Shards of Earth
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- Create Date：2021-05-18 09:51:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Adrian Tchaikovsky
- ISBN：1529051894
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Summary
The Arthur C。 Clarke award-winning author of Children of Time brings us an extraordinary new space opera about humanity on the brink of extinction， and how one man's discovery will save or destroy us all。
The war is over。 Its heroes forgotten。 Until one chance discovery 。 。 。
Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade him in the war。 And one of humanity's heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel， to avoid the attention of greater powers。
After earth was destroyed， mankind created a fighting elite to save their species， enhanced humans such as Idris。 In the silence of space they could communicate， mind-to-mind， with the enemy。 Then their alien aggressors， the Architects， simply disappeared - and Idris and his kind became obsolete。
Now， fifty years later， Idris and his crew have discovered something strange abandoned in space。 It's clearly the work of the Architects - but are they returning？ And if so， why？ Hunted by gangsters， cults and governments， Idris and his crew race across the galaxy hunting for answers。 For they now possess something of incalculable value， that many would kill to obtain。
The war is over。 Its heroes forgotten。 Until one chance discovery 。 。 。
Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade him in the war。 And one of humanity's heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel， to avoid the attention of greater powers。
After earth was destroyed， mankind created a fighting elite to save their species， enhanced humans such as Idris。 In the silence of space they could communicate， mind-to-mind， with the enemy。 Then their alien aggressors， the Architects， simply disappeared - and Idris and his kind became obsolete。
Now， fifty years later， Idris and his crew have discovered something strange abandoned in space。 It's clearly the work of the Architects - but are they returning？ And if so， why？ Hunted by gangsters， cults and governments， Idris and his crew race across the galaxy hunting for answers。 For they now possess something of incalculable value， that many would kill to obtain。
Reviews
Jodie Cotgreave
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I was lucky enough to receive a proof copy of Shards of Earth， so am very grateful to Pan Macmillan and Adrian Tchaikovsky for making that a possibility。I went into this with a ridiculous amount of excitement， I'd read 'Children of Time' and 'Children of Ruin' and couldn't wait to get stuck in。However， this is definitely more of a slow starter， that's not to say that by the end of it I wasn't excited about the prospect of the next book， it just took a lot longer for me to feel invested and I'll I was lucky enough to receive a proof copy of Shards of Earth， so am very grateful to Pan Macmillan and Adrian Tchaikovsky for making that a possibility。I went into this with a ridiculous amount of excitement， I'd read 'Children of Time' and 'Children of Ruin' and couldn't wait to get stuck in。However， this is definitely more of a slow starter， that's not to say that by the end of it I wasn't excited about the prospect of the next book， it just took a lot longer for me to feel invested and I'll explain why I think that is。Shards of Earth starts by introducing the Architects， an alien species who rework and destroy whole planets for no apparent reason， crafting them into filigreed sculptures devoid of life， and starting a war that lasted decades。 We also get an introduction to Idris Telemmier， an intermediary who has the ability to navigate "Unspace" （the layer inbetween real space which can be manipulated to fast travel great distances） and the power to communicate with the Architects。 His back story along with his friend Solace take the main crux of the narrative， they were both integral to ending the first war。 There is a LOT of history and character development going on， alongside political stances and feuds between alien worlds， and while this felt a bit disconnected at times I feel it was necessary to really set up the story for the last part of the book in which the Architects return。I definitely feel that the pace picked up toward the end （although there were moments that I couldn't put down） and that the real action will come in books 2 and 3。。。which I can't wait to get my hands on。If you're expecting something like Children of Time I'd approach with an open mind， there are no smart spiders im afraid， BUT it most definitely feels like the start to an epic series and I'm excited to see where it goes。 。。。more
Keith Currie
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Divine Architects or Space Truckers Fight Back！It’s hard to know exactly where to place Shards of Earth。 Is it serious science fiction or rip-roaring space opera？ A lot of both， I think。 There is a febrile imagination at work here， filled with familiar creations and much that is new， combined with an often manic narrative of chase and fight。The Architects， enormous virtually indestructible entities the size of Earth’s Moon， appear from nowhere， systematically destroy and refashion inhabited plan Divine Architects or Space Truckers Fight Back！It’s hard to know exactly where to place Shards of Earth。 Is it serious science fiction or rip-roaring space opera？ A lot of both， I think。 There is a febrile imagination at work here， filled with familiar creations and much that is new， combined with an often manic narrative of chase and fight。The Architects， enormous virtually indestructible entities the size of Earth’s Moon， appear from nowhere， systematically destroy and refashion inhabited planets， exterminating their populations in a wholly disinterested manner。 Humanity in alliance with alien races mount a powerful but ineffectual defence， until the chance discovery of human Intermediaries， men and women who somehow can psychically enter and reveal themselves to the minds of the Architects， and who consequently achieve the withdrawal of this irresistible force from known space。 After the Architect War， the Intermediaries have value in their ability to navigate spaceships through the shortcuts of Un-Space， and their small numbers and vulnerability leave them open to abuse and exploitation。 One of the few survivors from the war， Idris， has become the pilot of a clapped-out space salvage ship， in order to keep a low profile。 He has not slept in the sixty years since the war ended and reacts badly to attempts to capture him and make use of his skills and talents。 Sought out by a cadre of genetically bred warrior women， The Parthenon， by human powers， by alien criminals and thugs， he and his crew manage to keep one step ahead of the opposition while discovering unsettling new truths about the nature of the Architects， before their eventual violent return。Tchaikovsky happily references Frank Herbert， H P Lovecraft， Ian M Banks， Star Wars， and his own earlier space novels in a frantic， frenetic， masterful tour-de-force。 。。。more
Library of a Viking
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Review to come
Rowena Andrews
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This was my first foray into an Adrian Tchaikovsky book， and it won’t be my last as I was hooked from the first page and devoured this book in the space of a couple of days。 Grumbling at having to work and do other things rather than read this book and having a very late night as I hit the later stages of the book where it became completely impossible for me to put it down。 Sci-Fi is a genre I tend to dip in and out of， and I often find that it is the technical details that lose me， but that was This was my first foray into an Adrian Tchaikovsky book， and it won’t be my last as I was hooked from the first page and devoured this book in the space of a couple of days。 Grumbling at having to work and do other things rather than read this book and having a very late night as I hit the later stages of the book where it became completely impossible for me to put it down。 Sci-Fi is a genre I tend to dip in and out of， and I often find that it is the technical details that lose me， but that was not the case here。 Shards of Earth throws us into the action right from the start， opening with a frontline battle against an Architect that immediately sold me on this book， and was a brilliant way of establishing not just the threat – and the stakes – but some of the major groups， and two of our main characters， before plunging into the true depths of this universe。 Tchaikovsky has created a richly detailed， and expansive universe and particularly during the first chapters of this book there is a lot of different details， peoples and characters to come to grips with， and for the most part， we are trusted to make sense of it – although aided by some of the most spectacularly vivid writing I’ve read in a while， with those same details so easy to visualise that it felt as though you had been dropped into the universe in person rather than absorbing it through ink and page。 There is - as I discovered after finishing the book – a helpful glossary and timeline at the back of the book which is a fantastic reference point， although I very much enjoyed unravelling the complexities of the different species， planets and different political systems as I went， and for me personally， that was very much part of the experience of the book。 There were many fascinating species and aspects to life in space – I enjoyed the concept of unspace and the idea of something looking back， and again the writing helped bring that unsettling feeling to life so that there were a couple of times during travel when I would pause and feel the need to look around。 From aliens to robotics， and composite beings， the universe is vast and diverse， and each was realised even during brief interactions。 However， if I had to pick a favourite， I think it would be the Architects。 I loved everything about the Architects （which might not be how you’re supposed to feel towards them）， but as disturbing as they were， they were endlessly fascinating to me。 There are still so many questions about them， and their purpose and I can’t wait to discover the answers， but every encounter with them or the legacy of their presence was some of my favourite parts of the book， and just the sheer imagery of what they could do to planets and ships and the idea that even those who had lost their worlds to this process of recreation could see something more than wanton destruction in what they had done – a design， a terrible beauty， a purpose not yet understood – and there was something haunting about that。 This is a vast space opera， and we encounter many peoples and characters throughout the book， and yet at the core， is the crew of the Vulture God。 It’s not necessarily as immediate as the worldbuilding， as where we are thrown into the deep end of the universe， the characters are built up over time， and we get to know them through their journeys and struggles。 There was very much a found family vibe to this crew， which was fantastic， without losing the differences brought through their different cultures and experiences， and the conflict that those differences fed into at times。 Solace and Idris who we had met right at the beginning are both interesting characters， albeit ones that it took a little longer to unravel – and I particularly enjoyed watching the former become more and more involved as a member of the crew。 As well as the differences between the two who had in different ways been adapted to protect the colonies， with one embracing that duty and the restrictions it came with and one rejecting it and choosing to live free， and their shared history。 However， the entire crew stood out as individuals， each bringing a different element to the group。 Rollo was possibly the most relatable， as he was the ‘father’ of the group， and you could see that in his manner， way of speaking – calling the others ‘children’ and his wrath when their home and family are attacked， a little rough and ready， he was the heart of the group。 Kris was probably my favourite – her backstory intrigued me， and she was an interesting character who you wouldn’t expect to find in a crew like this， and yet is an integral part even beyond her partnership with Idris。 Olli – the drone specialist – was another that really stood out and I always enjoyed it when she was on the page， waiting to see what she was going to do next – also her Scorpion was possibly one of the best bits of technology in the book。 Shards of Earth was a brilliant read and blew whatever expectations I had out of the water。 A fascinating and beautifully detailed universe， with vivid imagery and a fantastic cast， this is a book I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend。 My only complaint？ That I have to wait for the next book。 Although I have every intention of exploring more by the author while I wait， as well as rereading this one long before then because there was so much to this universe that I know I will be discovering little details for many rereads to come。 。。。more
Dawn
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If you want aliens， action， and humanity on the brink， then "Shards of Earth" will definitely float your boat （or spaceship！）。 As expected， this book is superbly written， is well thought out， is full of brilliant characters， and has a truly great and immersive plot。 Very much looking forward to the next book in this series （and the 3rd！）。 Can Adrian Tchaikovsky write a bad book？ I don't think so！My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirel If you want aliens， action， and humanity on the brink， then "Shards of Earth" will definitely float your boat （or spaceship！）。 As expected， this book is superbly written， is well thought out， is full of brilliant characters， and has a truly great and immersive plot。 Very much looking forward to the next book in this series （and the 3rd！）。 Can Adrian Tchaikovsky write a bad book？ I don't think so！My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own， unbiased， opinion。 。。。more
Gerhard
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This is hands-down one of the best SF space operas I have read in a long， long time。 I recently finished ‘To Sleep in a Sea of Stars’ by Christopher Paolini， which makes for an interesting comparison， as both recycle a lot of the well-known tropes of this particular sub-genre。The one in the Tchaikovsky book I really do not have any fondness for is the concept of ‘unspace’， a kind of Lovecraftian hyperspeed realm inhabited by weird looming entities barely aware of our existence， but that are like This is hands-down one of the best SF space operas I have read in a long， long time。 I recently finished ‘To Sleep in a Sea of Stars’ by Christopher Paolini， which makes for an interesting comparison， as both recycle a lot of the well-known tropes of this particular sub-genre。The one in the Tchaikovsky book I really do not have any fondness for is the concept of ‘unspace’， a kind of Lovecraftian hyperspeed realm inhabited by weird looming entities barely aware of our existence， but that are likely to induce instant madness if they ever turn their cosmic gaze on us poor human spacefarers。The difference between Paolini and Tchaikovsky as writers is how the latter tackles this particular trope: It becomes an integral part of the nature and reality of the alien Architects， described in the Glossary as “moon-sized entities that can reshape populated planets and ships”。 Yes， I am sure the Death Star reference is deliberate， while the Psychic Intermediaries （Ints） is an equally deliberate nod to the Guild Navigators of Dune。Paolini simply has a tick-list of genre tropes that he dutifully runs through in ‘To Sleep in a Sea of Stars’， which really does not justify its length and rambles on for just one space battle too many。 Yes， ‘Shards of Earth’ is also a monster of a book （in various meanings of that phrase）， but I was never bored once or even found my attention wandering。And despite this being the opener in a series， the ending is truly delightful and quite self-contained （as opposed to wanting to hurl your reading device at a wall in frustration， as is so often the case with SF series that end inconclusively as a kind of hook to get you to read the next， and the next…）Tchaikovsky is one of the best writers of alien species and cultures out there， and ‘Shards of Earth’ is chockablock with some of the weirdest creatures I have ever encountered in SF。 These are not the cutesy ugly-but-lovable ones that tend to crowd the Star Wars universe， or the endlessly humanoid variants of Star Trek， bar a few extra bumps on the forehead， nose or a different skin colour … Tchaikovsky’s aliens have a kind of baroque weirdness and gothic grandeur that renders them both inscrutable and utterly fascinating。What I also respect about Tchaikovsky is that he does not spoon feed the reader。 You really have to work at the beginning of this book to ‘get it’。 But once you have a basic grasp of the intricacies of the narrative set-up， the reader is in for a truly wild ride that consistently surprises and amazes。 。。。more
Peter
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Absolutely incredible！ What a book this has been， I expected nothing less from Adrian and then wow！ He has created a wonderful space opera universe and eases you in to this world masterfully。 If I could give it more stars I would because this is a book you do not want to miss。Check out my full review which will be on my blog soon as part of The Write Reads Ultimate tour。
Fiona Mclay
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Not read。 Sounds like knock off China Melville Embassytown。
Ruth J
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Synopsis:Humanity has reached out beyond Earth， settling on other planets and meeting other species。 But then the Architects arrive and destruction comes along with them。 Earth is suddenly destroyed， along with billions of its inhabitants。 The Architects continue to appear all over space， their presence prompting mass evacuations and futile attempts to defend life， both human and other。 Following the discovery of a young girl’s ability to communicate with the Architects， hundreds of human volunt Synopsis:Humanity has reached out beyond Earth， settling on other planets and meeting other species。 But then the Architects arrive and destruction comes along with them。 Earth is suddenly destroyed， along with billions of its inhabitants。 The Architects continue to appear all over space， their presence prompting mass evacuations and futile attempts to defend life， both human and other。 Following the discovery of a young girl’s ability to communicate with the Architects， hundreds of human volunteers are genetically enhanced to become “intermediaries” and their minds are moulded to duplicate this ability， though many die before the process is complete。 One survivor of it， Idris Telemmier， makes contact with and then destroys an Architect during a desperate battle and they disappear， leaving the humans and their allies to rebuild in their wake。Years later， alliances between races and factions are taut and power is sought by all sides as the memory of the Architect’s presence fades。 Idris is now the navigator for a crew of Spacers on board the ship Vulture God。 A wartime ally and friend， Solace of the Parthenon， a group of parthenogenetically grown women， makes contact with him in an attempt to try and recruit him。 But bigger things are at play as Idris starts to discover that the Architects might not be gone forever。Review:I feel like I should set out my usual reading habits to give some insight as to my thoughts on this book。 I’m pretty open to what genre I read in and tend not to favour any one genre， mostly listening out for buzz on books from fellow readers or going through stages of bingeing a particular genre for a few months or so。 I’m certainly not a stranger to sci-fi fiction but I would say I’m more of a casual reader of it。 I picked up The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky last year and it was the first of the author’s work I’d read （I’m glossing over the fact that Children of Time has been on my TBR since the dawn of time）。 I enjoyed that book and so was very keen to take the opportunity to read Shards of Earth。To cut to the chase…。wow， this was great！ It certainly takes you on an adventure and one that I thoroughly enjoyed。The book throws us straight into the action。 We’re on the front lines of a battle to stop the Architects from destroying Berlenhof， a planet at the heart of the colonies （the surviving human worlds following the destruction of Earth）， with Solace and her sisters of the Parthenon and Idris， the fairly newly minted Intermediary。 The scenes here are purely cinematic and I was gripped as we watched their desperate attempts to use Idris， this new “weapon” to beat back the Architect。 Once we then move to the present day， we really start to get into the world that Tchaikovsky has built。 It took me a while to get to grips with all the different species， the planets and their governments but there is helpfully a glossary， list of key players and timeline included in the book which is a good reference point for when you get too confused。 We get to know Idris and Solace and are introduced to the crew of the Vulture God and I LOVED them。 They’re a bit of a ragtag bunch， with members of different species making up the crew。 I got some Firefly vibes at first， but they soon disappeared as I got to know these characters and they made their own impression on me。 Idris is quite a sad character at first， somewhat despondent and always seemingly on the edge of utter exhaustion and ripe to tip into insanity at any moment。 We get to know his history and not only what he has been through but what he continues to be exposed to as he navigates his crew around space and unspace， the menacing place lurking just behind real space that Idris can guide the ship through to travel around quicker。Solace is also an interesting character， seemingly more layered than the initial descriptions of her might suggest which becomes more and more apparent as she gets closer to being a fully fledged member of the crew。 The rest of the crew too are great， I’d hope to see more of Kris in the sequel as she had an intriguing background。This was an adventure story for me， following the most unlikely people who you would expect to be the ones trying to save…。well， the universe。 There are some creepy parts， some terribly sad parts and some humorous parts along the way。I have friends who don’t read sci-fi， its not for them they say。 But underneath all of the alien species， the strange planets and the spaceships， this is a story about people fighting to save life as they know it and fighting to save their friends and family。I cannot wait for the next book to come out and I can see myself re-reading this one。 I noticed that Sophie Aldred has narrated the audiobook version。 I listened to her doing the audio of The Doors of Eden and thought she did a great job so might pick up the audio to catch myself up ahead of sequel coming out…。。which I hope will be in the not to distant future！ 。。。more
Evelina | AvalinahsBooks
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How I read this: Free ebook copy received for a blog tour from publicist and tour managers via NetGalleyWOW WOW WOW。 Unforgettable story。 A 560+ page beast that I gobbled up IN TWO DAYS。 Grand， looming and incredible。 If you:- are a fan of Mass Effect- loved The Three-Body Problem- love not-only-human and not-only-able-bodied casts- love cool strong fighter women- love a dark story- are prepared for many pages and a whole series of thatTHEN THIS IS YOUR BOOK。I have a long review right here， so p How I read this: Free ebook copy received for a blog tour from publicist and tour managers via NetGalleyWOW WOW WOW。 Unforgettable story。 A 560+ page beast that I gobbled up IN TWO DAYS。 Grand， looming and incredible。 If you:- are a fan of Mass Effect- loved The Three-Body Problem- love not-only-human and not-only-able-bodied casts- love cool strong fighter women- love a dark story- are prepared for many pages and a whole series of thatTHEN THIS IS YOUR BOOK。I have a long review right here， so please come visit my post if you want to know more about why I absolutely loved Shards of Earth:https://avalinahsbooks。space/shards-o。。。 I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review。 This has not affected my opinion。Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter 。。。more
Sibil
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4。5 starsRTC
Borja
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Muy bueno， en el nivel notable de Tchaikovsky。 Nos hemos mal acostumbrado desde hace mucho a que su nivel sea entre notable y excelente que puede parecer lo normal cuando no lo es。Space opera a gran escala， llena de razas， planetas， toda una cronología detrás y mucho por pasar en los siguientes tomos de la trilogía。 COmienza fuerte， sin duda。
Sifa Poulton
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I received an eARC from the publishers as part of this blog tour in exchange for an honest review。 It has not affected my opinions。SHARDS OF EARTH feels both similar and different to the other more "space-y" books I've read by Adrian Tchaikovsky。 It has the same epic scope of DOORS OF EDEN and CHILDREN OF TIME， but doesn't feel as intense on the science - and has no focus on evolutionary science。There is still a very rigid set of science rules the world follows that makes the tech feel cohesive I received an eARC from the publishers as part of this blog tour in exchange for an honest review。 It has not affected my opinions。SHARDS OF EARTH feels both similar and different to the other more "space-y" books I've read by Adrian Tchaikovsky。 It has the same epic scope of DOORS OF EDEN and CHILDREN OF TIME， but doesn't feel as intense on the science - and has no focus on evolutionary science。There is still a very rigid set of science rules the world follows that makes the tech feel cohesive and not "anything goes"， which I really like as "anything goes" often feels a bit cheap and get-out-of-jail-free to me。 Instead， it's clear that a lot of time has been put into creating the world and ensuring the rules are followed。 It makes escapes and victories feel so much more earnt and satisfying。The other major difference is this book is a bit more space opera-y - big bad aliens， humanity at peril， multiple alien races across the galaxy with tensions between them。 Everyone is fighting for control of Idris， and the ship his crewmates accidentally stumble upon。 It's Star Wars （A New Hope） in that they're space-couriers-just-trying-to-eek-a-living-but-get-caught-up-in-bigger-matters， and partly a war epic， except they think the war is over。The Architects are a really unnerving enemy。 Partly it's because they're so unknowable （what are they？ what do they want？ why？） Partly it's because of how horrific their abilities are - reshaping whole planets into twisted， beautifully perverse shapes without obvious means to do so （aka， no hands。） It's the peeled-open earth on the cover， and it's a really effective way of making these moon-sized entities thanks to a prologue showing one of the historic battles and then new soldiers being shown the remains of Earth。 Thanks to this， they're a massive threat looming over the book， despite them not being there for most of the book。The information control around the Architects is brilliantly done - enough that you can follow what's going on and want to know more， but not enough that you stop reading because there are no more secrets to dole out。 Some of it isn't secrets， but what happened in the war， another set of mysteries to keep you hooked。It's a very good start of series， and it makes me want to read the next book now！ 。。。more
Paige
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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Adrian Tchaikovsky has written another winner， and， naturally， it's filled with animal-inspired aliens you can't help but love。 Crab-like creatures who makes great accountants， anyone？ This is the start to a truly epic adventure that sees you travel across the universe， visiting various planets and experiencing the unspace。 The unspace is a particular favourite of mine。 Tchaikovsky has taken FTL travel and made the bit in-between a I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Adrian Tchaikovsky has written another winner， and， naturally， it's filled with animal-inspired aliens you can't help but love。 Crab-like creatures who makes great accountants， anyone？ This is the start to a truly epic adventure that sees you travel across the universe， visiting various planets and experiencing the unspace。 The unspace is a particular favourite of mine。 Tchaikovsky has taken FTL travel and made the bit in-between a terrifying non-existent place where no one but you exists。 Plus there's a presence that might just drive you insane。 It took me maybe 50 pages to truly get into this book。 The first section barrages you with names and species and factions， and it took me a while to truly put everything together。 However， once I had that down I flew through the rest of the story。 Planets have been colonised， alien species met and factions created， so you're well and truly flung into a universe where humanity has colonised space。 It makes for a refreshing change as the story can focus purely on the main plot， with no first contact style sub-plots going on。 The architects are truly epic species。 Moon-sized creatures that appear and destroy planets with no apparent understanding of the living beings around them。 They make for a terrifying nemesis as there's no apparent plan， or threats， and it's not even clear if they know they're in a war。 The humans wage war on the architects， however we have no idea if the architects know this， or if they're just going about their business as usual。 I'm excited to continue the series to find out what is actually happening with the architects and why they do what they do。 To me Idris and Solace are the main characters here。 Two people who lived through the war， and who met in an epic battle against an architect。 They've been apart ever since but Solace is sent to find Idris to try and recruit him。 Idris is a Int， which means he can survive unspace and can touch the minds of the architects。 He is one of only a few people who survive this process and Ints are incredibly important people to have by your side。 Solace belongs to a group of genetically engineered women soldiers。 She made for a wonderful character as she gets caught between her loyalty to her sisters and her loyalty to Idris and the crew。 In addition to these two are a whole host of other characters。 We have the rest of the crew， who all have their places and uses， and who really help create the sense of loyalty within the group。 I loved the cast of characters here。 I can't wait to continue the series and to learn more about the architects and unspace。 Tchaikovsky has written the start to a series of epic proportions， and you'll be missing out if you don't pick this one up。 。。。more
J。 D。 Roberts
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3。5* I'll post a full review when it's my turn on the blog tour 3。5* I'll post a full review when it's my turn on the blog tour 。。。more
Dannii Elle
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Actual rating 4。5/5 stars。 This is the first instalment in The Final Architects series。Earth is but a distant memory and the humans who survived the planet's destruction are scattered across the universe， alongside other alien races。 Idris was once one such human， until he became utilised in the war against what had destroyed his home-planet and his brain remade into something that could fight against it。 He did just that。 However， forty years has passed and humanity quickly forgets to fear as i Actual rating 4。5/5 stars。 This is the first instalment in The Final Architects series。Earth is but a distant memory and the humans who survived the planet's destruction are scattered across the universe， alongside other alien races。 Idris was once one such human， until he became utilised in the war against what had destroyed his home-planet and his brain remade into something that could fight against it。 He did just that。 However， forty years has passed and humanity quickly forgets to fear as it strives for growth。 What had once tormented them could be returning and they are as unprepared as they were before to face it， with only Idris and a few of his kind left in their arsenal。This was such a fascinating insight to both space and the future。 I loved the travel between distant stars and planet and the explanations provided for what thrived there， and how they functioned as they did so。 The multitude of perspectives also allowed the reader to get differing viewpoints into a host of governing bodies， those at opposing junctures of each planet's social hierarchy， and those who served alternate roles in serving the longevity of their species， their planet， and their own body。 It also allowed us to realise that many humans are still as limited with their acceptance of differences as they are on Earth and in the present-day。Alongside my fascination with these features was my dual absorption with the politics of war。 Action-scenes were allowed to dominate but running concurrently were the behind-the-scenes and often underhanded interventions between planets and species。 I was sometimes overwhelmed by the sheer density of information that both these sides presented， but never anything other than engrossed as I attempted to puzzle them out。 。。。more
Alexander Páez
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Lo único que lamento de este libro es lo mucho que se pierde el lector en español al no tener apenas libros de Tchaikovsky traducidos。 Qué barbaridad de autor。
Peter Baran
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And the hits keep coming from Tchaikovsky。。。 Another day another micro-genre。 Here he is playing in the post contact， large alien conglomerate sandpit - with unknowable alien gods （The Architects） coming to destroy us wrinkle。 Or at least they came to destroy us， and did indeed destroy Earth so we have a humanity without a home in a universe where they are relatively small fry。 He is not of the opinion that humanity will fundamentally change: so those who were settled on planets already hate the And the hits keep coming from Tchaikovsky。。。 Another day another micro-genre。 Here he is playing in the post contact， large alien conglomerate sandpit - with unknowable alien gods （The Architects） coming to destroy us wrinkle。 Or at least they came to destroy us， and did indeed destroy Earth so we have a humanity without a home in a universe where they are relatively small fry。 He is not of the opinion that humanity will fundamentally change: so those who were settled on planets already hate the refugees， there are broadly other factions who hate post-humanism， aliens， and all the usually internecine disputes that happen when you get more than ten people together。 Particularly if some of those people aren't people， or are genetically engineered cloned warrior nun people you assumed were invented to destroy the rest of humanity。Its clear he is having an immense amount of fun here， his central characters after all are slightly dodgy traders in the Firefly mode （but with more aliens）。 The big picture here isn't staggeringly original， its broadly a pick five overused space opera concepts and blend them together， but he does use his talent for colouring it all in work wonders。 His aliens are well drawn and interesting， the episodic adventures all have narrative purpose all leading to a finale where it makes sense that the fate of humanity （the universe？） may be riding on what can only be described as a ragtag bunch of misfits。 And if you can pull that hoary old cliche off， you can probably do anything。Its interesting that he seems quite comfortable with the hand-waiving of so many of his big concepts here。 He is certainly not the first writer to invent an unknowable hyperspace and then potentially stuff it full of eldritch horrors （frankly hyperspace without eldritch horrors would be a surprise these days）。 Equally his mechanistic and impossibly destructive elder gods popping up for an ethnic cleanse have the sense of the Expanse back story about them。 And lets be fair， his cloned warrior nun super-soldiers are just Warhammer 40K space marines with a welcome gender change。 And yet there is something else going on here， its not as if he can't be original when he wants to be， so to choose quite so many stock puzzle pieces ultimately feels like there is a purpose to it。 Maybe his agent said can you write something more like this - and tossed him some Banks， Reynolds， The Expanse。。。（answer: of course I can and I can do it better）。 There is the sense of genre and sub-genre as a toybox and popping out the odd even more shameless "Entertainment" （as Graham Greene would have it）， is nothing to be ashamed of。 And of course he gets to play out a few relevant political arguments - disability rights get a thoughtful airing here - and his healthy cynicism at much human capitalist politics is a thread through pretty much all of his work。 But also this is the start of a trilogy， and even here each chapter reveals a slightly more alien concept or idea。 His ultimate antagonists - The Architects - at this stage do remain largely unknown， and seemingly unknowable。 But I am certain that will not remain the case， and it may well be that this hugely enjoyable genre fix is a preamble to something considerably more out-there than what is here。 。。。more
Ariana
，
This is the third book by Adrian Tchaikovsky that I’ve reviewed， and the third of his new books I’ve read this year。 He is certainly a powerhouse when it comes to releasing books， and I am more than happy to try and keep up！ So far， I have not been disappointed。 This story is set in a world in which humans have been colonising space for about two centuries， and it begins at the end of the war with the Architects， great planet-sized beings that got their name from the way they destroy worlds by t This is the third book by Adrian Tchaikovsky that I’ve reviewed， and the third of his new books I’ve read this year。 He is certainly a powerhouse when it comes to releasing books， and I am more than happy to try and keep up！ So far， I have not been disappointed。 This story is set in a world in which humans have been colonising space for about two centuries， and it begins at the end of the war with the Architects， great planet-sized beings that got their name from the way they destroy worlds by twisting and ripping them to create works of art。 Very early on in the book there is a chilling description of Earth as it has been left by the Architects， a great flower-like structure with its core exposed and frozen， forever reaching towards the sun （this is actually the image on the cover of the book）。In the aftermath of the war， all the different factions that had united against this unstoppable force begin to split into factions， so that along with the great loss of planets and lives， and the depletion of resources， there is great tension politically across the known universe。 Unaltered humans -the Colonisers- are resentful of other groups， such as the genetically modified humans and other species that have integrated themselves into society， and another war seems to be brewing。 It is in this high-strung political climate that the crew of Vulture God， a salvage vessel aboard which Idris now makes a living， finds a ship only recently destroyed， and it seems clear it was done by an Architect。 From here the crew are hunted by all the various factions who seek to use this finding for their own gain， while more sinister things seem to be happening in the depths of space…One of the things I loved about this book is the scale: it is set in space， which is as infinite as you can get， but there are certain elements that actually make it feel huge。 The massive Architects， the ‘unspace’ that people use to travel between distant parts of the universe， the void in which a large and incomprehensible presence haunts all who cross it， and the Throughways and Relics left by a civilisation named the Originators， which nobody truly understands。 These massive elements of the universe pair perfectly with the claustrophobia of the spacer life， in small ships that keep recycling parts to keep running， in overpopulated docking bays on overpopulated planets。 The contrast was well executed， and it made me feel the same way the characters did as I read the different parts。 And speaking of characters， this was definitely a fun cast， and I got very attached to them！ Tchaikovsky has a great knack for character writing， and especially writing group dynamics。 I loved getting to know the point of view characters and their internal thoughts， but I also enjoyed watching their interactions and changing relationships with others。 Idris and Solace were probably my favourites of the main cast， though Rollo comes a close third， and everyone （strange aliens included） feels well-rounded and believable， even those that appear in only a few scenes。 But really， Shards of Earth is just beautifully written。 It perfectly balances the technical language with vivid imagery， and the character development pulls it all together to create this brilliant thing。 And of course， it wouldn’t be an Adrian Tchaikovsky novel without creatures of weird and wonderful evolutionary traits！ Powerful clam overlords， crabs with screens on their shells， strange worm-like creatures， and near-indestructible symbiotes populate these pages， and I hope to see more in the next instalment！ 。。。more
Amy Tudor
，
Incredible World building with well thought out histories and politics。 A wide variety of characters with their own motives and mind blowing imagery。 This universe is going to be huge and I look forward to the next instalment。
Sarah
，
From start to finish， this is an amazing book。 It’s an emotional ride with fully formed characters and incredible world-building。 It’s the sort of book that will only get better with subsequent reads。 A full review will be coming through the British Fantasy Society once I’ve had time to process everything。
Honey
，
First off， this is a complicated sci-fi epic that I was so excited to read。This book is mainly about 2 people， Solace and Idris。 Solace is a soldier from a race of genetically engineered women whose task is to recruit Idris for their cause。 Idris is a previous soldier turned navigator who was genetically experimented on to allow him to fight a world-ending being called the Architects。 After responding to a normal call for a request to bring back a ship， the crew discovers something that changes First off， this is a complicated sci-fi epic that I was so excited to read。This book is mainly about 2 people， Solace and Idris。 Solace is a soldier from a race of genetically engineered women whose task is to recruit Idris for their cause。 Idris is a previous soldier turned navigator who was genetically experimented on to allow him to fight a world-ending being called the Architects。 After responding to a normal call for a request to bring back a ship， the crew discovers something that changes everything。 This book is way more plot-based than character-based but saying that doesn't mean that I disliked any of the characters when I was not supposed to。 they were written with depth and I found them very intriguing but I didn't feel very emotionally attached to them。 That may be because it is plot-based。 In terms of the plot I was hooked， I'm not going to lie I was incredibly confused for line the first 20% of this but I'm glad I stuck it out。 It's been a while since I've read anything that is so unlike the real world and thus it took a moment to get used to but once I did I was very intrigued。 There are a lot of questions about a lot of things， some that are answered and some that aren't in this book but it does hit you。The pacing is a little slow but honestly， I think it works well， it gives you a chance to get immersed into the world and understand fully what is happening。 Overall this was solid， I enjoyed myself and I have a few questions I want to be answered so when the next book is read I will be there。 。。。more
Aravind
，
This review was originally written for NetGalley at https://www。netgalley。co。uk/book/2158。。。Adrian Tchaikovsky has fast become one of my favourite authors; within the span of four books I have read by him， I have come to the conclusion that the reader can never go wrong with Tchaikovsky。 Shards of Earth， the first in The Final Architects trilogy， is another splendid example of Tchaikovsky’s phenomenal imagination and skill！Earth， along with billions of its occupants， was destroyed—twisted and wa This review was originally written for NetGalley at https://www。netgalley。co。uk/book/2158。。。Adrian Tchaikovsky has fast become one of my favourite authors; within the span of four books I have read by him， I have come to the conclusion that the reader can never go wrong with Tchaikovsky。 Shards of Earth， the first in The Final Architects trilogy， is another splendid example of Tchaikovsky’s phenomenal imagination and skill！Earth， along with billions of its occupants， was destroyed—twisted and warped into a colossal work of art， in fact—by an inscrutable enemy larger than Earth’s moon that came from the far reaches of the universe， whom the surviving humans named the Architect。 Earth was but one of the multitude of worlds reshaped into bizarre artworks by Architects irrespective of what species of sentient beings those worlds housed。 The only thing that worked for humans against Architects were Intermediaries， or Ints—humans with surgically altered brains capable of connecting with the gargantuan consciousness of the Architects—who， somehow， made the Architects go away more than eighty years after they had first appeared。 Presently， about forty years since the disappearance of Architects， Idris Telemmier—one of the very few surviving original Ints who is living obscurely as the navigator of a salvage ship travelling the space and the deep void—and his crew discover something that portends the return of the dreaded Architects。 Can humanity， and the other organisms， thwart the Architects once again？ Or， will life， in all its forms， be snuffed out by the monstrous entities？With the entire universe as his canvas， Tchaikovsky paints a dazzling picture of multiple worlds inhabited by many unique， fascinating beings in Shards of Earth—the Parthenon: genetically engineered female warriors， the Hannilambra: crab-like business-minded aliens， the Hivers: highly evolved cyborg insect intelligence， the Tothiat: super-resilient composite species， and the Essiel: enigmatic masters of the Hegemony。 Each of these species and characters has a unique personality and voice， and Tchaikovsky brings them all to life effortlessly。 He has a lot of trust in his reader’s ability to figure out things and thrusts them straightaway into the thick of things; the initial chapters take quite some patience， attention and perseverance to get through。 Once past the starting blocks though， it becomes a spectacular ride through space and unspace—the uncharted， lethal， maddening deep void beyond real space navigable only by human Ints and few other alien species。 The complex and entirely absorbing plot has plenty of breath-taking action sequences， all vividly described in Tchaikovsky’s engaging， intelligent prose。 The characters—human ones and aliens alike—are superbly crafted and will be remembered for a long time。Amidst the frenzied action， there definitely are a few places， especially when Idris engages his mind with bigger consciousnesses， where the pages feel like dragging。 But those parts are small and far between， and the rest of the book just keeps the reader in its mesmerising hold right up to the excellent finish—conclusive in many senses but holding enough in suspense to make the sequel impatiently awaited。 Now that is what I， and anybody who has read this magnificent Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Space Opera， want the most: Bring out the next volume， and the one next to it， immediately！Thank you， Adrian Tchaikovsky and Tor / Pan Macmillan， and NetGalley for the privilege of reading the ARC of Shards of Earth in exchange for my honest review！ 。。。more
inciminci
，
Secretly I have this nagging fear that as I get older， I might be losing my ability to picture fantastic worlds in my head and the joy this ability gives me。 So I was a little nervous about starting to read Adrian Tchaikovsky's massive， action loaded space opera Shards of Earth because it is exactly the kind of book for which that ability is vital。 The first installment of the "Final Architects" series is set in a universe which is deeply marked by a great war with intriguing adversaries; the mo Secretly I have this nagging fear that as I get older， I might be losing my ability to picture fantastic worlds in my head and the joy this ability gives me。 So I was a little nervous about starting to read Adrian Tchaikovsky's massive， action loaded space opera Shards of Earth because it is exactly the kind of book for which that ability is vital。 The first installment of the "Final Architects" series is set in a universe which is deeply marked by a great war with intriguing adversaries; the moon sized， mysterious Architects。 This war has ended with the help of psychic-like humans who can communicate with these moons， the Intermediaries， but years later there are new traces from the Architects and the fear is great they are back。I have to admit that I had a little help， though - the glossary and the historical timeline at the end of the book which list and briefly explain worlds， characters， ships， main political movements and species and for which I am extremely grateful。 Especially these new species are manifold and it does help a lot if you know their basic properties。 The Parthenon， for instance， are a gentically engineered all-women warrior race。 And even though the Parthenon are the warriors， I was more impressed by the invincibility of the Tohiats in fight scenes and found the cyborg-like Hivers truly endearing。 Plus I was invariably happy to be able to look them up。The storyline of Shards of Earth follows a group of people on a vessel ship who somewhat unwittingly get involved in the discovery of the above mentioned traces that indicate the return of the Architects: Idris， the unaging intermediate who still carries the trauma of the war he played a great part in winning; Kris， a lawyer from a rich planet with impressive knife-handling skills; cranky drone specialist Oli who， due to her physical disability， drives a very cool custom-made scorpion vehicle which enables her to move; captain Rostand and finally Solace， a Partheni soldier who is the last to join the crew。 I did have problems warming up to some characters， to be honest。 Talking about a group of random people traveling together， whether they are hobbits and elves united by a quest or cyber-racoons and humanoid trees space-robbing; the interaction between the members of the crew is in my opinion one of the most important points to make that story enjoyable。 Here， especially in the beginning， I just didn't feel the bond between the bunch and one character I openly disliked; it's Captain Rostand - I can't stand people who talk of themselves in the third person and don't like people who declare themselves a parent of yours by calling you "my child， my daughter"。 I already have parents， dammit！ Luckily it gets much better later in the book。While I initially had a little trouble following and finding my way in this universe （All hail Glossary！）， I was fully invested by the third world - you have to think of the storyline as a constant world hopping and each of the five parts of the book is set on and named for a different world。 Still， no action-packed space opera fun without socio-political complexities！ And I found those complexities believable and consistent。 Questions were raised such as， what kind of reactionary socio-political movements/ resentments can genetic engineering generate？ Nativist humans and their radical wing， The Betrayed， for instance， are not happy at all that there are humans who can communicate with their archnemesis。 Or the constant bickering between the bodily disabled Oli and Solace who was designed for physical perfection is a constant reminder of these conflicts in this （or any other） universe。 I also liked some intriguing concepts like the "unspace"， a solution Tchaikovsky brings to the problem of faster than light travel and most of all， the Architects！ Many questions concerning the Architects are deliberately left unanswered and an enemy who does not destroy， but deconstructs and rearranges its adversaries is an unusual but congenial thing！ Shards of Earth ends in a good place too; tying up the ends that need to be tied up， but leaving enough open to be excited for in future installments。So， concerning my doubts and troubles whether or not I'm losing my imagination， Adrian Tchaikovsky's answer has been a resounding and reassuring "No， you're not！" and I appreciated that a lot。Thanks pan/macmillan for the proof copy！ 。。。more
Lucy Gardiner （luc_lostinbooks）
，
Shards of Earth is the first book in a brand new series by Adrian Tchaikovsky。 I was lucky enough to have an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 I have to admit I’m usually more of a fantasy reader， I’ve tried some YA sci-fi before but this was my first introduction to the space opera genre。 This is the first book in the Final Architects series where we are introduced to a group of characters in space recovering from a war but the peace treaty is shaky。 I felt like I was th Shards of Earth is the first book in a brand new series by Adrian Tchaikovsky。 I was lucky enough to have an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 I have to admit I’m usually more of a fantasy reader， I’ve tried some YA sci-fi before but this was my first introduction to the space opera genre。 This is the first book in the Final Architects series where we are introduced to a group of characters in space recovering from a war but the peace treaty is shaky。 I felt like I was thrown into action straight away with a battle in space and I felt a little lost in the pages to start off with。 However some scenes I felt as though a movie was unfolding in my mind。 I liked the main characters solace and Idris。 They both had strong personalities and I enjoyed solace’s humorous side。I unfortunately couldn’t finish this book， I’m rating it 3 stars on the basis of what I’ve read so far and because it’s not the authors fault I just felt like this wasn’t my genre at all。 I felt as though I was swimming in the deep end of sci-fi without having tested the waters properly first it was too heavy for me and I felt really lost and overwhelmed。 I think readers well versed in sci-fi and space operas will probably love this book， I’m going to stick to my fantasy books going forward however。 。。。more
Di Maitland
，
I really liked this book but I didn't absolutely love it。 There's a lot of interesting world building and some great characters， but some of the key concepts （like unspace） went over my head and some of the characters needed more attention。Years before the book begins， Earth is turned inside out by aliens called Architects。 Why， nobody knows。 To fight back， humans develop Parthenon and Intermediaries。 Solace is a Partheni， a pseudo-cloned warrior-woman who， along with her 'sisters'， fought on th I really liked this book but I didn't absolutely love it。 There's a lot of interesting world building and some great characters， but some of the key concepts （like unspace） went over my head and some of the characters needed more attention。Years before the book begins， Earth is turned inside out by aliens called Architects。 Why， nobody knows。 To fight back， humans develop Parthenon and Intermediaries。 Solace is a Partheni， a pseudo-cloned warrior-woman who， along with her 'sisters'， fought on the front line against the enemy。 Idris is an Intermediary who， thanks to a lot of unpleasant medical intervention， is able to navigate unspace and communicate with Architects。 Both played a role in banishing the Architects， but whilst the war may be forty years over for most， it isn't for them。Today， Idris pilots the Vulture God， a deep-space， mixed-species salvage vessel。 He wants nothing more than to be left alone， but his navigation skills are valuable and a lot of people will go to great lengths to secure them， whether Idris is willing or not。 Solace has been sent by the Partheni to persuade him to join their – now separate – ranks， hoping to capitalise on their （brief） history together。 Before she can make much headway， however， the crew find something unexpected and worth even more than Idris himself。 All of a sudden， there's enemies on all sides and the crew will have to take what help they can from whatever quarter it comes。Full review to come。I was given this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you NetGalley。 。。。more
Maddalena
，
I received this novel from Pan/McMillan through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review: my thanks to both of them for this opportunity。Shards of Earth is my sixth book from Adrian Tchaikovsky and one unlike the others I read so far: this author moves from one kind of story to another with enviable ease， so that I’m now certain that no matter which work of his I pick up， I will be pleasantly surprised by what I find。 This first volume in the Final Architects series brings us fully into the sp I received this novel from Pan/McMillan through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review: my thanks to both of them for this opportunity。Shards of Earth is my sixth book from Adrian Tchaikovsky and one unlike the others I read so far: this author moves from one kind of story to another with enviable ease， so that I’m now certain that no matter which work of his I pick up， I will be pleasantly surprised by what I find。 This first volume in the Final Architects series brings us fully into the space opera genre with a story spanning many worlds and civilizations and introducing the most terrible kind of adversary， one which does not seem to act out of malice or thirst for power， but simply because that is its way - one for whom the words collateral damage or consequences seem to hold no meaning at all。 More than once I have wondered how events of the past year have weighed on Adrian Tchaikovsky’s imagination as he crafted the Architects， entities that work according to their own inner programming （not unlike a virus！）， unaware of the damage they are inflicting…At the start of the novel， galactic civilization is two generations past a catastrophic event which threatened to annihilate every form of life - human or alien - in the universe: moon-sized things appeared literally out of nowhere， changing the shape of the worlds they encountered in a sort of destructively “artistic” way， erasing in the process all life present on those worlds。 The Architects - so the mysterious entities were named - seemed attracted only by inhabited worlds， and their deadly attention did not spare either alien or human civilization: Earth was one of the worlds so reshaped， and the people who were able to escape from the cataclysmic remolding of their worlds lived like refugees under the constant threat of the appearance of an Architect in their skies。 A last， desperate attempt was made to contact the aliens by genetically enhancing a group of human volunteers （called the Intermediaries） who would be able to communicate with the Architects in the hope of stopping the destruction: during an all-out battle involving the allied fleet created to face the threat， the Intermediaries were able to stop the mindless carnage， and the aliens disappeared just as swiftly as they had manifested。Some fifty years after the end of the war， what had been an alliance forged under the threat of annihilation has now fractured into a number of governing bodies more often than not at odds with each other: danger forgotten， every one of them - including some criminal conglomerates - seeks power and dominance over the others。 The Intermediaries， already marked in body and mind by the transformation， did not fare so well and most of them died， while a program to create more is underway using convicted criminals， not so much as a defense against a return of the Architects - which many deem impossible - but rather because one of the side effects of the genetic enhancing is the ability to navigate unspace， the ghastly nowhere between worlds。 Idris Telemmier is the last one of the original group of Intermediaries， and he now works as a navigator for a crew of interstellar scavengers on a ship very aptly named Vulture God: he does not age， nor does he need sleep， but he’s a very troubled individual and all he wants is to be forgotten and to forget - as impossible as it is - the horrors he had to witness， which makes a strange discovery， made by the Vulture God’s crew in the far reaches of space， even more disturbing: the Architects might be coming back…It takes a while for Shards of Earth to make the reader comfortable within its pages， or at least that was my experience at first: Tchaikovsky wastes almost no time in explaining his universe， plunging the audience in medias res so that one feels a little lost - that is， until a closer look at the character and civilizations list， not to mention the useful timeline， opens a window on this huge， complex background and everything falls into place。 The aliens peopling the Galaxy are indeed quite bizarre creatures， confirming the author’s richness of imagination: they are not only weird-looking， but they come from equally outlandish civilizations and their interactions with the humans can go from the humorous to the quite terrifying。 Yet it’s the human （or post-human…） characters I connected with more deeply， particularly the crew of the Vulture God， which gave me the same kind of wonderful vibes I could find in Firefly or The Expanse， making me feel perfectly at home with this group of mismatched individuals。Idris is the one who required more “work” from me because at first he comes across as gloomy and sullen: it’s only as his story comes into light， bit by bit， that it’s possible to understand the depth of the damage inflicted on him first by the procedures necessary to turn him into an Intermediary， then by his war experiences and finally by the constant journeys into unspace - the navigational medium that can turn an unmodified human into a crazed wreck and weighs on an Intermediary with the conflicting sensations of loneliness and of a looming， threatening presence。 If Idris is able to still maintain a grip on sanity it’s because of the bond he forged with his crew-mates， an apparently ill-assorted group that has grown into a found family whose interactions are a joy to behold - from expansive captain Rollo who calls the members of his crew “children”， to dour drone specialist Olli， whose stunted body made her a wizard in remote control of machinery; from crab-shaped alien tech Kit to lawyer Kris， whose main job is to protect Idris from being indentured by unscrupulous conglomerates， they all create a wonderful sense of familial cohesion that looks like the only barrier separating Idris from a devastating breakdown。That’s the main reason the arrival of an old acquaintance of Idris places them all on defensive mode: Solace is a member of the Parthenon， a human faction that long ago left Earth establishing a society of parthenogenically created women-soldiers - she and her sisters fought valiantly against the Architects， but are now looked on with suspicion， not least because there is a great deal of misinformation about their civilization and goals。 Solace is tasked with convincing Idris to help the Parthenon create their own Intermediaries， should they be needed with the possible return of the Architects， and when she joins the Vulture God she initially upsets the balance aboard the vessel， but as the days go on and a series of dramatic events plagues the crew， she feels torn between commitment to her duty and the growing sense of belonging that her adventures aboard the ship are bringing about。As far as space opera goes， Shards of Earth is a perfect， quite engaging representative of the genre， and for this very reason I refrained from mentioning any detail from the fast-paced string of events at the core of this story。 What I’m more than happy to share， however， is that the last 15-20% of the novel moves from a fast pace to a breakneck speed that had me turning the pages as quickly as I could， because the stakes were enormous and the various revelations beyond compelling。 And the good news is that although this is the first volume in a series， it does not end in a cliffhanger: granted， we understand that the various pieces have just been set in motion on this galactic chessboard， but this segment of the story is tied up quite satisfactorily - although I would not mind reading the next book right now ;-）If you are a fan of Adrian Tchaikovsky， I’m certain you will enjoy the depth and scope of his new work， and if you never read any of his books， this might very well be an amazing introduction。 Either way， you will not be disappointed…。Originally posted at SPACE and SORCERY BLOG 。。。more
Chris
，
Absolute cracker。 Proper review tbd。
Leigh
，
The Architects came for Earth first。 Humanity had nothing to stop them， so Earth fell， torn asunder and remade at the Architect’s whim。 Decades and many dead planets later， our last best hope were the Intermediaries， a handful of surgically altered humans borne into space by a female warrior caste， the genetically engineered Parthenon。 At immense cost， the enemy was stopped … and went away。Fifty years on， the Council of Human Interests， the governing body of the Colonies known as the Hugh， is on The Architects came for Earth first。 Humanity had nothing to stop them， so Earth fell， torn asunder and remade at the Architect’s whim。 Decades and many dead planets later， our last best hope were the Intermediaries， a handful of surgically altered humans borne into space by a female warrior caste， the genetically engineered Parthenon。 At immense cost， the enemy was stopped … and went away。Fifty years on， the Council of Human Interests， the governing body of the Colonies known as the Hugh， is on the brink of conflict with the Parthenon。 Idris， an Intermediary instrumental in the last encounter with the Architects， now hiding from the Hugh lest he be forced into slavery， is now the navigator and pilot for a disparate crew on the salvage vessel， Vulture God。 Wishing to avert a war the Parthenon order Solace， the warrior tasked with his protection during the war， to find him and convince him to join them and help them make their own Intermediaries。 Idris wants no part of the Hugh or the Parthenon， but what he wants soon becomes irrelevant when the Vulture God discovers the wreck of a ship bearing the all too familiar signs of attack by the Architects。Shards of Earth is a fantastic first book in what promises to be an outstanding space opera trilogy。 Tchaikovsky has formed a rich tapestry of alien species and worlds， a devastating adversary， and a vividly imagined history， and peopled it with believable characters whom I came care about very quickly。 The story is involved and complex and left me wanting the next book immediately。 Yet another masterclass in sci-fi from Adrian Tchaikovsky！I received an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Alex Sarll
，
Most reasons to be cheerful may still be on hold， but this is already the third new Adrian Tchaikovsky book 2021 has brought me* and it's exactly the space opera hit I needed。 It's set decades after the destruction of Earth by the moon-sized， unknowable alien Architects – think Galactus if， instead of being peckish， he was bent on turning planets into objets d'art。 Also， they have to be inhabited， and even the survivors admit a certain intent and beauty to the results。 First realisation: at pres Most reasons to be cheerful may still be on hold， but this is already the third new Adrian Tchaikovsky book 2021 has brought me* and it's exactly the space opera hit I needed。 It's set decades after the destruction of Earth by the moon-sized， unknowable alien Architects – think Galactus if， instead of being peckish， he was bent on turning planets into objets d'art。 Also， they have to be inhabited， and even the survivors admit a certain intent and beauty to the results。 First realisation: at present， I can't read ends of the world that are as shabby and local as the real one， so John Crowley's Ka is staying firmly on the shelf， unread， and I didn't even bother requesting the new Valente or Vandermeer。 But it turns out this sort of big， alien， bang rather than a whimper sort of doomsday is absolutely fine。 Humanity already had space colonies at the time， too， so it's not even an evacuation from scratch a la Seveneves， though billions were still lost。 Ultimately， we managed to drive off the Architects， though still nobody is entirely sure how， only that the surgically and chemically altered humans made into space navigators known as Intermediaries were key。 A couple of generations along， as has been known to happen in the aftermath of a victory， the various human and post-human factions exist in a state of cold war， where exactly the resources it would make sense to share in case the Architects return are also the ones they might turn on each other。 So the authorities of the human colonies as a whole – known， wonderfully， as 'Hugh' – are looking sceptically at the Partheni， all-female vat-grown warrior 'Angels Of Punching You In The Face'， "beautiful and deadly like highly polished knives"， who served as humanity's shield in the war， but are now feared to have sinister designs on the rest of the species， with its genetic flaws and its men。。。and as for the distributed consciousness of the Hivers， well。 Lurking behind all this， shifting the Overton window in the very worst ways， are the Nativists and their stab-in-the-back myths about how old-fashioned humanity could have won more， or better， or something – and while analogous Trump/Brexit elements have cropped up in a lot of recent Tchaikovsky， these wretches work a lot better than most of their predecessors， precisely because the parallel isn't as overly-exact as it was in Bear Head or Doors Of Eden。And of course， because this is space opera， there are aliens too – although because it's smart space opera， they have factions within their races too， rather than each standing as monolithic foreigner-substitutes。 They are also very alien， especially the Hegemony， giant shellfish who administer a sort of cult/empire hybrid whose worlds have a mysterious invulnerability to the predation of the Architects。 Of them all， though， I was most intrigued by Ash， the last survivor of a planet destroyed long before Earth， who kicks off the plot and then vanishes in a way suggesting a significant role in the remainder of the trilogy。 Ash's harbinger role deepened the Galactus vibes by reminding me of Ultimate Vision – though also of the single escapees the Mongols would permit when they destroyed a city。 In some ways， though， the Architects are probably more of a Lovecraftian vision， not in the sense of being a direct steal of his Old Ones with their tentacles and consonants， but by finding another route to his underlying point， the way the universe is full of things that will destroy us not out of malice， but simply because we don't register to them as worthy of note。 This sense only deepens as we learn more about the mysterious Originators whose relics litter the galaxy， or the sense of being watched that lurks for those unlucky enough to be awake on the unspace jumps between worlds。 Unspace being one of many times – see also the way that space combat and shielding here may still be cheating in terms of actual physics， but at least do so in novel and interesting ways – that Tchaikovsky is clearly running through a space opera checklist， but getting away with it。 I kept getting echoes of recent （or at least they seem that way to me， because I am old） exercises in the subgenre， like Banks' Algebraist or Vinge's Fire Upon The Deep， and also of the current flagbearer for the stage where interplanetary SF is just about to evolve into space opera， The Expanse。 After all， the leads here mostly represent one rag-tag crew with interesting pasts， accidentally in possession of a Macguffin way above their pay grade， who thus find themselves pursued by an awful lot of bigger， more dangerous players， often in such a way that shit is kicking off on at least three levels simultaneously。 And yet， just as he normally does， Tchaikovsky gets away with any similarities by being good enough that it feels like making it new， rather than a hollow exercise in emulation。 Some of that is simple pizzazz; some of it's the degree of thought put into the various characters and worlds and species; at times it's down to detail as fine as the phrasemaking， as when two twinkly old gents have an 'avuncle-off'。Of course it still has its unavoidable Event resonances， right down to humanity now dating time simply in Before and After， or haunted by memories of all that's been lost。 Worse， the spine of the story is the underlying horror of people slowly building new lives for themselves once the crisis is over， then suddenly having to deal with the nightmarish possibility of its return – something I suspect is going to come back to me whenever the whispers of the next pandemic start mounting。 But for all that， the carnage， the occasional hideously detailed bits of gore， the abiding impression right now is of a page-turning （or in my case， screen-flicking） romp， which very much hit the spot。*Obviously that's not all he's published; what kind of sluggard do you take him for？ There was a fourth too， but it's the sequel to one I've not read。（Netgalley ARC） 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Shards of Earth
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Shards of Earth&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Shards of Earth&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0