The Air War cover art

The Air War

Shadows of the Apt, Book 8

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

About this listen

 An empress demands her birthright . . .


The Air War is the eighth book in the critically acclaimed epic fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

All is in turmoil as the world moves towards war. In Solarno, spies eye one another and ready their knives – while the people of Myna watch troops gather at its borders. Emotions run high as old fears reawaken. And in Collegium students argue politics, too late to turn the tide.

At the heart of the Empire, new pilots complete their secretive training, generals are recalled to service and armies are readied to march. Their Empress, heir to two worlds, intends to claim her birthright. For nothing – either within the Empire or beyond it – will stand in her way.

The Air War is followed by the ninth book in the Shadows of the Apt series, War Master’s Gate.

The entire series is narrated by Ben Allen (Alien Clay). Listeners love the series in audio:

‘Fantastic narration that really got you to imagine this amazing world’

‘You get consumed into the world and its characters’

‘The characters are distinct with masterful accents’

‘The narration and sound design is jaw-dropping’

‘Ben Allen's narration was frankly phenomenal all the way through’

 Action & Adventure Animals Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Genre Fiction Fiction War Air War

Critic reviews

Brimming with imagination
The Shadows of the Apt series is simply one of the best epic fantasy series out there
Super world-building, great characters and extreme inventiveness
Epic fantasy at its best. Gripping, original and multi-layered storytelling from a writer bursting with lots of fascinating ideas
Full of sparking, speculative innovation (Stephen Baxter, author of the Xeelee Sequence, on The Doors of Eden)
Breathtaking scope and vision. Adrian Tchaikovsky is one of our finest writers (Gareth L. Powell, author of Embers of War, on Children of Ruin)
A joy from start to finish. Entertaining, smart, surprising and unexpectedly human (Patrick Ness, author of The Knife of Never Letting Go, on Children of Time)
All stars
Most relevant
Has definite WW2 feel to it. Also the internal machinations of the Imperial Court are riveting and definitely the best part of the series. The same peerless narration and sound design round off an audiobook masterclass. Loved it!

The best so far in my opinion.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have loved everything Adrian Tchaikovsky has published. I'd have his babies, if it were possible.

Excellent, as always

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book makes the entire series worthwhile. The foundation laid by all before makes for a true masterpiece of story telling. Loved this book

Best one so far

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Probably been the better book this half of the story. As usual narration is a 10/10.

One of the better ones

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Absolutely gripping air battles, specifically the last few chapters are awesome. Will have to read the last two now 🙄

Best story so far

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews