Adrian Tchaikovsky – Page 6 – Cannonball Read 17

What intelligence means to a human, spider and octopus

Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky

February 25, 2021 by murderofcrows 2 Comments

In this sequel, we jump back and forth across time and watch the beginnings of new sentience both planned and unplanned by humans and its inevitable fallout discovered aeons later by the first book’s descendents. And true to how things always go awry, nothing is ever what humans (or any sentient species) plan to begin with and that’s what saves us in the end. Tchaikovsky will ultimately assure us this inability to be totally in charge of our destiny is a good thing, though no […]

We’re the aliens, man

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

February 25, 2021 by murderofcrows 3 Comments

I was raised on the optimistic technology sci fi of Arthur C. Clarke who believed our future was in the stars and that technology was our only way there. But he often threaded his optimism with warning of our hubris and innate inability to understand a mind truly alien to ours. I’ve waited to read a successor that expanded on these twin stars of hope and wariness. Children of Time succeeds and then carries it into realms I couldn’t conceive, ones I can’t even fully understand […]

A decent read somewhat spoiled by sky-high expectations

Making Friends by Adrian Tchaikovsky

August 13, 2020 by Bothari43 Leave a Comment

This is by the author of Children of Time, which catapulted onto my top 10 list last year. This one’s a novella, so not quite as juicy as that one, but it was still a fun read. Coppelia is a puppeteer and a small-time thief in a city that hoards magic. When she is approached by actual living homonculi, she is astonished and delighted. They form a team, with her making new bodies for them to bring to life, and the tiny doll-people stealing trinkets […]

Books like this are why I love science fiction. #CBRBingo – Fresh Start

Children of Time (Children of Time, #1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky

August 10, 2020 by narfna 9 Comments

Man, this hit me at just the right time, in just the right way. It was the perfect blend of escapism (events take place farrrr away and a verrry long time from now) and dealing with reality (humans gonna human even in the future and light years away). I almost don’t want to tell you anything about this book because if you go in unspoiled you are in for some surprises, but part of why I wanted to pick the book up is that I […]

These Spiders Are Not Deserving of Your Mortein – but Your Love

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

June 1, 2020 by LittlePlat 1 Comment

Do you like spiders? I like spiders. I don’t believe spiders deserve the bad rap they get. Some spiders are easier to share space with than others – like the seven-legged, fly-scoffing huntsman that seem to reside in every Australian household. They are good spiders. These seven-legged huntsmen are often called Fred. Another generation, another Fred. Do you know who else likes spiders? Adrian Tchaikovsky likes spiders. He loves them so much that he made them the protagonists of his very original evolution-based novel, […]

The continuing adventures of critters you wouldn’t expect to care about

Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky

January 17, 2020 by Bothari43 1 Comment

I was wowed by the scope of Children of Time, and it just keeps getting bigger in Children of Ruin. I was expecting a straightforward sequel, but as with the first book, all of my predictions were (delightfully!) wrong. It also covers a huge span of time, but it starts out concurrent with the first book, following a different terraforming crew. They find a couple of neighboring planets that have terraforming potential and get to work. Things go off the rails astoundingly rapidly. This is […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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