Blood of the Mantis

March 22, 2010
Tchaikovsky's third Shadows of the Apt novel (after 2010's Dragonfly Falling
) finds his steampunk-flavored sword and sorcery world, once dominated by the magic-wielding inapt, now threatened by the insatiable and technologically apt Wasp Empire. The empire, heretofore the beneficiary of the mutual distrust and disunity among Lowlanders, begins to falter as external threats bring the Lowlands together, diplomatic ruses go horribly awry, and the empire's habitual abuse of its subjects leads to internal discord. Its only hope now lies in a small wooden box that holds the promise of power but may deliver only nightmares. New readers may struggle to keep up as Tchaikovsky puts his large cast through its paces, introduces secretive assassins of a forgotten race, and heaps on plot twists with a generous hand.

May 15, 2010
The armies of the Wasp Empire threaten the city-states of the Lowlands. As Achaeos strives to find the elusive and dangerous Shadow Box, a magical artifact containing a dark, twisted power, Stenwold Maker struggles to unite the Lowland cities against their common foe. Filled with magical and physical battles and set in an exotic world where humans bear traits linking them to the powers of insects, the third book in Tchaikovsky's fantasy series maintains the high quality of its predecessors "Empire in Black and Gold" and "Dragonfly Falling". VERDICT A distinctively exotic fantasy world and a varied and intriguing cast of characters help this series transcend the standard elements of its genre.

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