Of Mantids and Dragonflies

There is a wonderful fantasy series called Shadows of the Apt (by Adrian Tchaikovsky), currently at book seven of twelve or something. I found out about it from Lou Anders of the genre powerhouse Pyr Books.

It's set in a world where insects (and arachnids and creepy crawlies in general) and humans share kin-bonds. So you're not just human, you're Spider-kinden and can climb walls or you're Fly-kinden and you can, well, fly.

Different people within a kinden have different powers: some Beetles can fly, ponderously. Some can see in the dark. Some Spiders can use their "Art", as these varied powers are known, to control people's minds. It makes for a rich and powerful fantasy landscape. It helps that Tchaikovsky is one of the few writers who can make me shriek with rage at his fight scenes because I DIDN'T WRITE THEM.

I'm not going to get into the series plot or anything--go buy the books, they're all great so far--but I was musing about my last post training and something trickled into my consciousness that pops up every once in a while. It happens I'm reading the latest Shadows book and that world illustrates it (cough) aptly.

The premier fighting race of the world is the Mantids--Praying Mantis-kinden. A close second would be the Dragonflies. They both fight with blade and claw and spines, with bows and hands and steel.

In the classical fantasy world, these are the "elven" warriors: fast, graceful and deadly. They eschew technology and hold much to codes of honor and personal glory. Mantids in particular desire only to kill their enemies and die a good death in battle.

On the other hand, there are the Beetles. Slow, plodding, common, they have risen from enslavement to the older races to run huge swathes of the world. They are industrious, technological, commercial. They have built up the world with steam-punk like tech to the point of making firearms and tanks. It is their way of war that is being used by another race to take over the world. They are the future, inexorable and pitiless.

But everyone--everyone--is still terrified of the Mantids. Of their grace, their skill, their diamond-hard will and discipline.

I would wish with all my heart to be a Mantis.

I'm a Beetle.

I can take up a rapier and train every day with it, become as skilled and pitiless as any Mantid. I can exhibit the same discipline, the same code of honor.

But I'm always going to be a Beetle. I'm always going to plod, when I want to soar.

I'm good at what I love. But I'm never ever going to be as good as I want to be.

And don't anyone try to tell me that's not hard on the soul.