Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

“If you were a thief in Loretz, then your fingers itched for the magic the place was famous for.”

Made Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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Think Pinnochio and Toy Story meets Boxtrolls and you’re most of the way there. Plot: We have robots, they can be made of wood or metal and given life with a special sort of magic. Unsurprisingly, they aren’t treated with the utmost respect in the city of Loretz. Coppelia, a thief in her own right, has met a few of these small creatures and together, they have formed something of a thieving ring to survive, but the eye of the law is on them, and […]

“Not really caring about the names of other people was never one of her best qualities, but it was one of her most defining features and she clings to it.”

Children of Ruin (Book 2) by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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If you’ve read the first in the series, Children of Time, you’re in for a ride that is both familiar and brand spanking new. If you haven’t, don’t start here. Go back, and do it right. It’s so worth it. Disclaimer: do not even read this review if you haven’t read the first book. I will avoid spoilers for this book, but not the first one. Plot: We pick up with explorers from the Old Earth, Kern’s contemporaries are trying to terraform a world for […]

I’m just gonna gush effusively for a couple hundred words

City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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I have loved all the Tchaikovsky sci-fi I’ve read, but this is my first time reading his fantasy stuff. The world building reminded me of Guy Gavriel Kay (setting it up so every piece has its counter), but with teeth. And the immersiveness reminded me of New Crobuzon. The first time I read China Mieville’s The Scar, I would be surprised when I looked up from the page and didn’t see ocean. But this is all Adrian’s own, and has his wonderful stamp all over […]

“We think that it is better not to be sentient. Imagine how hard that would be, to actually have to think about things all the time.”

Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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The first book in this series was straight up hard science fiction, and completely blew me away, as well as changing my opinion on spiders. The second book explored a new planet, and felt more like a horror story, with the astronauts/settlers discovering the Thing that was on the planet before them. This third book changes the game again, with two new planets, several new characters, and an almost mystery feel. It takes a while for things to settle in, but once our heroes start […]

“We seek for every possibility of life and sentience, because the universe is vast and cold and mostly empty, and variance from that void is to be treasured.”

Children of Memory (Children of Time, #3) by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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I was thoroughly discombobulated for the majority of my reading experience with this book. That was the way it was supposed to be, of course, so minor spoilers for that I guess? I don’t think that’s actually spoilers, but some people would probably think it is. Anyway, I didn’t anticipate that level of purposeful fuckery on behalf of Adrian Tchaikovsky, and the slow creep of the feeling that something was not right was simultaneously unpleasant and intriguing. This is the third (and final??) book in […]

530 pages and I wasn’t ready for it to be over

Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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Adrian’s stuff is so dense and layered, it’s hard to do a recap/overview. SO MUCH happens, and it’s all smart and dramatic and amazing! The world-building is so cool, the root-for-able characters and interesting plot are almost a bonus. Okay, enough gushing. The very very nutshell version: 40 years ago, ginormous alien ships (if you made a drinking game out of every time they’re described as ‘moon-sized,’ you’d be a puddle by the end) showed up and started making beautiful and deadly sculptures out of […]



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