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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Tchaikovsky takes another deep dive into the possible nature of non-human intelligence, this time through the prism of evolution - what if us humans didn't evolve the way we did but other species won the evolutionary arms race instead? To me, this is a 10/10 premise, especially if there's some sci-fi mixed in, and while I overall did enjoy this novel, I felt there were some things lacking.
Firstly, I felt it dragged just a bit. About halfway in I guess most readers have guessed what's up and the jig is up but the author persisted in droning on for another hundred or so pages while I was expecting him to move to the next part of the story.
Secondly, the characters were a bit bland and some even bordered on annoying, which is extremely unlike Tchaikovsky, who is usually great with characterization.
Thirdly, I think I enjoyed the academic interludes more than the actual story, so what does that say about the story?
This all being said, it's still a novel filled with brilliant, unique ideas about humanity, evolution, and non-human intelligence. Maybe because I've already read so many of Tchaikovsky's works before I've become desensitized to the "originality" of some of his ideas (there are repeating concepts), and readers with a fresher pair of eyes will have a better reading experience. Maybe.
3.5 but I'm rounding it down this time. Tchaikovsky for vice president!
Firstly, I felt it dragged just a bit. About halfway in I guess most readers have guessed what's up and the jig is up but the author persisted in droning on for another hundred or so pages while I was expecting him to move to the next part of the story.
Secondly, the characters were a bit bland and some even bordered on annoying, which is extremely unlike Tchaikovsky, who is usually great with characterization.
Thirdly, I think I enjoyed the academic interludes more than the actual story, so what does that say about the story?
This all being said, it's still a novel filled with brilliant, unique ideas about humanity, evolution, and non-human intelligence. Maybe because I've already read so many of Tchaikovsky's works before I've become desensitized to the "originality" of some of his ideas (there are repeating concepts), and readers with a fresher pair of eyes will have a better reading experience. Maybe.
3.5 but I'm rounding it down this time. Tchaikovsky for vice president!
Reminded me a lot of the Pratchett/Baxter Long Earth series but condensed into one book, vividly imaginative and taking the concept of parallel Earths and running wild with it - Tchaikovsky is always an entertaining writer who can balance world-building well with plot and characters and this is no different, ripe with ambition and scale - incredible work to present something that comes across as intelligent and well-researched as this. A reminder that I need to get back to the Shadows of the Apt series, which is just phenomenal.
* I received this free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review *
This was a book I was really looking forward to as soon as I heard that Adrian Tchaikovsky had written a new SF novel (a.k.a doorstop) and after I had the privilege to hear him and Christopher Paolini discussing their new novels and the research and ideas that went into them. The book did not disappoint, and I ended up doing a combination of reading and also audiobooking it.
The story is a big one, but it starts off fairly small with Mal and Lee who are a lesbian couple who love to hunt for cryptic/supernatural or weird things. They're the best of friends as well as lovers, and every time they have a chance they go together to explore somewhere that weird things could be, like the Bodmin Moor where they are hinting Birdmen. Once there, things are immediately weird and Lee ends up doubting all her memories, whilst Mal is missing for more than 4 years...
The plot which starts as a mystery, grows in the telling with additional characters and plots being brought in. We have a government Physicist, Kay, an MI5 agent, Julien and his friend and co-worker Alison. They all get brought into the story when some sort of veiled threats or maybe alien threats are being brought against Kay, and then weird, weird things start to link them to the disappearance of Mal and the footage they have of that.
Eventually, the plot is spanning all sorts of times and beyond, and it's quite an epic conclusion. I think this is certainly a story which builds in the telling and I really enjoyed the journey through the science and beyond.
There's also dinosaurs, evolution, biology and more. The interludes of the book tell us about all sorts of changing cultures and creatures throughout the ages, and eventually we see how these research interludes connect into the overall plot too.
Having read Tchaikovsky's Children of Time I am confident that if you like one you will like the other, and I definitely recommend this. I ended up giving it 4*s overall, and I think that it's a solid SF standalone which was hard to put down :)
This was a book I was really looking forward to as soon as I heard that Adrian Tchaikovsky had written a new SF novel (a.k.a doorstop) and after I had the privilege to hear him and Christopher Paolini discussing their new novels and the research and ideas that went into them. The book did not disappoint, and I ended up doing a combination of reading and also audiobooking it.
The story is a big one, but it starts off fairly small with Mal and Lee who are a lesbian couple who love to hunt for cryptic/supernatural or weird things. They're the best of friends as well as lovers, and every time they have a chance they go together to explore somewhere that weird things could be, like the Bodmin Moor where they are hinting Birdmen. Once there, things are immediately weird and Lee ends up doubting all her memories, whilst Mal is missing for more than 4 years...
The plot which starts as a mystery, grows in the telling with additional characters and plots being brought in. We have a government Physicist, Kay, an MI5 agent, Julien and his friend and co-worker Alison. They all get brought into the story when some sort of veiled threats or maybe alien threats are being brought against Kay, and then weird, weird things start to link them to the disappearance of Mal and the footage they have of that.
Eventually, the plot is spanning all sorts of times and beyond, and it's quite an epic conclusion. I think this is certainly a story which builds in the telling and I really enjoyed the journey through the science and beyond.
There's also dinosaurs, evolution, biology and more. The interludes of the book tell us about all sorts of changing cultures and creatures throughout the ages, and eventually we see how these research interludes connect into the overall plot too.
Having read Tchaikovsky's Children of Time I am confident that if you like one you will like the other, and I definitely recommend this. I ended up giving it 4*s overall, and I think that it's a solid SF standalone which was hard to put down :)
This is a lovely little space-fantasy masquerading as science fiction. Featuring Neandrethals and giant horseshoe crabs, alternate dimensions and what not. A bit long winded in its encyclopedia entries, which are about half the chapters. Instead of science, though, it offers up a fantastical world, couched in what sounds like science, but is just abracadabra.
Loved it! Genius level writing with just the right amount of crazy...
This is not my only review of this book, but it's the only one that seems to have worked.
This is not my only review of this book, but it's the only one that seems to have worked.
While I really liked the alternate evolution interludes, and the opening hooks were quality, the middle of this didn't offer much SF substance - just a bunch of generic chase scenes where the possibility of "magic" escapes deflated the tension. This book was a step down from Tchaikovsky's other SF novels, which certainly doesn't make it bad.
The first quarter or so of this one is really good and drew me into an intriguing mystery. The climax is exciting, satisfying and technically interesting. So why did I find this to be such a frustrating book? The ideas are good, and the set up is strong, but it sags badly in the middle. There’s a large principal cast, and the momentum is slowed dramatically as the author tries to find something for each of them to do. In all honesty, I think this could have been a much better book if some of them had been amalgamated, scrapped or relegated to a smaller role. It also doesn’t help that the villain turns out to be fairly unimaginative and one dimensional. Another draft or a ruthless edit could have produced a really good book, but we’ve had settle for something that is less than that. It’s decent and readable, but it won’t last long in the memory I fear.
Adrian Tchaikovsky books have been on my TBR list for some time and thanks to #NetGalley I have been able to start my reading journey with the ARC #TheDoorsofEden. @aptshadow @panmacmillan @torbook
Mel and Lee hunt down cryptids - mythical creatures which may just be real. On their last hunt together on Bodmin moor they find more than either of them had bargained for...
This is a novel with a very different take on the Alternate Earth trope. Usually we see alternate/parallel human earths however in this book we see alternate evolutionary divergence - different paths which may lead to trilobites to succeed and maybe even cats!
There are six main human protagonists, Lee, Mal, Alison, Julian, Kay and Rove whose stories are skillfully interwoven. I am not normally a fan of books which have multiple POVs, however I found all the characters engaging so I wasn't tempted to skip to a favourite characters story line.
A book of two halves with the first half bringing our leads together with the need to save the Universe with the second half delving into the actual saving. For me the message was that science alone doesn't always hold the answers and sometimes you need to do a 360 on your view to find a solution.
Would recommend and will definitely be reading more by this author. All views are my own.
Mel and Lee hunt down cryptids - mythical creatures which may just be real. On their last hunt together on Bodmin moor they find more than either of them had bargained for...
This is a novel with a very different take on the Alternate Earth trope. Usually we see alternate/parallel human earths however in this book we see alternate evolutionary divergence - different paths which may lead to trilobites to succeed and maybe even cats!
There are six main human protagonists, Lee, Mal, Alison, Julian, Kay and Rove whose stories are skillfully interwoven. I am not normally a fan of books which have multiple POVs, however I found all the characters engaging so I wasn't tempted to skip to a favourite characters story line.
A book of two halves with the first half bringing our leads together with the need to save the Universe with the second half delving into the actual saving. For me the message was that science alone doesn't always hold the answers and sometimes you need to do a 360 on your view to find a solution.
Would recommend and will definitely be reading more by this author. All views are my own.
Unlike anything I've ever read. I think Evolutionary Fiction is my new favourite subgenre.