Science Fiction

Cage of Souls

Cage of Souls

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  • Create Date：2021-04-15 14:54:14
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Adrian Tchaikovsky
  • ISBN：1788547381
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Summary

The sun is bloated， diseased， dying perhaps。 Beneath its baneful light， Shadrapar， last of all cities， harbours fewer than 100，000 human souls。 Built on the ruins of countless civilisations， Shadrapar is a museum， an asylum， a prison on a world that is ever more alien to humanity。 Bearing witness to the desperate struggle for existence between life old and new is Stefan Advani: rebel， outlaw， survivor。 This is his testament， an account of the journey that took him into the blazing desolation of the western deserts and into the labyrinths and caverns of the underworld。 He will meet with monsters and mutants。 The question is， which one of them will inherit this Earth？

Humanity clings to life on a dying Earth。

Epic， far-future science fiction from an award-winning author。

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Reviews

Hayley ，

I wasn't fully sure how I was going to rate this book until writing the review down below。 This is a book which is built in a way that makes you feel out of place & uncomfortable， because you don't get given all of the answers or reasons & the pacing feels off due to the stinted narration and on top of that， there are very few redeemable characters。 I think this is done on purpose and is part of what makes the book good and a little more unique to some of the more pleasing sci-fi and fantasy boo I wasn't fully sure how I was going to rate this book until writing the review down below。 This is a book which is built in a way that makes you feel out of place & uncomfortable， because you don't get given all of the answers or reasons & the pacing feels off due to the stinted narration and on top of that， there are very few redeemable characters。 I think this is done on purpose and is part of what makes the book good and a little more unique to some of the more pleasing sci-fi and fantasy books。 If you can handle that feeling throughout and afterwards， then I think you'll enjoy the read。 Storytelling - The author does a good job of giving a believable and constant voice to the narrator。 I didn't particularly like the narrator， but its done in a way， that you still can't help but feel for the narrator and worry about their well-being。 This isn't always easy to do & it was done well。 I personally think the pace was somehow slow！ A lot happens throughout this story & its all a little absurd and unexpected。 But the narration is done in a way， that you feel as though not much is happening。 That pacing adds an off feeling throughout the book。Characters - Even though the world we are in is extremely different to our own， the characters are believable。 Even though all characters are extremely flawed， you can't help but feel for them and be drawn in by them。 I quite like this style in my books from time to time。 You shouldn't have to like your main characters to enjoy and appreciate a good story。 Means its more realistic。World Building - Was added to the book in an abundance！ The world building was great & whilst we don't always know how all the elements work or connect， we don't know this because the narrator doesn't either。 I am completely down with this， over explanation of a world with all of the lines thought out doesn't necessarily equal a great book。 I think the absurdity and lack of explanation for some of the world building adds to the edgy wrongness of the book。 。。。more

Brett Smith ，

I went into this book expecting a twist on Book of the New Sun， but I came away with something different。 Well-written， I really enjoyed it。

Jason ，

Adrian Tchaikovksy is my favourite author， and this is one of his best stand alone books， original and compelling throughout

Simon ，

Beautifully written with memorable， interesting characters， dripping with atmosphere， some big ideas， creepy creatures and excellent action scenes。But the plot is a mess and it shuffles back and forth before collapsing in a heap at the end。

Adam Kennedy ，

Awesome world building， similar to The Name of the Wind， etc。 Very descriptive/dense writing but I loved it and thought the plot and characters were great。 Will be waiting for a sequel。

mike brown ，

Slow start but turned into a good read。

Philip Dickinson ，

I'm giving this a solid 5-star rating。 I've read a lot of science-fiction and this is up there with the best of them。 There's nothing tired or formulaic about 'Cage of Souls'。 It's written well， in 1st-person， which is not so easy to do well。Stefan Advani is a bookish rebel， someone who dared to dream with a handful of friends， about a new world order。 But rebels often get caught， as does Stefan， and is sent to a prison of no hope， in the depths of a terrifying jungle where the dying planet's ec I'm giving this a solid 5-star rating。 I've read a lot of science-fiction and this is up there with the best of them。 There's nothing tired or formulaic about 'Cage of Souls'。 It's written well， in 1st-person， which is not so easy to do well。Stefan Advani is a bookish rebel， someone who dared to dream with a handful of friends， about a new world order。 But rebels often get caught， as does Stefan， and is sent to a prison of no hope， in the depths of a terrifying jungle where the dying planet's ecosystem is constantly evolving new horrors。 This is a post-apocalyptic tale， where the apocalypse has taken eons， on the back of man's descent from dominant species。 There are river monsters and house-size crab-like beasts with death-rays， Fermers in the sightless depths of the Underworld and ever-desperate humans of every stripe imaginable。 The threats are numerous。 There are Angels， the enforcers of Shadrapan。 There is the homicidal Marshal。 There's Gerygori， the Transforming Man， a spider-like creation of his own laboratorial tinkering。 And then there is silent Gaki， like a psychopathic thundercloud on the horizon。 There are rays of hope too， but you will need to cling fast to them to stop them slipping from your grasp。A rich tale， well told。 。。。more

John Paul ，

Stefan Advani， a scholar， is sent to The Island - a prison floating in a jungle river - for upsetting the rulers of Shadrapur， the last city on a Dying Earth。I found the writing flat and uninteresting。 The characters never really come alive。 The pacing is let down by frequent overlong flashbacks which are dull and info-dumpy。 The Island never seems bigger than the four or five rooms described and doesn't life there seem that bad actually - you never really believe that Stefan is in danger from t Stefan Advani， a scholar， is sent to The Island - a prison floating in a jungle river - for upsetting the rulers of Shadrapur， the last city on a Dying Earth。I found the writing flat and uninteresting。 The characters never really come alive。 The pacing is let down by frequent overlong flashbacks which are dull and info-dumpy。 The Island never seems bigger than the four or five rooms described and doesn't life there seem that bad actually - you never really believe that Stefan is in danger from the cartoon villains that run the prison。 Similarly， Shadrapur which should be this incredible teaming metropolis just feels generic and bland。 We're given a brief description of the various sections that make up the city but it feels like something out of a RPG supplement - none of it feels real。On the plus side I did like the ending which was unexpected to say the least but man it was a trudge to get there。 。。。more

Maria Lyle ，

This was a behemoth of a book and for me could have done with some editing。 I nearly gave up about 25% through as it felt more like fantasy fiction than sci fi。 I have read and enjoyed fantasy in the dim and distant past， but it’s not what I would choose these days。 I prefer his sci Fi novels but this did grow on me over time， and I found the second half stronger than the first。

Martin Richardson ，

I found that this book was overlong and just didnt go anywhere; bordering on dull。 I found nothing in it to cling on to and invest in。 No plotline， no character， no environment。 I'm bewildered that it is rated so high。 I found that this book was overlong and just didnt go anywhere; bordering on dull。 I found nothing in it to cling on to and invest in。 No plotline， no character， no environment。 I'm bewildered that it is rated so high。 。。。more

Sue Chant ，

Like wading through treacle。 No storyline of characterization， just pointless violent episodes， plodding gothic meandering， and pantomime deformities and monsters。 I'm so done with this author！ Like wading through treacle。 No storyline of characterization， just pointless violent episodes， plodding gothic meandering， and pantomime deformities and monsters。 I'm so done with this author！ 。。。more

Ewan Jones ，

Would say。。。 3 and a half？ Edging towards 4？ It was v good but I just wish some more of the ideas were re-visited （although I think this is what the author was going for。。。 ie。 entirely incomprehensible technology） （but I also want answers please Adrian）。 But yeah children of time is a masterpiece and I’d recommend it alongside CoS， and am looking forward to more Tchaikovsky in the future！

Mallory ，

Honestly， I wasn't a fan。 The book is very imaginative， but the protagonist isn't very likeable and also doesn't work as an anti-hero， the prose is over the top （the unlikeable protagonist narrates in first person）， and it felt like the author was trying to cram ideas for at least two books into one。 There are also serious character development issues。 For example， it seems like we're meant to think the antagonist is really scary because the protagonist says so from the beginning; there aren't m Honestly， I wasn't a fan。 The book is very imaginative， but the protagonist isn't very likeable and also doesn't work as an anti-hero， the prose is over the top （the unlikeable protagonist narrates in first person）， and it felt like the author was trying to cram ideas for at least two books into one。 There are also serious character development issues。 For example， it seems like we're meant to think the antagonist is really scary because the protagonist says so from the beginning; there aren't many actions that make him scary for the reader for hundreds of pages。 The women characters in the book are all pretty flat - love interests that aren't developed in their own right （three of them， whew）， plus a big， muscular， brutish woman who is just a caricature that reinforces the female character stereotype she's meant to contrast with。 There's also a jealous witch queen-type character whose sole motivation is stealing the beauty of her harem of young maidens， and I forgot to include her in this review on the first go because she's superfluous to the story。The entire fourth part （oh， sorry， "part the fourth"） felt totally disjointed from the more than 300 pages preceding it。 It was a cool idea， but it felt like I was reading a completely separate book。 That part was important at the end， but I feel like the author could have taken the original story in a different direction and wound up with two much more readable books， rather than one big ol' brick that I struggled to finish。 。。。more

Ryan ，

RTC

Tim Finn ，

I liked it a lot， just a little disappointed with the conclusion。

Anthe ，

I found out the hard way that I don’t really care much for thief apprentice stories ;） Thank goodness that was only a part of the book， it’s a very long read otherwise。 It has the occasional fun passages， but on the whole it’s not much to write home about。

Horizon_Universe ，

COUP DE COEURJe crois que ça veut tout dire。 J’ai adoré ce livre。 Je ne sais pas comment ce brave Adrian se débrouille， mais il arrive à me transporter dans d’autres univers。 
Nous suivons Stefan Advani， jeune homme envoyé en prison sur l’Ile， en fait un camp de travaux forcés en plein milieu de la jungle。 Nous en découvrons donc plus sur son passé， sur l’humanité en péril， confinée dans une ville nommée Shadrapar， cité unique sous un soleil mourant。 Vrai récit initiatique， plein de bonnes idées COUP DE COEURJe crois que ça veut tout dire。 J’ai adoré ce livre。 Je ne sais pas comment ce brave Adrian se débrouille， mais il arrive à me transporter dans d’autres univers。 
Nous suivons Stefan Advani， jeune homme envoyé en prison sur l’Ile， en fait un camp de travaux forcés en plein milieu de la jungle。 Nous en découvrons donc plus sur son passé， sur l’humanité en péril， confinée dans une ville nommée Shadrapar， cité unique sous un soleil mourant。 Vrai récit initiatique， plein de bonnes idées et de questionnements sur l’Homme， le monde， et les gouvernements， j’ai adoré mon moment en sa compagnie。 Je vous le conseille vivement ！FAVOURITE I think this says it all。 I adored this book。 I do not know how this brave Adrian does it， but he always manage to transport me to different universes。We follow Stefan Advani， a young man sent to prison on the Island， a force-labour camp in the middle of the jungle。 We discover more about his past， about mankind in jeopardy， confined into a city called Shadrapar， a solitary city under a dying sun。 A true initiation story， full of good ideas and questionings about Man， the world， and governments， I loved my time with this book。 I can only recommend it ！ 。。。more

Amy Macpherson ，

Some excellent world building at the beginning of the book， and many intriguing / horrifying ideas， but parts of the book were a bit of a slog。 The characters were kind of interchangeable。 Great names。 Excellent individual scenes of sci-fi。 A little inconsistent。

Belinda Lewis ，

An undulating post apocalyptic， bio-punk fever dream。 Gorgeous and strange。“It was all in vain， of course， the machines， the boats and vessels and birds and devices that were thrown up into the night sky，” he murmured。 “For the stars are very far away， and however fast our machines carried us， it was not fast enough。 The gaps between stars are so great that nothing can cross them quickly， not even light， which is fastest of all。 We never found a way to skip between the stars， to meet the people An undulating post apocalyptic， bio-punk fever dream。 Gorgeous and strange。“It was all in vain， of course， the machines， the boats and vessels and birds and devices that were thrown up into the night sky，” he murmured。 “For the stars are very far away， and however fast our machines carried us， it was not fast enough。 The gaps between stars are so great that nothing can cross them quickly， not even light， which is fastest of all。 We never found a way to skip between the stars， to meet the people we were sure awaited us there。 That broke the back of our optimism。 The spirit of man was crushed by the distances between the stars。” 。。。more

Paul Kerr ，

Wow。 An epic fantasy by an author who has an effortless style that combines immense creativity with a sense of humour that is almost unparalleled in modern science fiction。 Complex， soul wrenching sci fi at its best。

Gill Mellor ，

Brilliant in depth story that was entertaining and very thought provoking

Shannan ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Despite the vivid imagery of the dystopian setting and its potential I found the protagonist boring。 The memoir/autobiographical narrative style was flawlessly and effectively written but I didn't connect to the protagonist enough to have interest in their views or tangents。 That said， I'm not sure if that's more of a reflection on my character than the book itself。 I'd probably love a spinoff about the webchildren as I found myself thinking more about the smaller parts mentioned such as the Car Despite the vivid imagery of the dystopian setting and its potential I found the protagonist boring。 The memoir/autobiographical narrative style was flawlessly and effectively written but I didn't connect to the protagonist enough to have interest in their views or tangents。 That said， I'm not sure if that's more of a reflection on my character than the book itself。 I'd probably love a spinoff about the webchildren as I found myself thinking more about the smaller parts mentioned such as the Caretaker， the Woman and the Vermin than anything the protagonist was writing about。 。。。more

Emiliya Bozhilova ，

Чайковски е онази стара като света порода разказвачи， които присядат край огъня， и неусетно развихрят раждането и смъртта на цели населени с приключения светове пред притихналата публика， която не смее да си поеме си поеме дъх。В света на умиращото червено слънце е останал един единствен град - вдовицата на всички градове - Шадрапар。 Заобиколен от пясъчни пустини， джунгли с немислими и неизвестни форми на живот и отровени океани， той е подслонил последните останки от човечеството。 Технологиите са Чайковски е онази стара като света порода разказвачи， които присядат край огъня， и неусетно развихрят раждането и смъртта на цели населени с приключения светове пред притихналата публика， която не смее да си поеме си поеме дъх。В света на умиращото червено слънце е останал един единствен град - вдовицата на всички градове - Шадрапар。 Заобиколен от пясъчни пустини， джунгли с немислими и неизвестни форми на живот и отровени океани， той е подслонил последните останки от човечеството。 Технологиите са избледняващ спомен。 Човечеството си е все така самодоволно， капсулирано， късогледо и обсебено от властта над себеподобните си。 Дори изпраща политически неудобните си жители и погребва тайните си на Острова - плаваща затворническа колония сред джунглата със свои особени порядки。 Там се озовава и главният герой с неясната идея някак да оцелее без да се набива на очи。 Което， разбира се， дава точно обратните резултати в затворената екосистема на Острова， както го е подвело и в Шадрапар。 Изобилието от характери и съдби се съревновава само с това на заобикалящата джунгла。 Има дори。。。съветски космонавт！ Всяка една история е поднесена пъстро и търпеливо， макар героите да са до голяма степен “стандартни”。 А наоколо обикалят видове， които са пратили на боклука сметките на Дарвин за темпа на еволюцията。 Светът на умиращата Земя е поднесен със замах， и с много лично отношение по въпроса за екологията， трупането на знания и ползата от тях， необходимата посока на прогреса и вечно изненадващата човешка и нечовешка природа。 Това е от невероятните истории， които звучат плащещо достоверно и засмукват читателя до самия край。 Чест прави на автора， че не пуска бога от машината на вършее из сюжета и не върви към ясно предначертан финал， още по-малко пък хепи енд。 И едно от немалките достойнства - историята е самостоятелна， а не част от поредица， макар да има терен за други по-нататъшни сюжети。 4，5 звездиЩе търся и други книги на Чайковски。 。。。more

Andrew Hood ，

I nearly stopped reading this book but I’m so glad that I didn’t as it just got better and better and better and I loved it！

Keith Boe ，

I was disappointed at the end of this。 Dont get me wrong， there were incredible characters and creatures， villains and locations。 They just weren't fleshy enough。 It felt to me， in hindsight that this was a book of seeds。 Seeds planted but not grown。 Much of the set up was amazing， it made me hungry， got me excited for payoff， but it either came and was rushed or felt rushed to me。 Or， it never happened。 Theres an amazing character， in an orb。l in the wall of a vast inferno beneath the ground。 L I was disappointed at the end of this。 Dont get me wrong， there were incredible characters and creatures， villains and locations。 They just weren't fleshy enough。 It felt to me， in hindsight that this was a book of seeds。 Seeds planted but not grown。 Much of the set up was amazing， it made me hungry， got me excited for payoff， but it either came and was rushed or felt rushed to me。 Or， it never happened。 Theres an amazing character， in an orb。l in the wall of a vast inferno beneath the ground。 Later， the orb is cracked， and the character within。。。。。。。gone？！ No explanation。 The main character has an insane power that he never really uses。 He's weak。 Disappointing。 Mostly let's those around him do the dirty work or sort things。 Maybe I'm being harsh and it just wasn't for me。 But this could have been a lot better。 。。。more

Barry ，

Rather a different setting from other books I've read from the author， this is set on Earth， but an Earth already so damaged that humanity is barely hanging on while new species are evolving to fill the gap。 Rather a different setting from other books I've read from the author， this is set on Earth， but an Earth already so damaged that humanity is barely hanging on while new species are evolving to fill the gap。 。。。more

Emma ，

I liked the premise of Cage of Souls but it took me a long time to get invested in it。 If I hadn't been listening to it as an audiobook I might not have continued past the first quarter。 I'm glad I did though as it was an enjoyable listen with interesting world building。 I actually ended up wanting to hear more about Shadrapar and the world around it。 I liked the premise of Cage of Souls but it took me a long time to get invested in it。 If I hadn't been listening to it as an audiobook I might not have continued past the first quarter。 I'm glad I did though as it was an enjoyable listen with interesting world building。 I actually ended up wanting to hear more about Shadrapar and the world around it。 。。。more

Henri ，

Tchaikovsky's universes feel lived in。 There's enough for a few series in this book。 The rich and mysterious history that has led to the events in this book deserve its own couple of books。 With regards to the story at hand it was fun but at times felt like the author is just flexing his literary skill just to keep you reading。 There's always a feeling of some big revelation or twist。 I'm not saying its predictable not at all。 I was often surprised by events。 And characters acting "out of charac Tchaikovsky's universes feel lived in。 There's enough for a few series in this book。 The rich and mysterious history that has led to the events in this book deserve its own couple of books。 With regards to the story at hand it was fun but at times felt like the author is just flexing his literary skill just to keep you reading。 There's always a feeling of some big revelation or twist。 I'm not saying its predictable not at all。 I was often surprised by events。 And characters acting "out of character" 。 I think I'm bothered by the constant building of expectations and then I'm left wondering and the end about the point of it all。 I suppose that was the aim of the book？ To Adrian Tchaikovski: I will still read your next book because the way you write is sublime。 。。。more

Caroline ，

I am continually impressed by Tchaikovsky， his depth of imagination， writing style and storytelling ability。 I really struggled as to whether to give this 4 or 5 stars 。 It’s probably 8。5/10。 Very different to Dogs of War or Children of Time， this is written in the style of a diary or memoir by the narrator Stefan Advani who is a prisoner on an Island。 We don’t know much about the Island， Stefan or the world which both inhabit。 This unfolds as the story progresses and is part of its genius。You a I am continually impressed by Tchaikovsky， his depth of imagination， writing style and storytelling ability。 I really struggled as to whether to give this 4 or 5 stars 。 It’s probably 8。5/10。 Very different to Dogs of War or Children of Time， this is written in the style of a diary or memoir by the narrator Stefan Advani who is a prisoner on an Island。 We don’t know much about the Island， Stefan or the world which both inhabit。 This unfolds as the story progresses and is part of its genius。You are drawn into a world that keeps you intrigued for the first third about what is going on and where Stefan and the Island fit into the story and world as a whole。 The focus is narrow and then widens as we learn more about what is surrounding the island and where Stefan comes from。 Fantasy elements are kept on the edges at first， then begin to creep in。Once the focus of the narrative widens to encompass more of the world and more fantastical elements （which is about half way through） I felt that it lost a bit of its edge。 What was a rather different and original story became a bit more standard fare。 Still， Tchaikovsky manages to make it exciting and enjoyable。 There is a section in the middle that is set in what is called the Underworld which I felt he could have done without。Despite these minor flaws， still extremely enjoyable。 。。。more

Snake ，

Wow。 Just。。。 speechlessUtterly incredible meal of a book。 I didn't even realise how fast I ate it until it was done！ Every time I marveled at its multitextured layers another would appear more imaginative than the last！ Wow。 Just。。。 speechlessUtterly incredible meal of a book。 I didn't even realise how fast I ate it until it was done！ Every time I marveled at its multitextured layers another would appear more imaginative than the last！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Cage of Souls

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Cage of Souls&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Cage of Souls&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0