First, this is a series that gets to be in audiobook format, but it's not. Sad.

I have to say, after reading the author's previous series, NO ONE does the state of a were better, and this series so far is another great example. Calling it were is understating, the man is an expert at dual natures. I struggled with identifying a few of the animals and would love an appendix in the next book.

I have placed this series on my auto-buy list and really look forward to the next one. I also highly (highly) recommend to any fantasy fan. And for goodness sake, someone please get these into audio format! ( )

Continuing the series - shapeshifters on mammal origin rather than the insects of his 10part series.

Maniye Many Tracks, has now reached the river with her friends, outcasts and Champions and finds the civil war there is just starting and still mostly civil. The twins brother and sister are each destined to rule over a the kingdom - a concept that still somewhat unknown in the frozen north. Animals not being much known for greater assemblies than the pack.

For the River Nation is ruled by the crocodile, but strongly advised by the Snake. Maniye and friends find that their candidate the brother, is currently on the losing side, but much is yet to play and the Serpent has many heads. Meanwhile in the North, Loud Thunder the Bear had been looking forward to more peace and quiet now that Manyie's disruptive presence has moved on. However word reaches him, and Mother the priest, of a calamity on the Seal's coast. Someone had better go and investigate, for the priests of every nation have been aware of dire forecasts, and it sounds like the urgency is increasing - it may be already here.

Very much a mid-trilogy book, I'm not entirely sure of the writing order of AC's works, and even less sure when he started Wolf, that he knew where it was going to end up. ( )

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Title: The Bear and the Serpent
Series: Echoes of the Fall #2
Author: Adrian Tchaikovsky
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 465
Format: Digital Edition

Synopsis:

Asmander has returned to the River Kingdom with Maniye and her Steel wolfpack, only to find he is too late and the kingdom is already riven asunder between the 2 siblings vying for control. Asmander's father continues his manipulation to make the best of a bad situation (in his eyes) and Asmander is finally forced to realize how bad his father truly is.

The male heir, who Asmander is championing, is set upon by assassins and his own supposedly loyal servants. He escapes with the help of Maniye and the Wolfpack and they have adventures out in the swampy swampland. They come across a segment of the Serpent that is trying to make a deal with the plague people, who are their mythical enemies. However, the plague people are on the run from the soul-less people from over the ocean. A lot of pointless crap happens and Asmander finally sneaks his two friends (the siblings) together so they can talk. The female heir takes the crown and her brother takes the number 2 place. Their storyline ends with the news that the soulless have already started attacking the River Kingdom and the Horse People are almost gone.

The second storyline deal with the Bear and his attempt to bring all the northern tribes together when he finds out that the villages of the Seals have been attacked and all the Seal people have turned into their animal forms but lost their minds. He puts together an Olympic style event and everyone does feats of this and that and eventually they go after the soulless people invading their land. They drive them off but with horrific losses and we the readers are shown an airship in the colors of Black and Gold.

That storyline ends with the Tribes victorious but the Bear realizing just how small their victory actually was.

My Thoughts:

This is the first book of Tchaikovsky's that I'm actually disappointed in. Even when I read Spiderlight back in '16, I was more pissed off than disappointed. I was bored for most of this book and it felt like it was re-treading so much from the first book in terms of the Tribal abilities and the reveal about the Wasp Kinden being the soulless people, while it should have been wicked awesome, just left me feeling kind of “Oh, ok, whatever. Next!”

I can remember halfway through when Maniye and her crew are dealing with the male heir and all I could think of was “throw that pussy to the crocodiles and get this story moving, please”. The Bear story didn't please me any more with “fear” just turning everyone into animals. Whatever. Master your fear or you DESERVE to go extinct. Needless to say, I was not feeling generous and nothing in this book made me feel like being generous.

Now, with all of that being said, the reason I gave this 3 stars is because it is completely up to par in terms of technical writing. Tchaikovsky can write like a master wordsmith and even in books like this where I'm just blah'ed out, I can still appreciate the skill even while not really enjoying the ride.

My expectations for the third and final book have really taken a nosedive with this. Poop.

★★★☆☆ ( )