Empire in Black and Gold

Shadows of the Apt, Book 1

By: Adrian Tchaikovsky

Narrated by: Ben Allen

Length: 23 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Empire in Black and Gold is the first instalment in the critically-acclaimed fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of the Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning Children of Time.

The days of peace are over....

The Lowlands’ 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.

Only the ageing Stenwold Maker – spymaster, artificer and statesman – foresees the threat, as the empires’ armies march ever closer. 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.

©2020 Adrian Tchaikovsky (P)2020 Macmillan Publishers International Ltd

Critic reviews

Brimming with imagination (SciFiNow)

The Shadows of the Apt series is simply one of the best epic fantasy series out there (LEC Book Reviews)

Super worldbuilding, great characters and extreme inventiveness (Fantasy Book Critic)

Incredible, must read

This was a great book. I loved getting into the universe and can't wait to continue it.

Great Story, lots of Characters

I couldn't put it down until I was through book 10. It is a strong start to a great series.

solid approachable relateable

not fantastic, in that I recall no moments of shocking brilliance or insight... but 25 hours of good relatable human interest in immersive understandable fantasy with not a single one dimensional character in sight, and a fleet of related books means an author telling a tale that can take me on an epic journey like few others in the world.

Wondrous world building

This was a stunning entry into a world I can’t wait to explore, with characters I came to feel fiercely loyal about and a villain of sorts who has the potential to have an interesting arc. I came to this via Tchaikovsky’s sci-fi, delighted to find him just as adept at fantasy. The performance of the novel was amazing, each character voiced with insight and skill. I highly recommend this book and I can’t wait to listen to the next one!

I’ve never liked wasps

Loved this book, it was a bit slow going at first, but only for the first 1/4 or so, so hang in there. Seeing as this is a 10 book series, a lot of plot bricks needed to be laid, and Tchaikovsky did a good job of entertaining the reader while laying those bricks. The overall concept is also very unique, I love how Tchaikovsky incorporated his love of biology (especially entomology) into this series, as he does in most, if not all, of his books. At first, I found the concept to be somewhat bizarre, but Tchaikovsky parallels insect and human behavior so well that the connection becomes impossible to ignore.

Ben Allen is also a fantastic narrator! When I sampled the book I was worried that he might be a bit bland, but this is far from the case. His accents are fantastic and I think they fit each of the kindens perfectly

first scifi spiders now this masterpiece

Well, I first discovered this author from Children of Time and thought to myself "well this is just because I am bored and I liked his writing, but it isn't really my thing"

This book is good enough to make you switch sides and like whatever gener this is (not 100% on that really). The world is rich, the characters are round and lifelike, and the story is compelling.

Stop reading this and aquire this book so that it gets popular enough for me to buy a t-shirt in reference to it.

Nice new world, odd pacing and distracting plot decisions

Not sure why he chose 17 years later for things to come to a head. It creates so many questions in my mind. Why not more scouting? Why didn’t he send an expedition, in a flyer with representatives from the councils? Why not maps of the expanding empire? If stenwald was recurring for his “team” how does he only have one class of students to choose from after 17 years!
There are also some very distraction scene/location changes that had me rewinding to check if I missed something.
Narrator did a great job.
I liked this “world”.

So Good!

immediately pulled me in. interesting character's and world. Fantasy at its finest Also, possibly one of the best narrators I've ever listened to. Now on to Book 2.

Refreshing and underrated epic fantasy. Excellent narration

I read and listen to tons of epic fantasy in the series is really underrated in the genre. It has A very unique World and ability system. This series can fill a variety of interests and keeps introducing new variables to keep you engaged.

2nd time through

still amazing. probably going to read through it a few ore times still. 10/10 would recommend