User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Elder Race, or, a post on which I muse about feelings, productivity, and the futility of blurbing.
Goodreads lists over thirty books written by Tchaikovsky, and that's not including another seventy plus short stories he lists on his website. This is one prolific author. After joining Nataliya on buddy reads of a number of novellas, I've come to the conclusion that he has a lot of strengths when it comes to the style of sci-fi I enjoy, but lacks a certain attention to detail to move most of his works into the stratosphere. The first work I read by him was the memorable and undoubtedly to-be-classic Children of Time, and nothing has quite stood up to that mind-blowing arachnophilic experience.
Elder Races is no different. As an aside, I'll note that the Goodreads blurb is close to useless at clues to contents and experience. This is a modern remake of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series, anthropologist and all. In fact, if you want an interesting and more profound female-centric and complicated love relationship, I highly recommend The Rununciate trilogy, particularly Thendara House. It also reminded me of Andre Norton's The Witch World saga. Both have their roots in a culture clash of a space-faring sexually egalitarian civilization that was almost absent, and a more feudal and gender-unequal one. Both also play with the idea of Clarke's Third Law, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," adding a fascinating corollary: even technology can't explain everything.
Elder Races sticks to this cultural disconnect and tech-magic heritage, alternating viewpoints between the last anthropologist of a space-faring empire and the young and free-spirited woman who wants to lead the fight against a demon. The anthropologist from the Earth Explorer Corps, Nyr, has been in cold-sleep for decades, waiting for contact from his team while he intermittently collects information on the locals. His work is aided by a Dissociative Cognition System, a 'mod' that allows him to shut away feelings and function only with the 'reason' part of his brain.
"Descending in the elevator, I am very aware of all the sad I am not feeling, how lonely and lost I don't care that I am, and how trivial it is that I am utterly cut off from the civilization that gave rise to me, and anyone who might now or care who Nyr Illim Tevitch is."Lynesse, the headstrong local, is the proverbial fourth child of the Queen, mildly indulged but mostly considered unimportant in a matriarchal lineage of a feudal, status-conscious society. When she learns of a demon devouring people and even villages, she decides to seek the help of Elder Nyr to vanquish it. Nyr, in turn, is haunted by memories of Lynesse's great-grand from the last time he went against his anthropological training.
Clearly, a lot of fascinating ideas to play with, and one of Tchaikovsky's strengths is the way he throws in teasers that give the reader the idea there's more to learn. He delivers just enough to make for a happy ending, but not really enough for a satisfactory and fulfilling one. There's a side bit about Esha, one of the 'marsh-people' that accompanies them that sounds interesting, as well as teasers about the disappearance of the other Earth anthropologists, and the impact of corporal punishment in the local society, but these aren't really germane. In fact, it's the kind of detail that argues for a longer book instead of novella, so that these inclusions can get the development their inclusion warrants.
The plot is easily the least-interesting thing about this novella. Despite the dual narrative, and Tchaikovsky's attempts to make me care about Lynesse's emotional journey, the internal struggles of Nyr have center stage. Deservedly so; the ideas of cultural competence, language, and
feelings are timeless and pertinent. Unfortunately, there's too much here, so everything but character development feels a little shorted, with the bit about the DCI the most fascinating. It's a pleasant enough read, but if I want impactful, I'd rather re-read
Thendara House--although I read it enough times as a young adult that it's probably not necessary.
As always, the blog has a bunch of linky-links for references. https://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2021/...
Nataliya is on a Tchaikovsky buddy-read binge, and I am completely unable to deny her. This time, Dylan also joined in for the ride. His note that it seemed like a light version of Rocannon's World by LeGuin is particularly interesting, and merits a placement of it on my TBR list.
Rating: really liked it
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”- Arthur C. Clarke
“There is no magic, merely the proper application of universal forces.”- Adrian Tchaikovsky
—————
Adrian Tchaikovsky and I are a good writer/reader match. He’s yet to disappoint me — and I hope he never does. He’s prolific and versatile and a very competent writer, above all.
With most writers it’s either quality or quantity, but Mr. T manages both, seemingly effortlessly. I can only assume that he has so much fun doing what he does that he just keeps churning out these tight clever stories at quite a snappy pace.
“It’s also possible that I’m just resigned to being a very bad anthropologist. Which is a shame. I might be the last one left.”
In
Elder Race Tchaikovsky brings together fantasy and science fiction (normally quite distinct genre despite being usually mashed up under the same umbrella) —which works seamlessly because, really,
“I am nothing but a scientist of sufficiently advanced technology, which is to say a magician.” To a post-technology civilization that developed on an Earth colony planet advanced technology may as well be magic, and the sole remaining Earth man - Nyr, anthropologist second class, equipped with knowledge, gadgets and cryosleep - is the legendary Nyrgoth Elder, a mighty sorcerer who may be the only hope to end a demon infestation - or so hopes Lynesse the Fourth Daughter, a young warrior of royal blood and a dreamer.
And he does it better than you’d expect from a swords and sorcery and starships mash-up. “The fact that bringing a sorcerer into a neighbouring land was probably not in accordance with her mother’s foreign policy had since crossed her mind, but at speed because she had actively chased it to the borders and watched until she was sure it wasn’t coming back any time soon.”
A job of an anthropologist as Nyr sees it is to study a culture, a civilization. It’s not to interfere with events and the course of civilization. But it’s been centuries alone, with rare resurfacing from suspended animation, and Nyr is starting to question the ethics of reducing yourself to observer role, letting life pass by.
It’s a struggle between being a bad anthropologist and a decent person, and it’s clear which side we land. “I am only now, at the wrong end of three centuries after loss of contact, beginning to realise just how broken my own *superior* culture actually was. They set us here to make exhaustive anthropological notes on the fall of every sparrow. But not to catch a single one of them. To *know*, but very emphatically not to *care*.”
It’s a story built on the contrast of dual perspectives, the different ways of seeing the same world, the culture clashes that are unavoidable and hard to resolve because the frame of reference for one of you just doesn’t exist for the other. In a language where there’s no difference between the concept of a scientist and a wizard how do you even distinguish the two? How do you explain yourself when the language itself - or your linguistic device - turns your science fiction into fantasy? There is actually an entire chapter where one story is told side-by-side in a science fiction way and a fantasy way, and it’s lovely.
“Is that not what magic is? Every wise man, every scholar I have met who pretended to the title of magician, that was their study. They sought to learn how the world worked, so that they could control and master it. That is magic.”
Tchaikovsky is really good at novellas. He perfectly balances the relative brevity of the story with just a perfect amount of worldbuilding and character development and plot. He avoids the pitfalls of writing an overlong short story or an abbreviated novel, and instead writes a story just perfect for its length. And that’s a skill indeed.
And I’m very glad there are still many books by him that I haven’t read yet. That means many more exciting reading hours for me.
Solid 4 stars — and swords. “How much worse to think yourself wise, and still be as ignorant as one who knew themselves a fool?”
—————
Buddy read with Dylan and Carol.——————
My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2022
Rating: really liked it
‘
Stories, myths, contradictory parables. True without being real. But this was real.’
Who hasn’t had bold fantasies of epic quests, marching forward with your action team simply bursting with impetuous idealism and storybook heroism? The tragedy is that, when we grow older, the stories sometimes fade as we become jaded with the harshness of reality. Which is why
Elder Race by acclaimed author Adrian Tchaikovksy is such a wonderful reminder that those stories are still alive inside us and can still hold power. A blissful blend of boisterous fantasy and grim sci fi,
Elder Race launches on a collection of enticing premises that orchestrate into a truly insightful novel that may just be the most fun I’ve had with a book all year. The story rotates between two perspectives, one as a fantasy quest seen through Princess Lynesse Fourth Daughter as she calls upon an ancient oath with a sorcerer to fight a demon plaguing the lands. The other is from the ‘sorcerer’, revealed as a lonely anthropologist struggling with depression who was sent to study their planet and might need a bit of the magic he knows does not exist. With an insightful look at language and storytelling,
Elder Race is a fantastic book that critiques examining other cultures through a colonialist lens while also functioning as an empowering lesson on coping with depression and finding a way to truly live in the world and not merely go through the motions of a life.
Elder Race reads as a dark comedy of perspectives, one that reminds me of the old maxim about seeing a glass half full or half empty. Tchaikovsky pulls this off quite expertly here, and he has a brilliant balance of humor and seriousness to his writing that drives this story home in a comforting way despite addressing some pretty heavy issues. The primary one being the struggle to either see the world as full of magic or simply a cold chaos navigated with academic insights and scientific aid. When you feel you are being pulled into some unthinkably horrifying void and struggling with just basic living, the idea of magic is a comforting hand to hold and a doorway into hopeful thoughts through which you can cling to a larger purpose. Yet, with the knowledge that this is merely fantasy, does it become a distraction or nothing more than an escape from harsh truths of reality? Tchaikovsky shows the pros and cons of both perspectives, yet at the end of the day it seems that there is one that may seem more conducive to a fulfilling life.
Lynesse is seen as ‘
still clinging to her childhood,’ (she is a young teen) and has been a disappointment to her more serious parents and siblings due to her recklessness and fantastical mythmaking. She is full of conviction and willpower that make the perfect catalyst for a storybook heroine, though she sometimes fears ‘
grand storybook gestures were perhaps not the most efficacious way to help the world. ’On the other hand is Nygroth Elder the sorcerer —or is it Nyr Illim Tevitch, anthropologist—in all his science and academic truthmaking that sees through the myths:
‘Lynesse Fourth Daughter….off to do something that is What Princesses Do when there are monsters and demons and wizards in the world. Something that was surely not actually what they did, back in the days her myth-cycles originated in. Because myths miss out all the sordid realities and preserve only What we wish we’d done, rather than How we actually did it.’
This passage is the perfect conversation between their two perspectives, and the misalignment is an underlying tension for Nyr throughout the book. He is afflicted with terrible depression and only carries on by turning his emotions off. Equipped with the personal computer installed in his head (which looks like a wicked set of horns) is the Dissociated Cognition System (DCS), which quite literally blocks out his emotions and provides him with the technical readouts about them while turned on. The intent is for logical reasoning and observation undisturbed by emotions for his anthropological work. ‘
It’s for writing cooly academic papers, DCS engaged for maximum objectivity,’ he says of his writings.
‘
I am, frankly, not only the last but the worst anthropologist.’
Nyr is full of guilt and sadness this whole book. He knows he is failing in his mission as an anthropologist as he is meant to not interfere with the locals, only watch them, but he once let emotions interfere and fought in a war and made an oath that he will return if ever the Queen’s lineage needs him. 300 years later, he is called (he’s been in sleep cycles). ‘
I did stupid, stupid things, unbecoming of a serious academic, and rode to war at the side of a warrior queen whom, despite absurd differences in age and culture and genetic makeup, I loved.’ Crushed by depression, knowing the woman he loved is centuries dead and Lynesse is not her despite looking exactly like her, and also lonely as his people have not contacted him for hundreds of years and may not even exist anymore, he begrudgingly sets out on the quest.
Nyr’s narration becomes a critique on the history of anthropology, reminding us that much of our early studies of other cultures came from white men viewing the world through a Eurocentric perspective. Though tasked to be objective, Nyr’s grounding in our academics often makes him think of himself as above the people of the planet he is studying. This is certainly symbolized in his anthropologist outpost which is a massive tower from which he looks down at the people below. ‘
Now I’m on a fucking quest,’ he complains, ‘
with a couple of women who don’t understand things like germs or fusion power or anthropological theories of value.’ Even with DCS fully engaged he cannot help but think of himself as ‘better than’ for his knowledge.
Which is a clever tactic to form an unreliable narrator, or at least one with a different perspective on the world around him than the perspectives held by everyone else. Nyr has studied these people but still only can infer much (they use the brand logo from Earth as a symbol in their death rituals, which he does not understand but the connection between marketing and death is pretty amusing). ‘
A lot of their codes here revolve around obligation, both to and from power,’ he tells us, but the reader slowly begins to see this is not as rigid as he assumed. The language barriers become important and there is a lot of stumbles over how to appropriately address one another or how Nyr and Lynesse tend to talk past each other over misalignments of terminology (‘demon’ and ‘monster’, for instance, have different highly-specific meanings and sometimes Nyr cannot comprehend the connotations to certain words like “outside”.) There is plenty of commentary to be made here about colonialism and engaging with other cultures on their own terms, which only becomes more pronounced when the ‘demon’ is addressed and motives are questioned.
‘
They think I’m a fucking wizard…and I literally do not have the language to tell them otherwise. I say, “scientist,” “Scholar,” but when I speak to them in their language, these are both cognates for “wizard.”’
Arthur C. Clarke once wrote that ‘
any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,’ which seems to be the major theme at play here. When Nyr tries to explain how things ‘really are’ they tend to nod and say, yes that is what we think too, which is a fun comedy of frustration for the reader. When Nyr assets that ‘
There is no magic, merely the proper application of universal forces,’ Esha, who is Lynesse’s companion retorts ‘
Is that not what magic is? [Scholars] sought to learn how the world worked, so that they could control and master it. That is magic.’ Perhaps this is a duality of perspectives that one can learn from and embrace magic in everyday life. Personally I find this to be kind of beautiful.
Which is why storytelling is so important. Even if the myths don’t tell the exact truth, there is a lesson inside it that can be more valuable than merely reciting facts. Storytelling is also how cultures pass down their values and beliefs, and without a proper understanding of the myths or a people can an anthropologist truly understand them? While Lynesse is chided for being overly engrossed in myths, it is also her greatest strength and something I, as a reader, truly loved about this book. It is about turning off the DCS and letting the emotions in, even the difficult ones.
Of course the book about depression and regrettable decisions vibed with me so well. This is such a fun pairing of fantasy and sci-fi elements with plenty of wit and charm that allows it to address darker themes without necessarily “feeling” overly dark. Which is a gift Tchaikovsky has, as well as his sense of story that keeps this feeling tight and sharp without becoming overly long or bloated. For a short book this still has tons of world building, and not just for the sake of world building but as part of the thematic commentary. Honestly, this book is such a joy to read and a lot of people are now getting this as a holiday gift from me so that’s about as high of a recommendation I can give.
4.5/5
Rating: really liked it
On sale now! 4+ stars for this great fantasy/SF mashup.
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” - Arthur C. Clarke.
This short novel is about the intersection between highly advanced technology and a society that views it as magic, along with the linguistic difficulties that prevent the local society's people from understanding the difference even when the anthropologist who's been studying them for years tries to explain it. Also it's about a quest to destroy a Lovecraftian demon/monstrous entity of some unfamiliar kind, and juggling non-interference rules (Prime Directive, anyone?) with less technologically advanced societies (and where those rules maybe should be tossed out the window). And emotional problems, and friendship. And did I mention the fascinating linguistic aspects?
Adrian Tchaikovsky is such a brilliant, versatile author - I never know what he's going to come up with next, but I know it'll be good. And I love these short stand-alone novels and novellas that he's been writing lately.
Full review to come (I'm working on it...). Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Rating: really liked it
At first, I had the impression that I was reading something from Steven Brust, which, I should mention, is not a bad thing at all.
But this tale was much more about Clarke's First Law and with a cool anthropology twist and an old school sword and sorcery couched firmly, and formally, in a transhumanist long-term space-colony context.
Most of those older fantasies I read usually started on the fantasy side and gradually let in the SF. This one started from the opposite direction. So that's cool.
And another interesting addition is the whole technological correction of depression. :) I'm a big fan of certain kinds of representation, and this one kicks it.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars!
My first Tchaikovsky novella and my first of his sci-fi. Loved it.
My full review: https://youtu.be/zY_J8xsGR0U
Rating: really liked it
A very clever riff on the Arthur C Clarke like that sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. In that we have a long-lost planetary colony of people that has evolved into something very like your classic medieval fantasy society, and a 'wizard' who is in fact the junior anthropologist sent to study them. It's a lovely story that's really about communication from different mindsets, and also about how you can have all the technology in the world, but what people need to live rather than survive is stories (legends, inspiration, ideals, hope).
Rating: really liked it
This novella is an entertaining scifi twist on a traditional fairytale trope. Lynette, fourth daughter of the queen, and her trusted companion journey to the high tower of the legendary sorcerer to wake him and request his help in slaying the demon tormenting her people. After all the sorcerer did help her great grandmother do just that and promised to come to her aid again when called. The princess and the sorcerer have differing views of the history of the world in which she lives, making for entertaining and often humorous exchanges as they travel to the demon's lair. The sorcerer also has his own demons to fight along the way, as he battles the depression and loneliness he feels after centuries alone. It might only be a short novella, but with its engaging characters brilliantly portrays the clash of cultures and is a delightful meld of fantasy and scifi.
With thanks to Macmillan-Tor/Forge and Netgalley for a copy to read
Rating: really liked it
This was a very interesting and unique science-fiction book about science, magic, cultural differences and social issues. This book follows Lynesse who is the Fourth Daughter of the Queen and she is always getting in the way. When a demon starts creating havoc on the land Lynesse makes a pact with the Elder sorcerer who has lived in the local tower since her people have lived. Elder Nyr is not a sorcerer and he is not allowed to help. Nyr does not believe that the threat is actually a demon because of his knowledge of science.
This book was very good! The characters were really unique especially Lynesse and Nyr. I really liked Lynesse, she is brave, helpful and selfless. I also liked Nyr, he is smart, interesting and helpful. I wished we learned more about Lynesse’s life and past. Nyr’s inner-monologues were a little long. There were some parts of the book that was a little confusing and I wished the author provided a clearer explanation. The communication and cultural differences between the characters was very interesting and it showed how people can interpret language in different ways. I enjoyed learning about the events from both Lynesse’s and Nyr’s perspective. The author is a very good storyteller and I enjoyed learning about this unique world and interesting characters.
Rating: really liked it
There are definitely recognizable elements here from Tchaikovsky's Spiderlight as well as The Expert System's Brother. The former for the fantasy trope of a band of characters on a quest to destroy the evil wizard/demon, the latter for the SFnal setting on a lost colony planet where the population has been biologically modified to fit the ecology and has lost all its technology and scientific knowledge after being cutoff for generations. There's also some Annihilation type weirdness that kind of fits somewhere in between.
But all of this cool stuff really takes a back seat so Tchaikovsky can focus on the two protagonists - the "Elder" anthropologist/sorcerer and the princess - which he does by bouncing the narrative perspective between the two. Their journey becomes an opportunity for introspection, as each struggles to overcome deeply held feelings of inadequacy and a loss of purpose and connection. The elder has some nifty technology to help him deal with his troubling emotions, but it really only amounts to kicking the can down the road. Each has difficulty truly comprehending the other, in terms of language as well as vastly differing socio-cultural contexts. The sorcerer being shrouded in centuries of myth and legend, and the princess a member of a primitive native race which was intended as a subject of scientific study. Each character is developed well individually, yet their relationship never seems to gain much substance.
This may also be the first Tchaikovsky book I've read that I had a good idea how things might end. Not because I'm super clever, but rather due to the lack of a major twist, which he often employs to Earth shattering effect. There is a mystery at the heart of the story, but it's revelation and even ultimate resolution doesn't feel central to the story's main focus on the personal journeys of the sorcerer and the princess. And so, in the final analysis, the pieces of the story feel hung together rather loosely.
Rating: really liked it
I keep teasing myself with these short novels by Adrian Tchaikovsky before I embark on the quest to read his massive space opera books. The premise of this book gives a sneak peak of a clever little story told from different point of views that interpret things so vastly different. It addresses the age-old question of where to draw the line at magic and science. These standalone novels are such a joy to read.
The novel contains two POVs in the form of Nyr and Lynesse. Lynesse is the black sheep of her royal family and is only the fourth daughter to the queen. She is a curious character who jumps first and asks questions later in a medieval type of society. Lyn wants to enlist the help of the Elder Sorcerer to defeat a demon. The only problems are that she came to him without the authority to do so, and the demon problem might not actually exist at all. We follow her on her journey full of perils to vanquish the demon with the help of the sorcerer, Nyr.
Nyr is not a sorcerer. He is a scientist from a futuristic earth left with the duty to observe the inhabitants of this foreign planet. The inhabitants are all colonists who departed earth in a wave earlier than Nyr and have regressed back to the dark ages. Nyr has a secret weapon that the rest of world doesn’t have, technology.
Nyr violated his protocols of no interference years ago when helping an ancestor of Lynesse which comes to bite him in the back when she asks for his help to get to the bottom of this demon nonsense. Forced to embark on this quest while battling depression is tough especially with not knowing if any one back on earth is alive since his last communication from there was hundreds of years ago.
I loved the whole science versus fantasy shtick that this book employed. The two POVs truly felt different with a science fiction POV filled with futuristic jargon, and Lynesse’s POV which felt like the classical trope of going on a journey to defeat the evil monster. The misunderstandings between the two due to language limitations were great and funny. There is a point in the book where Nyr tried to explain that his depression was his greatest adversary, and Lyn believed it to be a physical monster he had to battle.
Another example is Lynesse describing this vicious monster which turns out to be just a mining robot that the first colonists used. My favorite part of the book utilizes the POVs in a chapter where Nyr explains the origin story of the inhabitants and his own story. There is a side-by-side comparison on what he is saying with which what Lynesse is hearing due to the local language limitations such as the word for scientist comes out as wizard.
The story was quite interesting with the two POVs. The characters were also written nicely with some character development to boot. The big mystery overarching the plot was surprising to read about where our sorcerer finds that the inhabitants aren’t quite as ignorant as he thought. The brief introduction to the customs and politics of this planet was fun to read about considering the timeline of the planet. Theorizing what a demon could be in the eyes of an inhabitant such as a plague was a joy to read as well.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. The fantasy versus science POVs and being a quick read with a satisfactory ending made this book an enjoyable experience. Just like with the author’s previous standalone novels, this book has some unexplored mysteries that could maybe be the setting of future books even though the main plot was resolved. This book is just further evidence that I need to stop putting of reading the giant space operas written by the author.
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
Rating: really liked it
I knew I needed this pretty much as soon as I heard what was it about, doubly so when I saw the cover. And after a long string of sub-par reads, a book that actually lived up to its promise was more than welcome.
Lynesse is the fourth daughter of the queen. When a strange monster threatens the land, and nobody seems to want to do anything to help, she goes out to seek the wizard who made a promise to her grandmother. Except the wizard, Nyr, isn’t a wizard at all, but an anthropologist, the last of a technologically advanced civilisation.
Since this is my most common complaint lately, the plot structure was masterful. The two POVs intertwine and contrast each other perfectly, and there is nothing extraneous, but at the same time, it avoids the common pitfalls of most novellas. There’s just enough story
and worldbuilding so it doesn’t feel crammed in or stretched out in any way. Novellas are, in my experience, the hardest length to get the balance right, but Tchaikovsky did it.
Besides, I like stories that play with multi-POV (
cough ), so the whole “sci-fi from one POV but fantasy from another” gimmick was exactly up my alley. I especially liked the way Tchaikovsky plays with language and language evolution, how the word that, for example, means “science” to Nyr (and its synonyms) are “magic” for Lynesse. It was a thoughtful little touch and solved a few potential plot issues nicely.
The characters…aside from Nyr’s struggles with chronic depression (who of us wouldn’t like DCS?), there wasn’t much to them, but at this short of a length, with this good of a concept, it didn’t bother me at all.
The one thing I wasn’t a fan of was the body horror. I’m sensitive to it in the first place, it was on the worse end, and took me completely by surprise. But, all in all, this is more a matter of taste and appropriate warnings, and does not detract from the book much.
Most highly recommended.
Enjoyment: 4.5/5
Execution: 5/5
Recommended to: those who want a story that takes “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable for magic” to its logical extremes, language nerds, anyone who wants to see a premise that would usually take an epic trilogy masterfully executed in the span of a novella, those looking for a protagonist with mental health issues
Not recommended to: those very sensitive to body horror
Content warning: body horror,
badMore reviews on my blog, To Other Worlds.
Rating: really liked it
Some authors are excellent in the field of Science Fiction. Some excel in writing Fantasy. Author Adrian Tchaikovsky excels in the two divergent genres, yet he is also gifted in combining the two. In what has variously been termed "Science Fiction Fantasy" or "Science Fantasia," he seamlessly blends the two seemingly disparate genres. ELDER RACE is an exciting example. Side by side we have a space-traveling anthropologist from Earth, hundreds of years old thanks to cryo-suspension, a man of science and intellect, prone unfortunately to depression and despair and hopelessness, an augmented human; and the "natives" of the diasporic planet on which he ekes out a solitary existence. Nyr's role was to study the natives through their generations. They, on the other hand, live as one might find in a medieval fantasy: nobles and citizens, towns and forest-dwellers, legends and "fact," society and politics. When the two aspects almost unintentionally collide, the consequences are both dire and amazing, providing incredibly delineated character arcs and evolution.
Rating: really liked it
Another hit from A.Tchaikovsky. Sci-fi and sometimes fantasy depending on who is telling the story and then horror. Slow start but once it hooks you in - unputdownable. Loved it!
Rating: really liked it
This started out as a fantasy story might with royal bloodlines and twoers and quests. But there was always the underlying feel of it being a scifi story and it was indeed. However, I can't shake that feeling of a blend. And a nice one at that.
Lyn is the 4th daughter of a female regent in these strange lands. Nearby is a tower that belongs to a "sorcerer" and it's this last member of an ancient race that Lyn is asking for help to defeat a kind of evil.
Remember Arthur C. Clarke's quote that "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."? Yeah ... that.
So the "sorcerer" is actually a scientist from Earth. An anthropoligist, to be precise. What he's doing here and what the "magic" is that Lyn needs help for, I shall not spoiler though. Suffice it to say that Nyr's (the anthropologist's) story is even more fascinating that that of Lyn and her people, in my opinion at least.
I'm still not used to Tchaikovsky writing short(er) stories though I've read quite a number of them by now. This, however, might be my favourite of them to date. No, not as groundbreaking as some of his novels (especially the newest one that I have just finished), but still fantastic!
There is mystery, there is exploration, there is quirky character development, very nicely addressed mental health issues stemming from (view spoiler)
[space (hide spoiler)] exploration, and rich worldbuilding despite the limited number of pages. And yes, of course the tech was why I was reading this and it was as awesome as I had hoped.
