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Adrian Tchaikovsky
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Genre
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Media
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Book
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Publisher | Tor | ||
ISBN | 978-023070415 | ||
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Reviewer
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Ann
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Synopsis
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
Review
The second installment of the Shadows of the Apt continuing the Lowlanders fight against the Wasp Empire, and matters become even more complicated with more involvement from the Wasp Emporer and the Spiderkin.
Often the second volume is a bit of a disappointment but not here. There are more characters to meet, development of existing ones and their situations plus the exploration of further areas of this unusual world.
Two things make this series interesting - the juxtaposition of magic and technology - even it is sometimes perhaps a little awkward, and characters who inhabit a normal grey world, not always black and white.
Looking forward to the next volume.
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