Adrian Tchaikovsky

detailed ‘heavy’ sci-fi at its finest

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

December 30, 2022 by wicherwill Leave a Comment

This is definitely another off the long White Whale list, as I think I’ve checked it out from the library a number of times before finally cracking it open this time around. Best “you’d like this if you liked” that I can give is likely Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. What an excellent, well thought out sci-fi novel—entirely standalone, if you want to, but with additional installments afterwards that expand on the themes here. The concept at the heart is directed evolution, and how it […]

“What a clever, doomed money I am.”

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

November 12, 2022 by Nart Leave a Comment

Do you remember Starship Troopers? That perfect 1997 classic about a militaristic future where earth has encountered an alien species so foreign that war is the only viable path forward? And did you, like me, wish you got to learn more about the bugs? This is that book. It’s like Star Trek: Deep Space 9 on whatever is more intense than steroids. This is Asimov Foundation series on super alien steroids. I *need* you to read it, and then I *need* you to come back […]

Turning planets into origami

Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky

August 22, 2022 by Malin 8 Comments

CBR14 Bingo: Cold (the majority of this novel is set in spaaace, which is famously very cold) It would also work for Star and Series. Official book description: Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade his mind in the war. And one of humanity’s heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers. Eighty years ago, Earth was destroyed by an alien enemy. Many escaped, but millions more died. So mankind created enhanced humans such as Idris – […]

“I should just follow you clowns around…Find all the trouble in the galaxy that way…”

Eyes of the Void by Adrian Tchaikovsky

May 2, 2022 by Emmalita 2 Comments

Things are not going well when the second book in The Final Architecture series, Eyes of the Void, opens. In Shards of Earth, we learned the Architects were themselves slaves, forced to destroy worlds. But the contact Idris Telemer made with the Architect isn’t stopping the destruction of planets and ships. Idris is with the Partheni, trying to find a strain of the clones that can be made into Intermediaries without the coercion and the high death rate in the Hugh (Council of Humans) program. […]

Who’s the real barbearian? (see what I did there?)

Bear Head by Adrian Tchaikovsky

March 31, 2022 by Caesar's Wife 1 Comment

Bear Head is an award winning science fiction novel about a settlement on Mars, a Martian junkie, a despicable politician, and an admirable Bear. Most of the novel is told through they eyes of Jimmy Martin, the aforementioned junkie. Jimmy (Jimbles, Jimbo) is a human who travelled to Mars to help build a settlement for the future. His body and mind have been adapted so that he can survive the harsh environment, and he spends his days completing menial labor while popping ‘stringer’ to keep […]

Great SF/F in the Tradition of LeGuin

Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky

January 17, 2022 by GentleRain 4 Comments

This was such a satisfying read! It was a perfect blend of fantasy and sci-fi, and packed a lot of plot into a relatively short book. This reminded me what reading a good book could be like and why I do love to read after struggling through my last pick. The book (which I think is being sold as a novella, but it’s 198 pages, so a long novella) uses alternating viewpoint chapters to good effect. Lynesse Fourth Daughter is a princess in a medieval […]

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