Scan barcode
cherylg123's review against another edition
I just couldn't get into this - too many different species, too many different characters, no clarity as to how they all fit together, no indication of a plot that might hold my interest.
peterkeep's review against another edition
4.0
I got to read this ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, and I'm glad I got the opportunity.
I had read one book by Tchaikovsky previously (Guns of the Dawn) and really liked it. I knew he had a lot of fantasy and scifi books, but had never really dipped my toes into what he's written.
I also was looking for a new space opera series, since The Expanse is coming to a close.
And so here's this book.
It starts off a little heavy with some unexplained action and lots of terms and factions, but then we get brought along in the story of Idres and Solace and life after the war with the Architects, and things start to fall into place. And then things start to really connect, the more we learn about the history of our lead characters and the Architects. I still sometimes had to really stop and think through all of the different factions (I didn't realize there was a glossary in the back until I had finished, oops) and there are a lot of characters and places to remember, but the central story is clear and it wasn't hard to keep a finger on the pulse of what was happening. I tossed back and forth on whether I liked the "locations as acts" structure of the book, but overall I think I landed on liking that. There were succinct story lines that wrapped up our adventure at each location, and I ended up really enjoying the buildup to visiting each location: the alien-ness of the environment, the local politics, and the characters we're going to meet...it all was really well done.
I think that's the story of this book. It's a bit tropey, but really well done. And it has enough that's unique about it to stand out. The alien races and such are expertly created and introduced. The factions are interesting and diverse. Even the idea of unspace and FTL travel is thoughtful in it's execution.
All in all, this will certainly be a good series to keep an eye on was my new space opera side-piece when The Expanse wraps to this year. I like having a good scifi series on hand while I mostly read fantasy, just to mix things up a bit. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this trilogy.
I had read one book by Tchaikovsky previously (Guns of the Dawn) and really liked it. I knew he had a lot of fantasy and scifi books, but had never really dipped my toes into what he's written.
I also was looking for a new space opera series, since The Expanse is coming to a close.
And so here's this book.
It starts off a little heavy with some unexplained action and lots of terms and factions, but then we get brought along in the story of Idres and Solace and life after the war with the Architects, and things start to fall into place. And then things start to really connect, the more we learn about the history of our lead characters and the Architects. I still sometimes had to really stop and think through all of the different factions (I didn't realize there was a glossary in the back until I had finished, oops) and there are a lot of characters and places to remember, but the central story is clear and it wasn't hard to keep a finger on the pulse of what was happening. I tossed back and forth on whether I liked the "locations as acts" structure of the book, but overall I think I landed on liking that. There were succinct story lines that wrapped up our adventure at each location, and I ended up really enjoying the buildup to visiting each location: the alien-ness of the environment, the local politics, and the characters we're going to meet...it all was really well done.
I think that's the story of this book. It's a bit tropey, but really well done. And it has enough that's unique about it to stand out. The alien races and such are expertly created and introduced. The factions are interesting and diverse. Even the idea of unspace and FTL travel is thoughtful in it's execution.
All in all, this will certainly be a good series to keep an eye on was my new space opera side-piece when The Expanse wraps to this year. I like having a good scifi series on hand while I mostly read fantasy, just to mix things up a bit. I'm really looking forward to the rest of this trilogy.
n14h8hughes's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
strategineer's review against another edition
5.0
A great space opera by the king of writing alien aliens. It's a fantastic romp where we follow free adventures of a ragtag group of scoundrels doing their best to save the universe.
What could have been just "another one of those" is greatly elevated by the Adrian Tchaikovsky touch.
Check out my more extensive thoughts on the second novel in the series here.
What could have been just "another one of those" is greatly elevated by the Adrian Tchaikovsky touch.
Check out my more extensive thoughts on the second novel in the series here.
qjbrown96's review against another edition
5.0
50 years ago in the future, Aliens attacked humans. Destroying ships and entire planets. The only thing that saved them was Indris, an enhanced elite fighter. Only you don’t know how he did it or how he’s so elite until the story ramps up. Now not only must he fight intergalactic pirates but he and his new crew must save the world again from the Aliens.
What absolutely outstanding book. Adrian’s imagination is just so great with his descriptions of the different alien species, worlds, and cultures. I loved to read about every character in this book and one of the antagonists was dope. I will be finishing this series immediately!
What absolutely outstanding book. Adrian’s imagination is just so great with his descriptions of the different alien species, worlds, and cultures. I loved to read about every character in this book and one of the antagonists was dope. I will be finishing this series immediately!
bartalker's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
katieinca's review against another edition
4.0
Surprising, in a good way. [b:Children of Time|25499718|Children of Time (Children of Time, #1)|Adrian Tchaikovsky|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1431014197l/25499718._SY75_.jpg|45276208] was very much not my thing and this is SO different. It's closer to a Becky Chambers found family space romp crossed with [b:The Collapsing Empire|30078567|The Collapsing Empire (The Interdependency, #1)|John Scalzi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1464097677l/30078567._SY75_.jpg|50498420] "the whole human race is maybe gonna die" vibe, and there were no spiders in sight. I loved the widely varying characters despite how difficult it was to keep them straight at first, and how mean Tchaikovsky was in killing off some of my favorites.
wynwicket's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
My goodness, that was good. Compelling as all get out, cosmic in scope but very character-focused, and I genuinely loved our scrappy little crew who now find themselves having to save the world. Fantastic writing. I look forward to devouring everything else the author has written.
alanthomp's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
lizthelizars's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.75
I think I might just not like space operas all that much.