing and unique plot populated with characters worth investing time in. Interestingly, the humans in
this series could be considered the monsters in any other series, and
the insect/human hybrid characters are believable and fascinating. A
promising debut by a verbose and lyrical writer. Four stars: Compelling—Page-turner."
—RT Book Reviews
"Tchaikovsky's first novel exhibits a vibrancy and creative spirit that commands
attention. Set in a world where human tribes are identified with totem
insects—e.g., messenger Fly-kinden, military-minded Ant-kinden—the
story moves quickly between intensely personal interactions and scenes
of large-scale battle... This original and well-told series opener belongs
in most fantasy collections and deserves exposure to a wide audience."
—Library Journal
"... one of the most accomplished heroic fantasy debuts since Scott Lynch's Locke Lamora. At various times during my reading, I was reminded of Lynch, of China Miéville, of K. J. Parker, and even, underneath it all, holding the novel together and providing its irresistible narrative impulse,
Tolkien. Tchaikovsky is not the equal of any of these writers, not yet,
but he is smart and talented, and he's got imagination to burn."
—Realms of Fantasy
"Adrian Tchaikovsky makes a good and enjoyable mix between a medieval looking world and the presence of technology" —Starburst
"Full of colourful drama and non-stop action involving mass warfare and personal combat." —Fantasy Book Critic
"Empire in Black and Gold is a very strong debut. It is a fast-paced and action-driven novel that nonetheless leaves plenty of room for character-development. Its primary strength is, however, the highly imaginative world that Tchaikovsky's has created.... A remarkably strong fantasy debut and I for one am eagerly anticipating the sequels Dragonfly Falling and Blood of the Mantis." —Book Spot Central
"Empire in Black and Gold has enough going for it to make it one of the most enjoyable books that I've read so far this year. I want more and there's nothing I can do but sit it out and wait..." —Graeme's Fantasy Book Review (nine and a quarter out of ten)
|
