Elder Race
by Adrian Tchaikovsky · first published 2021
80% recommend10% neutral10% critical
Why HN recommends it
A short novella told from two perspectives, blending fantasy and hard science fiction. Its clever conceit suits fans of SF/fantasy crossovers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
A junior anthropologist on a distant planet must help the locals he has sworn to study to save a planet from an unbeatable foe. Lynesse is the lowly Fourth Daughter of the queen, and always getting in the way. But a demon is terrorizing the land, and now she’s an adult (albeit barely) and although she still gets in the way, she understands that the only way to save her people is to invoke the pact between her family and the Elder sorcerer who has inhabited the local tower for as long as her people have lived here (though none in living memory has approached it). But Elder Nyr isn’t a
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Mostly science fiction, and most Adrian Tchaikovsky science fiction at that: * Elder Race - Tchaikovsky's Hugo-nominated novella does this really neat thing where it tells the same story from two different perspectives, which happen to perfectly meld fantasy with hard scifi in a super clever…
on “Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?” ↗…Man Who Fell To Earth – and, somewhat surprisingly, The Queen's Gambit and The Hustler. The Shipkiller, by Justin Scott – dated but a great revenge adventure. And of current releases I really enjoyed Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
on “Ask HN: What is your favorite fiction book?” ↗Tchaikovsky has a lot of good stuff out there already, and shows no signs of slowing. If you liked Elder Race, you’ll probably also like the novella The Expert System’s Brother and its sequel, The Expert System’s Champion.
on “Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?” ↗…years old but startlingly timely: centuries after humanity ceded all authority and responsibility to AI, the last superintelligent robot is ready to die of boredom – and one human has learned to read. "Elder Race", by Adrian Tchaikovsky. This short novel is a bit reminiscent of Iain Bank's "Inversions" in that it combines sci-fi and fantasy through the perspectives of an anthropologist from an advanced space-faring…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?” ↗…SF on this list so I’ll throw out my other recommendations: I like Chambers’ Wayfarers series but IMO Closed and Common Orbit is the best one. Another recent book that stuck with me is Tchaikovsky’s Elder Race, which is told from two perspectives as both a sci fi and a fantasy story. It’s great and a quick read. I enjoyed All Systems Red but for whatever reason have no desire to read the sequels. Same with…
on “Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of the 21st Century (So Far)” ↗Tchaikovsky is probably better known for his novels (eg Children of Time) but I second your recommendation of The Elder Race. It's one of my favorite science fiction/fantasy novelas. The other one that really stuck with me and that I randomly think about from time to time (which IMO is the sign of a good thought provoking one!)…
on “Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of the 21st Century (So Far)” ↗…actual messiness that comes when dealing with others very unlike yourself, which given the rest of the stories, feels like it undercuts the entire point of them. The Tchaikovsky novella I really like is Elder Race. Technology-as-magic is done in so many places (Ventus is another favourite), and I usually enjoy it, but I felt that in Elder Race it was pulled off in an unusually elegant way.
on “Sins of the Children (Adrian Tchaikovsky)” ↗…which begins with "The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet". I'd argue Andy Weir's "Project Hail Mary" is hopeful sci-fi, and the movie adaptation was great. You could perhaps put Adrian Tchaikovsky's "Elder Race" and "Service Model" in there too, since both are pretty hopeful in overall outlook. And if you broaden to include fantasy, Travis Baldree's "Legend and Lattes" series is very much in the same vein as…
on “Writing a better reality: The case for optimistic sci-fi (2022)” ↗…Architecture” series is lots of fun. I also highly recommend the two “Bioforms” books. For standalone novels, I liked “Alien Clay” and “Doors of Eden” the most. For novellas, “Walking to Aldebaran” and “Elder Race”. Thank you for recommending “Implied Spaces” as well. Walter Jon Williams seems like a new author for me to follow.
on “Accelerando (2005)” ↗…https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48991704-pushing-ice - Eversion https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60097716-eversion Of Adrian Tchaikovsky: - Shroud https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230237860-shroud - Elder Race https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56815367-elder-race - Alien Clay https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199851460-alien-clay - Going through The Final Architecture now https://www.goodreads.com/series/305076-the-final-architectu...…
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗The only thing I've read of him is Elder Race, which was meh. I'll try Children of Time.
on “Newly discovered spider builds spring loaded snare to catch ants” ↗