Order of Book Series
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Shadows of the Apt Books in Order

Adrian Tchaikovsky has written 11 Shadows of the Apt books, published between 2008 and 2014. The first book is Empire in Black and Gold (2008) and the newest is Seal of the Worm (2014). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
11
Published
2008–2014
Confirmed
10 of 11 titles
Pages on record
2,718 in 5 of 11 books
See all 11 books in order Printable Shadows of the Apt checklist

Shadows of the Apt names a run of 11 epic fantasy books by Adrian Tchaikovsky, published from 2008 to 2014. Empire in Black and Gold (2008) opens the list, and Seal of the Worm (2014) is the newest title. Subjects include imaginary wars and battles, magic, insects, espionage, railroads, and good and evil, and the Wasp Empire is also listed. Blood of the Mantis, Dragonfly Falling, Salute the Dark and The Scarab Path are among the titles. The run is likely complete.

How many Shadows of the Apt books are there?

Shadows of the Apt has 11 books, released between 2008 and 2014.

Shadows of the Apt Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 11 Shadows of the Apt books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky, book 1 of the Shadows of the Apt series (2008)
  2. Cover of Dragonfly Falling by Adrian Tchaikovsky, book 2 of the Shadows of the Apt series (2009)
  3. Cover of Blood of the Mantis by Adrian Tchaikovsky, book 3 of the Shadows of the Apt series (2009)
  4. Cover of Salute the Dark by Adrian Tchaikovsky, book 4 of the Shadows of the Apt series (2010)
  5. Cover of The Scarab Path by Adrian Tchaikovsky, book 5 of the Shadows of the Apt series (2010)
  6. Cover of The Sea Watch by Adrian Tchaikovsky, book 6 of the Shadows of the Apt series (2011)
  7. Cover of Heirs of the Blade by Adrian Tchaikovsky, book 7 of the Shadows of the Apt series (2011)
  8. Cover of The Air War by Adrian Tchaikovsky, book 8 of the Shadows of the Apt series (2012)
  9. Cover of War Master's Gate by Adrian Tchaikovsky, book 10 of the Shadows of the Apt series (2013)
  10. Cover of Seal of the Worm by Adrian Tchaikovsky, book 11 of the Shadows of the Apt series (2014)
  1. 1
    Empire in Black and GoldShadows of the Apt #12008 · confirmed 3/4
    2008–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Dragonfly FallingShadows of the Apt #22009 · 673 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2009673
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Blood of the MantisShadows of the Apt #32009 · confirmed 3/4
    2009–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Salute the DarkShadows of the Apt #42010 · 325 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2010325
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    The Scarab PathShadows of the Apt #52010 · 505 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2010505
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The Sea WatchShadows of the Apt #62011 · confirmed 3/4
    2011–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Heirs of the BladeShadows of the Apt #72011 · confirmed 3/4
    2011–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    The Air WarShadows of the Apt #82012 · confirmed 3/4
    2012–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Heart of the GreenShadows of the Apt #92012 · confirmed 2/4
    2012–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    War Master's GateShadows of the Apt #102013 · 715 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2013715
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Seal of the WormShadows of the Apt #112014 · 500 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2014500
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Do you have to read Shadows of the Apt books in order?

You should read the Shadows of the Apt books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Shadows of the Apt book also stands alone.

Where to start with Shadows of the Apt

Start with Empire in Black and Gold (2008), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Shadows of the Apt book?

Seal of the Worm (2014) is the newest Shadows of the Apt book released so far.

Is there a new Shadows of the Apt book coming?

No next Shadows of the Apt book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Shadows of the Apt at a glance

No recent titles
The newest Shadows of the Apt title on record dates from 2014, 12 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
Shadows of the Apt books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
2,718 pages across the 5 of 11 books with a recorded length, a median of 505 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Shadows of the Apt books, 8 of 11, were published in the 2010s.

What the Shadows of the Apt books are about

10 of the 11 Shadows of the Apt books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: fantasy is tagged on 10 of 10. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

More books by Adrian Tchaikovsky

The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.