Elder Race
Ratings170
Average rating4.1
“They think I'm a wizard. They think I'm a fucking wizard.”
I was in a reading slump and needed something short to boost me. Elder Race was definitely the perfect choice, and I wanted to read something from Tchaikovsky forever.
At first, the story might seem more like a fantasy than sci-fi, but do not be fooled. It's actually part of the clever and dark twist. In just a few pages, Nyr -an anthropologist, sort of a “wizard” if you will- and his humaneness really grew on me. His humor is just a bonus to his misadventures on Sophos 4.
This was a very well done short piece by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Enjoyed it thoroughly.
Tells the tale of a 4th daughter who seeks the assistance of an ancient ally, a sorcerer in a distant tower, in order to save her kingdom from a demonic threat approaching in kingdoms nearby.
The twist is that the “sorcerer” is actually an anthropologist who is supposed to be simply monitoring these people, who are descendants of colonists from Earth many generations past. He's not supposed to intervene or help. He's already broken his strict creed before, so why is he getting involved again?
Good story with a good ending.
This was a super interesting and unexpected read.
Dual POVs, one of Lynesse, Fourth Daughter of the Queen who seeks the centuries old Elder sorcerer to save the neighboring peoples from a demon. The rest below is a bit of a spoiler.
Nyr, junior anthropologist, was left on the world to study the peoples of the planet. I really loved the contrast between the two POVs, and it makes you wonder what is fantasy and magic and what is science [fiction], and are they so different after all.
4 ⭐s! Elder Race was short but overall a fun read packed with elements of fantasy, sci-fi, and existentialism.
I really enjoyed the differing POVs on how language and said words are interpreted based on the varying levels of understanding.
I went into this book thinking it would be more sci-fi focused but was happily surprised by the quick blend of both fantasy and science.
To anyone who doesn't fully understand technology, it can be easily perceived as magic.
With this being my first Tchaikovsky read, I will definitely be diving into more of his work.
“This is nothing but a tower, and I am nothing but a scientist of sufficiently advanced technology, which is to say a magician.”
Like one of those Trek stories where an observer had to break the prime directive, because being human means you can't be an impartial bystander. Clad in a story that is smaller, but of like quality to the Children of time books.
A short sci-fi novella. What made it interesting was it was from two POVs, a guy with a lot of technological advancements, plus a girl who has no knowledge of technology and so thought the dude was a sorcerer. Unfortunately it felt quite short!!
”The road to the Tower of Nyrgoth Elder is long and hard because he decreed it so, that it not be trodden lightly by fools, but only by earnest heroes when the kingdom is threatened by dire sorcery.”
Lynesse's kingdom has problems only a sorcerer can solve. Unfortunately the sorcerer in question has been asleep for thousands of years, and Lynesse is only a fourth daughter and decidedly not someone entrusted with saving a kingdom. Nevertheless, Lynesse recognizes the danger her people are in, heads off to Nyrgoth's tower, and manages to wake up the sleeping sorcerer that saved her kingdom so very long ago. Unfortunately the sorcerer....isn't exactly a sorcerer.
Nyrgoth (or, Nyr for short) is an anthropologist sent to a remote planet to study an emerging civilization. Initially sent with two others, his companions eventually return to their homeworld, leaving Nyr alone to stand vigil on this remote planet. Communication eventually stops between the homeworld and Nyr, and he starts resorting to putting himself to sleep for long stretches at a time to hold out hope for contact. None comes, and Nyr becomes increasingly disillusioned and depressed at this post he's holding. His outpost wakes him up abruptly off schedule, and Nyr is confronted with the great great great great great ancestor of someone very dear to him who has come to him with a problem only a sorcerer can solve. But...he's an anthropologist, not a sorcerer, and how can he make her understand that?
This was a really deep story for being so short. I loved that it's essentially two different genres in one—Lynesse's viewpoint from the medieval fantasy society, heading off to save her kingdom with a sorcerer in tow to finally prove herself to her family, and Nyr's science fiction viewpoint, struggling to balance his duty to preserve a developing culture with his promise to be there for the kingdom of someone he met long ago. The author plays with this a lot, often showing the same conversation from the two very different viewpoints and how different (or similar) the thinking can be. Nyr's technology automatically translates whatever he says into something the local population can understand, both in words and in meaning, so it was really interesting to me to see how things could be misinterpreted.
Because it's a novella there's not a lot of answers or unnecessary backstory to be had. This was fine with me as I liked coming up with my own theories as to what it was that Lynesse and Nyr confront (and what it might mean for Nyr's homeworld), but for someone else who might want concrete, definite information this one might fall flat. It's very much a character-driven story, and while the plot itself was interesting, a ton is left up in the air at the end.
Still a very engaging read for me. This was my first by Tchaikovsky, but I do plan on reading more in the future.
I love the way the story switches back and forth, and how it gives me one sneak peak of what I thought I wanted until I had it, both narratives side by side.
This was really good. It's a tale of an adventure on a far off planet as told from two perspectives: one who sees magic and one who practices science. It is the perfect illustration of Arthur C. Clark's third law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Interesting future dramatic sci-fi adventure. What is the difference between magic and science? What makes us human? What is culture?
Hovering between 4.5 and 5 stars for this one. What a beautifully written book with such a refreshing premise and oh so relatable. If you've ever wondered how to perfectly blend sci-fi and fantasy, look no further than this novella. I went in pretty much blind, and thinking that the book was just mislabelled as being both sci-fi and fantasy at the same time as they usually are on Goodreads, but then quickly found out how wrong I was. I'd recommend this to just about anyone, whether you are a fantasy fan, a sci-fi fan, neither, or both. Honestly, in a weird way, this reminded me a little bit of Howl's Moving Castle even though I'm pretty sure that was not Tchaikovsky's intention, and in a truer way
Lynesse Fourth Daughter is the runt of the royal family of Lannesite, facing the disappoint of her mother and the mockery of her sisters in this matriarchal society where Queens ruled and Princesses were meant to be skilled either in diplomacy and politics, or swordfights and bravery - ideally both. She learns of a demon plaguing a far-off forest kingdom of Ordwood and worries that the death and destruction will eventually spread its way to Lannesite, and so sets off to find an ancient, almost mythical, sorceror asleep in his tower, Nyrgoth the Elder. But Nyr doesn't dabble so much in magic as science.
The story is told through Lynesse and Nyr's perspectives, and Nyr is very quickly the one most modern readers would relate to. Without spoiling too much, Nyr's tone is casual, conversational and he has some sparks of humour, although he struggles vehemently with demons of his own, specifically mental health issues that become all too relatable in this 21st century. I favoured Nyr's chapters for most of the book, although I felt like Lynesse's more detached and stereotypically-fantasy perspective was still a good breath of fresh air from some pretty solemn moments that Nyr goes through, which can cut readers to the quick.
My favourite quote from this book hit so hard about anxiety and panic and paranoia. It doesn't spoil anything about the plot or characters at all but I'll put it under spoilers just in case:
”I know that, while I have real problems in the world, they are not causing the way I feel within myself, this crushing weight, these sudden attacks of clenching fear, the shakes, the wrenching vertiginous horror that doubles me over. These feelings are just recruiting allies of convenience from my rational mind, like a mob lifting up a momentary demagogue who may be discarded a moment later in favour of a better. Even in the grip of my feelings I can still acknowledge al this, and it doesn't help. Know thyself, the wise man wrote, and yet I know myself, none better, and the knowledge gives me no power.”
Spoilery thoughts:
The only reason why this isn't a straight-up 5 stars for me is just because I really wish we had found out what exactly the demon was and what its whole purpose was!! I think that was just a tiny detail that was missing from my complete enjoyment of the book. I just loved the whole idea that it was somehow sending out electromagnetic waves but through some kind of weird alternate dimension and that it made Nyr second-guess how much he actually knew about the universe. I love that fact about the universe - no matter how much you think you know, you are always constantly surprised by how much you don't know.I also liked that we ended with Nyr only possibly offering an apprenticeship to Lyn and it didn't need to become some weird romance - although there're all the hints that it might become that way.
I will just end with an injunction to anyone out there to read this amazing book. I loved it incredibly and almost wish that this was a series rather than a standalone novella. I will certainly read more from Adrian Tchaikovsky after this.
This was a brilliantly written story told from two opposing points of view in alternating chapters.
One version of the tale is told from the point of view of a very depressed anthropologist from a high tech Earth as he observes, and is drawn into the affairs of a medieval level society (a fallen colony) threatened by a bizarre plague by the daughter of a local chieftain - it is pure science fiction.
The other version of the story relates the same events from the point of view of a warrior princess of this society as she enlists the help of a wizard to defeat a demon threatening her people - it is pure epic fantasy.
A wonderfully creative book. I fully intend to try more tales from this author.
3.5 stars, Metaphorosis Reviews
Summary
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.
Review
I'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.
Here's the deal; I don't particularly like novellas. Many of them are short stories that the author wasn't willing to kill a few darlings over and lose 30 pages, or they're concepts or characters that could be given a bit more depth and made into something better. But occasionally...a novella is a perfect length.
Elder Race is told via dual perspectives, and one of the perspectives is from a native on a primitive planet; the other is an anthropologist from future Earth that was left on the planet to observe the evolution of culture. One POV feels fantasy, told in third person, the other feels sci-fi, told in first person. Tchaikovsky uses cultural misunderstandings and technology differences (if you don't know what tech is, it's “magic”) to illustrate how these two characters could have struggles with each other. “What we've got here is...failure to communicate.”
Although this is primarily a character study that examines things such as loneliness and depression, cultural evolution, differences in perspective, the role of science and others, there is a central mystery involved. My only gripe would be that this mystery didn't seem very gripping and I was mostly interested in the characters.
I really like the way Tchaikovsky's mind works. After this and Children of Time, I continue to be more impressed with him as an author. I'll definitely be reading more from him.
I'd consider Elder Race one of the few novellas I've read, along with Dawnshard and Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson, and N. By Stephen King to be the perfect length for the story being told.
9.5/10
NOW NOMINATED FOR THE 2022 URSULA K. LE GUIN PRIZE FOR FICTION
A great pick for this award- it embodies much of Le Guin's work and is certainly award-worthy.
Prior review:
What an absolutely brilliant novella... Certainly one of Tchaikovsky's best. This feels like a better executed and more interesting version of THE EXPERT SYSTEM'S BROTHER, exploring similar themes of colonists of old coming into contact with the “natives”. It's partly Planet of Exiles, it's very much Hard to be a God, and it even feels a bit fairytale-esque.
A must-read for Tchaikovsky fans.
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.
Lynesse must seek out a reclusive wizard living in a forbidden tower. That concept alone (and the gorgeous cover) drew me to this novella, but the plot gets turned on its head almost immediately with a delicious bait and switch. The storyline that follows the twist was not quite compelling enough to sustain my interest, but the ending was strong and satisfying.
This novella is a good reminder of what an interesting writer Adrian Tchaikovsky has become and I've never been disappointed by one of his stories. As an aside, reading this in conjunction with AppleTV+'s Foundation series made for a nice genre pairing, I must say.
See this review and others at The Speculative Shelf.