issue 27 // volume 43

arts // no. 9

Finely designed worldbuilding and
shapeshifting

> ‘The Tiger and the Wolf’ book review

Caroline Ho
Arts Editor

keke

I The Tiger and the Wolf, fantasy
and sci-fi author Adrian Tchaikovsky
steps into a fantastic prehistoric

world steeped in the perfect blend

 

of magic, mythos, and humanity.

The Tiger and the Wolf, published in
February 2016, is the first in the ongoing
Echoes of the Fall series. In this world,
humans live in clans affiliated with certain
animals and everyone has the power to
Step—to shapeshift into the form of their
people’s animal. Our protagonist Maniye,
as the title suggests, is the daughter of
a Wolf chieftain and the queen of the
Tiger, and although she can Step into both
forms, she belongs with neither people.
Before you think this is a simple story of
an outcast girl caught between her two
heritages, I promise you, it’s so much
more. The plot involves forging political
alliances, negotiating between familial
ties, and navigating one’s own path
through this brilliantly-crafted world.

In fact, this novel’s strongest aspect
is its world—more specifically the
shapeshifting magic and the mythology
behind it all. It’s hard to present
shapeshifting in a way that doesn't feel
either overdone or overpowered, but
Tchaikovsky deftly weaves the ability into
the different cultures. Part of the reason it
works is because the setting is so suited to

it: The world roughly parallels Earth’s early
Iron Age based on the level of technology
and the size of human settlements,

and humanity’s close bond with nature
integrates seamlessly into this period.
Every aspect of the shapeshifting—

from how people learn to master their
powers to how they deal with clothing
when they Step—is well thought-out.

The Tiger and the Wolf also succeeds
at building different cultures around
different animals in a convincing, nuanced
manner, rather than homogenizing each
people. All of the characters are clearly
shaped by their upbringings in their
respective clans, but these societies are far
from two-dimensional personifications
of their animals. For example, the Wolves
are fierce fighters who live in hierarchical
village tribes, and most people of the
Bear are temperamentally aloof and
physically huge, but these traits inform
the characters without defining them. It
feels like the characters themselves are
the ones to reinforce stereotypes between
different peoples, rather than the author
forcing them into simplistic moulds.

The novel’s world also meshes
beautifully with the mythology. Every
group of people has its own patron god:
The Wolf, Tiger, Old Crocodile, Serpent,
and many more. Maniye, torn between
her two bloodlines, is forced to do some
serious soul-searching relating to these
deities, and through her the reader
is introduced to the truly epic scope
of this world’s prehistoric aspects.

I did find a couple of problems with
this book. A few points in the story did

feel a bit deus ex machina,
with characters being
saved at the last minute
by coincidences that are a
little too convenient and
predictable. However,
the plot still contained
enough twists to keep
me more than engaged.
The characters come
across as a bit lacking,
and although none of
the important characters
are intolerably bland,
none of them really feel
as completely developed
and sympathetic as

I'd like. Still, the rich
world surrounding

the characters more
than makes up for

these deficiencies.

I can't help but
compare this novel to
Tchaikovsky’s 10-book
epic Shadows of the
Apt, which is one of my
absolute favourite series
of all time. Shadows of the
Apt features humans with insect aspects,
and the series has some of the most
impressive, immersive worldbuilding and
mythos I’ve ever encountered, melding
together magic, military fantasy, and
steampunk technology. The world of
Echoes of the Fall is so far considerably
shallower than Shadows of the Apt,
and I have to admit my heart belongs
to the author’s first series (which,

The optimism of ‘Star Trek’

> A franchise propelled by hope for humans

Greg Waldock
Staff Writer

 

hings were hard in the Cold War,

especially during the late 1960s. The
threat of human extinction was, for the
first time ever, a very real possibility.
Americans were suddenly forced to
confront the racism in their legal system
and overhaul centuries-old social
structures. A president had been shot in
the past few years, along with most of his
family. The environment was beginning
to show signs of mass degradation.

In the midst of all this bleakness,
people were finding hope in what
science had revealed. This became the
focus of one of the most influential
TV shows of all time, and arguably the
beginning of nerd culture: Star Trek.

The premise of the show is that,
in the future, the human race has shed
the need for war, money, or social
hierarchy, and humanity has become a
peaceful and progressive society devoted
to science and exploration. Almost all
countries unite under the Federation,
which has tasked crews with exploring
space. The goal of Captain James Kirk
and his spaceship’s crew is to find new,
advanced civilizations and share art

and technology for the betterment of
all. This show’s concept was unexpected
and lighthearted at a time when humans
were, in the real world, threatening

each other with nuclear holocaust.

The real optimism shines through
most in the cast. When it first began, Star
Trek featured one of the most diverse
casts of actors in any television show,
and it repeatedly pushed the boundaries
of what was acceptable for the time.
Nichelle Nichols played Uhara, one
of the first recurring black characters
on a major network. They even had a

 

prominent Russian character at a time
when the Cuban Missile Crisis was
still recent memory. One of the most
famous examples of the commitment to
portraying a truly post-racial society was
having Kirk and Uhara kiss, the first-ever
interracial kiss on camera. The studio
was so reluctant to actually depict a real
kiss that William Shatner and Nichols
intentionally ruined every take other than
the legitimate one, forcing them to air it.
The idea of human society eventually
overcoming the bad parts of its nature,
like racism and war, wasn’t new to science

 

ADRIAN

TCHAIKOVSKY

Photo via Amazon.ca

I must emphasize, is amazing).
Having read both, it’s impressive
that Tchaikovsky has managed to
build another complex, cohesive
world around this same concept of
humans with animal characteristics.
The Bear and the Serpent, book
two of Echoes of the Fall, came out
earlier this year. I haven't had a
chance to pick it up yet, but I have full
faith that it is just as enthralling.

Screenshot from Star Trek

fiction, but it was new to a television
audience. Star Trek wasn't just advocating
for a humanity that could cure diseases
and explore the universe through science
and technology, it was saying that,
through science and technology, we can
grow past the hate and tribalism and make
something better. When the Civil Rights
Movement and peace protests around the
world were broadcast on television and
the radio for everyone to be inspired by,

it was a pretty hard idea to argue with.