Blood of the Mantis
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- Create Date：2021-09-10 08:51:39
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Adrian Tchaikovsky
- ISBN：1529050308
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Summary
Blood of the Mantis is the third novel in Adrian Tchaikovsky's richly imagined Shadows of the Apt series， following
Dragonfly Falling。
Stenwold must rally his allies for battle against the Empire， even as it seeks a dangerous artifact of enormous power。
A dread ritual casts a deadly shadow 。 。 。
Achaeos the seer has tracked the stolen Shadow Box to the marsh-town of Jerez， driven by the ghosts of the legendary Darakyon。 But he has only days before this magical artifact will be lost to him forever 。 。 。
Meanwhile， the Empire's dread forces are mustering for their next great offensive。 Stenwold and followers have only a short time to gather allies， before the enemy's soldiers march again - conquering everything in their path。 If Stenwold cannot hold them back， the hated black and gold flag will fly over every city in the Lowlands before the year's end。
And should the Shadow Box fall into the hands of the power-mad Emperor， nothing will save the world from his relentless ambition。
Blood of the Mantis is followed by Salute the Dark， the fourth book in the Shadows of the Apt series。
A dread ritual casts a deadly shadow 。 。 。
Achaeos the seer has tracked the stolen Shadow Box to the marsh-town of Jerez， driven by the ghosts of the legendary Darakyon。 But he has only days before this magical artifact will be lost to him forever 。 。 。
Meanwhile， the Empire's dread forces are mustering for their next great offensive。 Stenwold and followers have only a short time to gather allies， before the enemy's soldiers march again - conquering everything in their path。 If Stenwold cannot hold them back， the hated black and gold flag will fly over every city in the Lowlands before the year's end。
And should the Shadow Box fall into the hands of the power-mad Emperor， nothing will save the world from his relentless ambition。
Blood of the Mantis is followed by Salute the Dark， the fourth book in the Shadows of the Apt series。
Reviews
Nigel
，
Another good instalment of the Shadows of the Apt。 There is no major battle in this book， the principle plot lines are of the continued search for the Shadow Box of Darakyon and Stenwold's attempt to create an alliance spanning the Lowlands as well as trying to keep the Snapbow out of general circulation。 Another good instalment of the Shadows of the Apt。 There is no major battle in this book， the principle plot lines are of the continued search for the Shadow Box of Darakyon and Stenwold's attempt to create an alliance spanning the Lowlands as well as trying to keep the Snapbow out of general circulation。 。。。more
Sebastien
，
And now for a bit of a Cold War。After the full-on assaults of the last two books， the action is a bit more subdued in this latest entry of the Shadows of the Apt。 Our protagonists are sent on missions of reconnaissance and diplomacy。 The three major plotlines in this book are the embassy sent to Solarno， doorway to the Spiderlands， a diplomatic summit in Sarn and the recovery of a dangerous artifact in Jerez。Despite the war taking a backseat， I still greatly enjoyed the book。 It is quite a bit s And now for a bit of a Cold War。After the full-on assaults of the last two books， the action is a bit more subdued in this latest entry of the Shadows of the Apt。 Our protagonists are sent on missions of reconnaissance and diplomacy。 The three major plotlines in this book are the embassy sent to Solarno， doorway to the Spiderlands， a diplomatic summit in Sarn and the recovery of a dangerous artifact in Jerez。Despite the war taking a backseat， I still greatly enjoyed the book。 It is quite a bit shorter than the two previous entries which is quite refreshing。 Despite the book being relatively short， its breakneck pace means that quite a lot happened。 The new locales were pretty interesting， Solarno being a bit of a Renaissance Venise， with politics and the progress of aeronautics taking the forefront。 Jerez was pretty interesting for the introduction of the skaters and the aquatic kinden。 I always thought water striders were a type of spiders， but they're actually their own species and very well represented in this region were their aquatic abilities allow them to run very efficient black markets and smuggling rings。I also loved the introduction of the aquatic kinden。 I've always said that shrimps， lobsters and crabs were the same as bugs！ So I thought it was pretty funny that the author seemingly agrees with me and introduced whole clans of humans who have evolved to demonstrate crustacean abilities。I'm also pretty interested in the plot of the Mosquito-kinden。 Uctebri the Sarcad is a really interesting character。 Whereas most of the cast is pretty much in line with the technological revolution， the Mosquito are more of a relic of a mysterious past。I've read that a common criticism of this book is poor characterization。 And I must agree in a certain sense， the characters are pretty crystallized as soon as they appear。 The biggest exception to this rule is Totho who is undergoing a pretty dramatic transformation under the hand of Drephos。 Really interested to see where this goes。 I expect a redemptive sacrifice！Once again great book and I've started the next book which is， I've been told， the last of this first part of the whole series。 。。。more
Lainy
，
Loving this series。 On to book 4。 I'm listening to the audio versions and the narrator is doing a great job。 Loving this series。 On to book 4。 I'm listening to the audio versions and the narrator is doing a great job。 。。。more
Philip
，
Relentless Pace and TensionThe rich storyline， complex characters and parallel plots make for great reading。 The pace never slackers as war clouds gather。
Scott Hitchcock
，
Book 1: 4。5*Book 2: 4。5*Book 3: 4*Another good chapter in this story。 Still hoping he expands the world。
Nis
，
Tchaikovsky is getting a bit too enamoured with his bad guys。
Trent
，
While I certainly enjoyed the first two novels in Shadows of the Apt， this was the book that really seemed to bring everything together， and it cemented this series as one of the best modern Epic Fantasies ever written。 Tchaikovsky gives us everything in this book！Wonderful new characters （that add so much value！） to join in with our old favorites。 Two exotic new locations to explore with tons of amazing secrets to unlock。Amazing action （especially the aerial dogfighting！）Genuinely fantastic plo While I certainly enjoyed the first two novels in Shadows of the Apt， this was the book that really seemed to bring everything together， and it cemented this series as one of the best modern Epic Fantasies ever written。 Tchaikovsky gives us everything in this book！Wonderful new characters （that add so much value！） to join in with our old favorites。 Two exotic new locations to explore with tons of amazing secrets to unlock。Amazing action （especially the aerial dogfighting！）Genuinely fantastic plot development and pacing。 There is a clearly defined goal at the beginning of this book， and most of the arcs are geared towards it。 And there is resolution at the end that also leads perfectly into the next book。 I mean， it is *chef's kiss*， people。 There is also some real， genuine emotion in this book between characters。 I loved every second， guys。 I mean - COULD NOT GET ENOUGH。I've heard that the next book closes out this arc of the series， and I am terrified for what is instore for these characters that I have so grown to love！If you love Sanderson， or Jordan， or GRRM， or Erikson - read this series NOW！ 。。。more
Nicholas Smith
，
A good return to form from the second novel in the series。 This one has lots of intrigue， the new storyline is very exciting。 I love the increase in magic in the book - it is a fantasy novel and so I enjoy that quite a bit。The end of this one was very cliffhangery。 Would recommend this one， we will see how he finishes the series
Tereza
，
Brilliant。 I thought very few books could compare with Children of Time - but this saga is （so far， at least - I have finished Book 3 now） even better。 Amazing。 READ IT！ :D
Emiliya Bozhilova
，
Чайковски само набира още пара в трети том и плавно минава на скорост като за някой влак стрела。 Един магически артефакт - кутията на сенките， и един еквивалент на автомата Калашников - щраколък， са на път да повлияят сериозно на бъдещия ход на войната с Империята。 Всеки ги иска за себе си。 Географията на фентъзи света се разширява с нови неподлежащи на осмисляне места и някои нови герои。 Тази книга е по-кратка от предната， което е само в нейна полза， но отново не е самостоятелна и само нахъсва Чайковски само набира още пара в трети том и плавно минава на скорост като за някой влак стрела。 Един магически артефакт - кутията на сенките， и един еквивалент на автомата Калашников - щраколък， са на път да повлияят сериозно на бъдещия ход на войната с Империята。 Всеки ги иска за себе си。 Географията на фентъзи света се разширява с нови неподлежащи на осмисляне места и някои нови герои。 Тази книга е по-кратка от предната， което е само в нейна полза， но отново не е самостоятелна и само нахъсва читателя за следващия том。 И Салма отново си няма достойна сюжетна линия。 Иначе има преследване във въздуха и голямо политическо съглашение， плюс тайнствено езеро и много контрабанда。Харесва ми как изгражда света си Чайковски， с малки изпипани детайлчета и неумолима логика даже насред най-мистичните събития （включително заигравка с меча на крал Артур）。 А героите му - най-чаровните сиви герои и логични злодеи във фентъзи света до момента。 Вече имам поне двама любимци в най-сивия сектор （единият още не може да реши какъв да е， и действа във всички посоки）， и много държа да оцелеят до десетия том。 Не забравя и романтиката， макар тя да е по-скоро мотив， но пък основен на моменти。 Какво да не му харесаш。Време е да благодаря на преводачката на четирите книги на български Милена Илиева - истинска наслада， рядко добър превод за жанра！4，5 звезди***➡️ Цитати: ✔️”Неудобни истини се ръгаха с лакти току под повърхността на лицето му。”✔️”А и какво изобщо е приятел？ Някой， който да ти пази гърба， устоявайки на изкушението да ти забие нож в него。”✔️”прословутият му технически прогрес е механизирана неизбежност， чиито зъбчати колелца биха премазали всеки， който застане на пътя му。”✔️”целесъобразността е пагубна и за най-голямото благородство” 。。。more
Sandra
，
Very comfort read。 Didn't excite me， neither in a bad or unfortunately in a good way。 I know the characters from the first few books already。 I guess a new one or two showed up。 The world events keep moving on。 Very comfort read。 Didn't excite me， neither in a bad or unfortunately in a good way。 I know the characters from the first few books already。 I guess a new one or two showed up。 The world events keep moving on。 。。。more
Jota Houses
，
En esta tercera entrega la saga comienza a alcanzar verdaderas dimensiones de Fantasía Épica。 El pequeño grupo del Maestro Stendwold opuesto a los avances del imperio de las Avispas se extiende por nuevos territorios una vez que la invasión de las Tierras Bajas es un hecho。 Los acontecimientos se desbordan y las tensiones en el propio imperio comienzan a aflorar。He odiado al narrador del audiolibro con su voz nasal e impostada con toda mi alma y creo que abandonaré este medio y volveré a la lect En esta tercera entrega la saga comienza a alcanzar verdaderas dimensiones de Fantasía Épica。 El pequeño grupo del Maestro Stendwold opuesto a los avances del imperio de las Avispas se extiende por nuevos territorios una vez que la invasión de las Tierras Bajas es un hecho。 Los acontecimientos se desbordan y las tensiones en el propio imperio comienzan a aflorar。He odiado al narrador del audiolibro con su voz nasal e impostada con toda mi alma y creo que abandonaré este medio y volveré a la lectura tradicional。 。。。more
Bradley
，
I've been a big fan of Tchaikovsky ever since I read Children of Time， and have since raved over all his SF since then。 On the other hand， when it comes to his original older fantasy， and specifically the Shadows of the Apt epic fantasy， I've had a hard time getting into them。 Almost everything about his writing is superior in his SF。 I believe this。 Characters， descriptions， plots， everything。 He still has his focus on insects and animals， （almost a trademark，） but the early fiction is pretty m I've been a big fan of Tchaikovsky ever since I read Children of Time， and have since raved over all his SF since then。 On the other hand， when it comes to his original older fantasy， and specifically the Shadows of the Apt epic fantasy， I've had a hard time getting into them。 Almost everything about his writing is superior in his SF。 I believe this。 Characters， descriptions， plots， everything。 He still has his focus on insects and animals， （almost a trademark，） but the early fiction is pretty much a standard almost Hickman/Weiss clone with races that say that they're spider-kin or ant-kin， etc， with hardly any evidence of it。 I probably would have fallen right into it a lot more had the descriptions been lush and full of real consequence。As it is， it just didn't grab my attention。 This is my third try in the series。 。。。more
Davytron
，
I am so relieved to have finished this book。 If you have read my other reviews of books in this series， you'll know that I both love and loathe it。 On the one hand， the backstory and lore are so engaging and interesting that I needed to finish the books。 There are fewer battles in this one but it still feels so unnecessarily drawn out。 I loved some of the hints about what's to come （the Empire gets a new leader）， and the moral/ethical complexity of the characters is still so fascinating。 But thi I am so relieved to have finished this book。 If you have read my other reviews of books in this series， you'll know that I both love and loathe it。 On the one hand， the backstory and lore are so engaging and interesting that I needed to finish the books。 There are fewer battles in this one but it still feels so unnecessarily drawn out。 I loved some of the hints about what's to come （the Empire gets a new leader）， and the moral/ethical complexity of the characters is still so fascinating。 But this entry in the series has cemented my stance that I don't care enough to plod through 7 more books of tedious battle scenes to find out more。 。。。more
Gabi
，
Loving it how Tchaikovsky manages to write all the characters in a way that makes them interesting for me。 I'm positively rooting for at least half a dozen of them and even the antagonists are mainly in the multi-layered grey scale。 Adding to this the superb worldbuilding and multi location plots brings Shadow of the Apt to the top of Fantasy series。Yet I will change to the written form for the next volume （aside from the fact that I would have to wait for the release of the audiobook for a whil Loving it how Tchaikovsky manages to write all the characters in a way that makes them interesting for me。 I'm positively rooting for at least half a dozen of them and even the antagonists are mainly in the multi-layered grey scale。 Adding to this the superb worldbuilding and multi location plots brings Shadow of the Apt to the top of Fantasy series。Yet I will change to the written form for the next volume （aside from the fact that I would have to wait for the release of the audiobook for a while）， because I need to see the names of characters and places written down for a change。 The cast is getting larger and larger and I have difficulties to keep track with only listening。 （Yet Ben Allen does a great job in narrating） 。。。more
Lydia
，
What an improvement on the last instalment！Personally， I much prefer it when the story isn’t focused on battles， so this was my cup of tea。 In Blood of the Mantis the “world” of the series gets much wider: our characters move out of the Lowlands and Empire， and explore more of the surrounding cities and environments。 Lots of sexy world building and new insect inspired peoples （yay！）。 I’m not sure where the overarching plot is heading at the moment， but I’m looking forward to finding out。Also Tak What an improvement on the last instalment！Personally， I much prefer it when the story isn’t focused on battles， so this was my cup of tea。 In Blood of the Mantis the “world” of the series gets much wider: our characters move out of the Lowlands and Empire， and explore more of the surrounding cities and environments。 Lots of sexy world building and new insect inspired peoples （yay！）。 I’m not sure where the overarching plot is heading at the moment， but I’m looking forward to finding out。Also Taki and Axrad is the enemies to lovers I need in my life so fingers crossed that happens in the future ;） 。。。more
Lari
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The whole plot about getting the magic box was ultimately pointless because it ended up in the hands of the Empire anyway。 The whole plot with Chee and the fly girl was pointless because the city ended up getting invaded anyway。 The whole plot with Stenwold and the ant city was pointless because he didn't get an alliance in the end anyway。 So， ultimately， this book was fun but might as well not even have happened。 I could have skipped it entirely and nothing would have changed。 The whole plot about getting the magic box was ultimately pointless because it ended up in the hands of the Empire anyway。 The whole plot with Chee and the fly girl was pointless because the city ended up getting invaded anyway。 The whole plot with Stenwold and the ant city was pointless because he didn't get an alliance in the end anyway。 So， ultimately， this book was fun but might as well not even have happened。 I could have skipped it entirely and nothing would have changed。 。。。more
P Bone
，
The further into the series I get， the more I enjoy them （and they made a good first impression！）。
Koit
，
The third volume was weaker than the second one。 While the sub-plot involving the magic box started off interesting， it quickly lost its impetus and stalled。 The knife-and-dagger action in Jerez was nevertheless the best part of this book， with Stenwold’s story weaker than ever before and Solarno leaving me unimpressed。The problems， as encountered， are that while the Jerez adventure creates a wonderful sub-plot to compete with the primary war story， the characters don’t hold up their end of it。 The third volume was weaker than the second one。 While the sub-plot involving the magic box started off interesting， it quickly lost its impetus and stalled。 The knife-and-dagger action in Jerez was nevertheless the best part of this book， with Stenwold’s story weaker than ever before and Solarno leaving me unimpressed。The problems， as encountered， are that while the Jerez adventure creates a wonderful sub-plot to compete with the primary war story， the characters don’t hold up their end of it。 Achaeos becomes less pleasant to read as they get closer to the box， while the enmity that Tynisa and Tisamon bear Thalric borders on the ridiculous。 These disputes ruin much of the coherence in this storyline。Meanwhile， Stenwold is making the most pointless overtures for peace in Sarn that he possibly could。 I’m not certain how he’s become detached from the person that we saw in the first volume of the series， but in this book he barely even manages to utter anything against the Wasps。 Instead， he’s intent on preserving a fictitious power-balance that doesn’t exist—and his thoughts even have him admit as much。Solarno， seemingly based on Medieval Italy， adds a bit of fun: especially when it turns out that poor Cheerwell can’t understand party politics that are very similar to that of the Collegium。 Che is， at the best of times even， driven by incompetence and failure， and though her internal dialogue is dull， the actions she sees is actually not—also， the few moments of courage and determination stand out proud。A weaker follow-up to the second book， but the plot keeps on twisting。 This review was originally posted on my blog。 。。。more
Jourdan
，
This entry in the Shadows of the Apt series lent much more intrigue and espionage to the book， which I was pleasantly surprised and happy to read。 So far， not the strongest link in the chain， but a decent book nonetheless
Sahir Sheikh
，
Thoroughly enjoyed it， the last book was non stop action，sieges and armies clashing， this one leaned to the more political side of things。
Shane Mulholland
，
Started with the second book in the series。 Well written and very enjoyable。 Definitely a good twist on ff
Paschalis
，
elibrary
Nia Sinjorina
，
Characters continue to develop， with several deepening as events force them to make choices and mature， not in a binary way but in considered and believable directions that mark the author out as a writer rather than a scribbler。Political machinations now begin to weave their way through an expanding world， opening up new lands and introducing new intrigues。 I love the way Tchaikovsky slowly builds his worlds， painting them with different architectures， culture， and characters where a weaker wr Characters continue to develop， with several deepening as events force them to make choices and mature， not in a binary way but in considered and believable directions that mark the author out as a writer rather than a scribbler。Political machinations now begin to weave their way through an expanding world， opening up new lands and introducing new intrigues。 I love the way Tchaikovsky slowly builds his worlds， painting them with different architectures， culture， and characters where a weaker writer would simply paint two dimensional differences onto literary plasterboard。The slow seeping of old magic into a bright and shiny steam punk world is a joy to behold and reminds me in part of Miyazaki， a film maker of incomparable genius。 The pace still flies along and I am carried with it still。Already into book 4。Fleecy Moss， author of the Folio 55 SciFi fantasy series （writing as Nia Sinjorina）， End of a Girl， Undon ， and 4659 now available on Amazon。 。。。more
Joshua
，
Epic series！ Would highly recommend
Will R
，
Here we get a lift in the action。 Characters are coming into their own and the stakes are revealing themselves， as our perspective on the Wasp Empire and the lands beyond its borders widens。 The Skater-kinden are a particularly inspired race of untrustworthy water dancers。 Tchaikovsky doesn't seem to be driving towards any particular thematic depths， but the action is well-written and the cultures continue to be interesting。 Here we get a lift in the action。 Characters are coming into their own and the stakes are revealing themselves， as our perspective on the Wasp Empire and the lands beyond its borders widens。 The Skater-kinden are a particularly inspired race of untrustworthy water dancers。 Tchaikovsky doesn't seem to be driving towards any particular thematic depths， but the action is well-written and the cultures continue to be interesting。 。。。more
Leeroy
，
I'm too invested not to keep going。 The plot felt plodding。 I'm too invested not to keep going。 The plot felt plodding。 。。。more
Rowena Tylden-Pattenson
，
Alright， but didn't seem to have the same punch as the previous book。 The gang has split up again and occasionally it took a moment to work out who's story a new chapter was referring to。 Alright， but didn't seem to have the same punch as the previous book。 The gang has split up again and occasionally it took a moment to work out who's story a new chapter was referring to。 。。。more
Brian
，
Lots of back stabbing， who is who， treason， and a bunch of other stuff in this pretty awesome series。
Stephen Patrick
，
This series just gets more & more compelling。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Blood of the Mantis
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Blood of the Mantis&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Blood of the Mantis&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0