Organizations and things
Consortium of the Honest – mercantile arm of the Imperial administration
Iron Glove – trading cartel of artificers led by Dariandrephos
Landsarmy – the army of refugees led by Salme Dien during the war
Loquae – a speaker for a Mantis-kinden community
The Many – Scorpion-kinden of the Nem desert
The Masters – the ancient, legendary rulers of Khanaphes
Mercers – Dragonfly-kinden knights errant
Monarch – the ruler of the Commonweal
Nailbow – a weapon that shoots bolts via a firepowder charge, powerful but inaccurate and of limited range.
Rekef – Imperial secret service and police, divided into Inlander and Outlander
Salmae – Dragonfly noble family led by Salme Elass
Scriptora – the Khanaphir seat of government
Shadow Box – artefact linked to the Darakyon, destroyed by Tisamon
Skryre – a magical leader of the Moth-kinden
Snapbow – a weapon devised by Totho that projects a bolt over a long range with great force and accuracy
Twelve-year War – the war between the Empire and the Commonweal
Way Brothers – a philosophical order providing hospitality to travellers
The Windlass – Jons Allanbridge’s new airship, replacing the Buoyant Maiden
Praise for Shadows of the Apt
‘The insectile-humans premise is inventive, shaping the world in all sortsofways’
SFX
‘Adrian Tchaikovsky makes a good and enjoyable mix between a medieval-looking world and the presence of technology . . . I really enjoyed the novel and will certainly read the next in the series’
DarkWolfsFantasyReviews.blogspot.com
‘Salute the Dark impressed me no end . . . Mr Tchaikovsky showed he mastered the art of managing an epic almost to perfection . . . Salute the Dark fulfils the promise of the Apt series and brings its first part to an excellent conclusion, while starting new threads to be explored next. An A++ based on my three reads of the book so far and vaulting to the top of my list of 2010 fantasy novels’
FantasyBookCritic.blogspot.com
‘In recent years Tor, in the UK at least, have developed something of a reputation for publishing more serious, innovative fantasy. China Miéville has been around for a while, but new, exciting authors have emerged from the Tor stable: Alan Campbell, Hal Duncan, Adrian Tchaikovsky. Something all these authors have in common is that they’ve delivered novels that deviate from the norm, that are a cut above much of the bubblegum fantasy being peddled around at the minute. Their novels actually try to do something a little different’
SpeculativeHorizons.blogspot.com
‘A novel brimming with imagination and execution . . . The Shadows of the Apt series is quite distinct, mainly due to the insect-kinden and Tchaikovsky’s fertile imagination. His writing is accessible, if dense, while the sheer amount of extra content he has published on the web with regards to his series adds nuanced flavour to the proceedings’
SciFiNow
‘With all the groundwork laid so well in book one, book two leaps straight into the action and rarely lets up for the entire of its almost 700 page length, and while the scale of book one was big, the story has now become nothing less than epic . . . Reminiscent of much that’s gone before from the likes of Gemmell, Erikson, Sanderson and Cook but with its own unique and clever touch, this is another terrific outing from Mr Tchaikovsky and a worthy sequel in this epic saga’
Sci-Fi-London.com
Heirs of the Blade
Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, before heading off to Reading to study psychology and zoology. For reasons unclear even to himself he subsequently ended up in law and has worked as a legal executive in both Reading and Leeds, where he now lives. Married, he is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor, has trained in stage-fighting, and keeps no exotic or dangerous pets of any kind, possibly excepting his son.
Catch up with Adrian at www.shadowsoftheapt.com for further information about both himself and the insect-kinden, together with bonus material including short stories and artwork.
Heirs of the Blade is the seventh novel in the Shadows of the Apt series. Have you read Empire in Black and Gold, Dragonfly Falling, Blood of the Mantis, Salute the Dark, The Scarab Path and The Sea Watch?
BY ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY
Shadows of the Apt
Empire in Black and Gold
Dragonfly Falling
Blood of the Mantis
Salute the Dark
The Scarab Path
The Sea Watch
Heirs of the Blade
Acknowledgements
Firstly, an enormous thank you to my wife, Annie, not just for all the usual, but for her invaluable assistance in reading through and commenting on the manuscript during the editing process, when I was greatly in need of another point of view.
Secondly, the usual round of people, ‘Without Whom’: Simon Kavanagh, Peter Lavery and Julie Crisp, Chloe Healy and everyone else at Tor; Pete Bayly and the regulars at Oxford and Reading. In particular thanks to Helen Walter for being my consultant armourer.
Finally, for diverse secret reasons, a special thanks to Lasse Skjalm, Johnny Burlin and Anders Åström.
A glossary of characters and places can be found at the end of the book.
First published 2011 by Tor
This electronic edition published 2011 by Tor
an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
Pan Macmillan, 20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
Basingstoke and Oxford
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com
ISBN 978-0-230-76172-8 EPUB
Copyright © Adrian Czajkowski 2011
The right of Adrian Czajkowski to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The Macmillan Group has no responsibility for the information provided by any author websites whose address you obtain from this book (‘author websites’). The inclusion of author website addresses in this book does not constitute an endorsement by or association with us of such sites or the content, products, advertising or other materials presented on such sites.
You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Visit www.panmacmillan.com to read more about all our books and to buy them. You will also find features, author interviews and news of any author events, and you can sign up for e-newsletters so that you’re always first to hear about our new releases.
Heirs of the Blade Page 62