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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Imagine a series of Earths where the evolutionary roadmap branched off from ours at certain points throughout geological and genealogical history.
What if the early arthropod inhabitants of the planet had endured; continued to grow and evolve? What if the first fish to have a go at walking on land never stopped daring to try new things? Consider all the unfathomable species to have lived and died on our planet, and the infinite variables that could have saved them; seen them adapt instead of perish; rise instead of fall? And picture what a world populated by such creatures would look like today, and the infinite ways in which it would be unimaginably alien to us. Now imagine that there are doors between all these worlds... and those doors are opening. “Eden” indeed.
There’s no question that the strength of this novel is in Tchaikovsky’s speculative accounts of other Earths, ruled by other species. Written as interludes between the main chapters, they’re some of the most fascinating passages I’ve ever read, and it’s a giddy joy every time one of them becomes a part of the main plot. They never feel less than wholly believable, and I would have gobbled up a hundred more of them. Tchaikovsky has a background in zoology, and he once again puts it to incredible, mind-bending use.
The plot itself sees a group of unlikely heroes (not all of them human; some of them barely comprehendible) embroiled in a daring bid to try and save the world – all worlds, in fact – as the doors between them threaten to destabilise the very fabric of existence and bring this particular multiverse crashing in on itself.
The characters are interesting, and there’s a lot of solid representation (our heroes include a pair of lesbian cryptid hunters, and a trans Asian women), but I never quite felt the emotional connection run as deep as I’d have liked. At times they can be a bit thinly written; one character has a wife and child whom he barely seems to remember exist. I found them all likeable (even one of the baddies), but the emotional weight of the momentous ordeals they go through is never quite felt. Instead, this is a surprisingly breezy adventure (despite pondering some cosmically big questions) peppered with humour, featuring some evocative settings (the claustrophobia of one world is suffocating), and boasting some increasingly batshit set-pieces. The extended climax is also perfectly judged.
I’m not sure the pacing was quite right, as it seemed to take a little too long for everyone and everything to come together. The principal (human) antagonist doesn’t get much of a look in until late on, and even then, he remains two dimensional. But then, he’s a stand-in for every entitled, self-serving conservative arsehole in England, so perhaps three dimensions was never on the table.
The Doors of Eden is another extraordinary slice of evolutionary sci-fi from Adrian Tchaikovsky, albeit one that plays a bit lighter than Children of Time/Ruin. If it doesn’t carry the heft of those masterpieces, it’s no less imaginative, thought-provoking, or relentlessly entertaining.
What if the early arthropod inhabitants of the planet had endured; continued to grow and evolve? What if the first fish to have a go at walking on land never stopped daring to try new things? Consider all the unfathomable species to have lived and died on our planet, and the infinite variables that could have saved them; seen them adapt instead of perish; rise instead of fall? And picture what a world populated by such creatures would look like today, and the infinite ways in which it would be unimaginably alien to us. Now imagine that there are doors between all these worlds... and those doors are opening. “Eden” indeed.
There’s no question that the strength of this novel is in Tchaikovsky’s speculative accounts of other Earths, ruled by other species. Written as interludes between the main chapters, they’re some of the most fascinating passages I’ve ever read, and it’s a giddy joy every time one of them becomes a part of the main plot. They never feel less than wholly believable, and I would have gobbled up a hundred more of them. Tchaikovsky has a background in zoology, and he once again puts it to incredible, mind-bending use.
The plot itself sees a group of unlikely heroes (not all of them human; some of them barely comprehendible) embroiled in a daring bid to try and save the world – all worlds, in fact – as the doors between them threaten to destabilise the very fabric of existence and bring this particular multiverse crashing in on itself.
The characters are interesting, and there’s a lot of solid representation (our heroes include a pair of lesbian cryptid hunters, and a trans Asian women), but I never quite felt the emotional connection run as deep as I’d have liked. At times they can be a bit thinly written; one character has a wife and child whom he barely seems to remember exist. I found them all likeable (even one of the baddies), but the emotional weight of the momentous ordeals they go through is never quite felt. Instead, this is a surprisingly breezy adventure (despite pondering some cosmically big questions) peppered with humour, featuring some evocative settings (the claustrophobia of one world is suffocating), and boasting some increasingly batshit set-pieces. The extended climax is also perfectly judged.
I’m not sure the pacing was quite right, as it seemed to take a little too long for everyone and everything to come together. The principal (human) antagonist doesn’t get much of a look in until late on, and even then, he remains two dimensional. But then, he’s a stand-in for every entitled, self-serving conservative arsehole in England, so perhaps three dimensions was never on the table.
The Doors of Eden is another extraordinary slice of evolutionary sci-fi from Adrian Tchaikovsky, albeit one that plays a bit lighter than Children of Time/Ruin. If it doesn’t carry the heft of those masterpieces, it’s no less imaginative, thought-provoking, or relentlessly entertaining.
So far as I remember...a 3 star. I haven't finished it yet but will return to it at some point in the future from the start!
This book was very different from the previous books I had read by Tchaikovsky. I really enjoyed Children of Time and Children of Ruin. This book had some of the great evolutionary world-building I loved in the other books, but not as deep. There are a lot more characters and plot in this book than those two. Some of the characters I liked, others not so much. Overall, this was an interesting take on multiple universes which felt a little long to me.
I tried giving this multiple chances since I'd enjoyed "Children of Time," but unfortunately I just couldn't get into it. Once it began to feel like a chore to pick this up, I knew I should call it quits. 57% in and I felt like nothing really happened to keep the story going for me, and all the characters overall felt extremely flat to me. Not only that, I found myself growing increasingly uncomfortable and frustrated with the LGBTQ+ representation. It felt like the author was using being queer or transgender as a personality trait, and it bothered me that Khan kept getting misgendered and that her identity at one point was practically stripped away to "exercise control" or to prove a point. Truthfully, LGBTQ+ characters don't need to be tragic figures in stories or experience constant abuse to be relevant; they can just exist like any other character and it still be perfectly acceptable.
This being said, I might still try to read his fantasy series because my major issues with this book were the pacing and the representation, and I don't want to completely give up on him without giving him another chance. This book definitely wasn't for me, but it's possible some of his other books are.
This being said, I might still try to read his fantasy series because my major issues with this book were the pacing and the representation, and I don't want to completely give up on him without giving him another chance. This book definitely wasn't for me, but it's possible some of his other books are.
Paķēru šo jaukumiņu Audible uz akciju, vnk nespēju atturēties. Tiesa, es negaidīju, ka būs otrādi, un grāmata paķers mani. Turklāt tādā mērā, ka es pilnīgi aizmirsu dažas citas darāmās lietas un pirmajā vakarā klausījos šo līdz vēlai nakts stundai. Ar nožēlu jāatzīst, ka apmēram pusē šī grāmata mani sāka nogurdināt. Ne tik daudz ar to, ka tā konceptuāli noteikti ir stipri sarežģītāka par “Laika bērniem”, jo es neesmu nekāds fiziķis, bet pezents un caurkritis filologs, bet ar nebeidzamo mētāšanos starp dažādajiem universiem. Vietām man šķita, ka Čajka pārāk daudz enerģijas un laika investē paralēlajos stāstos. Vismaz mani tas nedaudz nokausēja. Un tad nāca citi nokausējošie faktori, kuru dēļ šo grāmatu uz kādu nedēļiņu noliku nost. Jo jau doma par to VISU manām pelēkajām šūniņām lika uzkārties un izmest errorus. Kurus es nevarēju atļauties.
Kad biju atžirgusi, atgriezos un finišēju labā tempā. Ne gluži Useins Bolts, bet valsts izlasei nebūtu kauns. Būdama pezents, teikšu, ka šī nav tā primitīvākā zinātniskās fantastikas grāmata un tāda, ko izmantot kā starterīti sci-fi tēmai. Pieņemu, ka bija gana daudz labu un vērtīgu lietu, kas aizvilpa gar manām austiņām kā tukša skaņa. Bet ne tik daudz, lai es varētu teikt, ka tipa “neko neierubījos, pilnīgs murgs”. Nu nē, patiesībā riktīgi aizraujoši, un, iespējams, vislabākā daļa bija dažādo universu [iespējamās] vēstures. Tur vajag gan izdomu, gan zināšanas - šito visu sacerēt. Man kā lasītājai - baudīju šo iegrimšanu realitātēs, kādas tās varētu būt vai būt bijušas, jo Čajka nudien spēj ievilkt un pārliecināt. Ak jā, un viņš totālākais feminists, tā uz sitienu pat nevaru iedomāties citu autoru, kura grāmatās (ne tikai šai vienā) būtu tik daudz (un normālu) centrālo varoņu-sieviešu.
Kad biju atžirgusi, atgriezos un finišēju labā tempā. Ne gluži Useins Bolts, bet valsts izlasei nebūtu kauns. Būdama pezents, teikšu, ka šī nav tā primitīvākā zinātniskās fantastikas grāmata un tāda, ko izmantot kā starterīti sci-fi tēmai. Pieņemu, ka bija gana daudz labu un vērtīgu lietu, kas aizvilpa gar manām austiņām kā tukša skaņa. Bet ne tik daudz, lai es varētu teikt, ka tipa “neko neierubījos, pilnīgs murgs”. Nu nē, patiesībā riktīgi aizraujoši, un, iespējams, vislabākā daļa bija dažādo universu [iespējamās] vēstures. Tur vajag gan izdomu, gan zināšanas - šito visu sacerēt. Man kā lasītājai - baudīju šo iegrimšanu realitātēs, kādas tās varētu būt vai būt bijušas, jo Čajka nudien spēj ievilkt un pārliecināt. Ak jā, un viņš totālākais feminists, tā uz sitienu pat nevaru iedomāties citu autoru, kura grāmatās (ne tikai šai vienā) būtu tik daudz (un normālu) centrālo varoņu-sieviešu.
ARC from Netgalley
'You ever get the feeling there are cracks in the world?"
The plot line was very developed and intricate, with deep exploration into other worlds and what comes from them. Explores evolution and what could have happened if earths had grown from others earths over time, and what creatures inhabited them. Getting between these worlds, there are cracks in the fabric of the world, which gives me heavy doctor who vibes.
the begging was slow to begin with for myself, as there were heavy sections on evolution. however, I found it so interesting, and about halfway through, the pacing really picked up.
'You ever get the feeling there are cracks in the world?"
The plot line was very developed and intricate, with deep exploration into other worlds and what comes from them. Explores evolution and what could have happened if earths had grown from others earths over time, and what creatures inhabited them. Getting between these worlds, there are cracks in the fabric of the world, which gives me heavy doctor who vibes.
the begging was slow to begin with for myself, as there were heavy sections on evolution. however, I found it so interesting, and about halfway through, the pacing really picked up.
A delight! A very long book that stayed entertaining the whole way through
This was my first Adrian Tchaikovsky book and I really wanted to love it but I didn’t. I know a couple of people who have raved about his work and another who loved this one so it was likely just not my cup of tea.
The writing itself was brilliant, the plot so intricate and some great characters so I know people will love it. It gave me Northern Lights and Island of Doctor Moreau vibes, and it was at those points I was most interested. Part crime, thriller, mystery and sci-fi, it has a lot going for it; creature hunting, super computers, rips in the universe, political and social issues, the secret service, evolutionary science...
...it just wasn’t for me so I don’t want to say anymore and put people off what is actually a great book.
Thank you for NetGalley for my copy in Exchange for an honest review.
The writing itself was brilliant, the plot so intricate and some great characters so I know people will love it. It gave me Northern Lights and Island of Doctor Moreau vibes, and it was at those points I was most interested. Part crime, thriller, mystery and sci-fi, it has a lot going for it; creature hunting, super computers, rips in the universe, political and social issues, the secret service, evolutionary science...
...it just wasn’t for me so I don’t want to say anymore and put people off what is actually a great book.
Thank you for NetGalley for my copy in Exchange for an honest review.
DNF @ 12%
I received an audiobook review copy of this book from Tor Books, and while I was super, super anticipating this book, I really struggled with the audiobook. I didn't understand what was going on at any point, despite relistening to some chapters several times. To be fair, this book was great and interesting and had a really good hook at the start, I simply couldn't grasp the fairly complicated stuff that was being explained through the audiobook. That being said, I will probably try and get hold of a physical copy of this at some point, as I think I might fare better if I can read it on the page.
I received an audiobook review copy of this book from Tor Books, and while I was super, super anticipating this book, I really struggled with the audiobook. I didn't understand what was going on at any point, despite relistening to some chapters several times. To be fair, this book was great and interesting and had a really good hook at the start, I simply couldn't grasp the fairly complicated stuff that was being explained through the audiobook. That being said, I will probably try and get hold of a physical copy of this at some point, as I think I might fare better if I can read it on the page.