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A review by paulmichaelpeters
Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky
4.0
A good sequel that explores the oceans and space.
The first book, Children of Time, was amazing with a wonderfully written villain and one of the creepiest endings. The first book was logical and clear. It brought me fear.
Children of Ruin deals with a similar exploration of the universe when things go wrong. The plot is more sophisticated, like the minds of the alien forms discovered. Undiscovered exploration of spaces, disassembling and reassembling, and problem-solving are how these newly discovered beings operate. Parts of the story seem to be written in this mind-set. They are not always linear and clear like the first story. The writing is equally amazing, my struggle to keep track of all the complexities seemed to distract from the enjoyment of the novel. This was a similar challenge experienced in reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. But with Gone Girl, I found the ending a reward in reading, similarly with Children of Time. My hope that the last third of the novel would pay off with an amazing end was never realized. It seemed to play out as anticipated.
Again - very enjoyable - good - but not great like Children of Time. Sequels can be one of the most difficult things to write. Expectations are high and there is a level that needs to be reached. An enjoyable read, but not easy, and not as rewarding as the first.
The first book, Children of Time, was amazing with a wonderfully written villain and one of the creepiest endings. The first book was logical and clear. It brought me fear.
Children of Ruin deals with a similar exploration of the universe when things go wrong. The plot is more sophisticated, like the minds of the alien forms discovered. Undiscovered exploration of spaces, disassembling and reassembling, and problem-solving are how these newly discovered beings operate. Parts of the story seem to be written in this mind-set. They are not always linear and clear like the first story. The writing is equally amazing, my struggle to keep track of all the complexities seemed to distract from the enjoyment of the novel. This was a similar challenge experienced in reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. But with Gone Girl, I found the ending a reward in reading, similarly with Children of Time. My hope that the last third of the novel would pay off with an amazing end was never realized. It seemed to play out as anticipated.
Again - very enjoyable - good - but not great like Children of Time. Sequels can be one of the most difficult things to write. Expectations are high and there is a level that needs to be reached. An enjoyable read, but not easy, and not as rewarding as the first.