Product Description

Two young companions, Totho and Salma, arrive at Tark to spy on the menacing Wasp army, but are there mistakenly apprehended as enemy agents. By the time they are freed, the city is already under siege. Over in the imperial capital the young emperor, Alvdan, is becoming captivated by a remarkable slave, the vampiric Uctebri, who claims he knows of magic that can grant eternal life. In Collegium, meanwhile, Stenwold is still trying to persuade the city magnates to take seriously the Wasp Empire’s imminent threat to their survival.

In a colourful drama involving mass warfare and personal combat, a small group of heroes must stand up against what seems like an unstoppable force. This volume continues the story that so brilliantly unfolded in Empire in Black and Gold – and the action is still non-stop.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1803 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 673 pages

Review
'Full of colourful drama and non-stop action involving mass warfare and personal combat.'
--Fantasy Book Critic

About the Author

Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire before heading off to Reading to study psychology and zoology. For reasons unclear even to himself he subsequently ended up in law and has worked as a legal executive in both Reading and Leeds, where he now lives. Married, he is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor, has trained in stage-fighting, and keeps no exotic or dangerous pets of any kind, possibly excepting his son.

Catch up with Adrian at www.shadowsoftheapt.com for further information about both himself and the insect-kinden, together with bonus material including short stories and artwork.

Customer Reviews

Hits the ground running
I really enjoyed book one of this trilogy, and this, the second installment, was no dissapointment. If anything it is slightly better. Whereas book one was somewhat slow in starting this one hits the ground running, throwing you into sieges, conspiracies, assasination attempts, and introducing a new and sinister backdrop, all at a rollercoaster, break-neck speed.
As with book one, there is a fine and believable ensemble cast here, with old characters being fleshed out and new ones introduced, both good and bad - a mysterious woman on the trail of Major Thalric and a particularly creepy 'mosquito kinden' being stand-out. There is more of Tisamon, which is a good thing - such a great character, and also a well-written character arc for Totho, managing to blur the lines between 'good and bad' into shades of grey. Also Major Thalric's character arc is excellently written, who is one of the most likeable 'bad guys' I have come across in a long while.
The world-building grows, cleverly blending traditional Tolkienesque themes in the 'Days of Lore' with a more Pullman/Peake feel wrapped up in the 'New Age of Artifice,' including steamships and nailguns.
The only weakpoint is a slight lack of 'descriptive writing' with the world (physical environments)not being clearly portrayed.
Overall, though, it is a great read, the plot consistently powering the story on; it is a definite page-turner, managing to make you care deeply what happens to most of the characters, with believable and often witty dialogue and seamlessly intertwining multiple plot twists with plenty of action and suspense.
Can't wait for the third installment.

Fantasy with an insect WW2 flavour!
After the excellent 'Empire in Black and Gold' I guess many were waiting to see if Tchaikovsky could maintain that standard. He has not only done this but set himself a new personal best he may have trouble besting in the future!

Dragonfly falling has everything you could want in a modern fantasy tale. Heroes, anti-heroes, wonderful baddies that are just on the believable side of evil and baddies you are actually quite sympathetic too. All riding an incredible story so huge in it's scope it is more like the first couple of years of WW2 than a traditional battle between light and dark.

Swordplay and 'Trad' fantasy lovers may be frustrated by the book as there are ironclad warships, helicopters, and even a submarine! Personally I quite liked the almost 'Steampunk' element, as Tchaikovsky, with this novel, swerves away from Tolkien and sets a course for Stephen Hunt territory. Not as manic as Hunt though and Tchaikovsky does allow a bit more room for dialogue and charactor development. The introductions of the wasp Emperor and the Dragonfly Felise are also welcome additions to the cast list and there a couple of significant deaths of which I will say no more!

The only problem I forsee for the author is that the swordplay elements (which he seems to be very fond of) are going to seem increasingly incongrous with huge leaps in weapons technology that happen every couple of chapters. There is not much point in being a master swordsman if your enemy can pick you off fromm 200 hundred yards away with a 'snapbow'.
Whilst I also love the whole 'Apt' and insect 'kinden' ideas, it does not do to dwell to long on them. The non Apt races are for example are so inapt as not to be able to even work a crossbow, so one wonders how they manage to even put their trousers on let alone learn't how to forge metals to make swords out of, however this is high fantasy here and I'm being too pedantic.

The story concludes with the Wasp's empiric ways stirring up the Spider lands (a little like Hitler with Russia) which promises some great future plot developments! I just have to wait for my wife to finish 'Blood of the Mantis' so I can read it!

A true master of Fantasy Fiction.
WOW! This second novel in the Shadows Of The Apt series is truly breathtaking. I loved the first novel Empire In Black And Gold, but the brilliance of this latest work blows it away. Tchaikovsky writes with a skill that in the future could easily put him up there with the very best of writers in the Fantasy genre, his world is massive and complex filled with wondrous peoples and different societies and political systems. I really can't praise this series enough, it is definitely one of the best fantasy series around.

This installment has all of our favourite characters from the previous novel and many more to sink our teeth into, I think my favourite is the Emperor of the Wasps Alvdan The Second. We get to see an insight into his life and the brutality in which he lived, we also see an insight into the Wasp political structure and the back biting of the Generals and Nobles. On the opposite side of the world the Lowlands are rocked with battles and sieges and assassinations as the Wasp armies and their allies attempt to further their Emperors dreams of domination.

This is an action packed Fantasy book that any Fantasy lover will like, so if you're waiting for the New Martin or Erikson and find yourself at a loss for a good read, read this and his previous novel. You'll be in for a hell of a surprise!