The Scarab Path cover art

The Scarab Path

Shadows of the Apt, Book 5

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The Scarab Path

By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
Narrated by: Ben Allen
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About this listen

Ancient powers are waking . . .

The Scarab Path is the fifth book in the critically acclaimed epic fantasy series Shadows of the Apt by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

The war with the Wasp Empire has ended in a bitter stalemate, and Collegium has nothing to show for it but wounded veterans. Cheerwell Maker finds herself broken in ways no doctor can mend, haunted by ghosts of the past. Meanwhile, the powerful Wasp Empress is regaining control over those imperial cities that refused to bow to her. But she draws her power from something more sinister than armies and war machines.

Only her consort, the former spymaster Thalric, knows the truth. As assassins seek to end him, he finds his life and his loyalties under threat once again. And in an ancient city beyond the desert, a terrible secret stirs beneath its stones.

The Scarab Path is followed by the sixth book in the Shadows of the Apt series, The Sea Watch.

©2020 Adrian Tchaikovsky (P)2020 Macmillan Publishers International Limited Action & Adventure Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Haunted War

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Critic reviews

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 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  
I loved the twists and turns of the main characters, not knowing whether they would live or die.

Thrilling adventure

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Loved the battles which have now become a signature of this author, tofo reminds me of a dreadnought from warhammer in his armer…next book down loaded and ready for me for jump straight back in! The narrator is banging…

Smashed it yet again

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This is the slowest start so far to the series. It gathers pace and I feel like this book is setting us up for something much bigger later in the series but it almost feels like a standalone story. that said there is character development here that will have an impact later on, I'm sure

It's the first in the series which is focused on one region rather than to various parts of the world. Maybe that's making it a different read. Don't get me wrong, I still want to read the rest. This series is definitely not a chore.

Ben Allen is still delivering great narration. You get to the point where you know who is speaking without being told, every character is unique.

Slow start, but speeds up

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A great addition to the series and highly recommended. Great story and great storytelling. The familiar characters in a new location with plenty of interesting world building.

Solid book in the series!

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Ben Allen as usual smashes it out the park with his narration.

As for the story. I never liked cheerwell the first 4 books, but I have grown to like her now after having a book mostly on her perspective.

Looking forward to the next one.

Great start to the second part of the apt series

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I didn’t even like Che at the start of this book and was concerned that I’d hate it since it was to focus on her. Instead I was gripped from beginning to end.
A cracking read!

Relentlessly exciting

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The narration in this series is excellent, the voices of various characters have a regional twang which reflects their origin in the book. This adds a depth to the narration which I have not heard anywhere else. The pacing of this book is perhaps a little slower than some of the others in the series but other than that it continues to hit all the right notes, well rounded characters, interesting themes and slow unpacking of the mysteries within this universe. 100% recommend to anyone that enjoys high fantasy but with some real depth and not filled with the same old tropes you find elsewhere.

Continues to surprise and develop characters

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Needless to say, Ben Allen is superb again. New accents required in this one. How does he do the female voices?

The story is set after a major resetting of things, and this, at first appears to be a side trip for some of our characters.

Two things are happening at once though. And I suspect this book has big implications in the series.

As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Both the author and the reader are amazing.

A little side trip, but probably profound.

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I’ve enjoyed this book so much. As the protagonist unwraps layers of a new, mysterious city, so too are deeper layers of the characters we love revealed. Superb redemption arches and twisting romances. Epic battle scenes with wondrous new characters. This book had it all.

My favourite in the series so far!

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another great addition to the series. narration was great, the story has really started to evolve and I can't wait for the next one.

a great sequel

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