The Air War Audiobook By Adrian Tchaikovsky cover art

The Air War

Shadows of the Apt, Book 8

Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The Air War

By: Adrian Tchaikovsky
Narrated by: Ben Allen
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.56

Buy for $20.56

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

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.

©2021 Adrian Tchaikovsky (P)2021 Macmillan Publishers International Ltd
Action & Adventure Contemporary Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Paranormal & Urban Fiction War Air War

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 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  
it's worth it, every book is worth it. I don't know how the author pulled this off with 10 books and apparently this isn't even his best selling series? so if this is one of the best I've read, what are his other books like? I shall have to find out

Wow. I just can't get enough of this series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

keep em coming Tchaikovsky these books are brilliant! plot and character are so well done.

love this series!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

He claims that these earlier works could have been better if he'd written them today, and maybe that's true, but only in the way that any great author gets better with time. A league above most, and as good as a Brandon Sanderson series.

Everything Adrian Tchaikovsky writes is brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Superb, engrossing, beautiful coherent, cohesive, and the whole series has not been a disappointment. I hope book 10 is just as good..

Fantastic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Other books in the series I have nothing bad to say certainly it was a fantastic read, and for me personally being a helicopter pilot with a long career I could certainly identify a lot with some of the characters I recommend this series wholeheartedly.

Fantastic

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Great story great character development The plot was very interesting with twist and turns galore

Riveting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The thunderous awe of the first four books is back in force here. Some of the other books up until now felt slower or less consequential, but definitely not this one.

Gone Hot

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

the last book was an annoying character advancement, this book moves the plot again. action packed.

back in business

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

One of the best of the series, but they are all very good. Narration also as always well read by Ben Allen.

Tchaikovsky’s Shadows of the Apt, book 8

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Just fight scene after fight scene. Dragged on far too long with little character development. Really enjoy the series but this one was horrible.

This felt like a filler book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews