Elder Race

Definitely a 4.5 and I'm rounding up.

I've been hearing great things about Adrian Tchaikovsky's books for a while now but most of his sci-fi books have felt a bit more complicated than I usually read, so I've been avoiding picking up any despite owning a couple. But when I saw the announcement for this novella, I thought a short format might be perfect start and I was absolutely right.

By the time I started reading this, I had completely forgotten the premise and I think that's the best way to appreciate this story - just go in with a blank mind and no expectations. The author does a seamless job of blending sci-fi and fantasy and I was so impressed. I will preface by saying that this is firstly a very contemplative story, with not much action or adventure you would expect in a conventional SFF book, but it has a lot of emotional depth that'll keep you hooked. The author deeply explores themes like depression, loneliness, feeling unwanted, being rational vs emotional; and finding one's purpose in life, especially when feeling like the existing purpose feels lost or wasted. The pacing might feel a bit slow, but I think the feelings it evoked more than made up for it. I also thought the use of linguistics as important part of the story was brilliant.

Despite this being a tale of defeating an unfamiliar and terrifying monster/demon, it's very much a character focused story. Lyn is a fourth princess which makes her not very important in the hierarchy, and her impulsive nature since childhood has not made much of an impression on either her queen mother or her elder sisters. When news comes of a demon which is terrorizing one land after another and displacing thousands of people, she as a person who grew up on tales of heroes and wizards can't help but want to help by fighting the monster and prove her worth to her family.

Nyr on the other hand is a centuries old anthropologist who has been alone on this diasporic planet for a long while, fighting loneliness and depression while also dealing with the fact that his original purpose of living there seems completely useless. When presented with an opportunity to help the people of this world, he is conflicted due to his creed of being only an observer but ultimately he makes a choice.

I thought their dynamic was so fascinating to see develop. She assumes he is a old wizard with magic who can defeat the demon; he is a scientist who is frustrated at being unable to convince the others that there's no such thing as magic. The way they communicate is one of the highlights of this book - he speaks in his scientific language but what she hears and understands is more on the lines of her myth laden world. There is one particular chapter that emphasizes this difference in their language and I thought it was amazing. But despite these issues, they ultimately understand each other's loneliness on a deeper level and are on the same page about how to help each other in fighting the monster. They both are well supported by Lyn's friend Esha and a reformed convict Allwer, and all four of them became a wonderful found family.

To conclude, I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this book but what I didn't think was it will become an unexpected favorite. It's an excellent science fantasy novella that'll make you feel a lot of emotions and leave you thinking. Go into it without knowing much about it and I promise it will wow you.