The city states of the Lowlands have lived in peace for decades, bastions of civilization, prosperity and sophistication, protected by treaties, trade and a belief in the reasonable nature of their neighbors. But meanwhile, in far-off corners, the Wasp Empire has been devouring city after city with its highly trained armies, its machines, it killing Art . . . And now its hunger for conquest and war has become insatiable. Only the ageing Stenwold Maker, spymaster, artificer and statesman, can see that the long days of peace are over. It falls upon his shoulders to open the eyes of his people, before a black-and-gold tide sweeps down over the Lowlands and burns away everything in its path. But first he must stop himself from becoming the Empire's latest victim.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
June 28, 2010 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781616143398
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781616143398
- File size: 1607 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Publisher's Weekly
January 11, 2010
Longtime epic fantasy readers will find many familiar elements in this intriguing debut. There’s the peaceful, vulnerable land, in this case the Lowlands, threatened by the Mongol-like Wasp Empire. The lone man who sees the danger is unwilling Lowlands spymaster Stenwald Maker. A charmingly diverse group of agents and allies draws from most of the strictly delineated insect-themed clans (which rather resemble the character classes of role-playing games) and runs the gamut from naïve student to embittered mercenary. Patriotic but conflicted Wasp Thalric puts a sympathetic face on evil. Tchaikovsky exercises considerable talent in assembling these well-worn pieces into a new puzzle, developing an interesting story and world with humor and skillful prose. Readers may be pleasantly surprised to find themselves looking forward to future installments. -
Library Journal
February 15, 2010
The Wasp Empire of winged armies now wages a campaign of conquest and destruction along the borders of the Lowlands. Occupying themselves with competitive games and trade, the Lowlands city-states refuse to hear the words of artificer and spymaster Stenwold Maker, who senses the danger posed by the Wasp Empire. Tchaikovsky's first novel exhibits a vibrancy and creative spirit that commands attention. Set in a world where human tribes are identified with totem insectse.g., messenger Fly-kinden, military-minded Ant-kindenthe story moves quickly between intensely personal interactions and scenes of large-scale battle. VERDICT This original and well-told series opener belongs in most fantasy collections and deserves exposure to a wide audience.Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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