Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky

[gilda_elise]

In Adrian Tchaikovsky's Elder Race, a junior anthropologist on a distant planet must help the locals he has sworn to study to save a planet from an unbeatable foe.

Lynesse is the lowly Fourth Daughter of the queen, and always getting in the way.

But a demon is terrorizing the land, and now she’s an adult (albeit barely) and although she still gets in the way, she understands that the only way to save her people is to invoke the pact between her family and the Elder sorcerer who has inhabited the local tower for as long as her people have lived here (though none in living memory has approached it).

But Elder Nyr isn’t a sorcerer, and he is forbidden to help, for his knowledge of science tells him the threat cannot possibly be a demon…

Tchaikovsky has a habit of writing books in series; unfortunately, that isn’t the case with this one. Add to that its short length, and it’s a bit of a disappointment, because I would love to continue reading about Lynette and Nyr. Both are interesting characters who must learn to cooperate if they stand of chance of overcoming what threatens their land.

You get to know Lynesse from the start; it’s her quest and she has her mind set on what she must do. She goes to ask for help from who she thinks is a sorcerer, unaware that what she sees as magic is the technology of an advanced people. Nyr is not a sorcerer, but because of his situation, it takes a while to get to know him. And just as you are, the story ends.

The story jumps back and forth between their perspectives; for Lynesse it’s magic; for Nyr it’s science. It’s an interesting juxtaposition of world views that makes for an intriguing story.






Mount TBR 2025 Book Links


Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.

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15. Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes
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17. The Last Days of Richard III and the Fate of His DNA: The Book That Inspired the Dig by John Ashdown-Hill
18. Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean #2) by T.J. Klune
19. Blood of the Children by Alan Rodgers
20. For Fear of the Night by Charles L. Grant



21. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
22. America First: Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War by H.W. Brands
23. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
24. The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
25. A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen
26. Lost and Found by Marilyn Harris
27. Strange Weather: Four Short Novels by Joe Hill
28. Three Wild Dogs by Markus Zusak
29. Full Throttle by Joe Hill
30. Lost in a Good Book (Thursday Next #2) by Jasper Fforde
31. Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Comments

[just_ann_now]

I really loved the juxtaposition of fantasy and sci-fi in this! And, like you, I wished it had been longer.

[gilda_elise]

I wonder if there's any chance that he'll return to it? Because it is an interesting set-up. We can always dream. :-)

[just_ann_now]

He's got so much going on, it's hard to tell! But as you say, we can dream.

[tinny]

Ah, that's a pity. He builds such interesting worlds.

Apparently, for him, this book was a novella - which makes it a bit more format-appropriate to only scratch the surface of a theme, maybe?

I love his books, but have not read this one. But the theme sounds interesting!

[gilda_elise]

Yes, it's definitely a novella, which does create certain parameters. It could have made a great novel, though.

I've loved everything I've read of his, but I'm so behind in reading his books. He's so prolific.