‘An Ursula Le Guin-like grace . . . Ten out of ten’
New York Times
Science fiction meets fantasy in Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Elder Race. A junior anthropologist on a distant planet must break all the rules to save the planet from an unbeatable foe.
Lynesse is the lowly Fourth Daughter of the queen, and always getting in the way.
But a demon is terrorizing the land, and now she’s an adult (albeit barely) and although she still gets in the way, she understands that the only way to save her people is to invoke the pact between her family and the Elder sorcerer who has inhabited the local tower for as long as her people have lived here (though none in living memory has approached it).
But Elder Nyr isn’t a sorcerer, and he is forbidden to help, for his knowledge of science tells him the threat cannot possibly be a demon . . .
Praise for Adrian Tchaikovsky
‘Adrian Tchaikovsky is fast becoming the voice of his generation’ – Stephen Baxter, author of Proxima
‘Tchaikovsky is the break-out star of contemporary British SF’ – The Guardian
‘Tchaikovsky’s world-building is some of the best in modern sci-fi’ – New Scientist
Format: Paperback
Pages: 400
Imprint: Tor UK
Publication date: 29/04/2025
Elder Race
By Adrian Tchaikovsky
Review by Josh
You may have heard the statement 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.' Tchaikovsky takes this statement and crafts a story full of delightful characters and great adventure around it. His ability to build the worlds of the far future and have them seem not only possible but plausible is a testament to his skill. Elder Race is a blend of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, with the split between the two being found in the technological and language barriers between two groups. The people of the planet are still in their early stages, originally seeded by space-faring humans but now, left to their own devices, they are a people of kingdoms, of superstition and myths. One of those myths pertains to the great elder race, with one solo wizard remaining, who lives immortal in his tower, only to be called upon in times of great need. But is he a wizard of great myth? Or simply a man out of his own time, left there by a group now lost. Elder Race is a perfect introduction to not only Tchaikovsky’s work, but Sci-Fi/Fantasy as a whole, short enough to be finished in a few days but with ideas big enough to leave you pondering for weeks.
