Spoils of War

Tales of the Apt, Book 1

By: Adrian Tchaikovsky

Narrated by: Sam Burns, Mark Norman, Tracey Norman

Tales of the Apt is a companion series to the best-selling decalogy Shadows of the Apt (Tor UK), gathering together short stories from disparate places and supplementing them with a wealth of new tales written especially for the series. Together, they combine to provide a different perspective, an alternative history that parallels and unfolds alongside the familiar one, filling in the gaps and revealing intriguing backstories for many established characters. A must listen for any fan of the Shadows of the Apt books, where epic fantasy meets steampunk and so much more.

Contents:
Introduction by the Author
Introduction by the Publisher
To Own the Sky
Ironclads
Spoils of War
Camouflage
The Shadows of Their Lamps
The Dreams of Avaris
The Prince
Shadow Hunters
Sword and Circle
Idle Hands
An Old Man in a Harsh Season
Brass Mantis
About the Author

©2016 Adrian Tchaikovsky (P)2019 Circle of Spears

Excellent tidbits that expand the world

If you’re already a fan of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s shadows of the apt series, you’ll love these short stories that fall into the interstices of that world giving you just that little bit more of an insight into the characters that people that world.

Must say, after having sat through the same reader for the 10 books of the series, a man who beautifully stamped the series with his performance, it’s bitterly disappointing to have to listen to the sad trio who read this.

Still, I’d recommend this.

Shame the narrators were different.

I am a huge fan of Adrian Tchaikovsky books generally, and the only ones I dislike are those with narrators I find difficult to listen to.

Ben Allen, who has narrated all of the Empire of Black and Gold series is one of a kind, and carries each great story to further heights.
While these narrators were quite good, they changed some of the accents used for different kindens of the Empire, and none of them have quite the versatility or breadth of emotional resonance that brings the characters so wonderfully to life.

Other than that, these stories were an added insight into the world of some of the background characters, and enjoyable enough.