Lives of Bitter Rain by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Author : Adrian Tchaikovsky

Book : Lives of Bitter Rain

/Fantasy/

/The Tyrant Philosophers Book 2.5/

Publication date : October 14, 2025

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Blurb:

LIVES OF BITTER RAIN is a novella in Adrian Tchaikovsky's award-winning Tyrant Philosopher series. It is a prequel to the third novel in the sequence, DAYS OF SHATTERED FAITH.

City-by-city, kingdom-by-kingdom, the Palleseen have sworn to bring 'Perfection' and 'Correctness' to an imperfect world. But before these ruthless Tyrant Philosophers send in their legions, they despatch Outreach - the rain before the storm.

Outreach is that part of the Pal machine responsible for diplomacy - converting enemies into friends, achieving through words what an army of five thousand could not, for urging the oppressed to overthrow the bloody-handed priests, evil necromancers and greedy despots that subjugate them.

Angilly, twelve-years-old, a child of Pal soldiers stationed in occupied Jarokir, does not know it yet, but a sequence of accidents and questionable life choices will lead her to Outreach. As she travels from Jarrokir to Bracinta, Cazarkand, Lemas, The Holy Regalate of Stouk and finally, Usmai, she'll learn that the price of her nation's success is paid in compromise and lost chances, that the falling rain will always be bitter.

My thoughts:

Lives of Bitter Rain is a splendid addition to the world of The Tyrant Philosophers series.

Adrian Tchaikovsky's prose has such a distinctive flavour that made me fall in love with all of his work, and this story is no exception. Classy, yet you have no problem understanding everything, or making you feel like you have to work for it to get the hang of it. The political aspect of it was intricate and interesting, with bits and pieces that engaged the mind more and more throughout the story.

I really love that we got to witness Angilly's journey through time - what she was before and the person she is today, with everything that shaped her character.

Her transformation felt so natural every step of the way that it's effortless to connect with her character while reading.

I was pleasantly surprised with a twist and shift of power that even I didn't see coming, and I'm a tough audience when it comes to such things😂🙈

No wonder Tchaikovsky is one of my Insta Buy authors, and from the looks of it, it'll remain this way because Lives of Bitter Rain not only didn't disappoint, but it's another masterful work under his belt, and I loved going back to this world.