| Adrian Czajkowski | |
|---|---|
| Born | Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom |
| Occupation | Author, |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | British |
| Period | 2008 - Present |
| Genres | fantasy |
| Notable work(s) | Shadows of the Apt series. |
|
shadowsoftheapt.com |
|
Adrian Czajkowski (spelled as Adrian Tchaikovsky in his books) is a British fantasy author. His best known work is the ongoing Shadows of the Apt series.[1]
Contents |
Czajkowski was born in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire. He now lives in Leeds with his wife Annie and son Alex.[2][3] He is represented by Simon Kavanagh from the Mic Cheetham agency.[4] After fifteen years of trying to get published Czajkowski obtained his first break in 2008.[5] That year Empire in Black and Gold was published by Tor (UK) - an imprint of Pan Macmillan - in the United Kingdom. The series was later picked up for publication in America by Pyr Books. He has stated in his blog, that he chose to publish under the name Tchaikovsky, as the spelling of his given name could have caused potential difficulties for American and British readers in both spelling and pronunciation. This is a common marketing approach in both UK and US publishing industries, where the publishers feel a name should be altered to help sales. Subsequently the American and German editions of the book and its sequels were published under the same name. Czajkowski expressed desire that the Polish editions of his novels be printed under his real name,[6] but these too used "Tchaikovsky".[7]
The series is set in a hypothetical universe populated by different kinden. Each kinden is a humanoid race, named after (and having the characteristics of) an insect. Kinden are typically divided into two categories : Apt and Inapt. The Apt do not have magical abilities, but are able to understand, use and design mechanical devices. The Inapt have varying amounts of magical abilities, but cannot use mechanical devices, even those as simple as latches. The series focuses on the attempted conquest of the lowlands by the Wasp-kinden empire.
The list of novels in the series is as follows:[8][9]
Shadows of the Apt is divided into 4-book arcs, each covering the same setting and characters, but moving along a new plot change or story line.
The books are primarily published every 6 months, with a confirmed total of 10 books.