Elder Race
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- Create Date：2022-01-04 08:51:41
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Adrian Tchaikovsky
- ISBN：1250768721
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Summary
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…
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…
Reviews
Paulo
，
Interesting premise， at first glance looks like fantasy but it's definitely sci-fi。 It had a great start and I was quickly hooked into the story and I enjoyed the ending。 Unfortunately the middle part was a slog for me， ramblings over and over again by the main character。 I was getting annoyed with the same repeating thoughts of Nyr。 Getting annoyed with the repetitions in a smaller format as a novella meant the book wasn't working for me。 I've enjoyed a lot more the previous Tchaikovsky book I' Interesting premise， at first glance looks like fantasy but it's definitely sci-fi。 It had a great start and I was quickly hooked into the story and I enjoyed the ending。 Unfortunately the middle part was a slog for me， ramblings over and over again by the main character。 I was getting annoyed with the same repeating thoughts of Nyr。 Getting annoyed with the repetitions in a smaller format as a novella meant the book wasn't working for me。 I've enjoyed a lot more the previous Tchaikovsky book I've read， The expert systems brother and looking forward to read the sequel。 This one here it's only 3 stars。 。。。more
April
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Tchaikovsky has an absolutely insane mind and I love it。
Hanay
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Setting:A believable sci-fi setting， Earthlike planet， sometime in the distant future， post-space-faring humanity。Characters:A really fun juxtaposition between a centuries-old scientist and a coming-of-age warrior-princess。 I was worried there might be something sexual as I have seen other stories with a vast age difference such as this where they do such， but they remain platonic and the focus is on the characters and story， not any present romantic attachments。Plot:Interesting elements of worl Setting:A believable sci-fi setting， Earthlike planet， sometime in the distant future， post-space-faring humanity。Characters:A really fun juxtaposition between a centuries-old scientist and a coming-of-age warrior-princess。 I was worried there might be something sexual as I have seen other stories with a vast age difference such as this where they do such， but they remain platonic and the focus is on the characters and story， not any present romantic attachments。Plot:Interesting elements of world-building to peak curiosity in the beginning。 Character development and mystery carry the story once we understand the world we are in。Writing style:The book doesn't dawdle around， events progress quickly， and it was a joy to read。Other:A bit expensive at 30 NZD for a book I finished in two sittings but I still enjoyed it。 。。。more
Rachel
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Pretty interesting- particularly the ways of words and linguistics and the look at depression Solid read from Tchaikovsky- and I do love a novella length book！
Florian
，
Superb science-fantasy novella。Tchaikovsky if quickly becoming one of my favourite speculative fiction writers， and this short novella demonstrates why。 Expanding the genre of far-future science fantasy， in which science appears to the uninitiated like magic， Tchaikovsky tells a story of profound cultural clash that is at times terrifying， at times heart-warming。 It's short and punchy， but for all its brevity it does not have to hide behind genre-greats like Gene Wolfe or （for those who prefer g Superb science-fantasy novella。Tchaikovsky if quickly becoming one of my favourite speculative fiction writers， and this short novella demonstrates why。 Expanding the genre of far-future science fantasy， in which science appears to the uninitiated like magic， Tchaikovsky tells a story of profound cultural clash that is at times terrifying， at times heart-warming。 It's short and punchy， but for all its brevity it does not have to hide behind genre-greats like Gene Wolfe or （for those who prefer game analogies） Monte Cook。 Excellent。 。。。more
Patrick
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A thoroughly enjoyable sci-fi novella。 None of the building blocks are novel but they’re put together in a fresh way。
Ry Herman
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This was an absolute delight， although that may be an odd way to describe a book about a lonely， depressed person who uses technological dissociation techniques just to get by。 But it's a hopeful book for all that， and the science-fiction-masquerading-as-fantasy setting is a trope I always fall for。 And here， while sufficiently advanced technology may seem like magic， sufficiently advanced mythologizing -- storytelling -- is as valid as any other method of telling you what it means。 I think any This was an absolute delight， although that may be an odd way to describe a book about a lonely， depressed person who uses technological dissociation techniques just to get by。 But it's a hopeful book for all that， and the science-fiction-masquerading-as-fantasy setting is a trope I always fall for。 And here， while sufficiently advanced technology may seem like magic， sufficiently advanced mythologizing -- storytelling -- is as valid as any other method of telling you what it means。 I think any lover of both science and fiction would agree。 。。。more
Christina （she/her）
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This is an interesting novel that has a “demon” that felt very similar to the parasite in ‘Children of Ruin’ by this author。 The fear that is present in ‘Children of Ruin’ was sprinkled throughout this novel。 The DCS system that Nyr used was an highlight and really propelled the story along when it dragged。 The ability to actually close off emotions when logic is needed is something to ponder。 The story raises amazing questions about anthropology， colonization and what culture is considered supe This is an interesting novel that has a “demon” that felt very similar to the parasite in ‘Children of Ruin’ by this author。 The fear that is present in ‘Children of Ruin’ was sprinkled throughout this novel。 The DCS system that Nyr used was an highlight and really propelled the story along when it dragged。 The ability to actually close off emotions when logic is needed is something to ponder。 The story raises amazing questions about anthropology， colonization and what culture is considered superior。 。。。more
Alexander Buchert
，
This is my introduction to Adrian Tchaikovsky and I'm very impressed。 This story was wonderful I loved it from start to finish！ This is my introduction to Adrian Tchaikovsky and I'm very impressed。 This story was wonderful I loved it from start to finish！ 。。。more
Judy
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4。5I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did！ I loved the concept behind this novella。 How difficult it is to communicate with someone when the language you mutually speak doesn't highlight the true meaning of what you have to say。 Lots can get lost in translation and this novella did a great job of highlighting that while also being entertaining。 I loved the ideas explored here more than the plot - basing my rating on the ideas and world-building。 4。5I did not expect to enjoy this as much as I did！ I loved the concept behind this novella。 How difficult it is to communicate with someone when the language you mutually speak doesn't highlight the true meaning of what you have to say。 Lots can get lost in translation and this novella did a great job of highlighting that while also being entertaining。 I loved the ideas explored here more than the plot - basing my rating on the ideas and world-building。 。。。more
Kerry
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Well-written， fascinating look at communication issues between people from a post-tech world and an anthropologist loaded down with tech。 For the members of the diaspora， Nyr is magic， for him， it's all technology。 This is a beautiful book with compelling characters。 I finished it in 3 days （I'm 10-minutr increments）。 Well-written， fascinating look at communication issues between people from a post-tech world and an anthropologist loaded down with tech。 For the members of the diaspora， Nyr is magic， for him， it's all technology。 This is a beautiful book with compelling characters。 I finished it in 3 days （I'm 10-minutr increments）。 。。。more
Sydney
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I loved it， this is my second book by this author and I need to read more。
ProfessorTomeish
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This is brilliant！ I usually dislike different perspectives but I adore how this one was done！ After been gifted this book by Adrian Tchaikovsky himself when my husband happened to bump into him at one point and mentioned he was a fan of his work I can't believe how fulfilling such a short story could be。 I've already read Dogs of War so I already knew he was a fantastic writer， but this has probably sealed him to he one of my very favourites of all time xxx This is brilliant！ I usually dislike different perspectives but I adore how this one was done！ After been gifted this book by Adrian Tchaikovsky himself when my husband happened to bump into him at one point and mentioned he was a fan of his work I can't believe how fulfilling such a short story could be。 I've already read Dogs of War so I already knew he was a fantastic writer， but this has probably sealed him to he one of my very favourites of all time xxx 。。。more
Just_ann_now
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I would have read four hundred pages of this and loved every single word。
Leanna
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This is a very cool book。 I got it for Christmas from my aunt and had no previous knowledge or expectations。 Anyway， if you like fantasy and/or science fiction， you should read it and be delighted。
Veronica Foster
，
Elder Race has some interesting things to say about scientific progress: the way that stories fill in the spaces where science can’t reach， the way that scientific understanding functions as a kind of magic， and the danger of believing in scientific prowess as a substitute for emotional wisdom。 The emphasis is on philosophy over character （think Ursula Le Guin）， which I was into but not especially moved by。
John Derek
，
Elder Race is another brilliant Science Fiction/Fantasy tale from the indomitable Adrian Tchaikovsky。 He has that innate ability to blend the two genres seamlessly together， creating unconventional and unforgettable stories with phenomenal characters。Nygroth， the sorcerer， or to be precise， Nyr Illim Tevitcha， is a space-travelling anthropologist from Earth。 He is centuries old because of cryo-suspension and unfortunately suffers from clinical depression。 Now there is a cue for an anti-hero Elder Race is another brilliant Science Fiction/Fantasy tale from the indomitable Adrian Tchaikovsky。 He has that innate ability to blend the two genres seamlessly together， creating unconventional and unforgettable stories with phenomenal characters。Nygroth， the sorcerer， or to be precise， Nyr Illim Tevitcha， is a space-travelling anthropologist from Earth。 He is centuries old because of cryo-suspension and unfortunately suffers from clinical depression。 Now there is a cue for an anti-hero if ever there was one。The author is quite good at creating your typical anti-hero， and my favourite at the moment is Idris Telemmier， from The Final Architecture Series。 Does not want to be at the forefront of the problem but will be there anyway whether they like it or not。 So when Lynesse a lowly Fourth Daughter of the Queen calls on Nyr， the die is inevitably cast。 Aided and abetted by Esha of the Coast-people， the three set out on a quest to save the planet from an unknown menace and apparently unbeatable foe。With the narrative being told through joint perspectives （Lynesse and Nyr）， we have a chance to see both sides of the story as it develops and how the character relationships evolve and flourish。 Nyr is obviously a flawed character。 His DCS （Dissociative Cognition System） is seriously playing havoc with his emotions。 Lynesse is also flawed but only in the sense that she strives to be wanted， to become a heroine to the people。 Elder Race is a cracking read full of the guile and intelligence we come to expect from the author。 It is definitely a lot darker than some of his other short stories。 I missed the humour evident in One Day All This Will Be Yours and a lesser extent Walking to Aldebaran。 Also， I failed to understand the need for Nyr to start using profanities mid-way through the narrative， which seemed unnecessary and totally avoidable。There is much to be said for packing so much into such a short book。 The pace is relentless， and it never slackens from beginning to end。 As with all the best Science Fiction and Fantasy books， the author will always leave you wanting more。 Elder Race is another brilliant offering from the talented Adrian Tchaikovsky。 And if you have not checked it out yet， get a hold of his latest novella， Ogres， because it is superb。 。。。more
Thia Reads A Lot
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That's。。。 unexpected！Loved this from beginning to end。 It feels sacrilegious to rate it above Going Postal， but it would feel the same to rate it 4*， so let's go with 5* anyway！ Sort-of mix of fantasy （princess needing the help of a wizard to fight a demon） and science fiction （anthropologist getting involved against the rules）， dual perspective （Nyr in first person， Lynesse in third）。 Nyr is keeping his emotions at bay with the [DTS]， but he needs to let them out multiple times。Summary: （view s That's。。。 unexpected！Loved this from beginning to end。 It feels sacrilegious to rate it above Going Postal， but it would feel the same to rate it 4*， so let's go with 5* anyway！ Sort-of mix of fantasy （princess needing the help of a wizard to fight a demon） and science fiction （anthropologist getting involved against the rules）， dual perspective （Nyr in first person， Lynesse in third）。 Nyr is keeping his emotions at bay with the [DTS]， but he needs to let them out multiple times。Summary: （view spoiler）[Lynesse Fourth Daughter is seeking the help of the Elder when a demon is ravaging the [Ordworld]。 Nyr is an anthrolologist sent many centuries ago to observe how colonists have adapted to life on [Planet]。 They travel to the place the demon is。 It has built a portal to somewhere else。 Lynesse cuts out the locator out of Nyr's body and the satellite destroys Nyr （orignal purpose: to prevent the locals from getting contaminated by his body）。 Lynesse brings him to his tower/outpost to heal （she thinks he is dead）， then he asks her to visit and decides to go back to court with her。 Maybe she will be his apprentice？ （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Heidi
，
Another great quality novella published by Tor
Micha Hershman
，
Let’s get this out of the way: I did not enjoy the “Children of Time” series。 Not at all - it was a painful slog。 But THIS！ This book I loved。 It spoke to me: strange science and wizardry and monsters and nobility and heros that are deeply flawed。 Probably not for everyone but wow it really was for me。
Abby
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2。5 but not enough to round up。 One element was great - the cultural/societal/linguistic comparison of two groups， and especially how that was conveyed through dialogue。 But the rest was meh - didn't get enough details on characters or the world to feel any sort of connection to them; felt like it should be a short story instead。 2。5 but not enough to round up。 One element was great - the cultural/societal/linguistic comparison of two groups， and especially how that was conveyed through dialogue。 But the rest was meh - didn't get enough details on characters or the world to feel any sort of connection to them; felt like it should be a short story instead。 。。。more
Paweł
，
Czajkowski in best formThis is a truly great book， taking some of ideas， adding some fresh， and ending up with an amazing science fantasy book about。。。 depression。
Amrita
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My thanks to Netgalley and Tor for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 This was my first Tchaikovsky， an author I've been meaning to check out for a while now and I really enjoyed it。 The idea that the main protagonist believes herself to be living in a fantasy land while the male protagonist is actually a jaded and weary scientist from a futuristic world is a fun take on the kind of mixing of genres that we don't often get to see。 Some people might not care for it but I t My thanks to Netgalley and Tor for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 This was my first Tchaikovsky， an author I've been meaning to check out for a while now and I really enjoyed it。 The idea that the main protagonist believes herself to be living in a fantasy land while the male protagonist is actually a jaded and weary scientist from a futuristic world is a fun take on the kind of mixing of genres that we don't often get to see。 Some people might not care for it but I think it's pretty great。 。。。more
Earl Knighton
，
Another great novella from this talented authorVery very good。 If you like good writing then you may just like this。 Fantasy sci fi at it's best。 Another great novella from this talented authorVery very good。 If you like good writing then you may just like this。 Fantasy sci fi at it's best。 。。。more
Hash P
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Interesting take on how tech can appear magical and how the distinction doesn't really matter Interesting take on how tech can appear magical and how the distinction doesn't really matter 。。。more
Larry Holloman
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Gary Gygax and Arthur Clarke would be proud。 The author has perfectly described an Adventure from both viewpoints: Swords & Sorcery Fantasy， and Science Fiction。。。。my only complaint is that it's over （I want more of this！） Gary Gygax and Arthur Clarke would be proud。 The author has perfectly described an Adventure from both viewpoints: Swords & Sorcery Fantasy， and Science Fiction。。。。my only complaint is that it's over （I want more of this！） 。。。more
Liz （Quirky Cat）
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tI have been so unbelievably excited for Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky。 I fell in love with Tchaikovsky's work a few years ago when his novella Made Things was released。 Since then， I have enjoyed many other stories， and this start to a new series is no exception。tAre two souls enough to save a planet？ That is the question。 Lynesse is the Fourth Daughter of the queen， which generally means that she is not at risk of finding herself on the throne。 But that doesn't stop Lynesse from caring abou tI have been so unbelievably excited for Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky。 I fell in love with Tchaikovsky's work a few years ago when his novella Made Things was released。 Since then， I have enjoyed many other stories， and this start to a new series is no exception。tAre two souls enough to save a planet？ That is the question。 Lynesse is the Fourth Daughter of the queen， which generally means that she is not at risk of finding herself on the throne。 But that doesn't stop Lynesse from caring about her people。tWhen a demon begins to terrorize those around her， she doesn't hesitate to approach an Elder sorcerer for help。 Unfortunately， Nyr is neither a sorcerer nor of the belief that the monster is a demon。t“How much worse to think yourself wise， and still be as ignorant as one who knew themselves a fool？” tElder Race is arguably one of the boldest and most beautiful science fiction novels I've read this year。 It is so creative and immense; it's almost too difficult to find words to describe the experience or how it made me feel。tLynesse's story is compelling， and I immediately found myself carried away by it all。 She's the perfect protagonist， being compassionate yet determined in equal measures。 I'm not going to lie; I was basically rooting for her from the start。tMore than that， I love how magic and technology collide within these pages， as science and lore battle to the end。 It made for such a unique read， one that I feel will be lingering in my mind for quite some time。 Does anyone want to place bets on how long it will be before I cave and reread it？tThanks to Tor。com and #NetGalley for making this book available for review。 All opinions expressed are my own。 Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks 。。。more
Metaphorosis
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3。5 stars， Metaphorosis ReviewsSummary Lynesse Fourth Daughter goes against her mother's will by calling on the immortal sorceror Nyrgoth in his tower cut into the mountain。 Nyr， however， turns out to be more complex than she envisioned。ReviewI’ve previously read two Adrian Tchaikovsky books: Walking to Aldebaran， which I quite liked， and Shards of Earth， which I thought was something of a mess。 I picked up Elder Race to see which evaluation was the more correct。 I didn’t really find an 3。5 stars， Metaphorosis ReviewsSummary Lynesse Fourth Daughter goes against her mother's will by calling on the immortal sorceror Nyrgoth in his tower cut into the mountain。 Nyr， however， turns out to be more complex than she envisioned。ReviewI’ve previously read two Adrian Tchaikovsky books: Walking to Aldebaran， which I quite liked， and Shards of Earth， which I thought was something of a mess。 I picked up Elder Race to see which evaluation was the more correct。 I didn’t really find an answer。Elder Race is much more like Walking than Shards – it has a small， contained cast; a clear quest; a linear timeline; and a developed story that flows well。 At the same time， the end of the book left me wondering what the point of it all had been。 It’s descriptive， sometimes emotional， but never really poignant， and with less tension than one might expect。 It felt， overall， like an exercise in worldbuilding – either testing out an environment for a larger story， or fleshing out an aspect of an existing story。 Except that this story doesn’t really allow for either of those， in any direct sense。 While readable and pleasant， it seems to me that Tchaikovsky missed the target on this one; there was just too much of a feeling of So what？ at the end。 It’s a shame， because I think the concept， while not novel， had good potential， and the framework and characters of the story were well in place。Note that， by my count， this is a novella， not a novel。I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ozsaur
，
So hard to categorize！ Lyn lives a life of myth and pageantry。 Nyr is a scientist。 They have completely different viewpoints， and both are true。Lynesse is the lowly Fourth Daughter of the Queen。 She goes on a quest to a sorcerer's castle。 The sorcerer， long ago， promised to help Lyn's kingdom if they are ever in dire need。 It is in need because there's a demon destroying their neighboring kingdom。 Nyr is a scientist， an anthropologist sent to Lyn's world to study it。 At one point he broke the ru So hard to categorize！ Lyn lives a life of myth and pageantry。 Nyr is a scientist。 They have completely different viewpoints， and both are true。Lynesse is the lowly Fourth Daughter of the Queen。 She goes on a quest to a sorcerer's castle。 The sorcerer， long ago， promised to help Lyn's kingdom if they are ever in dire need。 It is in need because there's a demon destroying their neighboring kingdom。 Nyr is a scientist， an anthropologist sent to Lyn's world to study it。 At one point he broke the rules， and interfered with the world promising to come back if needed。 Something he shouldn't have done。So Lyn shows up and calls in his promise not knowing that he isn't really a sorcerer。You know， none of what I wrote up there really explains what the story is really about。 It really isn't about the quest， even though there wouldn't be a story without it。 And it does have a satisfying conclusion。 I didn't have a clue what the demon turned out to be。The story is about the people， mostly Lyn and Nyr。 It's about the world， and I wanted to learn so much more about it。 It's about how two people can completely fail to communicate， and still understand each other。 And sometimes not。 But not for lack of trying。Very enjoyable read， and if you decide to try it， it'll not be anything you expect。 。。。more
Victoria Wolcott
，
A delightful short novel that uses science fiction to unravel fantasy。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Elder Race
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Elder Race&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Elder Race&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0