The variety, speed and quality of Tchaikovsky's output is amazing. I really enjoyed this story of the underdog fighting back in a world where ogres rule. The first half set up the story and the second half of the book explores how and why things change.

No spiders or sentient beings in this one! Just a couple of dogs and a whole lot of "monkeys".

The entire book is in 2nd person which was unexpected but Tchaikovsky pulls it off really well.

Totally unexpected ending. My only complaint is that this could have easily been a full length novel rather than such a short story - I would love to have read more in this story and was sad when it ended.

Ogres dominate the humans they rule. But when one human strikes back, he starts a journey to heroism and rebellion. Onto this basic formula, Tchaikovsky applies his interests in genetics, politics, and politically relevant genetic traits. Most of the novella is in the second person, for a reason.

I did not love this although I appear to be in the minority with this opinion.

I really struggled to connect with the main character and found that I was missing details about the world and characters/races that I needed to fully root me in the story.

It was interesting and I enjoyed it enough to finish, but personally, I feel like this would have benefitted from being a full length novel.

*An excellent novella that packs a lot in its slim 144-page count*

Adrian Tchaikovsky is prolific. In 2021 alone, he published 2 novels and 3 novellas. At this speed, it may be tempting to assume that quality is compromised. Yet the amount of craft and attention to detail displayed in this book is stupefying.

Tchaikovsky evokes a surprisingly large number of themes (tyranny, social injustice, feminism, science ethics, and the morality of unbridled power) in a poignant, lean, and satisfying tale.

There are no superfluous bits here. Everything fits exactly. All stylistic choices I had reservations about (e.g. the second person narration) made perfect sense by the end.

Pound for pound, this was probably the best book I read in 2021.

4.5 stars

The previous two books I read from this author were firmly sci-fi, and then I see this one about...ogres?? Well, ok, I’ll give it a try. When I opened it and saw that it was in the second POV, I dropped my Kindle and yelled “NO!” When I read I visualize the story as a movie in my brain, so second POV is very difficult for me to read. But do you see my rating? That is the power that Tchaikovsky has! The plot was paced very well, and Torquell is a great character to follow. The plot twist that was revealed that shows the truth about the ogres, and also explains how Torquell is the way he is, was very well done (but I expected nothing less from the author). At this point Tchaikovsky could probably write down his grocery list and multiple people, including myself, would read it because he would find someway to add a twist into it 😁

Thank you to NetGalley & Rebellion Publishing for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A world where humans are vegetarians and servants under the rule of the meat eating Ogres, add a robin hood script, then expand it further as a coming of age experience and then start closing it off as a revolutionist. Adrian Tchaikovsky has written a stunner of a book and oh what a splendid plot twist.
Absolutely delightful, one of those books which you'd definitely want to go back again and again.
Recommended read.
Thank you Netaglley for providing me an opportunity to read the book in exchange for my honest feedback..

Ogres explores power and birthright in a world that is all too easy to imagine.

In this book you are Torquell, the son of the headsman of your village and you have lived a relatively easy life. You play pranks and steal from your neighbors in the name of justice. But when you strike the son of the landlord, an Ogre, a Master, you set off a chain of events that leads you to understand that you don't know anything about the world you live in.

This is my first time reading from Adrian Tchaikovsky and I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I definitely wasn’t expecting this gem of a book. In less than 200 pages he manages to craft a world that simultaneously feels like a medieval fairytale and a bleak dystopian future. He gives us magic and science and Robin Hood and forced vegetarianism. And somehow it all works together and creates a compelling story that speaks to the problems of our world today.

This is honestly one of the best things I have ever read. It uses the second person "you" throughout, which surprised me at first. But this unconventional choice brings the reader into the story in a way that is unparalleled. The story is about you, this is your future, our future. I feel as though I have lived the events of this novella. I am Torquell (sorry, not sorry, that is a Spartacus reference and there is some of that in here too). I am a lover of novellas so I recognize how hard it can be to get the pacing right in so little space. Tchaikovsky nails the pacing in Ogres in a way that is incredibly difficult to do in short form fiction. Like a snow ball being pushed down a hill the story accumulates as you read, becoming bigger and bigger and sweeping you along with the narrative until you feel as though you have lost control of where the story is going and are crushed beneath its weight. But by the time you get to the end you are happy to be crushed, that weight feels right.

This is an absolute must read for fans of speculative fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Adrian is a master of the double twist. Opening one of his novellas is a guarantee of a twisty story with one or two shocking surprises. I found it enjoyable and a quick read, with all the excellent world building Adrian is known for. It's not my favorite of his novellas, mostly because it was a tad more predictable than his usual and it felt like the main character took way too long to figure out something that should have been obvious, however perhaps that was the point. I'll let you read it to see what I mean, but suffice it to say, heroes are easily manipulated.

Torquell lives in an apparently idyllic little town where everybody loves him and tolerates his mischief and bandits share their fire and stories with him.
But Torquell also lives in a town where the landlord’s visit means enduring the disdain of someone who knows is above all, because he is an Ogre, and ogres are bigger and stronger… and they rule the world.
I entered Adrian Tchaikovsky’s new world without any particular knowledge of what I was getting myself into, and I think that worked in the books favour, because the first chapters were devoured as the ogres eat their meat (in a couple of bites), and Torquell’s journey started and took me along the ride.
It had its bumps; I am not going to lie. Its structure, clearly separated into different blocks, made me care more for some parts than the other. Some of the secondary characters were forgotten as soon as Torquell moved on. I did, however, enjoy the social and political commentary, and I chuckled more than once and even found myself nodding in agreement with what I was reading. The second-person narration was an amazing choice and helped, as other noted, the sensation that the reader is inside, not only the world, but the whole narrative.
** I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley and the editor in exchange for an honest review **

Ya know, while i didn’t enjoy the format the story was told in, I did really enjoy the story itself. The bits of information you slowly get out of the story that explain what happened to the world, kept you tearing through the book trying to find the last few morsels to complete the missing history. I was delighted with the twist at the end and pleased that the baddies that pissed me off weren't let off with a slap on the wrist. All in all, not my favorite of Adrian Tchaikovsky's works, but definitely a great read and perfect example of his amazing writing.

Ogres, my first novel by the highly rated genre master Adrian Tchaikovsky was a beautiful read, everything I hoped it might be, and much more than I had excepted. In fact I think this short novel verges on the profound, and I really hope a lot of readers make time and thoughtspace for this fast-paced, genre-bending book.

The story, as the book description suggests, is essentially a slave versus master narrative. Told in an almost fairytale style, in the second person (which in this case is no stumbling block, and is in fact essential to the story), we follow ‘you’, Torquell who is the hero and center of this tale, through a very eventful, violent, tragic, and exciting life of rebellion(s), mystery, and many excellent twists and turns.

The main character Torquell is a rebellious sort, hotheaded, and learns many of his lessons the hard way. But he is also, in his own way brilliant and destined to be a leader, if he can survive the harsh and horrible world of The Masters, or ‘the Ogres’ as their slaves call them behind their backs. His journey and development of character leads the narrative through many ups and downs, set pieces and locales, making this novel a real page-turner — I just couldn’t put it down, in fact I finished it at midnight the day after I started reading it, rushing through page after page in doctors receptions, in breaks at work, and well, wherever I could get the chance.

As well as the protagonist, there are many other interesting characters including an Ogre called Isadora, a scientist who is in her own compassion to her ‘monkeys’, Minith who is Isadora’s head scientist, and a few others of note. Some of the other characters are less well explored, but this is because of the storytelling style that Adrian employs, which is both elegant and clean in the telling ( the reason for this style is all explained in a twist at the end of the story).

The world building is excellent in Ogres, and we are introduced slowly to the world through the eyes of Torquell, who is discovering the secrets of the oppressive world and its history at the same speed we are. This leads to some great twists and turns. But alas I cannot discuss these ideas Adrian has embedded into this book without revealing massive spoilers, so we will have to talk after you have read Ogres for yourself (pm me if you would like).

There are obvious themes like slavery, subjugation and dehumanization explored here, and I really felt the emotional journey of watching Torquell’s suffering and being a silent witness to the oppression of his world, his triumphs, and defeats. But there are other themes at play here, such as an examination of the classic ‘hero’s journey', how to nurture a revolution, the value of revenge and when it is the right thing to compromise to protect the people you care for.

Adrian’s writing is confident and sure, and there is some beautiful prose here. It's a short read, too, so don’t hesitate, you’ll be sucked in in no time. To think that he has written so many other books, series and stories really leaves me excited to read more of his work - because Ogres is, maybe, a little bit of a masterpiece.

I want to thank the author, publishing house and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

What a delicious romp through a deeply satirical future. I seriously loved the dark humour in this which made me laugh sardonically more than once.
But this being one of Adrian Tchaikovsky's stories, it's not just a nice story and it doesn't just have great worldbuilding or memorable characters - no, it's fun while also being deeply meaningful, addressing terrible problems we face (or hide from) everyday. And all that in an entertaining way that sweeps you right along. One could say this is a "delicios" read. ;)

Adrian Tchaikovsky is a machine. He writes one excellent book after another, and it's getting difficult to keep up with him.

In Ogres, he delivers a thrilling dark satire told (successfully!) in 2nd person POV. At over six feet tall, Torquell is a giant, bigger than any human around. Compared to Ogres, though, he's punny. Ogres tower over everyone thanks to genetic modification.

I'm not sure if I should tell you anything more about the plot, as the mystery of what is going on is at the heart of the book. Suffice to say, Torquell gets on the wrong side of his Ogre landlord and finds himself on the run. He soon learns who made the ogres, and how did they become lords of all creation.

Ogres is a future dystopia about power imbalance. It shows the far future, generations after attempting to "manage" the human crisis of overpopulation and shortage of resources. There's a twist, of course, and a bitter look at humanity's worst impulses. Nevertheless, Tchaikovsky's sharp social commentary is brutally logical and on point. And rather uncomfortable.

The second-person narration works surprisingly well; readers won't know (or guess) who speaks to Torquell until the last page, and the reveal is well worth it. Such narration choice emphasized the "you are there" effect. I can't guarantee everyone will like it, but I loved it and hope others will, too.

Adrian Tchaikovsky, in my relatively brief exposure, hasn’t yet ceased to amaze me and he keeps up the trend with his latest standalone, Ogres. My heartfelt thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC in return for my unbiased opinion.

Sometime in the future, the world is a peaceful and prosperous place, where the Ogres, officially called the Masters, lord over the world and everything it contains, and the humans exist solely to serve them—as ordained by God. A lot bigger than the humans and possessing the magic of science, Ogres are far superior to the humans; they even can eat all kinds of meat, which is poison to the humans. One fateful day, Torquell, the young son of a village chief, challenges the authority of the Master race—without really meaning to—and instantly becomes a fugitive with painful death hanging over his head. A stroke of luck snatches him from the jaws of death and gives him a life that is better than the best of his dreams. He makes the most of the lifeline and learns many things about himself and the world and how it all came to be the way it is. His knowledge leads him to becoming the Hero who takes the truth to the masses and tries to overturn the world order.

Tchaikovsky, as usual, puts the unwary reader straightaway in the middle of his complex world and leaves them to figure out what is happening. His use of the rare—at least to my knowledge—second person form of storytelling makes the experience entirely immersive. The sharp narrative moves at breakneck speed, uncovering layer after surprising layer of the intricate plot. The twist towards the end was totally unexpected for me and I loved it! The characters are brilliantly etched, with only a few deft descriptions, and the action sequences are vivid. To tell such a splendid story, set in such an intriguing world, with such memorable characters, in such a thin volume—merely a hundred pages—is truly a stunning effort, and I can’t praise Tchaikovsky enough. At the same time, I am furious at him for writing such a tiny book that left me wanting more, a lot more.

Docking a star exclusively for the unsatisfyingly little length—this is the second time I’m doing it, the first instance being “One Day All This Will Be Yours” by the same author—I would rate Ogres 4 out of 5 though it is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year.

With the rate that Adrian Tchaikovsky churns out writing, it's a constant source of amazement that each work reaches the quality that it does. Though I don't think his novellas, such as 'Ogres', attain to the same level, they're always well worth the read. In this short book, Tchaikovsky quickly introduces us to a new world, helps us find our feet in it, and gets us asking questions. The subject here is familiar ground; 'The Expert System's Brother' comes to mind as a recent example of Tchaikovsky's story-telling which follows the same path as the main character discovers the world is not as they thought it was, and technology and science has been abused. There's a lot of intereting ideas here, all filtered through a second person narrative which could do with giving us more insight into its narrator. As with other novellas of Tchaikovsky's, the ending is abrupt, yet the journey there is definitely worth it.

No one world builds better than Adrian Tchikovsky. If you haven't, please stop everything and read Children Of Time!

In this bleak world, Ogres rule all. Through Second Person Narration, we are pulled into a classic tale of the haves versus the have nots. Ogres are the top 1percent of this world and all others must pay a tax to them. We learn quickly what happens to those who choose not to as Torquell, the village leader's son dares to defy the Ogres. As an outcast he races against time to find out more about who they actually are and how they came to rule.

An awesome 144 page science fiction fairy tale on steroids! Recommended!

#NetGalley #RebellionBooks #solaris #Ogres #Tchaikovsky

Ogres by Adrian Tchaikovsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

And all of a sudden, we've got ourselves a political treatise, a medieval fairy tale, and a Red Rising hardcore high-tech revolution all rolled into one tiny novella.

Can you say Adrian Tchaikovsky?

I thought it was funny as hell right at the very beginning that our main character would be named Tocqueville, as in comte de Tocqueville, the French Aristo that argued for the decent treatment of the lower end of the class struggle, who was so essential to the formation of the United States of America.

And I found it equally hilarious how we jumped right from Robin Hood to education to revolution and a great little twist at the end. Class warfare, you know? And it's almost as if we're channeling a little taste of Attack on Titan, too, with a pretty fantastic turn of the knife on vegetarianism.

Delicious. Yum Yum. :)

I’ve been wanting to read something from Tchaikovsky for some years now. I had seen him at a festival in Spain years ago and he caught my attention. I’ve also read lots of reviews of his books that made me want to pick them up, I even have one on my shelf waiting for the right time. Still I feel like I had no idea what I was getting into with his work. I was pleaseantly surprise by the level of social criticism, analysis, twists on folklore and science that translates into a superb mix of genres.

But above all, I was not ready for the second person POV, the way he analyzes the archetypal protagonist through our own conceptions of the normal. Also the incredible, incredible ending.

Even if you feel that the beginning is a bit slow, as it’s a really short story, I reccomend that you try to continue. What Tchaikovsky builds is worth it.

Everything I can say is little and at the same time a lot because it is better that you approach it knowing as few as possible.

If you want something to comment for hours with your friends, this is it.

I tend to avoid novellas. I like books that are sincere and serious, taking the time to delve deeply into characters and situations. It's frustrating to spend time getting to know a character, just to have the story end. Depending on the author though, I'll make exceptions. In this case, well worth it. This is told in 2nd person, which is always kind of odd, but it's only distracting at first. In the beginning, it's very obvious where the story is heading, but thankfully the story becomes more original and less dreadful after that. The premise is very interesting, the characters well developed and likeable, and the ending well done. Highly recommend!

OGRES is an interesting story and reminded me in some ways of Tchaikovsky’s previous novella, Elder Race. Its most distinct and notable feature is probably the second person POV. It’s executed well here.

It’s an expected book in times of CRISPR. This book asks many of the big ethical questions regarding the future of genetic modification, mainly The Big Question: what’s the limit? When we finally have the tools and means to modify and improve ourselves, where do improvements stop, and complete alterations begin? Will we ever be able to say “…and we’re done”, or just keep trying to create a “better” human?

It’s not a particularly new question, and it will get asked even more in the coming decades. For that ethical aspect alone, this is well worth reading. But another part of this novella I really liked is the similarity with Elder Race I was talking about earlier. Just like in that story, Ogres has a sort of “two perspectives” thing going on, with pseudo-medieval people living in ignorance of their futuristic dystopian overlords. It’s a trope (fantasy from one perspective vs sci-fi from the other perspective) I’ll never get tired of.

Apart from that, it’s a classic tale of starting a revolution, rebelling against your oppression, and how revolutions can snowball into something that changes society.

It’s no Elder Race (easily one of my favourite of Tchaikovsky’s novellas), but it’s a fun and thought-provoking story that juggles quite a few topics and unconventional structural choices in a well-balanced way. Recommended!