Elder Race

By: Adrian Tchaikovsky

Narrated by: John Lee

In Adrian Tchaikovsky's Elder Race, a junior anthropologist on a distant planet must help the locals he has sworn to study to save a 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) with responsibilities (she tells herself). 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, and his knowledge of science tells him the threat cannot possibly be a demon . . .

©2021 Adrian Czajkowski (P)2023 Tantor

Good listen

Adrian Tchaikovsky is always worth listening to. This was short but satisfying-a Novella rather than a novel.

The perspective switch gave this trope a unique and interesting feel that felt fresh.

It’s been a long time since I’ve listened to an audio book in one sitting. The story was straight forward in a broad sense yet the blending of sci fi and fantasy felt wholly original.

A beautiful story

A juxtaposition of science fiction and fantasy. a tale of Arthur c. Clarke's third law with a very satisfying end

Reminds me of a certain Star Trek episode, but way betterh

There's that episode where the locals think Picard is a god, and he grapples with the prime directive. It's like that, but with a more talented author and in long form

What an adventure!

This was such a fun listen, I would be very interested in a series expanding on the world Tchaikovsky created.