Children of Time: Volume 1

this book was epic. I've read two titles by this guy, in short succession, and man does he deliver. this book really strings you along through a complex web of sci Fi concepts, that are fleshed out, to near believability, through the author's clear understanding of the cosmos' awesome scale and complexity! I'm not a book critic or literature expert, but I feel the author not only expertly spins tales of evolving society over the ages of space flight, technological leaps, and the like, but has a masterful command of making real characters that you love and hate accordingly. I didn't get just a dose of sci-fi, but romance, tragedy, hope, imagination, struggle, perseverance and much more, all intertwined across a beautifully planned tapestry of storytelling that ensnares the reader and leaves them stuck to every line.. on the page.

This disdain I have for this book can only be garnered by an idea so brilliant matched only with an execution so predictable and poor, that what began as admiration and interest ended in a strong feeling of betraya by the author. I kept waiting, suffering through human characters so shallow in build that I had to make sure I had not gotten pulled into reading some YA science fiction, for a reveal that was promised to truly wow me. I kept asking, "am I almost there?" just keep reading a little further. I was an idiot and waited and waited without any sort of revelation to match my desire. The spiders were interesting at first but as they continue to evolve they became less like spiders and more like humans dressed as spiders. By the end of the story a perpetrate of feet so ludicrous it had me shaking my head in disbelief. I hated, hated, hated this book by the end. I seriously doubt I will never read another of Tchaikovsky's novels.

Loved this book! Really fun sci-fi, and specifically found the story of creative evolution of a species very well thought out and intriguing. Tchaikovsky has a way with writing interesting worlds, and doesn't fail here. I did find the storyline about the arkship a tad tedious at times, but overall loved the story and thought the growing tension of all the storylines was built up very well