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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Adrian Tchaikovsky... I don't know how this man does it. This book is incredible. This was my 4th Tchaikovsky novel and my gosh did it push for that number one spot.
A huge thank you to Pan Macmillan for the ARC they sent me in exchange for an honest review.
The Doors Of Eden is the upcoming novel by Adrian Tchaikovsky - set to release on the 20th August 2020.
*Completely Spoiler-Free*
The story this book tells is unlike anything I've read before. That isn't to say that books similar to this one don't exist, because I'm sure they do in some form or another, but The Doors Of Eden felt like such a perfect combination of great ideas, superbly delivered concepts and what I now consider to be classic "Tchaikovsky themes" that it felt entirely new to me.
It also contains plenty of bugs and a deep exploration of evolution, which we have all come to expect and enjoy from these books.
The way the story is structured is harder to explain that it is to follow whilst reading. I'll just say that it flows very nicely and is broken up by truly incredibly interludes, which superbly showcase just how creative Adrian is. Honestly, each interlude could have been a premise for entire book on it's own! They are THAT good!
The characters, I found, is where this novel was slightly lacking.
There are a great many perspectives and the cast is one of the most representative I've seen of the genre - period.
Most of the characters are interesting and different enough to stand on their own. I was never confused about who's perspective I was reading from. But, most of my criticisms fall on the head of one specific character; the "bad guy". This person was a bit too tropey and on-the-nose for my personal taste. There wasn't much complexity or subtlety to his nature, which was a shame considering the relative complexity of the story being told.
An element of this story I really enjoyed was it's British-ness.
The imagery of the various settings- from the Moors to the city streets of London were so nice to read and made for a fantastic change to what we usually see from stories like these.
I also really appreciate the nods, oblique references and the few mentions of classic British SFF authors and their works. One in particular, a reference to Iain M. Banks - a personal favourite of mine, made me very happy to see.
The ending was a wild ride in every sense of the word. It was very unconventional, unpredictable and used some really unique and meta story telling techniques that I haven't seen anywhere else.
Thinking about it now, the way Adrian handled the ending was a big authorial risk, and I'm sure there will be those that don't like it, but I really really did.
This is a book that I already look forward to re-reading a few years down the line.
I enjoyed it almost as much as Children Of Time, which due to it's success and accolades is the standard by with all of Tchaikovsky's works are now judged. It's a high bar to reach, but I think that this is an extremely creative and innovative story that does a lot to shake up what we expect from science fiction.
4.5 stars rounded up.
If you are interested, it is available to pre-order in the UK now here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-doors-of-eden/adrian-tchaikovsky/9781509865888
__________________
Thank you for reading my review.
I hope everyone reading this is safe and that you are looking after yourselves during these tumultuous times.
I know this book is on a few of my friends TBR lists and I can't wait to see what you all think of it!
A huge thank you to Pan Macmillan for the ARC they sent me in exchange for an honest review.
The Doors Of Eden is the upcoming novel by Adrian Tchaikovsky - set to release on the 20th August 2020.
*Completely Spoiler-Free*
The story this book tells is unlike anything I've read before. That isn't to say that books similar to this one don't exist, because I'm sure they do in some form or another, but The Doors Of Eden felt like such a perfect combination of great ideas, superbly delivered concepts and what I now consider to be classic "Tchaikovsky themes" that it felt entirely new to me.
It also contains plenty of bugs and a deep exploration of evolution, which we have all come to expect and enjoy from these books.
The way the story is structured is harder to explain that it is to follow whilst reading. I'll just say that it flows very nicely and is broken up by truly incredibly interludes, which superbly showcase just how creative Adrian is. Honestly, each interlude could have been a premise for entire book on it's own! They are THAT good!
"You're quiet, now, subdued by what we've shown you. How many times can you watch the world end, after all, even if it's not your world?"
The characters, I found, is where this novel was slightly lacking.
There are a great many perspectives and the cast is one of the most representative I've seen of the genre - period.
Most of the characters are interesting and different enough to stand on their own. I was never confused about who's perspective I was reading from. But, most of my criticisms fall on the head of one specific character; the "bad guy". This person was a bit too tropey and on-the-nose for my personal taste. There wasn't much complexity or subtlety to his nature, which was a shame considering the relative complexity of the story being told.
An element of this story I really enjoyed was it's British-ness.
The imagery of the various settings- from the Moors to the city streets of London were so nice to read and made for a fantastic change to what we usually see from stories like these.
I also really appreciate the nods, oblique references and the few mentions of classic British SFF authors and their works. One in particular, a reference to Iain M. Banks - a personal favourite of mine, made me very happy to see.
The ending was a wild ride in every sense of the word. It was very unconventional, unpredictable and used some really unique and meta story telling techniques that I haven't seen anywhere else.
Thinking about it now, the way Adrian handled the ending was a big authorial risk, and I'm sure there will be those that don't like it, but I really really did.
This is a book that I already look forward to re-reading a few years down the line.
I enjoyed it almost as much as Children Of Time, which due to it's success and accolades is the standard by with all of Tchaikovsky's works are now judged. It's a high bar to reach, but I think that this is an extremely creative and innovative story that does a lot to shake up what we expect from science fiction.
4.5 stars rounded up.
If you are interested, it is available to pre-order in the UK now here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-doors-of-eden/adrian-tchaikovsky/9781509865888
__________________
Thank you for reading my review.
I hope everyone reading this is safe and that you are looking after yourselves during these tumultuous times.
I know this book is on a few of my friends TBR lists and I can't wait to see what you all think of it!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia
Pacing was difficult, writing style was accessible when I wanted more of a challenge, not very likeable characters, but interesting concept
Lost the thread about halfway and couldn't really find it again as this is one of the most confusing scifi novels I have read in sometime.
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
More of a 2.5 ☆
This started off so well, I loved how unique and original this was. But it lost me around the halfway point? I just got so bored, lost interest in the characters and the story.... yeah, didn't work for me.
This started off so well, I loved how unique and original this was. But it lost me around the halfway point? I just got so bored, lost interest in the characters and the story.... yeah, didn't work for me.
Pros: I really loved how everyone made the attempt to see the situation from the other side. People were constantly making the effort to diffuse hostility.
Cons: the characters were not as well developed as they could have been. With 600 pages and 4 POVs there should have been plenty of space, and yet I kept forgetting who Julian was. Then again, this may have been intentional, to make the other more comprehensible.
In conclusion: the writing is solid. The overall message is really nice. The diversity is off the charts. Well worth the time investment.
Cons: the characters were not as well developed as they could have been. With 600 pages and 4 POVs there should have been plenty of space, and yet I kept forgetting who Julian was. Then again, this may have been intentional, to make the other more comprehensible.
In conclusion: the writing is solid. The overall message is really nice. The diversity is off the charts. Well worth the time investment.
This book tics off such a long list of my nerdy interests that I almost doubled over in ecstasy whilst reading it. Evolution, deep time, alternate worlds, shifting time lines, diverse characters struggling to survive... And I loved the ending. Expect multiple points of view and great liberties taken with science. A peruse of the reviews suggest this novel does not please the far right crowd (my favorite two star review quote is "I’ve just been bludgeoned to near death with a copy of the Guardian newspaper"). But hey, if diversity and science-lite babble from "a genius scientist" don't throw you, enjoy.
Fabulous book about parallel universes and relationships. This is a very high level science fiction and I would not recommend to science fiction newbies. However seasoned readers, this is a must read and a thrilling journey about how a group of unorthodox people from different worlds come together to save the universe.