Stop me if you've heard this synopsis before: a young and neglected princess seeks the approval of her family and dreams of fame by enlisting the help of a mythical wizard to vanquish evil from their land.

And then you enter chapter two and realize that Tchaikovsky has put a fun twist on this common tale.

...now I'm on a fucking quest with a couple of women who don't understand things like germs or fusion power or anthropological theories of value.

I had no idea what to expect going into Elder Race. I have to give credit to the posters on r/fantasy who recommended it as one of their best reads of the year. This is a short (200 pages) story that took a trope and made it highly engaging and enjoyable.

I am unfamiliar with Tchaikovsky's work and found this a great way to take notice of his talents as an author. Other reviews on Goodreads reference other authors or novels, most of which I haven't read, so I can't comment on how similar it is to Book A or like Author B.

It's not as though the whole business of depression is a zero-sum game, after all. But for now I can function again, and bleed-over should be minimal.

After coming off The Lost Metal by Sanderson and commenting on the surprising amount of emotional trauma and depression there is another portion served up in Elder Race for good measure.

The book was short and while it would have been enjoyable if the length was doubled, this was a quick hit that didn't deviate from the plot. The characters (both in the POV chapters and supporting) were mysterious with just enough insight to understand their experiences and motives.