I enjoyed it and i think the level of creativity is really high, i must say he could maybe have descirbed the characters and landscapes etc. a little bit more, because I struggeled to form a clear picture of the area and such details in my head. This does leave quite a lot of room for your imagination to roam free, but i couldn't help wonder how free you want your imagination to roam while you are reading the work and thoughts of someone else?? Would that not be defeating the point of the book is I was able to create a complete different character bearing no similarity to that of the inttended image the writer might have thought of? Keeping this in mind i still really enjoyed the book, it was writen in i manner that is easy to follow but not easy to fall asleep to and as it turns out the plot is quite intricate... I hope I know a good book when I see one...;)) Empire in Black and Gold is the beginning of what promises to be an epic saga. Adrian has created his own world that is so full and complete there is no doubt that he spent some considerable time on its development. This is apparent through his writing and the characters that appear, especially when we learn about their background and the history of the land. My favourite feature has to be the fact that the people of the world are beholden to special talents and powers, each one based upon a particular insect - pure genius. He has taken certain aspects of these creatures and moulded the characters around them using the abilities you'd expect, eg. Mantis warriors that fight with great skill and deftness, and Ant soldiers who fight and move as a unit with one mind. You can imagine the possibilities using such a system and in book one we are introduced to a great many races, some of my favourites being the magnificent dragonfly; the crafty, intellectual spider; and the mysterious, magical moth-kinden. He also mentions a few others which I would love to see in the future books.The story itself opens with the retelling of an old battle, introducing us to some of the main characters who are fighting against the ever advancing wasp-kinden empire. It then takes you to present time where an ageing beetle-kinden scholar is trying to warn others of the coming black and gold tide at the same time as preparing his students for a war that he believes is inevitable.There is some lovely descriptive writing that paints a colourful picture of the author's world and yet isn't too intense or mundane. The characters are rich and full, with plenty of history and a nice amount of development written into the parts that they play. I enjoyed the realism and struggle attached to each one and the relationship building was excellent, including some well devised hostilities between races.All in all this is a solid grounding for what I am hoping is going to be a very good tale with so many prospects that the pickings will be rich indeed. If you like your epic fantasy then you'll really enjoy this one.
What do You think about Empire In Black And Gold (2008)?
Great opening story, rich and well-developed world. Excited to read the rest of the trilogy.
—candi
very interesting setting, but the writing sometimes is a little sloppy. it's actually a 3.75
—dazzlingangel200
