Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
When I began reading this book, I was unsure of whether I was going to enjoy it. The first few chapters seemed a little slow and the characters took some warming up. I did find the central premise of different races based upon insects intriguing however and this kept me going.
Perhaps a quarter of the way through, it began to grow on me. The main character, Stenwald, stopped being a bit of a whingy git and, along with the others, simply developed into a more rounded, real person. At the same time, the plot picked up and expanded, offering a larger view of the world that made the action far more compelling.
By the end, whilst I wouldn’t say I was edge-of-my-seat gripped, I was certainly engaged with the various plots and am interested in what comes next.
Particular strong points include the underlying concept I described earlier; the inclusion of what I am fairly certain are steam punk elements, something I haven’t yet read much of but enjoyed here; and the less than spotless morality of some of the main characters, some welcome complexity.
There was nothing to really steer clear of, just be aware that it may feel a bit simple to start and take a while to get into.
An enjoyable read. Empire in Black and Gold