Adrian Tchaikovsky is the prolific author behind the long-running, epic fantasy series, Shadows of the Apt. The Air War is his eighth novel, publishing this month, featuring his imaginative and original insect Kinden. We caught up with him to ask him a few questions about how he goes about writing such an intricate storyline, and you can also get a free extract of The Air War here.

The Air War is the eighth novel in your Shadows of the Apt series—how do you keep all the plot lines straight in your head?

Although part of an ongoing series, I work hard to make sure that each book has its own discrete plot, including an end where at least some things are resolved, even though wider issues of the series arc continue. I think breaking down the overall development like this makes keeping track of things considerably easier. I also do quite a lot of structural planning before I write, so that I have a good idea of where each book should leave me. Not that it always works out as planned, of course.

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