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Product Description
Product Description
The sixth novel in the thrilling Shadows of the Apt series
Book Description
A shadow is falling over Collegium. Despite the tenuous peace, Stenwold Maker knows that the Empire will return for his city. Even as he tries to prepare for the resurgence of the black and gold, a hidden threat is steadily working against his people. Ships that sail from Collegium's harbour are being attacked, sunk by pirates. Some just go missing . . . Lulled by the spread of lies and false promises Stenwold’s allies are falling away from him. He faces betrayal on every side, and the Empire is just waiting for the first sign of weakness to strike. But the Empire is not the only power that has its eyes on Collegium. And even the Wasp-kinden may be powerful enough to stave off the forces massing in the darkness and turning hungry eyes towards Stenwold's city.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I don't know why I view Adrian Tchaikovsky's Shadows of the Apt as guilty pleasure, given that the stories have well crafted characters, thrilling plots and some stunning battles. I think it was the initial premise - people with some insect-derived powers - that seemed a little twee. Plus the fact that there were spiders too, a move surely designed to callously enrage entomological pedants everywhere.
With the Sea Watch, the initial insect focus becomes even more awry, with the revelation of an entirely new category of kinden - no surprises for guessing where they come from. After the events in the Scarab Path we return to Collegium, where Stenwold Maker is trying to prepare for the inevitable resumption of hostilities with the Wasp Empire, whilst avoiding a war between supposed allies in Tsen and Vek. And while he does, ships keep on disappearing...
This is a book of three halves, and the initial part, as Stenwold slowly descriptions the mystery of the vanishing ships, I though was gripping We are treated to some new characters, and I liked the Fly Laszlo. There are some stunning developments with Teornis the spider savior of Collegium during the Vekken war and Arianna, Stenwold's lover. One of the strengths of this book is that we get a much better insight in to the spider mindset, and these two characters really come alive in this book. The second part of the book - I cannot say much without giving much of the plot away - I found tended to drag. The descriptions of the new Sea-Kinden are good and as ever the abilities and synergy between creature and kinden are well thought out, but as we are literally flooded with new information the plot itself tends to grind to a halt. This is one example where multiple plot stands would have been better as the lengthy descriptions could have been interspersed with more action. Fortunately things pick up in the final third of the book, and we get some more trademark Tchaikovsky battles and plot twists.
The Sea Watch is therefore a solid 4 star book and I have to say I am amazed at the speed the Apt books are turned out, given the quality of the writing. Roll on the next...
With the Sea Watch, the initial insect focus becomes even more awry, with the revelation of an entirely new category of kinden - no surprises for guessing where they come from. After the events in the Scarab Path we return to Collegium, where Stenwold Maker is trying to prepare for the inevitable resumption of hostilities with the Wasp Empire, whilst avoiding a war between supposed allies in Tsen and Vek. And while he does, ships keep on disappearing...
This is a book of three halves, and the initial part, as Stenwold slowly descriptions the mystery of the vanishing ships, I though was gripping We are treated to some new characters, and I liked the Fly Laszlo. There are some stunning developments with Teornis the spider savior of Collegium during the Vekken war and Arianna, Stenwold's lover. One of the strengths of this book is that we get a much better insight in to the spider mindset, and these two characters really come alive in this book. The second part of the book - I cannot say much without giving much of the plot away - I found tended to drag. The descriptions of the new Sea-Kinden are good and as ever the abilities and synergy between creature and kinden are well thought out, but as we are literally flooded with new information the plot itself tends to grind to a halt. This is one example where multiple plot stands would have been better as the lengthy descriptions could have been interspersed with more action. Fortunately things pick up in the final third of the book, and we get some more trademark Tchaikovsky battles and plot twists.
The Sea Watch is therefore a solid 4 star book and I have to say I am amazed at the speed the Apt books are turned out, given the quality of the writing. Roll on the next...
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
While not quite as strong as the previous two installments this is still an impressive edition to the series. The majority of this book deals with the Sea-kinden, a previously unknown race and as such a lot of worldbuilding has to occur. While Adrian does a commendable job in establishing the new setting and various kinden it does feel a bit like a whirlwind tour and many may feel a lot of the new characters suffer. That said there is some excellent characterisation of Teornis the Spider-admiral, and Lazslo the fly pirate. This book also features the creatures that the kinden share their heritage with in a far more proactive role than previously seen and some of the sea-kinden are almost alien-like in their differences.
Strangely enough the part of the book i enjoyed the most was the beginning which dealt with a lot of the politics hanging over from previous books. There was also the beginnings of some really well-handled espionage/gangster politics too, which I'd love to see more of in the remainder of the series. Adrian does a good job of handling the two different sections and tying them together in a satisfying, if overly neat fashion.
Ultimately I feel as though this entire book is a fun "first contact" style diversion to the main series and fleshes out two existing characters and introduces several more. I think it suffers slightly from only focusing on one character and plot though as all the previous books have at least featured several core cast and I don't think Stenwold was the character to pick for a solo adventure. That said he was the only logical character to pick for the story being told so I commend Adrian for not forcing another character into the role. For fans of the series, it is still one of the best books in the series and it successfully introduces a whole new world into the overall saga.
Strangely enough the part of the book i enjoyed the most was the beginning which dealt with a lot of the politics hanging over from previous books. There was also the beginnings of some really well-handled espionage/gangster politics too, which I'd love to see more of in the remainder of the series. Adrian does a good job of handling the two different sections and tying them together in a satisfying, if overly neat fashion.
Ultimately I feel as though this entire book is a fun "first contact" style diversion to the main series and fleshes out two existing characters and introduces several more. I think it suffers slightly from only focusing on one character and plot though as all the previous books have at least featured several core cast and I don't think Stenwold was the character to pick for a solo adventure. That said he was the only logical character to pick for the story being told so I commend Adrian for not forcing another character into the role. For fans of the series, it is still one of the best books in the series and it successfully introduces a whole new world into the overall saga.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Wow! What a fantastic book. This more than lived up to my hopes, following on from The Scarab Path which was utterly enthralling. The Sea Watch again opens up the whole universe of the world of the "Shadows of the Apt" books to another new environment and does not disappoint.
This time we see Stenwold caught up in politics and cultural upheavals, misunderstandings and skullduggery all round. The action is well-paced, the characters breathtakingly drawn and the environment in which much of the story takes place is so well written that you feel like you could see it out your own window.
I am more impressed with this series with each passing book. I had to pace myself to read this one - as desperate as I was to find out what happened next, I didn't want to finish it because I don't know how long I have to wait for the next one! The wait is going to be difficult that's for sure.
I was very intrigued by what I hope may be a glimmer of another story thread to do with excavations turning up archaeological remains to the far east of the Spiderlands in the desert mentioned by a character just once in this book in passing - fingers crossed there's some action coming from there some time in the next dozen or so books (ever hopeful me).
Please keep writing Mr Tchaikovsky - we're all dying to know what's going to happen next.
This time we see Stenwold caught up in politics and cultural upheavals, misunderstandings and skullduggery all round. The action is well-paced, the characters breathtakingly drawn and the environment in which much of the story takes place is so well written that you feel like you could see it out your own window.
I am more impressed with this series with each passing book. I had to pace myself to read this one - as desperate as I was to find out what happened next, I didn't want to finish it because I don't know how long I have to wait for the next one! The wait is going to be difficult that's for sure.
I was very intrigued by what I hope may be a glimmer of another story thread to do with excavations turning up archaeological remains to the far east of the Spiderlands in the desert mentioned by a character just once in this book in passing - fingers crossed there's some action coming from there some time in the next dozen or so books (ever hopeful me).
Please keep writing Mr Tchaikovsky - we're all dying to know what's going to happen next.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Just when you thought it was safe....
I've given this book 4 stars. It's not perfect, and does have some issues - but it is really well written. Read more
Published 2 months ago by simon211175
What he is best at.
Another great book by the man who can create a wealth of characters, seemlessly tying thier plots together. A must read by SotA fans.
Published 6 months ago by Cy
a good read, however slightly dissapointing if you've read the rest
having read and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the series, i was so eager to read this i took ity on holiday with me to read. i was dissapointed, but still enjoyed the read. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Paul Norton
An amazing series
Each tittle is better than the last , book after book Adrian is becoming a powerful voice in fantasy, the character development is rich and they feel real, the reader can feel... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Miguel Madrid
The Sea Watch
I have throughly enjoyed the previous instalments of this series and looked forward to this latest episode. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Fireball 61
The Sea Watcvh
I thoroughly enjoyed this latest book in the Shadows of the Apt series by Adrian Tchaikovsky. They are all well written and the story continues with many twists and turns so the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Ruthy
Worth a read, but with faults.
I share the feeling of the other reviewer that these books are a bit of a guilty pleasure.
On the one hand, for all books there's decent pace to much of them, some depth... Read more
On the one hand, for all books there's decent pace to much of them, some depth... Read more
Published 11 months ago by DeanoDury
As good as it gets. Amazing book.
All 6 books so far have been great. The dinamic story telling, the amazing character description, the imagination shown bt the author is as good as any book from R. Read more
Published 12 months ago by develin
The Sea Watch (Shadows of the Apt)
What can I say about this book? Well, it's as good as every other book he's written and I'm looking forward to the next installment. Read more
Published 13 months ago by S. D. Robinson-smith
The Sea Watch - Shadows of the Apt Book Six
Well written as always but I found the sixth book in the series to be the weakest of the bunch.
I think the problem is basing a story around Stenwold, it's just not as... Read more
I think the problem is basing a story around Stenwold, it's just not as... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Gordon
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