Volume 1
Spoils of War
Table of Contents
Title Page
The Shadows of the Apt | (Tor UK)
Volume 1 | Spoils of War | Adrian Tchaikovsky
Contents
Introduction | by the Author
Introduction | by the Publisher
To Own the Sky
Ironclads
Spoils of War
Camouflage
The Shadows of Their Lamps
The Dreams of Avaris
The Prince
Shadow Hunters
Sword and Circle
Idle Hands
An Old Man in a Harsh Season
Brass Mantis
About the Author
Volume 2 | A Time of Grief | Cover art by Jon Sullivan
Now We Are Ten | Celebrating the first Ten Years of NewCon Press | With sixteen original stories written especially for this book | Cover art by Ben Baldwin
Available as a signed limited edition hardback, paperback, | and eBook | www.newconpress.co.uk
Crises and Conflicts | Celebrating the first Ten Years of NewCon Press | The Sister Volume to | Now We Are Ten
Fifteen tales of space opera and military science fiction from:
The Shadows of the Apt
(Tor UK)
Empire in Black and Gold (2008)
Dragonfly Falling (2009)
Blood of the Mantis (2009)
Salute the Dark (2010)
The Scarab Path (2010)
The Sea Watch (2011)
Heirs of the Blade (2011)
The Air War (2012)
War Master’s Gate (2013)
Seal of the Worm (2014)
Volume 1
Spoils of War
Adrian Tchaikovsky
NewCon Press
England
First edition, published in the UK 2016 by
NewCon Press
41, Wheatsheaf Road,
Alconbury Weston,
Cambs,
PE28 4LF
NCP102 Hardback
NCP103 Softback
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
All stories and Author’s Introduction copyright © by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Publisher’s introduction and this collection copyright © 2016 by Ian Whates
Cover image copyright © 2016 by Jon Sullivan
Tales of the Apt logo copyright © 2016 by Ben Baldwin
“To Own the Sky” copyright © 2008, originally appeared on author’s website
“Ironclads” copyright © 2008, originally appeared on author’s website
“Spoils of War” copyright © 2009, originally appeared on author’s website
“Camouflage” copyright © 2010, originally appeared on author’s website
“The Shadows of Their Lamps” copyright © 2016, original to this collection
“The Dreams of Avaris” copyright © 2008, originally appeared on author’s website
“The Prince” copyright © 2008, originally appeared on author’s website
“Shadow Hunter” copyright © 2014, originally appeared in Grimdark Magazine #1
“Sword and Circle” copyright © 2013, originally appeared in Legends (NewCon Press)
“Idle Hands” copyright © 2016, original to this collection
“An Old Man in a Harsh Season” copyright © 2009, originally appeared on author’s website
“Brass Mantis” copyright © 2016, original to this collection
These stories are works of fiction. All rights reserved, including the right to produce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
ISBN: 978-1-910935-20-0 (hardback)
ISBN: 978-1-910935-21-7 (softback)
Cover art by Jon Sullivan
Editorial meddling by Ian Whates
Interior layout by Storm Constantine
Cover layout by Andy Bigwood
Contents
Introduction by the Author 7
Introduction by the Publisher 8
To Own the Sky 9
Ironclads41
Spoils of War 65
Camouflage81
The Shadows of Their Lamps 99
The Dreams of Avaris 113
The Prince129
Shadow Hunters 167
Sword and Circle173
Idle Hands191
An Old Man in a Harsh Season 215
Brass Mantis 239
About the Author253
Introduction
by the Author
Welcome to the first collection of stories set in the world of the Insect-kinden.
The tales in these pages are presented in roughly chronological order and take place before Empire in Black and Gold, from a piece of Collegiate history through the events of the Twelve-year War between the Empire and the Commonweal, and ending with the exploits of a certain Mantis Weaponsmaster in self-imposed exile in Helleron.
Along the way, we encounter a variety of familiar faces, both heroes and villains. For many, these stories were their first appearance before they worked their way into the novels. Other characters are seen here for the first time, but possibly not the last.
Shadows of the Apt and its associated material almost certainly represents the largest single body of work I’ll ever produce, and perhaps the most detailed and wide-ranging world. For every character and location that made it into the novels there were plenty that were only hinted at, or not even that. I’m delighted to be able to work with Ian Whates and Newcon press to bring these tales of the Apt (and the Inapt) and their world to you.
Adrian Tchaikovsky,
Leeds
May 2016
Introduction
by the Publisher
When Adrian first approached me with the proposal for this series I was thrilled. The Shadows of the Apt books represent one of the most intriguing creationss ever to grace the field of epic fantasy. There can be no doubt that this is fantasy, but the stories also contain elements of steam punk, a strong grasp of entimology, and feature the sort of well-rounded characters that any long-running series needs to succeed. The idea of a world in which some races embrace and routinely employ magic but are incapable of comprehending science, while others pursue the study of science but are blind to the potential of magic proves fertile ground for a storyteller of Adrian’s calibre.
The Tales of the Apt books gather together the many Apt stories that have appeared in various anthologies and online, and combine them with a wealth of new material written especially for these collections. All are arranged in chronological order, so that the reader is provided with another perspective of events alluded to or sometimes detailed in the original series. In effect, Tales provides an alternative history that parallels and unfolds alongside the familiar one, filling in the gaps and revealing intriguing backstories for many established characters.
Any fan of the original Shadows of the Apt books will, I’m sure, be as delighted and excited by this addition to the canon as I am.
Ian Whates
Cambridgeshire
June 2016
To Own the Sky
Between the years of 470 and 482, a little over fifty years before either Stenwold Maker or the Wasp Empire came to trouble Collegium, a curious contest was sponsored biannually by the artificers of the Great College itself. The challenge, extended to all comers (although in practice almost every entrant was local), was to find the heaviest self-powered flying machine.
The entrants, student engineers, professional mechanics and armchair artificers, gathered atop the cliffs east of the city, each cradling or towing his or her creation: little orthopters of a hundred different designs would be cast over the edge, to their sooner-or-later-but-certain doom, lost to the sea. College staff would be standing by, with clock and glass, to measure
