Imperial Third Army – commanded by General Marent
Iron Glove – artificing cartel led by Drephos out of Chasme
lorn detachment – soldiers sent on a suicide mission
Maker’s Own – Collegiate Merchant Company
Prowess Forum – Collegiate duelling school
Quartermaster Corps – Imperial army corps
Red Watch – Imperial corps, the mouth of the Empress
Rekef – Imperial secret service, divided into Inlander and Outlander
Slave Corps – Imperial army corps
Spearflight – Imperial model of orthopter
Stormreader – Collegiate model of orthopter
Tidenfree – Fly-kinden pirate ship
Twelve-year War – Imperial war against the Commonweal
Praise for Shadows of the Apt
‘A novel brimming with imagination and execution’
SciFiNow
‘Epic fantasy at its best. Gripping, original and multi-layered storytelling from a writer bursting with lots of fascinating ideas’
WalkerofWorlds.com
‘Superb world building, great characters and extreme inventiveness’
FantasyBookCritic blog
‘Adrian is continuing to go from strength to strength. Magic’
FalcataTimes blog
‘Reminiscent of much that’s gone before from the likes of Gemmel, Erikson, Sanderson and Cook but with its own unique and clever touch, this is another terrific outing from Mr Tchaikovsky’
Sci-Fi-London.com
‘I still cannot deny the greatness of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s books . . . a glorious success of fantasy literature’
LECBookReviews.com
‘Tchaikovsky’s series is a pretty great one – he has taken some classic fantasy elements and added a unique (as far as I’m aware) twist and element to his characters and the world . . . Tchaikovsky has created a world that blends epic fantasy and technology’
CivilianReader blog
‘Tchaikovsky manages to blend these insect characteristics with human traits convincingly, giving a fresh slant to the inhabitants of his classic tale’
SFReader.com
About the Author
Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire before heading off to Reading to study psychology and zoology. For reasons unclear even to himself he subsequently ended up in law and has worked as a legal executive in both Reading and Leeds, where he now lives. Married, he is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor, has trained in stage-fighting, and keeps no exotic or dangerous pets of any kind, possibly excepting his son.
Catch up with Adrian at www.shadowsoftheapt.com for further information plus bonus material including short stories and artwork.
Seal of the Worm is the tenth and final novel in the Shadows of the Apt series.
BY ADRIAN TCHAIKOVSKY
Shadows of the Apt
Empire in Black and Gold
Dragonfly Falling
Blood of the Mantis
Salute the Dark
The Scarab Path
The Sea Watch
Heirs of the Blade
The Air War
War Master’s Gate
Seal of the Worm
Acknowledgements
It’s been a long road from the gates of Myna to the lair of the Worm. I’d like to thank everyone who has walked it with me.
First published in 2014 by Tor
This electronic edition published 2014 by Tor
an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
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www.panmacmillan.com
ISBN 978-0-230-77008-9
Copyright © Adrian Czajkowski 2014
Map artwork © Hemesh Alles
The right of Adrian Czajkowski to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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