The Bear and the Serpent, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

[rachelmanija]

Everything I have to say about this book is spoilery. Also, this is a reaction, not a proper review.



MOTHS! WASPS! Hooooooooly shit. And also, I knew Tchaikovsky couldn't resist having bugs in this series. Spiders, spiders everywhere!

Also, of fucking course the Bat people are VAMPIRES. I love it.

If this is set post-Shadows of the Apt, I think I know who the captive Fly woman is and I am rooting for her. Her specifically. I am rooting for the shifters in general.

I have no idea what kinden the Plague People were who are talking to the Serpent People, and I'm confused by why no one reacts to them with the utter horror at their lack of a soul that otherwise happens.

Venat is the best. So is Loud Thunder. So is Ash Maker. And it was marvelous to see Maniye and Shyri rampaging through crocodile land, kicking ass and taking names.

Kidnapping the Seal children is THE WORST. Also, given the parallels with Indian boarding schools, I feel like this entire series is liable to end in horrifying doom, though I'm hoping it won't.

Finally, fuck the Eyrie men not letting women fly. What assholes.



The Bear and the Serpent (Echoes of the Fall Book 2)

Comments

[helen_keeble]

YESSSSSSSS

It will become obvious in book 3 what kinden the Plague People are. ;-)

Loud Thunder is hilarious. I love his grumpy reluctant leadership so much, and I love how the narrative becomes subtly snarky whenever he's the POV character.

[rachelmanija]

Loud Thunder and Shyri and Venat are my favorite characters, against extremely stiff competition. I just can't resist their snarky attitudes. Also, I identify so much with Loud Thunder's desire to just be left alone and not have to deal with people. Usually I find extremely reluctant heroes annoying, but apparently not when their reluctance is based on introversion and social anxiety.

[helen_keeble]

I identify so hard with Loud Thunder. From now on all my bear shifters are going to be grumpy introverts.

[helen_keeble]

I do think there's a sliiiiight continuity error in the books - the first time the kinden are introduced, all their helper insects are carefully described as monstrous inexplicable horrors, not just "giant spiders/bugs/whatever". But I think by the end of the second book (and certainly in the third book) the shifters are recognising them as spiders etc. I think Tchaikovsky was initially going to have no insects in the shifterlands like there are no mammals/birds in the kindenlands (or at least very very few, and just as imported pets), but then suddenly realised that made zero sense since insects are rather more fundamental on the ecological pyramid (plus, he'd already mentioned honey existing).

[rachelmanija]

I noticed that too. I think you're right about why he changed it - I had also thought they couldn't possibly have an ecology without insects unless there were a ton of incredibly tiny mammals and birds and reptiles filling the same niches, which there didn't seem to be. (Now I want Tchaikovsky to write that ecology!) Plus honey. LOL.

[helen_keeble]

TINY FLYING KITTENS POLLINATING FLOWERS

UNDERGROUND COLONIES OF TEENY WEENIE PIGGIES

SWARMS OF MINI BAT WINGED HONEY BADGERS FUCKING PICNICS UP

11/10, would read.

[rachelmanija]

You had me at tiny flying kittens. If Tchaikovsky doesn't write this either you or I should.

[helen_keeble]

Beecat?

[sovay]

SWARMS OF MINI BAT WINGED HONEY BADGERS FUCKING PICNICS UP

PLEASE.

[helen_keeble]

Also also! I think this series has AWFUL covers from a marketing perspective, because it DOES NOT AT ALL look like it's even in the same genre as the Shadows of the Apt series, let alone actually being in the same world. Before I read the books I honestly thought they were going to be historical novels with little-to-no magic, and all the animals in the titles were just referencing medieval heraldic beasts.

[rachelmanija]

I agree. The covers look very pretty as covers, but they don't signal genre very well and it took me ages to get around to reading them. If I'd realized that they were essentially "Shadows of the Apt, but shifters instead of kinden" I'd have snapped them up instantly.

[helen_keeble]

Huh. Having said that, I just checked the Amazon.co.uk rankings and the Shadows of the Apt series are all in the 50k-100k rankings (in Kindle) while Echoes of the Fall are 15-30k.

(his SF books are ranking 2-3k)

[rachelmanija]

Interesting. Echoes of the Fall is more recent though, right?

[helen_keeble]

Echoes of the Fall is much more recent - Shadows of the Apt started in 2008, and Echoes in 2016. So it may just be a case of the books being newer.

[helen_keeble]

Sadly, I think his trad publisher declined more kinden novels, since after the first short story collection, all his later kinden books appear to be self published (or possibly done through a small press. Either way, they're in KU when all his trad stuff isn't. He's also let some other authors write stories in his setting)

His SF seems to have taken off like a rocket after Children of Time won the Clarke (and other awards?), so I expect he's being strongly encouraged to focus his current efforts there...

[rachelmanija]

I mean I love his SF too. I got ten novels (or possibly thirteen) of the Apt, plus three short story collections, so even though I would love to get more, I feel satisfied with what I got.

Besides, he's so insanely prolific, if he wants to self-pub more Apt stuff, there's probably nothing stopping him.

[frith_in_thorns]

Hahaha I was waiting for this post :D I remember when I read this book I got to the black-and-gold airship and SCREAMED. Like, I had begun suspecting before then, but that was the AHAHAHAHAHA YESSSS moment for me!

[rachelmanija]

Me too!

[schneefink]

Of course there are spiders xD

I read the first five Shadows of the Apt books, but that was years ago, and I did not actually realize that Echoes of the Fall takes place in the same world until frith_in_thorns told me ^^

Off-topic comment is off-topic

[rydra_wong]

Relevant to our cave-diving horror/fascination?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43131602-into-the-planet

Re: Off-topic comment is off-topic

[rachelmanija]

Ahhh! I have to read that, thank you.

Re: Off-topic comment is off-topic

[rydra_wong]

Side note re: current obsessions:

The Magnus Archives got its hooks in me early by having a caving ep (with a bit of cave-diving) as ep 15. It's frequently cited by people as their pick for "First Ep To Seriously Freak Me Out"; it's great.

Re: Off-topic comment is off-topic

[rachelmanija]

Ha! That explains a lot.

I have to pass on TMA, alas. Bug infestation of humans is a hard no for me.

Re: Off-topic comment is off-topic

[rydra_wong]

I can't argue with that decision -- as you may have gathered, large chunks of the show, especially season one, are Bug Infestation Fun Times.

One of the Q&As features the director being like TRYPOHOBIA, THAT IS A FUN NEW THING I HAVE DISCOVERED I HAVE, THANKS JONNY.

Otherwise it might be your cup of tea, but yeah, NOPE.