Empire in Black and Gold

Shadows of the Apt #1

by

Mass Market, 612 pages

English language

Published Nov. 14, 2008 by Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.

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4 stars (1 review)

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, its 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 becoming the Empire's latest victim.

5 editions

reviewed Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Review of 'Empire in Black and Gold' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Empire in Black and Gold is a pretty unique take on the fantasy genre. Instead of relying on the usual stereotypes, we have a world where the various tribes of humans have adopted traits of the insects around them. This has affected the way the society that has emerged in sometimes surprising, but always consistent, ways.

The plot of the novel is a not unfamiliar tale of a new threat emerging, and the one man who sees the danger. But it's a tale well told, even if some of the early chapters are a little slow.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and will certainly be tracking down the sequels.

Subjects

  • Fantasy
  • High Fantasy
  • Fiction