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A review by grahamclements
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
5.0
Magnificient science fiction. Set way into a future where humanity has all but been destroyed due to their destruction of Earth's environment and wars. The only survivors are on an ark, carrying thousands of humans in cryostasis. They are looking for a new home.
One other human has survived, from back when their was a technological empire. She has been terraforming a planet in preparation for seeding with monkeys who would then be uplifted by a nanovirus. But things go wrong. The monkeys don't survive. But spiders too. Spiders that evolve. Spiders that become as intelligent as humans. Spiders who develop their own unique technology.
The humans on the Ark discover the spider planet. They want to settle on it. Its creator doesn't want anything to do with them.
The story is told in jumps in time as the spiders evolve and the humans devolve. The spiders have their own problems with ants. Meanwhile the humans on the Ark spend much of the time at war with themselves.
Tchaikovsky's portrayal of the spiders evolutions is so well thought out. It is mesmerising in its detail. While his devolution of humanity shows the progression we seem to be currently on. This is very original science fiction. Loved it. Children of Time stands alone as a novel, but there are sequels.
One other human has survived, from back when their was a technological empire. She has been terraforming a planet in preparation for seeding with monkeys who would then be uplifted by a nanovirus. But things go wrong. The monkeys don't survive. But spiders too. Spiders that evolve. Spiders that become as intelligent as humans. Spiders who develop their own unique technology.
The humans on the Ark discover the spider planet. They want to settle on it. Its creator doesn't want anything to do with them.
The story is told in jumps in time as the spiders evolve and the humans devolve. The spiders have their own problems with ants. Meanwhile the humans on the Ark spend much of the time at war with themselves.
Tchaikovsky's portrayal of the spiders evolutions is so well thought out. It is mesmerising in its detail. While his devolution of humanity shows the progression we seem to be currently on. This is very original science fiction. Loved it. Children of Time stands alone as a novel, but there are sequels.