Adrian Tchaikovsky

2 universes Last reviewed 2026-08-30

Adrian Tchaikovsky is a British author born in June 1972 in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, of Polish descent. He studied zoology and psychology at the University of Reading before qualifying as a legal executive, working in the Commercial Dispute Department at Blacks Solicitors in Leeds until late 2018, when he transitioned to full-time writing after fifteen years of rejection before his first publication in 2008. He is best known for the ten-novel Shadows of the Apt series (2008-2014) and for Children of Time, the first book of a trilogy, which won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2016; the series continued with Children of Ruin and Children of Memory. Other notable works include The Final Architecture series (2021-2023) and the Echoes of the Fall sequence. He won the British Fantasy Award in 2017 for The Tiger and the Wolf and the BSFA Award for Best Novel in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023, and his work won the Hugo Award for Best Series in 2023, which he declined.

Universe(s)

Books

• Empire in Black and Gold (2008) · Shadows of the Apt Core Canon
• Blood of the Mantis (2009) · Shadows of the Apt Core Canon
• Dragonfly Falling (2009) · Shadows of the Apt Core Canon
• Salute the Dark (2010) · Shadows of the Apt Core Canon
• The Scarab Path (2010) · Shadows of the Apt Core Canon
• Heirs of the Blade (2011) · Shadows of the Apt Core Canon
• The Sea Watch (2011) · Shadows of the Apt Core Canon
• The Air War (2012) · Shadows of the Apt Core Canon
• War Master's Gate (2013) · Shadows of the Apt Core Canon
• Seal of the Worm (2014) · Shadows of the Apt Core Canon
• City of Last Chances (2022) · The Tyrant Philosophers Core Canon
• House of Open Wounds (2023) · The Tyrant Philosophers Core Canon
• Days of Shattered Faith (2024) · The Tyrant Philosophers Core Canon
• Lives of Bitter Rain (2025) · The Tyrant Philosophers Expanded Canon
• Pretenders to the Throne of God (2026) · The Tyrant Philosophers Core Canon

Aggregate across all universes

These are separate, unrelated universes; the totals below are plain sums of already-published per-universe facts, never a blended or averaged score across them. See each universe's own figures above.

• Total Core Canon books across all universes: 14 books
• Award recognitions across all universes: 1 (1 won)

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