Empire in Black and Gold is the first instalment in the critically-acclaimed fantasy series Shadows of the Apt. It’s brought to you by Adrian Tchaikovsky, winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award.

The days of peace are over . . .

The city states of the Lowlands have lived in peace and prosperity for decades, hailed as bastions of civilization and sophistication. That peace is about to end.

Far from the Lowlands, an ancient empire has been conquering city after city with its highly trained armies and sophisticated combat techniques. Now it's set its sights on a new prize.

Only the ageing Stenwold Maker – spymaster, artificer and statesman – can see the threat. So it falls upon his shoulders to open the eyes of his people. For war will sweep across their lands, burning away everything in its path. Yet first, he must stop himself from becoming the empire's latest victim.

Empire in Black and Gold is followed by the second book in the Shadows of the Apt series, Dragonfly Falling.

Bestselling British master of science fiction Adrian Tchaikovsky brings readers a new, mind-expanding science fantasia in The Expert System's Brother

After an unfortunate accident, Handry is forced to wander a world he doesn’t understand, searching for meaning. He soon discovers that the life he thought he knew is far stranger than he could even possibly imagine.

Can an unlikely saviour provide the answers to the questions he barely comprehends?

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Shortlisted for the 2016 British Fantasy Society Award for Best Novel.

Guns of the Dawn is a pacey, gripping fantasy of war and magic, from Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author, Adrian Tchaikovsky.

The first casualty of war is truth . . .

First, Denland's revolutionaries assassinated their king, launching a wave of bloodshed after generations of peace. Next they clashed with Lascanne, their royalist neighbour, pitching war-machines against warlocks in a fiercely fought conflict.

Genteel Emily Marshwic watched as the hostilities stole her family's young men. But then came the call for yet more Lascanne soldiers in a ravaged kingdom with none left to give. Emily must join the ranks of conscripted women and march toward the front lines.

With barely enough training to hold a musket, Emily braves the savage reality of warfare. But she begins to doubt her country's cause, and those doubts become critical. For her choices will determine her own future and that of two nations locked in battle.

The Church of Armes of the Light has battled the forces of Darkness for as long as anyone can remember. The great prophecy has foretold that a band of misfits, led by a high priestess will defeat the Dark Lord Darvezian, armed with their wits, the blessing of the Light and an artifact stolen from the merciless Spider Queen.

Their journey will be long, hard and fraught with danger. Allies will become enemies; enemies will become allies. And the Dark Lord will be waiting, always waiting…

Spiderlight is an exhilarating fantasy quest from Adrian Tchaikovsky, the author of Guns at Dawn and the Shadows of the Apt series.

Reviews and quotes

"Spiderlight is a creepy-crawly treat from the master of non-human heroes, a joy from beginning to end." — Paul Cornell, author of Witches of Lychford and The Severed Streets

"[Spiderlight] is a master class in subverting our expectations to surprise, engage, and deliver a fantastic story that works even when it isn’t pulling the rug out from under us." — Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog

"Tchaikovsky clearly has a great deal of talent, and a real handle on the fantasy genre, with the ability to splice in different influences almost seamlessly." —SciFi Now Magazine

"Occasionally a fantasy author comes up with a way to break the mould of traditional genre tropes: M. John Harrison’sViriconium and China Mieville’s Perdido Street Station are two examples that immediately spring to mind. Tchaikovsky looks like a new addition to that select hall of fame." —Death Ray Magazine

“Working in a small space, Tchaikovsky gives us sympathetic characters, real moral dilemmas, and emotional depth, all shot through with a sly humor that kept me grinning throughout. If, like me, you’re a D&D fan who always wondered about the ethics of Detect Evil or what the orcs eat in Mordor, you will love this one.” — Django Wexler, author of the Shadow Campaigns series

“Subversive and classic, Spiderlight is a timeless adventure cranked up for the modern era of readers. A warship-rocker of an adventure, Adrian Tchaikovsky has struck another literary goldmine that’s perfect for readers to dive into. Gripping and highly recommended." — Jeremy Szal, Starship Sofa

"Spiderlight is a rip-roaring, old-fashioned heroic fantasy romp that also messes playfully with some of the genre’s more outdated conventions... a breathless rush that never outstays its welcome." — Dirge Mag

"Spiderlight will take you on a ride directly through straight fantasy and into the realms of the really fantastic… a brilliantly original novel." — Geek Syndicate

"A must-read for all fans of fantasy. Very highly recommended." — Civilian Reader

"In a world of large epic fantasy series with mushy pacing and a lack of focus, Spiderlight is as sharp as a spider’s fang, as tight as its webbing, and as multifaceted as its gaze." — Skiffy & Fanty

"A very fun, creepy quest tale with some quirky and engaging adventurers.

Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky's Made Things is dark fantasy tale of how the most unlikely characters may become the most heroic.

Making friends has never been so important.

Welcome to Fountains Parish--a cesspit of trade and crime, where ambition curls up to die and desperation grows on its cobbled streets like mold on week-old bread.

Coppelia is a street thief, a trickster, a low-level con artist. But she has something other thieves don't... tiny puppet-like companions: some made of wood, some of metal. They don't entirely trust her, and she doesn't entirely understand them, but their partnership mostly works.

After a surprising discovery shakes their world to the core, Coppelia and her friends must re-examine everything they thought they knew about their world, while attempting to save their city from a seemingly impossible new threat.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Following on from Empire in Black and Gold and Dragonfly Falling, Blood of the Mantis is a vivid fantasy full of intrigue and action, from the Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author, Adrian Tchaikovsky.

A dread ritual casts a deadly shadow . . .

Driven by the ghosts of the legendary Darakyon, the seer Achaeos has tracked the stolen Shadow Box to the marsh-town of Jerez - but he has only days before this magical artefact will be lost to him forever . . .

Meanwhile, the forces of the Empire are mustering for their next great offensive. Stenwold and his followers have only a short time in which to seek allies before the enemy soldiers are on the march again, conquering everything in their path. And if they cannot hold them back before spring, then the hated black and gold flag will be flying fly over every city in the Lowlands before the year's end.

And should the Shadow Box fall into the hands of the power-mad Emperor, then nothing will save the world from his relentless ambition.

The Shadows of the Apt series continues with Salute the Dark.

The first in the Echoes of the Fall series, The Tiger and the Wolf is a high fantasy novel by Adrian Tchaikovsky, winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel. Adrian Tchaikovsky is also the author of the Arthur C. Clarke award-winning Children of Time.

In the bleak northern crown of the world, war is coming . . .

Maniye's father is the Wolf clan's chieftain, but she's an outcast. Her mother was queen of the Tiger and these tribes have been enemies for generations. Maniye also hides a deadly secret. All can shift into their clan's animal form, but Maniye can take on tiger and wolf shapes. She refuses to disown half her soul so escapes, rescuing a prisoner of the Wolf clan in the process. The killer Broken Axe is set on their trail, to drag them back for retribution.

The Wolf chieftan plots to rule the north and controlling his daughter is crucial to his schemes. However, other tribes also prepare for strife. Strangers from the far south appear too, seeking allies in their own conflict. It's a season for omens as priests foresee danger and a darkness falling across the land. Some say a great war is coming, overshadowing even Wolf ambitions. A time of testing and broken laws is near, but what spark will set the world ablaze?

Continue this sweeping coming-of-age fantasy with The Bear and the Serpent.

The ninth and penultimate book in the epic Shadows of the Apt cycle by Adrian Tchaikovsky, War Master's Gate is an explosive fantasy that propels you towards a dramatic conclusion.

A city makes its last stand . . .

Relentlessly advancing towards Collegium, the Empire is again seeking to break down the city's walls. The mighty imperial armies have learnt from their failures, and Empress Seda will brook no weakness in her soldiers. After all, Stenwold Maker has earned his title, and the War Master has strategies to save his city. His aviators rule the skies - but the Wasp Kinden Empire has developed a terrifying new aerial weapon.

Yet the campaign may be decided far from marching armies and the noise of battle. In an ancient forest, where Mantis clans pursue their own civil war, the Empress Seda is seeking a lost power of the old world. Cheerwell Maker must stop her, at any cost, but will their rivalry awaken something far deadlier? Something that could make even their clash of nations pale into insignificance . . .

Conclude this immersive epic fantasy adventure with Seal of the Worm.