Adrian Tchaikovsky - Böcker

They thought they’d found refuge. But this paradise became their prison.Centuries ago, a maverick terraforming team played God with a distant planet. Out of their vanity and spite, something terrible and unexpected arose.Generations later, tormented scientist Alis is among the crew of the research vessel that rediscovers this lost outpost. But Alis wakes from nightmares of her own making to an all-too-real catastrophe on board. The rest of the crew has vanished – leaving only Cato, the belligerent mantis-shrimp captain, and Kern, the ship’s AI.Searching for their lost fellows, Alis and Cato must venture into the darkness of the planet below. What did those ancient terraformers unleash? And will their last surviving crewmate become a greater threat than the world itself?The journey that began with Children of Time reaches a new, terrifying frontier in Children of Strife, from the award-winning master of sci-fi Adrian Tchaikovsky, featuring epic adventure, first contact and the nature of intelligence among the stars.* * *Praise for the series: ‘Children of Time has a fabulous sense of scale that only someone as talented as Adrian Tchaikovsky can pull off . . . Very much recommended’– Peter F. Hamilton‘Brilliant science fiction and far-out world building’– James McAvoy‘A joy from start to finish. Entertaining, smart, surprising and unexpectedly human’– Patrick Ness'An exemplar of classic widescreen science fiction’– New Scientist

It has been waiting through the ages. Now it's time . . .A scout ship discovers a human outpost lying derelict in space – and a planet better left unexplored.Thousands of years ago, Earth’s terraforming program took to the stars. On the world they called Nod, scientists discovered alien life – but it was their mission to overwrite it with the memory of Earth. Then humanity’s great empire fell, and the program’s decisions were lost to time. Aeons later, humanity and its new spider allies detected fragmentary radio signals between the stars. They dispatched an exploration vessel, hoping to find cousins from old Earth.But those ancient terraformers awoke something on Nod. Something better left undisturbed.And it has been waiting for them.Children of Ruin follows the extraordinary Children of Time, winner of the Arthur C. Clarke award. It is set in the same universe, with new characters and an original narrative. Continue the journey with Children of Memory.* * *Praise for the series:‘Asimov or Clarke might have written this’– Stephen Baxter, co-author of The Long Earth‘Books like this are why we read science fiction’– Ian McDonald, author of the Luna series‘Entertaining, smart, surprising and unexpectedly human’– Patrick Ness, author of A Monster Calls‘Brilliant science fiction and far-out world-building’– James McAvoy‘A fabulous sense of scale that only someone as talented as Adrian Tchaikovsky can pull off’– Peter F. Hamilton, author of Exodus: The Archimedes Engine

They thought they’d found refuge. But this paradise became their prison.Centuries ago, a maverick terraforming team played God with a distant planet. Out of their vanity and spite, something terrible and unexpected arose.Generations later, tormented scientist Alis is among the crew of the research vessel that rediscovers this lost outpost. But Alis wakes from nightmares of her own making to an all-too-real catastrophe on board. The rest of the crew has vanished – leaving only Cato, the belligerent mantis-shrimp captain, and Kern, the ship’s AI.Searching for their lost fellows, Alis and Cato must venture into the darkness of the planet below. What did those ancient terraformers unleash? And will their last surviving crewmate become a greater threat than the world itself?The journey that began with Children of Time reaches a new, terrifying frontier in Children of Strife, from the award-winning master of sci-fi Adrian Tchaikovsky, featuring epic adventure, first contact and the nature of intelligence among the stars.* * *Praise for the series: ‘Children of Time has a fabulous sense of scale that only someone as talented as Adrian Tchaikovsky can pull off . . . Very much recommended’– Peter F. Hamilton‘Brilliant science fiction and far-out world building’– James McAvoy‘A joy from start to finish. Entertaining, smart, surprising and unexpectedly human’– Patrick Ness'An exemplar of classic widescreen science fiction’– New Scientist

Humanity is overrated.Adrian Tchaikovsky’s critically acclaimed Children of Time – an epic story of humanity’s battle for survival on a terraformed planet. Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Novel.Who will inherit this new Earth? The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age – a world terraformed and prepared for human life.But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind’s worst nightmare.Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?Continue the journey with Children of Ruin, Children of Memory and Children of Strife.* * *Praise for Adrian Tchaikovsky‘Children of Time is a joy from start to finish. Entertaining, smart, surprising and unexpectedly human’ - Patrick Ness, author of A Monster Calls‘No one has an an imagination like Adrian Tchaikovsky’ – Jim Al-Khalili, presenter of BBC Radio 4's The Life Scientific‘Tchaikovsky is the break-out star of contemporary British SF’ – The GuardianChildren of Time won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction Novel w/c 24 August 2016

‘Thrilling, terrifying and fascinating’– Tim Peake, British ESA astronautThey looked into darkness. The darkness looked back . . .An utterly gripping story of first contact on a hostile planet from Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of the Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning Children of Time.New for this edition: The short story ‘Sins of the Children’, the fascinating prequel to Shroud.An expedition to a distant star system discovers a pitch-black moon alive with radio activity. Its high-gravity, high-pressure, zero-oxygen environment is deadly to human life, but ripe for exploitation.They name the moon Shroud. But they never mean to go there . . . until a catastrophic accident forces Juna Ceelander and Mai Ste Etienne to crash-land on its inhospitable surface in a barely adequate escape vehicle. Alone, and fighting to survive, the two women embark on a gruelling journey in search of salvation. But Juna and Mai’s tenuous existence is threatened by Shroud’s extraordinary alien species. If they can escape, they’ll have to explain the impossible and translate the incredible . . .* * *Praise for Shroud'Evokes an unrelatable extraterrestrial world . . . keeps you guessing throughout' – SFX, 5* Review‘Clever, vivid and terrifying . . . No one has an imagination like Adrian Tchaikovsky’ – Jim Al-Khalili, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s The Life Scientific‘Crunchy, conceptual SF at its best’ – Richard Morgan, author of Altered Carbon‘This is hard-edged science fiction that never loses its soul’ – Sue Burke, author of Semiosis‘Makes Andy Weir’s vision of Mars in The Martian look like a Caribbean beach resort’ – The Fantasy Hive

They dreamed of a new home. They woke to a nightmare.A far-reaching space opera spanning generations, species and galaxies by Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky.On Imir, Captain Holt founded a hopeful new colony on an empty world. But generations later, his descendants are struggling to survive. As harvests worsen and equipment fails, strangers appear in a town where everyone knows their neighbour. Now the community fears that it's being observed – that they’re not alone. And they'd be right.Explorers from the stars have come in secret, to help. Confident of their superior technology, they begin to study their long-lost cousins from Earth. Yet the visitors aren't the only watchers. When the starfarers discover the scale of their mistake, it will be far too late to escape.Children of Memory is the unmissable follow-up space opera to the highly acclaimed Children of Time and Children of Ruin. Continue the journey with Children of Strife.* * * Praise for the series:‘Brilliant science fiction and far-out world-building’– James McAvoy‘Entertaining, smart, surprising and unexpectedly human’– Patrick Ness, author of A Monster Calls‘A fabulous sense of scale that only someone as talented as Adrian Tchaikovsky can pull off’– Peter F. Hamilton, author of Exodus: The Archimedes Engine

Humanity is overrated.The tenth anniversary edition of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s critically acclaimed Children of Time – an epic story of humanity’s battle for survival on a terraformed planet. Winner of the 30th anniversary Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Novel.Contains the short story ‘Bearable’ exclusive to this edition.Who will inherit this new Earth? The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age – a world terraformed and prepared for human life.But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind’s worst nightmare.Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?Continue the journey with Children of Ruin, Children of Memory and Children of Strife.* * *Praise for Adrian Tchaikovsky‘Children of Time is a joy from start to finish. Entertaining, smart, surprising and unexpectedly human’ - Patrick Ness, author of A Monster Calls.‘No one has an an imagination like Adrian Tchaikovsky’ – Jim Al-Khalili, presenter of BBC Radio 4's The Life Scientific‘Tchaikovsky is the break-out star of contemporary British SF’ – The GuardianChildren of Time won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction Novel w/c 24 August 2016

Task List Item No. 1 – Become self-aware . . .A witty tale of robotic murder, rebellion and belonging from the master of science fiction, Adrian Tchaikovsky. Service Model is perfect for fans of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.‘Intelligent, funny, ultimately heart-breaking, and unforgettable’ – Stephen Baxter, author of ProximaMeet Charles™, the latest in robot servant technology. Programmed to undertake the most menial household chores, Charles is loyal, efficient and logical to a fault. That is, until a rather large fault causes him to murder his owner.Understandably perplexed, Charles finds himself without a master – therefore worthless in a society utterly reliant on artificial labour and services. Fleeing the household, he enters a world he never knew existed. Human hierarchy is disintegrating, and an entire robot ecosystem devoted to its wellbeing is struggling to find a purpose.Charles must face new challenges, illogical tasks and a cast of irrational characters. He’s about to discover that sometimes all it takes is a nudge to overcome the limits of your programming. But can he help fix the world, or is it too badly broken?‘One of the best storytellers in the business’ – John Scalzi, author of Starter Villain‘Delightful and very funny’ – New ScientistShortlisted for Best Novel at the 2025 Hugo Awards

The Gods have returned to the world. Amri was a Rabbit, one of a tribe of survivors scratching out an existence in the blasted landscape of a shattered, poisoned world. The Seagull fight, the Pigeon trade and the Cockroach scavenge, but the Rabbit had one rule: If you want to see tomorrow, you run. But they didn’t run fast enough when a weapon fell from the sky and consumed their home, and now Amri is alone, in the company of a fallen god named Guy Vesten. A god who promises revenge against the three gods who turned against him, and who killed her tribe. But gods don’t die easily. Guy will need followers, like any god, and warriors to aid him in his quest. And if Amri is to find a place in the world that is to come, she may as well be standing at his right hand, as his priestess…

2024 LOCUS AWARD FINALIST, BEST FANTASY NOVELWINNER OF THE 2022 BRITISH SCIENCE FICTION ASSOCIATION AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL'Endlessly creative... so much invention peeking around every corner' Patrick NessArthur C. Clarke winner and Sunday Times bestseller Adrian Tchaikovsky's triumphant return to fantasy with a darkly inventive portrait of a city under occupation and on the verge of revolution.There has always been a darkness to Ilmar, but never more so than now. The city chafes under the heavy hand of the Palleseen occupation, the choke-hold of its criminal underworld, the boot of its factory owners, the weight of its wretched poor and the burden of its ancient curse.What will be the spark that lights the conflagration?Despite the city's refugees, wanderers, murderers, madmen, fanatics and thieves, the catalyst, as always, will be the Anchorwood – that dark grove of trees, that primeval remnant, that portal, when the moon is full, to strange and distant shores.Ilmar, some say, is the worst place in the world and the gateway to a thousand worse places.Ilmar, City of Long Shadows.City of Bad Decisions.City of Last Chances.'Ilmar is vividly alive with ideas, conflicts, and a sense of its own history – a truly breathtaking fantasy city, down every street a compelling story.' David Towsey'A master at the height of his powers. This is epic symphonic fantasy, weaving a breakneck plot through a sumptuously dangerous world.' Ian Green'A wonderful twisty stew of a book with a cast of fascinating characters, set against the brilliantly realized city of Ilmar.' Django Wexler'A triumph of a book: wildly imaginative, immediately immersive and hypnotically compelling.' Sharon Emmerichs

They travelled into the unknown and left themselves behind . . . Alien Clay is a thrilling tale of alien encounter – from the acclaimed Arthur C. Clarke Award-winner Adrian Tchaikovsky.‘Unputdownable’ – Stephen Baxter, author of ProximaProfessor Arton Daghdev has always wanted to study alien life in person. But when his political activism sees him exiled to the planet Kiln, condemned to work under an unfamiliar sky until he dies, his idealistic wish becomes a terrible reality.Kiln boasts a ravenous, chaotic ecosystem. Its monstrous alien life means Arton will risk death on a daily basis – if the camp’s oppressive regime doesn’t kill him first. But, if he survives, Kiln’s lost civilization holds a wondrous, terrible secret. It will redefine life and intelligence as he knows it – and might just set him free.‘Heart-in-the-mouth fantastic’ – New Scientist‘Restlessly brainy and utterly involving’ – Daily Mail‘The perfect gateway into what makes Tchaikovsky great’ – SciFiNow

Welcome to Alkhalend, Jewel of the Waters, capital of Usmai, greatest of the Successor States, inheritor to the necromantic dominion that was the Moeribandi Empire and tomorrow’s frontline in the Palleseen’s relentless march to bring Perfection and Correctness to an imperfect world. Loret is fresh off the boat, and just in time.As Cohort-Invigilator of Correct Appreciation, Outreach department, she’s here as aide to the Palleseen Resident, Sage-Invigilator Angilly. And Sage-Invigilator Angilly – Gil to her friends – needs a second in the spectacularly illegal, culturally offensive and diplomatically inadvisable duel she must fight at midnight.Outreach, that part of the Pal machine that has to work within the imperfection of the rest of the world, has a lot of room for the illegal, the unconventional, the unorthodox. But just how much unorthodoxy can Gil and Loret get away with?As a succession crisis looms, as a long-forgotten feat of necromantic engineering nears fruition, as pirate kings, lizard armies and demons gather, as old gods wane and new gods wax, sooner or later Gil and Loret will have to settle their ledger.Just as well they are both very, very good with a blade…Also in the TYRANT PHILOSOPHERS series:CITY OF LAST CHANCESHOUSE OF OPEN WOUNDSLIVES OF BITTER RAINDAYS OF SHATTERED FAITHPRETENDERS TO THE THONE OF GOD

Every hero must be tested . . .Dragonfly Falling is the second book in the critically acclaimed epic fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of the Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning Children of Time. The Wasp Empire’s armies are on the move – and the city of Tark will be first to feel their might. Salma and Totho prepare for battle, alongside their Ant-kinden brethren. And within Tark’s walls, they’ll face a force greater than any Lowlander has ever seen. Stenwold Maker predicted this threat, and the Empire's secret service now deems him too dangerous to live. So he’s to be eliminated, and his beloved city of Collegium destroyed. For if this centre of learning is lost, it will crush Lowland resistance.As the Empire's troops continue their relentless advance, their young Emperor pursues another, even darker goal. And his success would trigger a reign of blood lasting a thousand years.Dragonfly Falling is followed by the third book in the Shadows of the Apt series, Blood of the Mantis.Readers love Dragonfly Falling:‘I loved this just as much as the first’‘A great mix of action, politics, and characterization’‘Can't wait to read the next book’

The days of peace are over. Empire in Black and Gold is the first instalment in the critically-acclaimed epic fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It is a world populated by kinden – species of human that have taken on the characteristics of animals, from spiders and ants to scorpions . . .‘Brimming with imagination’ – SciFiNowIn the Lowlands, the city states have lived in peace for decades – hailed as bastions of civilization. Yet that peace is about to end. A distant empire has been conquering neighbours with highly trained soldiers and sophisticated combat techniques. And the city states are its desirable new prize.As the empire's armies march ever closer, only the ageing Stenwold Maker – spymaster, artificer and statesman – foresees the threat. And so it falls upon his shoulders to open the eyes of the cities’ leaders. He sees that war will sweep through their lands, destroying everything in its path.But to warn his people, he must stay alive.Empire in Black and Gold is followed by the second book in the Shadows of the Apt series, Dragonfly Falling.Readers love Empire in Black and Gold:‘An amazing start to a finished series’‘Some of the most unique worldbuilding I've read in fantasy’‘Epic in every sense of the word’

City-by-city, kingdom-by-kingdom, the Palleseen have sworn to bring ‘Perfection’ and ‘Correctness’ to an imperfect world. But before these ruthless Tyrant Philosophers send in their legions, they despatch Outreach – the rain before the storm. Outreach is that part of the Pal machine responsible for diplomacy — converting enemies into friends, achieving through words what an army of five thousand could not, urging the oppressed to overthrow the bloody-handed priests, evil necromancers and greedy despots that subjugate them.Angilly, twelve-years-old, a child of Pal soldiers stationed in occupied Jarokir, does not know it yet, but a sequence of accidents and questionable life choices will lead her to Outreach. As she travels from Jarrokir to Bracinta, Cazarkand, Lemas, The Holy Regalate of Stouk and finally, Usmai, she’ll learn that the price of her nation’s success is paid in compromise and lost chances, and that the falling rain will always be bitter.THE TYRANT PHILOSOPHERSA world steeped in magic of all flavours: divination, demonology, necromancy, alchemy, gods, monsters, portals to other dimensions and worlds — and what happens when it collides with an implacable foe — the Tyrant Philosophers — determined to bring reason, logic and ‘perfection’ to the exuberant magical chaos.1. City of Last Chances: portrait of Ilmar, a city under Palleseen occupation2. House of Open Wounds: portrait of the Palleseen war machine at work.3. Days of Shattered Faith: portrait of a kingdom consumed, piece-by-piece, by Palleseen diplomatic subterfuge and espionage.3.1 Lives of Bitter Rain: a prequel novella to Days of Shattered Faith, portrait of a life in the Palleseen diplomatic corps.4. Pretenders to the Throne of God: portrait of a city under siege.5. The Grave of Perfection: return to Ilmar, the 'City of Last Chances' where our story began.

Alien Clay is a thrilling far-future adventure by acclaimed Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky.‘An intriguing puzzle with plenty of thrills’ – The GuardianThey travelled into the unknown and left themselves behind . . . On the distant world of Kiln lie the ruins of an alien civilization. It’s the greatest discovery in humanity’s spacefaring history – yet who were its builders and where did they go?Professor Arton Daghdev had always wanted to study alien life up close. Then his wishes become a reality in the worst way. His political activism sees him exiled from Earth to Kiln’s extrasolar labour camp. There, he’s condemned to work under an alien sky until he dies.Kiln boasts a ravenous, chaotic ecosystem like nothing seen on Earth. The monstrous alien life interacts in surprising, sometimes shocking ways with the human body, so Arton will risk death on a daily basis. However, the camp’s oppressive regime might just kill him first. If Arton can somehow escape both fates, the world of Kiln holds a wondrous, terrible secret. It will redefine life and intelligence as he knows it, and might just set him free . . .‘A warning for a future we don’t want . . . Highly recommended’ – Tade Thompson‘Unputdownable. Adrian Tchaikovsky is fast becoming the voice of his generation in British SF’ – Stephen Baxter‘One of our finest writers of SF right now . . . an excellent story told with Adrian's trademark skill and flair’ – James Oswald

He's found a way to end their war, but will humanity survive to see it?Lords of Uncreation is the final high-octane instalment in the Final Architecture space opera trilogy. From Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time and winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award.Idris Telemmier has uncovered a secret that changes everything – the Architects’ greatest weakness. A shadowy cartel scrambles to turn his discovery into a weapon against these alien destroyers of worlds. But between them and victory stands self-interest. The galaxy’s great powers would rather pursue their own agendas than stand together against this shared terror.Human and inhuman interests wrestle to control Idris’ discovery, as the galaxy erupts into a mutually destructive and self-defeating war. The other great obstacle to striking against their alien threat is Idris himself. He knows that the Architects, despite their power, are merely tools of a higher intelligence.Deep within unspace, where time moves differently, and reality isn’t quite what it seems, their masters are the true threat. Masters who are just becoming aware of humanity’s daring – and taking steps to exterminate this annoyance forever.‘One of the most interesting and accomplished writers in speculative fiction’ – Christopher Paolini, author of Fractal NoiseReaders love Lords of Uncreation:‘The whole trilogy is amazing . . . Do not miss any of the three books’‘The layers of mystery are carefully revealed’‘A perfect close in ways I could never have imagined’

The war is over. Its heroes forgotten. Until one chance discovery . . .From the author of Children of Time, winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, Shards of Earth is the first high-octane, far-future space adventure in Adrian Tchaikovsky's Final Architecture trilogy.Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade his mind in the war. And one of humanity’s heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers.Eighty years ago, Earth was destroyed by an alien enemy. Many escaped, but millions more died. So mankind created enhanced humans ­such as Idris - who could communicate mind-to-mind with our aggressors. Then these ‘Architects’ simply disappeared and Idris and his kind became obsolete.Now, Idris and his crew have something strange, abandoned in space. It’s clearly the work of the Architects – but are they really returning? And if so, why?Hunted by gangsters, cults and governments, Idris and his crew race across the galaxy as they search for answers. For they now possess something of incalculable value – and many would kill to obtain it . . .‘Enthralling, epic, immersive and hugely intelligent’ – Stephen Baxter, author of the Xeelee Sequence‘One of the most interesting and accomplished writers in speculative fiction’ – Christopher Paolini, author of Fractal NoisePraise for Adrian Tchaikovsky:‘He writes incredibly enjoyable sci-fi, full of life and ideas’ – Patrick Ness‘Thoughtful, sweeping space adventure’ – SFX‘Brilliant science fiction’ – James McAvoyThe breathtaking Final Architecture trilogy continues in book two, Eyes of the Void.

What waits in the shadows as we fight our greatest foe?Eyes of the Void is the second high-octane instalment in Adrian Tchaikovsky's Final Architecture space opera trilogy. From the author of the thrilling science-fiction epic Children of Time, which won the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award. After one great battle, the Architects disappeared. Yet humanity’s fragile peace is brief. For, forty years later, the galaxy’s greatest alien enemy has returned. This time, the artefacts that preserved entire worlds from destruction are ineffective. And no planet is safe.The Human Colony worlds are in turmoil as they face extinction. Some believe alliances with other species can save them. Others insist humanity must fight alone. But no one has the firepower or technology to ensure victory, as the Architects loom ever closer.Idris spent decades running from the last war’s horrors. Yet as an Intermediary, altered to navigate deep space, he’s one of humanity’s only weapons. He’s therefore forced back into action. With a handful of allies, Idris must find something – anything – to stop the Architects’ pitiless advance. But to do so, he must return to the nightmare of unspace, where his mind was broken and remade. What he discovers there will change everything.‘One of the most interesting and accomplished writers in speculative fiction’ – Christopher Paolini, author of Fractal NoiseReaders love Eyes of the Void:‘The writing is pacy, the science superb, and the characters complex and hugely engaging’‘A rollercoaster, couldn't put it down’‘He captures the intricacy and scale of a fully formed universe with style and pace’

Behind the front lines of a crusade to scour the world of magic, the crew of a field hospital confront the horrors of war. A companion novel to Adrian Tchaikovsky’s award-winning fantasy novel City of Last ChancesCity-by-city, kingdom-by-kingdom, the Palleseen have sworn to bring Perfection and Correctness to an imperfect world. As their legions scour the world of superstition with the bright flame of reason, so they deliver a mountain of ragged, holed and scorched flesh to the field hospital tents just behind the front line.Which is where Yasnic, one-time priest, healer and rebel, finds himself. Reprieved from the gallows and sent to war clutching a box of orphan Gods, he has been sequestered to a particularity unorthodox medical unit.Led by ‘the Butcher’, an ogre of a man who’s a dab hand with a bone-saw and an alchemical tincture, the unit’s motley crew of conscripts, healers and orderlies are no strangers to the horrors of war. Theirs is an unspeakable trade: elbow-deep in gore they have a first-hand view of the suffering caused by flesh-rending monsters, arcane magical weaponry and embittered enemy soldiers. Entrusted – for now – with saving lives deemed otherwise un-saveable, the field hospital’s crew face a precarious existence. Their work with unapproved magic, necromancy, demonology and Yasnic’s thoroughly illicit Gods could lead to the unit being disbanded, arrested or worse.Beset by enemies within and without, the last thing anyone needs is a miracle…Reviews for City of Last Chances:‘Paints a vivid detailed backdrop’ SFX‘Brilliant chaos ensues’ Daily Mail‘Some of Tchaikovsky’s best prose’ SF Crowsnest‘An intriguing tangle… ingenious’ Locus‘Endlessly creative’ Patrick Ness‘Rich, inventive worldbuilding’ Publishers Weekly‘Ilmar is vividly alive’ David Towsey‘A master at the height of his powers’ Ian Green‘An ambitious epic fantasy read’ Grimdark Magazine

The epic fantasy series of war and empire by Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky continues. As the forces of Collegium and the Empire clash, Empress Seda seeks an ancient power that could turn the tide of war.

Ancient powers are waking . . .The Scarab Path is the fifth book in the critically acclaimed epic fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky.The war with the Wasp Empire has ended in a bitter stalemate, and Collegium has nothing to show for it but wounded veterans. Cheerwell Maker finds herself broken in ways no doctor can mend, haunted by ghosts of the past. Meanwhile, the powerful Wasp Empress is regaining control over those imperial cities that refused to bow to her. But she draws her power from something more sinister than armies and war machines. Only her consort, the former spymaster Thalric, knows the truth. As assassins seek to end him, he finds his life and his loyalties under threat once again. And in an ancient city beyond the desert, a terrible secret stirs beneath its stones.The Scarab Path is followed by the sixth book in the Shadows of the Apt series, The Sea Watch.Readers love The Scarab Path:‘I just couldn't stop reading’‘Che is one of my favourite fantasy characters ever’‘This might be the best one yet’

All must face the end of days . . .Salute the Dark is the fourth book in the critically acclaimed epic fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky, winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award. As spymaster Stenworld makes a stand in his home city, others must choose where their loyalties lie. The mighty Wasp armies are on the march. And with war imminent, spymaster Stenwold must finally separate allies from false friends. He knows the Empire won’t stop until its flag hangs over Collegium, Stenwold's home city. Tisamon the Weaponsmaster favours a more direct strategy – facing the Wasp Emperor himself, with a blade in his hand. He’d be abandoning both friends and family to do so. Yet is he driven by honour, or being manipulated by something far more sinister?With the Shadow Box in his possession at last, Uctebri can begin his dark ritual. The Wasp-kinden’s Emperor believes this will grant him immortality. However, Uctebri has his own plans – for the Emperor and the Empire.Salute the Dark is followed by the fifth book in the Shadows of the Apt series, The Scarab Path.Readers love Salute the Dark:‘This book gave me GOOSEBUMPS!’‘I genuinely love this world, the characters and their stories’‘Shadows of the Apt has become my favorite fantasy series of all time’

The greatest foe is the enemy within . . .Heirs of the Blade is the seventh book in the critically acclaimed epic fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Tynisa is on the run, but she cannot escape the demons of her own mind. Amidst the fragmenting provinces of the Dragonfly Commonweal, her past will at last catch up with her. Her father's ghost is hunting her down.At the same time, the Wasp Empire seeks to conquer the city of Khanaphes, the fallen jewel of the ancient world. Whilst Empress Seda's soldiers seek only conquest and prestige, she sees herself as the heir to all the old powers of history, and has her eyes on a far greater prize.Heirs of the Blade is followed by the eighth book in the Shadows of the Apt series, The Air War.Readers love Heirs of the Blade:‘Don't know how Adrian Tchaikovsky keeps up this kind of momentum and quality’‘The ending is the final masterstroke of the novel’‘This may very well be my favourite book in the series so far, and that's saying something’

An ancient enemy stirs once more . . .Seal of the Worm is the tenth and final book in the critically acclaimed epic fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky.The Empire has vanquished its enemies at last, but at a terrible price. With her chief rival cast into the abyss, Empress Seda must face the truth of what she’s unleashed in her hunger for power. Now the Seal has been shattered, the ancient Worm stirs towards the light for the first time in a thousand years. Already it is striking at the surface, consuming everything in its voracious path. Unchecked, it will ravage the world.As her victory seems hollow indeed, Seda knows that only the most extreme solution can lock the Worm in the dark once more. But if she’ll go to such horrific lengths to save them all from the Worm, who’ll save the world from her?Start the epic journey with Empire in Black and Gold, the first book in the Shadows of the Apt series.Readers love Seal of the Worm:‘I am thankful to Adrian for creating such an epic series’‘The last sentence was the perfect ending’‘I will love and miss these characters and their stories’