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  • The Air War

The Air War

Shadows of the Apt #8 / 10
by Adrian Tchaikovsky
The Air War (Shadows of the Apt #8) by Adrian Tchaikovsky
★ 10.00 / 1
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The new book in this epic fantasy series of war and empire

All is in turmoil as the world moves towards war. In Solarno, the spies watch each other and ready their knives, while Myna sees the troops muster at its border and emotions run high as it vows never to be enslaved again. In Collegium, the students argue politics, too late to turn the tide.

In the heart of the Empire, new pilots have completed their secretive training, generals are being recalled to service and armies are ready to march. Their Empress, the heir to two worlds, intends to claim her birthright. And nothing – either within the Empire or beyond it – will stand in her way.

A conflict is coming, the like of which the insect-kinden have never seen.

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FantasyEpic FantasyHigh Fantasy
Release date: August 1, 2012

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Adrian Tchaikovsky

Adrian Tchaikovsky

In the realm of speculative fiction, where the boundaries between science and imagination blur, Adrian Tchaikovsky writes with the precision of a biologist and the curiosity of a philosopher. Known for weaving evolutionary theory into alien worlds and giving sentience to the most unexpected of creatures, he crafts stories that challenge not just what it means to be human—but what it means to be alive.

Tchaikovsky’s breakout novel, Children of Time, didn’t just introduce readers to a distant planet populated by hyper-intelligent spiders—it redefined what readers expect from space opera. Bold, cerebral, and emotionally resonant, the book went on to win the Arthur C. Clarke Award, with its sequel Children of Ruin deepening the saga’s exploration of consciousness, cooperation, and survival. In 2023, the Children of Time series earned the Hugo Award for Best Series, a fitting recognition for stories that dare to look evolution in the eye and ask: what if?

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But his fascination with complex ecosystems and alien intelligences didn’t begin on the page. Born in Lincolnshire and trained in zoology and psychology, Tchaikovsky brings a scientific lens to his storytelling that few in the genre can match. His early background—before turning to writing full-time—includes years practicing law, stage combat training, and tabletop gaming, all of which echo in the structure, pacing, and immersive worldbuilding of his novels.

Whether exploring dystopian landscapes, unraveling genetic legacies, or building entire civilizations from the point of view of insects and cephalopods, Tchaikovsky’s fiction never loses sight of the human thread—our instincts, our flaws, our relentless need to reach beyond the stars.

Asked once why so many of his stories feature spiders, he replied with characteristic candor: “They’re alien enough to be unsettling, but familiar enough to be us.” That balance—between the foreign and the familiar—is at the heart of his work, and why readers keep coming back, eager to see what strange future he’ll unearth next.

Shadows of the Apt

Shadows of the Apt consists of ten books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.

Related series Tales of the Apt

Empire in Black and Gold (Shadows of the Apt #1)
★ 6.50 / 4
Dragonfly Falling (Shadows of the Apt #2)
★ 6.00 / 2
Blood of the Mantis (Shadows of the Apt #3)
★ 8.00 / 1
Salute the Dark (Shadows of the Apt #4)
★ 8.00 / 1
The Scarab Path (Shadows of the Apt #5)
★ 9.00 / 1
The Sea Watch (Shadows of the Apt #6)
★ 9.00 / 1
Heirs of the Blade (Shadows of the Apt #7)
★ 9.00 / 1
The Air War (Shadows of the Apt #8)
★ 10.00 / 1
War Master's Gate (Shadows of the Apt #9)
★ 10.00 / 2
The Seal of the Worm (Shadows of the Apt #10)
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