An absolutely incredible sequel to The Tiger and The Wolf. I'm not usually a big fan of science fiction and fantasy but I devoured this. Tchaikovsky really knows how to write great characters along with fascinating storylines. I'll be keen to read the next installment!

There is so much of merit in this book that I feel like I should have really loved it, but unfortunately I just didn't. It tells the continuing story of Maniye and her journey to the River kingdom of the south to assist Asmander. One of the things that left me a little cold here was that the focus of narrative was so split between different groups that sometimes, it was hard to keep things in order. I usually enjoy multiple points of view, but I just found this a little confusing. There wasn't enough time to get to grips with each new group introduced here (of which there are several) and the narrative just felt muddled. I think my main issue was that my attention just kept wandering when I was reading, as the prose was pretty dense and just wasn't capturing me. Having said all of that, the world Tchaikovsky has created is rich and well drawn and the last 100 pages of the novel were great, primarily because a lot of action was taking place. Overall though, I just didn't connect with this one.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

An amazing sequel to this trilogy. Tchaikovsky is, without a doubt, one of the best writers alive (and one of the fastes ones). Moreover, he is really skillful with fantasy and science fiction. We are very lucky to be able to read his books.

A good continuation of the story, very different to the setting of the first. There are even more characters to keep track of with a few more viewpoints introduced. I found it a little slow in places as a result but it's so well detailed and developed (I'm glad I read it whilst on holiday so I didn't risk getting distracted). I'd definitely like to read the next one.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

Maniye, the child of wolf and tiger shapeshifters has risen to the status of a Champion. But as her people are not sure what to do with her she joins a band of outcasts led by Prince Tecuman, a crocodile shapeshifter. On the move but now part of a small and mobile community, Maniye must forge her new future.

Compared to the first book in ‘The Echoes of the Fall’ series The Tiger and the Wolf, which set the scene for Maniye’s story and chronicled her flight into a bleak world with few allies, this book puts her more in the driving seat. Although there is no time for her to relax as warring siblings threaten to create a tremendous upheaval.

The world Adrian Tchaikovsky has created is technologically primitive and in many cases on the level of a largely hunter gatherer society, whose weapons are primarily the beasts they shapeshift or ‘step’ into. But the politics is every bit as sophisticated as that of an advanced society only with considerably more hand-to-hand violence.

As with the first book you get a real sense of being in the skin of the characters and moving through Tchaikovsky’s imaginary world. An impression is created that you can see every rock and stone that Maniye and her band pass, although this is more because the writing provides enough prompts to stimulate the reader’s mind to fill in the gaps.

It is largely in the fight scenes where the details are really delivered. These are more than just an indulgence by Tchaikovsky to liven up the story, because this is a society that is perfectly capable of making a political point through the use of elegant rhetoric, but if that doesn’t work they will back it up with a physical expression of their position. Form is changed according to the degree of leverage it affords them in terms of status or ability to gain an advantage in combat. For this reason the traits of each animal are exploited in every possible way (the more experienced and skilled the individual, the more fluid their method of fighting). We begin to see how Maniye is maturing as a champion in these moments in the way she ‘steps’ from human to wolf to tiger and then back again as she tactically assesses the pros and cons of each shape. This adds an extra dimension to all the physical and psychological manoeuvring that goes on.

Maniye’s friend Lord Thunder, a bear shapeshifter, is also on his own quest to unite the northern tribes to face what would appear to be an oncoming world changing event.

Like The Tiger and the Wolf, The Bear and the Serpent is a read to be savoured and is only for those who want to be immersed in a world where the plot does not unfold at a breakneck pace. The Bear and the Serpent is over a hundred pages less than the Tiger and the Wolf, but in no way short changes the reader, delivering the similar epic quality.

The Bear and the Serpent was courtesy of Pan Macmillan

8/10
Better than the first one. More point of views, more locations, and the two parallel plots maintain the intrigue till the end. Waiting for the next one.
Review in english: http://dreamsofelvex.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-bear-and-serpent-adrian-tchaikovsky.html
Reseña en castellano: http://dreamsofelvex.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-serpent-and-bear-adrian-tchaikovsky.html

For those of you tempted by the cool cover to plunge in and pick up this one without reading the first book in the series, my advice would be don’t. Though Tchaikovsky provides a ‘Story So Far’ – a development that I thoroughly approve of – the first book is a tour de force and you’ll miss far too much of the wonderful richness of this amazing world. A world where people are defined by their clans and what they shape-shift into when they reach puberty. A world riven by constant wars and fights between the clans. A pre-agrarian society, where the secret of smelting iron belongs to the Wolf and the rest of the clans make do with bronze weapons.

While The Tiger and the Wolf mostly features the adventures of Maniye, the outcast child of the Wolf, this sequel branches off and we have another main protagonist, the Champion of the Bear, Lord Thunder. He has been dragged unwillingly right into the middle of the ferment caused when catastrophe overtakes the Seal people. A rather grumpy character possessing great strength and a short temper, he has no desire to become any kind of leader. I like the humour that comes from his struggles to deal with the political in-fighting, while he yearns to retreat once more into solitude – though that humour is tempered by the undertow of threat that runs through the book.

In common with much epic fantasy, there is Something Nasty and Worldchanging the prophesies are all saying is just around the corner. And indeed, Tchaikovsky’s talent for writing gripping action scenes and battles comes in handy as the book builds up to a page-turning climax that meant I read far into the wee small hours to discover how it all turns out. Anyone who has read Tchaikovsky’s Spiderlight and Children of Time will know he’s the master of unintended consequences, and while the main storyline is satisfactorily concluded in this action-packed book, there are some intriguing plotlines left dangling for the next in this series. Classic epic fantasy isn’t my favourite sub-genre, but Echoes of the Fall has a place in my heart – I dreamt of it when I finally fell asleep. So it comes very highly recommended.

While I obtained the arc of The Bear and the Serpent from the publisher via NetGalley, this has in no way influenced my unbiased review.
10/10

The Bear and the Serpent is the second in Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Echoes of the Fall series. I read the first recently, and was favourably impressed. This sequel follows Maniye and her band as they head south, into the lands of the Serpent – which is a very strange place indeed.

The Kingdom of the Serpent is set along a river, surrounded by an arid, marginal landscape. The delta. The river, though, thrives with life, both on the banks and in the water. There’s more than a few crocodiles floating lazily along the currents, and quite a few of those may actually be shape-shifted people. This is a land built around notions of order, and of what the Serpent priests refer to as civilisation. Where the more northern climes were populated by feuding clans, here there is an absolute monarchy, backed by noble houses. Which, of course, means politics. But, as alluded to in the first book, this is also a civilisation in crisis. An absolute monarchy, ruled by blood, was not prepared for the birth of competent twins. Now parties are split over the succession, and politics has the chance to become the edge of a blade. The South carries this whiff about it – a determination to keep the peace, and a willingness to sacrifice what may be perceived as right in favour of a greater good. It’s a thronging hive of towering buildings, nestled in a swamp – and in both cases, the atmosphere is one suggesting danger lurks just beneath the surface.

We also spend some time back in the Crown of the World. As the Wolves and the Tiger settle into an uneasy peace, the Bear finds that they have a new problem. The North is familiar from the previous novel, but its cooler climes and less sinuous relations make for a nice break between the intrigues of the Serpents. We get to see a little more as well – the barren desolation of the Northern coast is well done, the Seal tribes living there relying on fishing to survive, thought odd by their compatriots for living near the water. The Crown of the World is a region looking for direction, for reasons to continue old feuds, or start up new ones – and that makes for nervous meetings, and a sense of encroaching doom.

The characters are broadly familiar from the first book. It’s great to spend more time with one of the Bear, those slow, rumbling, reluctant warriors. Loud Thunder is very much unwilling to lead, a man more content in being alone than even the rest of his people. But he’s drawn to doing the best thing for those around him, trying to convince all of the disparate clans and tribes that it’s better to work together than tear each other apart over old grudges. That shift in character, that journey from a man who just wants to be left alone, and let the world go its own way, to one determined to shepherd scrapping groups toward a coalition of the willing is a hard one. It’s one drawn out by conflict, by self-analysis, and by a willingness to face a need for change. Loud Thunder is a man realising his potential, however unwillingly.

We’re also following Maniye in the south, surrounded by her crew of outcasts and reprobates. She’s no longer the scared girl we saw in The Tiger and the Wolf. There’s more confidence here, a sense of certainty that was missing before. That said, Maniye Many Tracks, the legend, the champion from the north, is now learning that she has responsibilities. She has a band to look out for, as they look out for her – and the rise of that understanding, that she is the face and voice of her people, is fascinating to watch. Maniye remains a strong personality, and she’s slowly forming into a force to be reckoned with – and the reader is along for the ride on that transition.

There’s a whole raft of supporting characters floating around here, from rulers to hedge witches. Charmers and vicious killers – and some who are both at the same time. They’re there in abundance though, keeping the world alive for the reader – and if some are less sympathetic than others, they don’t feel any less real for that.

The plot – well, without spoilers, some sections feel like a political thriller in a fantasy world. There’s daring escapes, more than a little scheming, and the fate of nations hanging in the balance. But there’s also an intimacy there, tracking the characters personal journeys – and a sense of being involved in a larger conflict bubbles through the text. Tchaikovsky has written a clever, compelling page turner, with kinetic duels, high stakes, and characters you’re drawn to care about – and that means The Bear and the Serpent is a cracking sequel to The Tiger and the Wolf

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am just loving the Echoes of the Fall series. Tchaikovsky has packed out the books with interesting well rounded characters - I found myself rooting for everyone at some point, protagonist and antagonist alike. The main character has grown as a person and is now comfortable and confident in her own skin - or skins! And the hero's journey takes a different and engaging turn in this installment. All in all this is everything you could want in an epic fantasy novel. Highly recommend to all fantasy fans but make sure you start with 'The Tiger and the Wolf' first.

Maniye has brought her warband south to join the ranks of Prince Tecuman's army, supporting his bid for the throne of the Sun River Nation. Tecuman wars with his twin sister, as both have support from among the ranks of the Snake priests.

Loud Thunder is summoned by Mother to bring all the people together at the Crown of the World to unite to fight the coming troubles. Being a loner, he has no idea how he's going to accomplish anything when it comes to convincing tribes that hate each other to cooperate--but he'll give it a try.

The Snake priests now have a better idea what the coming threat they've foretold is--and opinions on what to do vary wildly.

As these events come to a head, everyone gets a good look at the real coming threat--and it's one nobody's seen in ages.

The second installment in the Echoes of the Fall series, this book covers several large events in the overall story, and things are definitely heating up. Maniye has grown confidant in her own skin, and Loud Thunder learns more about leading. I really enjoy this series, and it's going in some very interesting directions. If you haven't picked up the first book, The Tiger and the Wolf, I highly recommend starting there and getting this one immediately after. Highly anticipating the third book.

This is such a fantastic sequel. As it is the second book in the series the world is already established, so you can really settle into the characters and the plot. The development of the characters was great, the plot engaging throughout and the world is a new favourite of mine. Overall I highly recommend checking this series out, especially if you are a big fan of fantasy. I am very excited for the next book in the series.