If the first three books have been anticipation, this one is sheer release. Battles rage across the West Empire, as taken cities thrash under the weight of imperialism, while the fragile Lowland alliance struggles to hold. The horrors of war run deep in Shadows of the Apt, in its particular clockpunk meets sword and sandals aesthetic; one scene of gladiatorial combat followed by another that demonstrates the horror of chemical warfare.

While I continue to see no greater allusions in the series, its enjoyable to read, and Tchaikovsky isn't pulling any punches.

La storia torna ad alzare il livello, e in un modo inaspettato...

L'azione è divisa un po' in tutto il mondo, con Collugium che per sopravvivere cerca di aprire quanti più fronti di guerra può contro l'Impero.
L'Impero però sembra una macchina inarrestabile, capace di triturate tutto e tutti nella sua costante e imprescindibile spinta espansionistica.

Seguiamo tantissimi fili diversi, ma tutti legati dalla stessa finalità e dalla stessa mano che li ha tessuti.
E pur essendo solo al quarto volume di questa lunga serie, ci ritroveremo a stupirci per una discreta serie di morti eccellenti, e di colpi di scena francamente inaspettati che fanno soprassedere su alcune piccole ingenuità.

Un bel passo avanti per questa serie, chissà cosa potrà succedere adesso...

Totho comunque mi continua a risultare insopportabile.
E resto un po' perplesso da una quasi love story accennata e fortunatamente abortita subito.

Ma un ottimo volume, che lascia il mondo aperto per il proseguio.

4.5

I'm continuing to enjoy this series a great deal.

Not necessarily for the writing or the story in this installment... but for the fantastic audiobook narration. It's absolutely top tier.

I felt that the last book was a bit aimless. More exploratory and world expanding than plot heavy. This book takes those new boundaries and lives very comfortably inside them and seems to intentionally shrink the world a bit. There's not a lot of new world building going on here and the world building that does happen is expected or an unsatisfying echo of something we've already discovered. It reminds me a great deal of "Return of the Jedi" in that it's a perfectly serviceable continuation of the story, with some amazing moments... but it's tripping on its own universe a bit.

The lowest point in the series for me thus far for sure.

I'd wager that's intentional (given the title) and the absolute George R R Martin level of character culling that happens here. Necessary? Yeah, probably. Enjoyable? No. Not really. Many of my favorites are no longer in the narrative now... and while I understand it... I'm not completely satisfied with any of the character based motivation that leads to those narrative threads ending. It all makes sense... but it's not ... tasty? savory? I never felt like I earned the grief I was supposed to be feeling.

Sacrifices that should be made for love are made out of guilt. Sacrifices that should be made for honor are made out of guilt or desperation. Only one major character death felt proper to me... but it happened three scenes after it should have and ended an entire plot thread prematurely.

There are some nice surprises at the end, mostly as a result of narrative omission (characters doing stuff 'off camera') and I fully intend to keep reading and exploring this world. It's a fun world to explore.

But a little bit of the light and trust in the author has gone out of this series for me now.

My metaphor for this series is that it's like reading a table top role playing game that's going right. This book, though, felt like it was on rails. The storyteller had goals and despite what the character's should do... they did what the storyteller needed them to. Is it good? Yes. Is it earned? That's a stickier question.

I am distraught that some of my favorite characters died, seemingly needlessly here.

While I enjoy the series as a whole, I think maybe this one was just a culling for newer apt powers, and characters.

Like, what happened to Achaeos?!? Were Felise and Tisamon forced into that point because there was nothing else for them?? I just don't understand most of the how and why here and that's quite frustrating.

Will I continue? Yes. Will I be sad that it is without Salme or Tisamon? Absolutely.

Salute the Dark very much ups the ante. The Empire its their attacks all over the Lowlands. People in Sarn and Myna are revolting. It constantly changes the scene to convey thee fact that the war is in fullest swing now.

There is some great character development. I'm thinking especially of Thalric, who develops an unexpected fondness for Cheerwell in their travels to the Wasp-occupied Moth city of Tharn, where Achaeos would find the healers (as opposed to physicians) he needs after the almost mortal would inflicted by possessed Tynisa. Given the chance, he kills his former Rekef superior, General Reiner. Yet, it was not as a final act to cap all connection to the Empire. Indeed, it was the opposite: he feels an even stronger bond, but not in its currently fragmented form. At the same time, he shows a certain loyalty to the cause of the Lowlands, which he had served in some form.

Achaeos is not just there to rest. With the help of an uncommon Wasp Apt who defected his people they are performing the darkest of rituals, gathering the most senior of magicians at the myth-enshrouded mountaintop. Meanwhile, Mosquito-kinden sorcerer Uctebri the Sarcd is planning his ritual to grant princess Seda eternal life and place her on the throne, while pretending to the Emperor it would be him who will be granted immortality at Coronation Day held in honor of him being nine years on the throne. Secretly, Seda is planning her own conspiracy.

The siege and resistance battles are thrilling spectacles again. After the Wasp crush the Spider and Mantis forces in a brief swift, they are free to march on Collegium. Things there look more dire than ever. Focus is on their attack on the Ant city of Sarn. There various armies oppose them. There is Balkus with his troops of war inexperienced but crafty Collegium fighters. There is Salma, the Lord of the Wastes, with his troop of bandits (their strategy of sudden chaos and confusion stroke fear into the hearts of many Wasps the past few months). There is Taki with her army of fliers.

Tisamon has left disorientedly wandering the Lowlands after he kissed Felise Mien in a heated moment. He sees betrayal of his former lover (the mother of Tynisa). In his travels he becomes a pawn in Uctebri's game through an apparation of a woman that emerged from the Shadow Box. His daughter is in pursuit, but it's unclear whether he is even willing to come back. At the same time, Felise is crushed by another abandonment. To save her from suicide, her doctor suggests to give purpose to her life by sending her to the Commonweal to convince her people to attempt the recapture of the territories they had lost in the Twelve-Year War. Stenwold joins them, though the Dragonfly-kinden and their motives are very different from what they expected. What they learn is about an apocalyptic prophecy if ever there was one.

And indeed, I was shocked by how many of the main characters die. At times it's not even glorious. Actually, at times war shows its most hideous face—as Colonel Auxilian Drephos's new chemical weapon amply shows. Seriously, there were some of my absolute favorites among them. I could seriously feel the passion and rage of Grief in Chains (or whatever she is called now) when she finds this time she is too late and cannot save her lover. It's crushing, yet so amazingly epic when she lits up in blinding light burning the Wasp forces.

I was very surprised by the climax. Actually, it's almost anticlimactic. Who would have expected sudden treaty of truce between the Lowlands and the Empire? At that point, the Wasp feel believably tired of the fighting. I'm sure it's not bound to last. So, I'm very much looking forward to where the series is going next. This one was again delightfully twisty and thrilling.

Rating: 4.5/5