Hey I don’t usually post in Books and comics, but I read (or listen) to a book a week anf I have to tell you that Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time is a fantastic novel. Especially considering this age of long series it appears to be a long standalone novel and has a classic feel.
Anyone else reading this? Its a bit Dan Simmons and a bit Larry Niven and oddly a bit Malazan. If you can figure.
It’s like you don’t even care if Tom gets those sweet, sweet referral dollars, man
https://www.amazon.com/Children-Time-Adrian-Tchaikovsky-ebook/dp/B00SN93AHU
So this is a 2015 book?
I dunno I picked it up on Audible and it felt new, but audio probably has a delay. It is a Hugo winner in my opinion. But don’t read if you are scared of spiders…
I think I am only mentioning it because it is a great standalone rather than a series. I love a good series but wow it is great to get a novel wrapped up in one.
I havent read Children of Time but coincidently, Amazon has a number of book on sale at 80% for the summer and one of Tchaikovsky’s book was on the list and caught my eye. Guns of Dawn ($2.99 right now) is a war based fantasy where muskets and magic coexist. It too apparently, is a stand alone story but it weighs in at a healthy 673 pages. For some authors that’s enough for a trilogy.
As it happens, I’ve been reading Children of Time too (paper form for me) and I’m loving it. I was surprised by the direction the story was taking at first and have been enjoying the ride since.
I’ve been recommending it to my friends too.
Wendelius
More importantly: On Audible it’s £20 or 1 credit, or I could buy the Kindle version for £0.99 and add Audible + Whispersync for £4 more…
Happens my wife knows Adrian, so I’ve been reading his novels for a while now.
His first series is a steampunk and magic fantasy epic. (It also heavily features arthropods! Perhaps a theme.)
Back to topic, agreed that Children of Time is an excellent first foray into sci-fi. Well worth reading.
It’s great, except for all the deus ex nanotech, which is a little unsatisfying. But really, if I’m going to complain about that I should write my own novel about sentient spiders who develop ant computing.
Spiders. Why the hell did it have to be spiders?
I finished it but it was a bit of a slog, and overall felt a bit excessively British in the bad Dr. Who way. The traditionally matriarchal spider society repressing the male spiders was quite amusing, though.
I read this and few months ago and loved it. I know that @Dave_Perkins and @JoshL also have read it. I agree with most of the earlier points. I did have some issues with pacing in the middle of the book, but loved how it all turned out. Spiders are so foreign in appearance, etc. that I found it a bit difficult to visualize in my head what was playing out in the novel. Awesome, though!
I have to say I keep thinking about this book, and the odd spider society it described, a fair bit.
Fantastic book all the more so because it is not a “series” but stand alone and therefore closes circle by the end.
In a “what an interesting idea” kind of way, or ah “AAA GOD SPIDERS!!!” nightmarey kind of way?
Listed on the HARD SCIENCE FICTION thread.
The evolution of spiders to intelligence was nicely and evocatively written.
That got me to read it, and I enjoyed it very much. I stopped reading this last couple of years and this got me back to the habit. As soon as I was done I started an Octavia e Butler series which I also like.
I also have this to my son. I’m always looking for books for him and he loves it.
I am reading the Octavia Butler series where she is essentially the last human female on earth and has to try and train the rest for a repop. I am mixed about it atm. But I like the main character a lot.
This was on sale yesterday as part of a Kindle sale, so I grabbed it.
It goes on my reading backlog, which is getting too big.
This is a fantastic stand alone sci fi novel. As I mentioned above so many books are “series” and etc. Sometimes just a good book that follows through till the end.
Read this first. You will never (hardly ever) step on a spider again!