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Product Description
Product Description
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 crippled in ways no doctor can mend, haunted by ghosts of the past that she cannot appease, seeking for meaning in a city that no longer seems like home.
The Empress Seda is regaining control over those imperial cities who refused to bow the knee to her, but she draws her power from something more sinister than mere armies and war machines. Only her consort, the former spymaster Thalric, knows the truth, and now the assassins are coming and he finds his life and his loyalties under threat yet again.
Out past the desert of the Nem the ancient city of Khanaphes awaits them both, with a terrible secret entombed beneath its stones...
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.
This is the fifth novel in the Shadows of the Apt series following Empire in Black and Gold, Dragonfly Falling, Blood of the Mantis and Salute the Dark.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Arguably, the best book in the series so far., Nov 15 2010
By R. Nicholson - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Scarab Path (Paperback)
"The Scarab Path" is the 5th book in the 'Shadows of the Apt' series by Adrian Tchaikovsky. The Kindle e-book and softcover books are both 480 pages in length.The main focus of this book is Che and Thalric (Wasp secret service). There are other familiar figures (as well as some new ones) from previous books, that sprinkle the character list, but in a somewhat lesser capacity.
*SPOILER*
Collegium's representative, Kadro, in the remote virtually forgotten city of Khanaphes (far eastern territories), has suddenly and unexpectedly gone missing. Master Stenwold Maker of the Lowlands, decides to send his niece, Che to go there as Collegium's new ambassador and try to find out what has happened.
Kanaphes as it turns out, is a city living in the past...very backward; resisting any and all attempts to get it or its citizens into the modern era. However, when Che gets there she finds her old arch enemy (quasi-ally) Thalric has arrived a few days before her. Together, in an uneasy alliance, they slowly begin to realize that all in not quite normal or as benign as it appears on the surface of this ancient metropolis. In addition, just to complicate matters, an old enemy of Khanaphes, the Scorpian desert tribes, decides to attack its long time foe (with the help, not unexpectedly, of a contingent from the Wasp Empire).
*END SPOILER*
Again, as with previous books in this series, Tchaikovsky is able, through adept writing, blend a fascinating story, featuring non-stop intrigue and clandestine plotting. The story and its mysteries slowly unfold leading up to immense and prolonged siege/battle at the end and some startling revelations about Khanaphes and its past.
I liked Tchaikovsky's frequent use of italics to convey characters inner most thoughts and thinking (while often verbalizing something completely different). This technique really helps with character development and gives the reader a deeper, more personal relationship with many of the main-players.
Again two good maps, however the Kindle edition maps are somewhat blurry and because of this, getting exact names and placements of locales was somewhat more difficult that expected.
Conclusion:
This is a magnificent story...arguably one of the best of this series. It's not often I've read books that are able to hold the readers attention consistantly throughout the entire work (and in fact, this applies to the entire series)...this, however is one of those books. 5 Stars.
Ray Nicholson
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book made my day!, July 5 2011
By Urticating Setae - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Scarab Path (Paperback)
I enjoyed the desert theme as well as more details about the various kinden who populate this fantastic world. Everything from the violence to the mysteries was done in a trademark style. My only regret is that they killed one of the characters I was really looking forward to seeing more of! I won't spoil it by saying who!
5.0 out of 5 stars
super military fantasy, April 25 2011
By Harriet Klausner - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Scarab Path (Paperback)
The war between the aggressor Wasp Empire and the Collegium of the other states is over with a cease fire. Both sides have been devastated with many dead and a horde of wounded veterans needing assistance, but lacking funding to care for the discarded soldiers.Cheerwell "Che" Maker struggles with the horrors of war though she was successful. Her Post Traumatic Disorder leaves her haunted and feeling displaced even at her home as her Aptness Daratyon has disappeared and assumed dead turning her into an Inapt Beetle Kinden. Her Uncle Sten, assigns her to escort academics to the bizarre city of Khanaphes, way in the beyond east as a diplomat of sorts. At the same time the Wasp Empress Seda begins her evil scheme to consolidate the power she lost during the stalemate and expand on that. Seda sends assassins to murder the one person who knows her entire plot, her former spymaster Thalric. He flees to Nem Desert where the arcane archaic city of Khanaphes lies.
The Scarab Path, the fifth Shadows of the Apt, moves away somewhat from the overt epic military fantasy of the previous four entries though their remains some large scale blood and gore battles, but is more introspective. The audience sees close and up front what the war cost even the heroes especially Che, the focus of this super story line as she evolves into an Inapt. Loaded once again yet sort of reloaded, fans will Salute the Dark opening of will relish Adrian Tchaikovsky's new arc as an unsettled peace has come to the Lowlands.
Harriet Klausner
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