Adrian Tchaikovsky

"A Ursula Le Guin-like grace... Ten out of 10." —New York Times

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) with responsibilities (she tells herself). 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, and his knowledge of science tells him the threat cannot possibly be a demon…

Elder Race

Tobias V. Langhoff

This book is dedicated to Gene Wolfe, one of my favorites, and although I haven't read the story that inspired it (Trip Trap) I recognize the Wolfisms. Sci-fi and fantasy meet, technology and magic, aliens and demons. There's a big Chekhov's Gun here, but also a lot of world building that isn't expanded upon. It helps make the world big and lived-in, but surely there's also a bigger book or series inside of this that could exist, but won't and shouldn't - the opposite problem that Cage of Souls had, in my opinion.

Elder Race is a captivating and thought-provoking novella that offers a unique take on the science fiction genre. Despite some minor issues with character writing and development, the story's engaging plot and emotional depth make it a worthwhile read for fans of science fiction and fantasy.

I loved the juxtapostion between the two POV and it made me ponder on many philosphical questions related to the art of anthropology. Told through alternating perspectives, it delves into topics like mental health, the human condition, and moral objectivity using classic sci-fi themes.

Jehan Chawla

Elder Race is a captivating and thought-provoking novella that offers a unique take on the science fiction genre. Despite some minor issues with character writing and development, the story's engaging plot and emotional depth make it a worthwhile read for fans of science fiction and fantasy.

I loved the juxtapostion between the two POV and it made me ponder on many philosphical questions related to the art of anthropology. Told through alternating perspectives, it delves into topics like mental health, the human condition, and moral objectivity using classic sci-fi themes.

altlovesbooks

”The road to the Tower of Nyrgoth Elder is long and hard because he decreed it so, that it not be trodden lightly by fools, but only by earnest heroes when the kingdom is threatened by dire sorcery.”


Lynesse’s kingdom has problems only a sorcerer can solve. Unfortunately the sorcerer in question has been asleep for thousands of years, and Lynesse is only a fourth daughter and decidedly not someone entrusted with saving a kingdom. Nevertheless, Lynesse recognizes the danger her people are in, heads off to Nyrgoth’s tower, and manages to wake up the sleeping sorcerer that saved her kingdom so very long ago. Unfortunately the sorcerer….isn’t exactly a sorcerer.

Nyrgoth (or, Nyr for short) is an anthropologist sent to a remote planet to study an emerging civilization. Initially sent with two others, his companions eventually return to their homeworld, leaving Nyr alone to stand vigil on this remote planet. Communication eventually stops between the homeworld and Nyr, and he starts resorting to putting himself to sleep for long stretches at a time to hold out hope for contact. None comes, and Nyr becomes increasingly disillusioned and depressed at this post he’s holding. His outpost wakes him up abruptly off schedule, and Nyr is confronted with the great great great great great ancestor of someone very dear to him who has come to him with a problem only a sorcerer can solve. But…he’s an anthropologist, not a sorcerer, and how can he make her understand that?

This was a really deep story for being so short. I loved that it’s essentially two different genres in one—Lynesse’s viewpoint from the medieval fantasy society, heading off to save her kingdom with a sorcerer in tow to finally prove herself to her family, and Nyr’s science fiction viewpoint, struggling to balance his duty to preserve a developing culture with his promise to be there for the kingdom of someone he met long ago. The author plays with this a lot, often showing the same conversation from the two very different viewpoints and how different (or similar) the thinking can be. Nyr’s technology automatically translates whatever he says into something the local population can understand, both in words and in meaning, so it was really interesting to me to see how things could be misinterpreted. 

Because it’s a novella there’s not a lot of answers or unnecessary backstory to be had. This was fine with me as I liked coming up with my own theories as to what it was that Lynesse and Nyr confront (and what it might mean for Nyr’s homeworld), but for someone else who might want concrete, definite information this one might fall flat. It’s very much a character-driven story, and while the plot itself was interesting, a ton is left up in the air at the end.

Still a very engaging read for me. This was my first by Tchaikovsky, but I do plan on reading more in the future.

Janice Hopper

I think I'm almost at the point of buying anything Adrian Tchaikovsky writes as it comes out. He has a REALLY interesting way of looking at things and writing about them. I've been reading SF/F for decades. It's difficult any more to find something fresh and new. Tchaikovsky delivers this pretty reliably.

This story contrasts science/technology -- in the person of a junior anthropologist who's been left behind, probably forever, by his colleagues -- and fantasy, in the person of Lynesse Fourth Daughter, who lives in a very sword/sorcery sort of semi-medieval world. There are reports of problems in the woodland communities. Lynesse's mother, the ruler of her kingdom, thinks the problems are exaggerated, and really doesn't care that much about the woodland kingdoms anyway.

But Lynesse is worried. She's the headstrong and unruly Fourth Daughter, and thus expendable anyway. She decides to seek the help of the Sorcerer in the Tower (actually the aforementioned junior anthropologist). Little do they know that Cosmic Horror awaits them.

The contrasting viewpoints of the anthropologist (scientific/technological) and the daughter (Magic!!) are interesting. Clarke's Third Law comes into play. It's fun, and ultimately fairly hopeful.

I liked it.

Taran Snodgress

I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. Based on the description, I was expecting a light, fun jaunt. Instead, it was a very sober, deep dive into the psychology of anthropology and the complexities of action over inaction. I was unprepared for the seriousness of the book, and that limited my enjoyment of it

Sahi K

Definitely a 4.5 and I’m rounding up. 

I’ve been hearing great things about Adrian Tchaikovsky’s books for a while now but most of his sci-fi books have felt a bit more complicated than I usually read, so I’ve been avoiding picking up any despite owning a couple. But when I saw the announcement for this novella, I thought a short format might be perfect start and I was absolutely right. 

By the time I started reading this, I had completely forgotten the premise and I think that’s the best way to appreciate this story - just go in with a blank mind and no expectations. The author does a seamless job of blending sci-fi and fantasy and I was so impressed. I will preface by saying that this is firstly a very contemplative story, with not much action or adventure you would expect in a conventional SFF book, but it has a lot of emotional depth that’ll keep you hooked. The author deeply explores themes like depression, loneliness, feeling unwanted, being rational vs emotional; and finding one’s purpose in life, especially when feeling like the existing purpose feels lost or wasted. The pacing might feel a bit slow, but I think the feelings it evoked more than made up for it. I also thought the use of linguistics as important part of the story was brilliant. 

Despite this being a tale of defeating an unfamiliar and terrifying monster/demon, it’s very much a character focused story. Lyn is a fourth princess which makes her not very important in the hierarchy, and her impulsive nature since childhood has not made much of an impression on either her queen mother or her elder sisters. When news comes of a demon which is terrorizing one land after another and displacing thousands of people, she as a person who grew up on tales of heroes and wizards can’t help but want to help by fighting the monster and prove her worth to her family. 

Nyr on the other hand is a centuries old anthropologist who has been alone on this diasporic planet for a long while, fighting loneliness and depression while also dealing with the fact that his original purpose of living there seems completely useless. When presented with an opportunity to help the people of this world, he is conflicted due to his creed of being only an observer but ultimately he makes a choice. 

I thought their dynamic was so fascinating to see develop. She assumes he is a old wizard with magic who can defeat the demon; he is a scientist who is frustrated at being unable to convince the others that there’s no such thing as magic. The way they communicate is one of the highlights of this book - he speaks in his scientific language but what she hears and understands is more on the lines of her myth laden world. There is one particular chapter that emphasizes this difference in their language and I thought it was amazing. But despite these issues, they ultimately understand each other’s loneliness on a deeper level and are on the same page about how to help each other in fighting the monster. They both are well supported by Lyn’s friend Esha and a reformed convict Allwer, and all four of them became a wonderful found family. 

To conclude, I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this book but what I didn’t think was it will become an unexpected favorite. It’s an excellent science fantasy novella that’ll make you feel a lot of emotions and leave you thinking. Go into it without knowing much about it and I promise it will wow you.

Kiley

Alvin Han

Jiji

Eric Jacobsen

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) with responsibilities (she tells herself). 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, and his knowledge of science tells him the threat cannot possibly be a demon... At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Elder Race

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