The Scarab Path - Wyrms.de

Paperback

English language

Published April 20, 2021 by Pan Macmillan.

ISBN:: 978-1-5290-5034-9

(2 reviews)

The Empress Seda is already regaining control over her renegade Imperial cities. After all, she draws strength from something far more sinsiter than armies or war machines. Only her consort, former spymaster Thalric, knows the truth behind her power. And when assassins come for him, he finds his life and loyalties under threat once more. Both Cheerwell and Thalric are drawn to the ancient city of Khanaphes, beyond the Nem desert. But a terrible secret lies entombed beneath its stones...

4 editions

Noisy Deadlines reviewed The Scarab Path by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Shadows of the Apt, #5)

A review from Goodreads

5 stars

I thought the first half of it dragged on a little. I wasn't too interested in what was going on with the Refek agents and their mobilization to have the Scorpions attack Khanaphes. The interactions between Thalric and Che are what interested me the most. Thoto was so annoying. I almost wish he was killed at some point. The mystery of the Masters in Khanaphes kept me engaged with the story, but in the end, I didn't get Ethmet, the First Minister. Was he really in touch with the Masters at all? He seemed just like a puppet, repeating old sayings. And why the Masters were dormant? And why after they woke up, found Che, let her go, and then went back to sleep? What was their goal? It seems like this mystery is the backdrop of what this series is really about.

Kadomi reviewed The Scarab Path by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Shadows of the Apt, #5)

Review of 'The Scarab Path' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

The first book of the second story arc of the Shadows of the Apt series made me realize that the series is not for me. The first book is fantastic, with such interesting world-building. Now that I know that the series exists because the author ran it as a tabletop campaign, it all makes sense. It's probably an amazing campaign setting. But the storytelling? Not so much. The Scarab Path just plodded on, without ever grabbing my attention. Sure, I wanted to know who the Masters were, and the Egyptian-style setting was lovely, but the payoff was wholly unsatisfying for me.

Top notch worldbuilding, interesting characters, but also so many that it's hard to care. I only really enjoyed the chapters with Che and Thalric, everything else was meh. If you like your fantasy with endless massive battle scenes, it's a great series, but I don't.

I decided that I'll …

The first book of the second story arc of the Shadows of the Apt series made me realize that the series is not for me. The first book is fantastic, with such interesting world-building. Now that I know that the series exists because the author ran it as a tabletop campaign, it all makes sense. It's probably an amazing campaign setting. But the storytelling? Not so much. The Scarab Path just plodded on, without ever grabbing my attention. Sure, I wanted to know who the Masters were, and the Egyptian-style setting was lovely, but the payoff was wholly unsatisfying for me.

Top notch worldbuilding, interesting characters, but also so many that it's hard to care. I only really enjoyed the chapters with Che and Thalric, everything else was meh. If you like your fantasy with endless massive battle scenes, it's a great series, but I don't.

I decided that I'll give the rest of the series a pass, with fond memories of the first book and its interesting world of insect people.

Subjects

English literature