Eyes of the Void
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- Create Date：2022-04-26 08:52:14
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Adrian Tchaikovsky
- ISBN：1529051932
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Summary
Eyes of the Void is the second high-octane instalment in Adrian Tchaikovsky's Final Architecture space opera trilogy。
After eighty years of fragile peace， the Architects are back， wreaking havoc as they consume entire planets。 In the past， Originator artefacts – vestiges of a long-vanished civilization – could save a world from annihilation。 Yet the Architects have discovered a way to circumvent these protective relics。 Suddenly， no planet is safe。
Facing impending extinction， the Human Colonies are in turmoil。 While some believe a unified front is the only way to stop the Architects， others insist humanity should fight alone。 And there are those who would seek to benefit from the fractured politics of war – even as the Architects loom ever closer。
Idris， who has spent decades running from the horrors of his past， finds himself thrust back onto the battlefront。 As an Intermediary， he could be one of the few to turn the tide of war。 With a handful of allies， he searches for a weapon that could push back the Architects and save the galaxy。 But to do so， he must return to the nightmarish unspace， where his mind was broken and remade。
What Idris discovers there will change everything。
After eighty years of fragile peace， the Architects are back， wreaking havoc as they consume entire planets。 In the past， Originator artefacts – vestiges of a long-vanished civilization – could save a world from annihilation。 Yet the Architects have discovered a way to circumvent these protective relics。 Suddenly， no planet is safe。
Facing impending extinction， the Human Colonies are in turmoil。 While some believe a unified front is the only way to stop the Architects， others insist humanity should fight alone。 And there are those who would seek to benefit from the fractured politics of war – even as the Architects loom ever closer。
Idris， who has spent decades running from the horrors of his past， finds himself thrust back onto the battlefront。 As an Intermediary， he could be one of the few to turn the tide of war。 With a handful of allies， he searches for a weapon that could push back the Architects and save the galaxy。 But to do so， he must return to the nightmarish unspace， where his mind was broken and remade。
What Idris discovers there will change everything。
Reviews
Gregg Buford
，
I didn't think I was a mood reader but maybe I what I like to read or want to read is decided by my mood。 I don't think I was in the mood to read this book。 I usually like or love books by A。 Tchaikovsky but not sure about this book。 It felt like really going through a slog and didn't enjoy reading it but thinking about the writing and story in general I can't say it was bad。 Certainly， think people will enjoy this book if they like this author previous books。 I will need to do a reread at some I didn't think I was a mood reader but maybe I what I like to read or want to read is decided by my mood。 I don't think I was in the mood to read this book。 I usually like or love books by A。 Tchaikovsky but not sure about this book。 It felt like really going through a slog and didn't enjoy reading it but thinking about the writing and story in general I can't say it was bad。 Certainly， think people will enjoy this book if they like this author previous books。 I will need to do a reread at some point for sure。 。。。more
Raji
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Review to come
S。 Bavey
，
I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley and would like to thank the publishers Orbit， the author， Adrian Tchaikovsky and NetGalley。In this action-packed sequel to Shards of Earth we once again have multiple points of view， many intriguing alien races， and a ton of weird and wonderful worlds and settings， and there just seems to be more of everything this time around。 The stakes are raised even higher as we have multiple Architects appearing at once to attack and reshape the world of I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley and would like to thank the publishers Orbit， the author， Adrian Tchaikovsky and NetGalley。In this action-packed sequel to Shards of Earth we once again have multiple points of view， many intriguing alien races， and a ton of weird and wonderful worlds and settings， and there just seems to be more of everything this time around。 The stakes are raised even higher as we have multiple Architects appearing at once to attack and reshape the world of Arc Pallator while Idris and his companions are on the surface of the planet。 There are also more of the divine Essiel， Tothiat and Hiver characters introduced than we met in book 1。There are many ongoing mysteries in this series - the Originators’ ruins， the Presence sensed by travelers in unspace， and just who exactly are the slave drivers behind the destructive behaviour of the Architects。 These are all intriguingly further explored in Eyes of the Void， but we will have to wait for the final book for their resolutions。 All of the characters we got to know and love in the first book of this series are back again in Eyes of the Void， and we learn more about them and their species。 Particularly interesting to me were the symbiotic Tothiats and the life cycles of the crablike Hannilambra， whose colonized world of Ittring we get to visit and which I found to be a very interesting location。 Idris is kidnapped by a Tothiat and taken to a deadly radioactive planet which is home to an Originator city containing an ancient machine， which he is able to use via his Int capabilities to see into unspace and learn some of its surprising secrets。Havaer Mundy （the spy working for Mordant House） is also back and turns double agent on discovering a plot hatched by a few elite families。 The plot aims to save humanity from planetary destruction by the Architects by building a small fleet of enormous Ark ships。 If there will soon be no habitable planets left this might seem to be a viable solution， but how would the candidates for survival upon the Arks be chosen and who by？ The lawyer， Kris has a lot more focus on her in this story and shows her badass side via the dueling talents she learnt at university， which become an unexpected life-saving skill。 She was one of my favourite characters in this book。 。。。more
Simms
，
Shards of Earth was a splendid start to a space opera series， and Eyes of the Void continues in the same vein。 The book does a good job of refreshing the reader on the events of the first book -- helped， to some degree， by the fact that the plot of the first book doesn't really matter （（view spoiler）[the whole "uncovering a conspiracy to make it seem like the Architects are returning" loses its import the moment the Architects ACTUALLY return at the end of the book （hide spoiler）]） -- and expand Shards of Earth was a splendid start to a space opera series， and Eyes of the Void continues in the same vein。 The book does a good job of refreshing the reader on the events of the first book -- helped， to some degree， by the fact that the plot of the first book doesn't really matter （（view spoiler）[the whole "uncovering a conspiracy to make it seem like the Architects are returning" loses its import the moment the Architects ACTUALLY return at the end of the book （hide spoiler）]） -- and expanding on the worldbuilding from last time。 Highlights there include:* the introduction of not just artifacts left behind by the mysterious Progenitors， but city-sized archaeological sites* the inclusion of more Tothiats， whose alien-symbiote-induced near-indestructability made for a great mini-villain sequence in the first book; this time， they get more dimension than serving just as an evil henchman， but the lingering memory of how scary they were last time around makes for a good "oh shit" moment when you first see another one* the first in-"person" encounter with the Naeromathi， a fully nomadic shipborne civilization （after all of their planetary homeworlds were destroyed， centuries ago， by the Architects）; imagine if the Quarians in Mass Effect were less shiny and polished， more jury-rigged and falling apart， and above all NOT HUMANOID （really， the series overall feels like it borrows heavily from Mass Effect， or perhaps they're both drawing from the same space-opera well， but it does a better job of having a variety of body-forms for its various alien races。 [Yes， Mass Effect has an in-universe explanation for so many of its major aliens being humanoid， but still]）。 The Naeromathi show up several times in cool ways in this book， actually， and I'm looking forward to more in the sequel。 Or， perhaps better put， looking forward to how Tchaikovsky will come up with other fresh detail for other portions of the universe， in the way he featured the Naeromathi in this book。All in all a good book。 Suffers a little from "middle book syndrome" where it doesn't really tie up any plot threads and in fact just adds more， especially since as mentioned the plot details of the first book are pretty irrelevant now， but I'll gladly read the conclusion when it's published。Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC。 。。。more
Drew Pilat
，
I received early access to Eyes of the Void from NetGalley。 Reviewing the first two books as a whole here。 Tchaikovsky is a great writer and his ability to create an expansive and complex universe is top-tier。 Shards of Earth （book 1） was a solid intro to the series。 It had all the core themes I look for in a space opera: technology， religion， politics， history。 The alien factions were also super intriguing。 Unfortunately， this series left me frustrated。 My expectations were high after Children I received early access to Eyes of the Void from NetGalley。 Reviewing the first two books as a whole here。 Tchaikovsky is a great writer and his ability to create an expansive and complex universe is top-tier。 Shards of Earth （book 1） was a solid intro to the series。 It had all the core themes I look for in a space opera: technology， religion， politics， history。 The alien factions were also super intriguing。 Unfortunately， this series left me frustrated。 My expectations were high after Children of Time， but I found these books much less engaging。 I couldn't get attached to any of the characters and they are pretty forgettable。 I think it's a result of his narrative style， which is more detached and switches POV often。 His narrative style didn't bother me in Children of Time， as character development took the backseat to the evolutionary tale of Portia and the spiders， who were far more interesting than humans anyway。Other gripes: I didn't love how the story often progressed through random mini quests。 I also wouldn't describe the story as "thrilling" and I never really felt anticipation or anxiety over what would happen next。 The books probably could have been a lot shorter。 Overall， the premise and world-building is excellent， but this series should have been much better considering Tchaikovsky's talent。Still a big fan of Tchaikovsky and will read whatever he releases next！ 。。。more
booksforscee
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Idris got really really annoying in this one。 Like in the first book I enjoyed the representation of the nasty side of anxiety and how difficult it is to communicate verbally sometimes - and the frustration that you get from it - Tchaikovsky did an amazing job at making you feel that sort of helpless frustration and irritation。 But in this one I just felt Idris was just listening to his ego。 Like his main character complex had completely gone to his dead。Okay so now thats out of the way we can g Idris got really really annoying in this one。 Like in the first book I enjoyed the representation of the nasty side of anxiety and how difficult it is to communicate verbally sometimes - and the frustration that you get from it - Tchaikovsky did an amazing job at making you feel that sort of helpless frustration and irritation。 But in this one I just felt Idris was just listening to his ego。 Like his main character complex had completely gone to his dead。Okay so now thats out of the way we can get onto the actually cool characters - like Ollie。 Ollie deserves a whole series to herself。 Like her character is very private but what we do see is so heartbreaking as well as just epic。 The found family is strong with this series and I love it。This is a really great sequel for Shards of Earth and definitely doesn’t suffer from second book syndrome。 The story progressed really naturally and stakes were definitely raised。 I now can’t wait for book 3 ！ 。。。more
Tomislav
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This is the second volume of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s The Final Architecture （start reading with his 2021 novel， Shards of Earth）。 It concerns a very large number of spacefaring intelligent species and polities， characters， worlds， and spaceships。 So many， in fact that there is a reference glossary of each of those at the end of the novel， as well as a timeline of events as revealed in volume one。 There is also a recap of the plot of volume one at the beginning of this novel。 I am thinking that I ca This is the second volume of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s The Final Architecture （start reading with his 2021 novel， Shards of Earth）。 It concerns a very large number of spacefaring intelligent species and polities， characters， worlds， and spaceships。 So many， in fact that there is a reference glossary of each of those at the end of the novel， as well as a timeline of events as revealed in volume one。 There is also a recap of the plot of volume one at the beginning of this novel。 I am thinking that I can discuss general attributes of this novel without plot spoilers regarding the earlier one， and that recapping the plot of volume two is not the purpose of a review anyway。 The characters of principal interest continue to be Idris Telemmier， and Mymidon Executor Solace， and the shifting crew of the independent salvage vessel Vulture God。 Idris is an “Int” or Intermediary， adept at entering unspace， where faster-than-light travel is navigated， but also where the planet-destroying Architects can be sensed。 Solace is a member of a parthenogenic race of human warrior women， who has some history with Idris。 In addition， there is a newly sympathetic character， Havaer Munday， an Intervention Board agent of “Hugh” or the Council of Human Interests。 Species， polities， and characters re-align on a constant basis， challenging the reader to keep up。 But I followed those characters as my touchstones， even while I began to disregard the rest。 This writing is just too broad， populated with relentless conflict， and unfathomable superlatives for my taste。 Modern space opera exists in a continuum between hard-sf and space fantasy。 Tchaikovsky’s The Final Architecture is definitely to the side of space fantasy， bearing relationship to his straight-up fantasy writing。 “We’re basically standing at the edge of a raw wound between unspace and the real。 There’s a lot of fluctuation we don’t fully understand。 Interference in the basic substructure of the matter universe，” the cyborg offered which was a lot of words to not really enlighten Solace any further。” As this passage illustrates， pretty much anything required by plot tension is possible， with regard to world-building。The mystery of the Architects and unspace is further developed in the second half of the novel with the use of an enigmatic “Machine” in the vicinity of a particularly inhospitable planet Criccieth’s Hell。 However， there is plenty left unexplained， so a third volume must certainly be in the works。 Do not plan on stopping with volume two。 I read an Advance Reader Copy of Eyes of the Void in ebook， which I received from Orbit Books through netgalley。com in exchange for an honest review on social media platforms and on my book review blog。 This new title is scheduled for release on 3 May 2022。 。。。more
Jenny
，
I really enjoyed this book。 Captivating and gripping！ Both books in this series have caused me to gulp a bit when starting， as my kindle flags up how many hours it is going to take me。 However， by the time I am part way through this， I am quite happy for it to be a long book and am happy for it to carry on as long as it likes。 There was no part that I thought could have been cut shorter！This second book was， for me， a bit more enjoyable than the first。 The world building had already been done， s I really enjoyed this book。 Captivating and gripping！ Both books in this series have caused me to gulp a bit when starting， as my kindle flags up how many hours it is going to take me。 However， by the time I am part way through this， I am quite happy for it to be a long book and am happy for it to carry on as long as it likes。 There was no part that I thought could have been cut shorter！This second book was， for me， a bit more enjoyable than the first。 The world building had already been done， so I accepted the characters and the situation， and could knuckle down and enjoy the story。There is another book coming - the story is not complete but the particular dramas of this book are， so there is no ghastly cliffhanger。 I must admit I am looking forward to it - this is a fabulous world and I would be happy for many more stories to be set in it - there are loads of spin off stories possible， and I would love to read them！ 。。。more
Sifa Poulton
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I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 It has not affected my opinions。EYES OF THE VOID takes the series from high-stakes mystery and pursuit to the brink of galatic war where everyone is arguing with each other over who gets to control Idris （without really consulting him） rather than teaming up to fight off the Architects。 Because， of course， all the powers are far more concerned with how much power they might lose in a team up than all the lives。This combinati I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 It has not affected my opinions。EYES OF THE VOID takes the series from high-stakes mystery and pursuit to the brink of galatic war where everyone is arguing with each other over who gets to control Idris （without really consulting him） rather than teaming up to fight off the Architects。 Because， of course， all the powers are far more concerned with how much power they might lose in a team up than all the lives。This combination really makes you root for the narrators because they feel like the lone voices of reason surrounded by corporations/governing bodies who are all villains of one sort or another。 Plus it really makes them the scrappy underdog up against literally everyone and highly under resourced as you can never quite trust the group nominally backing them right now。Olli gets to narrate in this book， in addition to the four narrators from the previous （Idris， Kris， Solace， and Havear。） I like this spunky robot-controlling woman who has such confidence in taking on anyone。 I really enjoyed seeing more of her。The larger cast also lets the book be in more places at once。 It's still very tight， location-wise - it's not far flung locations with everyone at different ends of the galaxy - but it does let there be more moving parts in an action sequence。 It makes the book feel bigger while still very much feeling like a single， cohesive story （vs some other far-flung cast books that feel so separate。）This book also very much confirmed to me that I am not a big fan of digital reading。 I find it really hard to put down digital books and come back to them （my attention wanders MASSIVELY on putting it down） which means I try to read them in one sitting。 And that is very hard to do for a book this big。 I want temporary respite from books， particularly long， large ones。It's a testament to how engaging this book is that I didn't struggle with it， given its digital length。 I could certainly feel like I was in need of finishing， to have that break， by the end， but I was still interested in keeping going， still wanted to find out more。 I didn't resent the book （which I most certainly have for other long books I felt obliged to finish。）The finale of this trilogy looks to have a big moral dilemma at the heart of how to defeat the Architects， and a new faction/splinter has joined the game too。 Looks to be a promising third book next year！ 。。。more
Daniel Lewis
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After reading Children of Time I knew that Adrian Tchaikovsky would be one of my favorite authors。 Since then I have read quite a few of his books so when I got an opportunity to read Eyes of the Void ahead of publication I jumped on it。 I want to thank NetGalley， the publisher and Adrian Tchaikovsky for allowing me to read this book in advance of publication in exchange for an honest review。 The problem is the book was amazing， it deserves five stars！ I had read Shards of Earth （the first book After reading Children of Time I knew that Adrian Tchaikovsky would be one of my favorite authors。 Since then I have read quite a few of his books so when I got an opportunity to read Eyes of the Void ahead of publication I jumped on it。 I want to thank NetGalley， the publisher and Adrian Tchaikovsky for allowing me to read this book in advance of publication in exchange for an honest review。 The problem is the book was amazing， it deserves five stars！ I had read Shards of Earth （the first book in this series） right before getting a chance to read this so the story was very fresh in my mind。 At the end of that book Idris the hero was warning the people that hey this is NOT over do not get complacent the Architects will be back。 At the start of this book you find out that they were in fact coming back。 I am not going to give any spoilers to the story， I hate it when I am reading a review and things get spoiled。 If you like space operas like The Expanse or The Interdependency series from John Scalzi then this thing is for you。 If you like hard sci-fi this is for you。 It also has a couple of fantasy or at least unexplained elements to it。 If you have not yet read Shard of Earth please go do that now， you will not have any idea what is going on if you do not read the first book。As with every other Adrian Tchaikovsky book I have read so far there are multiple layers to the story and its such a fascinating story to dig into。 This is the middle book in a planned trilogy so do not expect the story to be fully resolved in this book， but if you love great writing in a science fiction setting then you owe it to yourself to read this series。 Along the way you will fall in love with the depth of the characters， this is something that is underrated in science fiction。 Some authors leave us with boring people set in interesting backdrops， Tchaikovsky weaves an incredible story with fascinating people。 Of course now its going to be a LONG wait until the final book in the series comes out。 I cant wait！#netgalley #spaceopera 。。。more
Eric
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*I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley*Eyes of the Void is an excellent follow up to Shards of Earth and continues the story of the crew of the Vulture God as they fight against the destruction wrought by the Architects while trying to unravel the mystery of the Originators' strange relics。。This book focuses the story more on Idris， an Int with the ability to "see" into unspace with his mind。 What he sees there will change everything。 And I can't wait to find out how in the final book of *I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley*Eyes of the Void is an excellent follow up to Shards of Earth and continues the story of the crew of the Vulture God as they fight against the destruction wrought by the Architects while trying to unravel the mystery of the Originators' strange relics。。This book focuses the story more on Idris， an Int with the ability to "see" into unspace with his mind。 What he sees there will change everything。 And I can't wait to find out how in the final book of the trilogy。 。。。more
Zeb Kantrowitz
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This is the second book of this fabulous trilogy， but like all second books it has a habit of primarily setting up the third book。 All of the characters from the "Vulture Godd" are back and in fine form。 It seems like half the galaxy is trying to get their hands on Ildris because he is one of only two original first generation Ints and this gives him special powers。 In fifty years， Indris has not aged a day and he is able to go into deeper non-space than anyone has ever gone without getting lost This is the second book of this fabulous trilogy， but like all second books it has a habit of primarily setting up the third book。 All of the characters from the "Vulture Godd" are back and in fine form。 It seems like half the galaxy is trying to get their hands on Ildris because he is one of only two original first generation Ints and this gives him special powers。 In fifty years， Indris has not aged a day and he is able to go into deeper non-space than anyone has ever gone without getting lost。So we spend a lot of time watching the Vulture trying to stay away from all the bad guys of the three major space empires while either watching Indris get captured or freeing him。 He ends up on a planet with the only complete machine left by the Originators that can get him deep enough into non-space to find the home of the Architects and understand "what" is in non-space that forces them to go into real space and wreck havoc with the planets of the sentient empires。Tchaikovsky has done a great job of setting up the final 'confrontation' with whatever it is that has been sending the Architects out into real space。 Should be a great final book。 。。。more
Denise
，
Eyes of the Void， the second in the newest series The Final Architecture by Adrian Tchaikovsky， meets all I hoped for in a middle book: a well integrated summary of the first book （ by which I mean there wasn’t a huge info dump）， added complexities in the plots， and yet more questions about the Architects and the unknown alien race that has compelled them to destroy inhabited planets。 All the players from before are here， meeting up during a last minute effort to understand one of the largest Or Eyes of the Void， the second in the newest series The Final Architecture by Adrian Tchaikovsky， meets all I hoped for in a middle book: a well integrated summary of the first book （ by which I mean there wasn’t a huge info dump）， added complexities in the plots， and yet more questions about the Architects and the unknown alien race that has compelled them to destroy inhabited planets。 All the players from before are here， meeting up during a last minute effort to understand one of the largest Originator ruins: various humans from Earth’s colonies and their progeny the Huvers and Parthoni; Havaer the Mordant House operative; the Hegemony crowd。 And， of course， there are the folks from the Vulture God salvage ship。 When Shards of Earth came to an end Idris， one of the last Intermediaries who can pilot a ship through the spooky unspace without going insane （mostly）， had chosen to help the Parthoni Int training program， over the Council of Human Interests， because of their promise that only volunteers be used， volunteers who are aware of the overwhelming possibility that they will not survive。 Idris is a haunted sad-sack who the other misfits on this venture rally around， protecting him from the rest of the universe that sees him as a traitor to humankind and it’s savior- if only they can get their hands in him。 He just wants to be left alone， protesting， “I ended the war。 I saved the world。” And is met with the question， “Yeah but what have you done recently？”My favorite characters are the shivers and Kittering， the Hanni。 Their straightforward dialogue adds humor amidst the conniving humans。 One scene has the Hanni setting up a rigged board game to de-escalate an arguments between two academics- cutting them both down to size and turning potential violence between factions to shared laughter。 Everyone is on a knife’s edge and war seems inevitable， yet it’s hard to know who is on whose side when the sides keep changing。 Readers will be eagerly awaiting the final book in this series and it’s good to know Tchaikovsky will not keep ya waiting long。 。。。more
Laura
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Eyes of the Void is my second Tchaikovsky book， my first having been its predecessor Shards of Earth。 Picking up where the first book in the series leaves off， the Architects -- planet-destroying moon sized enemies that Idris believes are under the control or duress of some *other* entity humans don't know anything about yet -- are back， and this time artifacts that have previously protected worlds aren't stopping them。 Several of the tensions of the first book -- between the Colonials and the P Eyes of the Void is my second Tchaikovsky book， my first having been its predecessor Shards of Earth。 Picking up where the first book in the series leaves off， the Architects -- planet-destroying moon sized enemies that Idris believes are under the control or duress of some *other* entity humans don't know anything about yet -- are back， and this time artifacts that have previously protected worlds aren't stopping them。 Several of the tensions of the first book -- between the Colonials and the Parthenon， particularly -- are really amped up in this one， and needless to say Idris， as one of the last original Intermediaries capable of communication with the Architects， is in *very* high demand with several factions all trying to secure him。 There is a lot Tchaikovsky does wonderfully in this series。 His development of characters of alien species is fantastic， as is the pace at which he unfolds the mysteries at the heart of the plot。 There is quite a bit of new information introduced in this second book but there isn't too much 'infodump' I don't generally describe books I read and enjoy as "action packed" but this one is *really* action packed -- the battle scenes， chases， and fights， are described in detail and make up a very substantial percentage of the text。 Like the first book， this one also includes indexes of characters， worlds， species， and ships， and a timeline; additionally， the book begins with a very brief "The Story So Far" reminding the reader of where *Shards of Earth* left off。 I really appreciate this inclusion; given the complexity of the world-building and how long it had been since I read the first book， I was really to have a little "Previously on。。。" to get me started。Definitely recommend; however， to appreciate this book reading its predecessor first is required。Thank you to Orbit Books + Netgalley for providing me with an ARC。Content warnings: violence， gun violence， war 。。。more
Julia
，
I received a DRC of this book。Incredibly Tchaikovsky has done it again。 Eyes of the Void is the next installment in the Final Architecture series。 The premise of this series， the concept of a seemingly omnipotent alien race destroying through molecular rearrangement everything in its path is a delightful and original addition to the Space Opera opus。 Tchaikovsky has created entertaining and varied characters from all sides of the battlefields to draw us into his bizarrely hopeful doomsday。 There I received a DRC of this book。Incredibly Tchaikovsky has done it again。 Eyes of the Void is the next installment in the Final Architecture series。 The premise of this series， the concept of a seemingly omnipotent alien race destroying through molecular rearrangement everything in its path is a delightful and original addition to the Space Opera opus。 Tchaikovsky has created entertaining and varied characters from all sides of the battlefields to draw us into his bizarrely hopeful doomsday。 There's even a little humor。 。。。more
Evan Ladouceur
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I have waited impatiently for Eyes of the Void and it has amply fulfilled all my expectations。 Fist， a warning; this is a sequel and benefits hugely from having read its predecessor novel， Shards of Earth。 Second， it is not a conclusion; at least one more book awaits。 On to the praise。Adrian Tchaikovsky is a prolific， great writer， adept at many types of story。 This book is fast， intriguing space opera。 It features a menacing larger-than life threat in the Architects， with a nameless， larger thr I have waited impatiently for Eyes of the Void and it has amply fulfilled all my expectations。 Fist， a warning; this is a sequel and benefits hugely from having read its predecessor novel， Shards of Earth。 Second， it is not a conclusion; at least one more book awaits。 On to the praise。Adrian Tchaikovsky is a prolific， great writer， adept at many types of story。 This book is fast， intriguing space opera。 It features a menacing larger-than life threat in the Architects， with a nameless， larger threat behind them。 There is a cast of interesting， relatable， damaged， realistic， and often likable characters。 Human villains lurk behind the scenes and sometimes appear to bedevil the heroes。 There are cryptic aliens， which feel alien。 There is action galore， with many mini-crescendos before a rollicking finish。 The author handles shifting viewpoints very well and knows how to build tension。 This is a dream of a book， devoured in two days。 I cannot wait for the next one。 。。。more
Nick Borrelli
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Adrian Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite authors for a multitude of reasons， but first and foremost is that he can write brilliantly captivating stories in multiple genres/subgenres。 Whether talking about his fantastic Shadows of the Apt fantasy series， his mesmerizing Bio-SF thriller The Doors of Eden， or his monumental space opera work Children of Time， Tchaikovsky's ability to deliver a mind-blowing story is never something that should ever be in doubt。 Likewise， his latest series The Final A Adrian Tchaikovsky is one of my favorite authors for a multitude of reasons， but first and foremost is that he can write brilliantly captivating stories in multiple genres/subgenres。 Whether talking about his fantastic Shadows of the Apt fantasy series， his mesmerizing Bio-SF thriller The Doors of Eden， or his monumental space opera work Children of Time， Tchaikovsky's ability to deliver a mind-blowing story is never something that should ever be in doubt。 Likewise， his latest series The Final Architecture promises to be yet another classic from the highly-acclaimed author。 I had the pleasure of receiving an advance copy of book two in the series EYES OF THE VOID from publisher Orbit and here are my thoughts。This book is a wonderful continuation in this series and didn't fall prey to the usual middle book pitfalls that plague so many follow-ups。 The intrigue is ramped up as the Architects begin to get a little bolder in their probing of vulnerable worlds。 For those who don't know， the Architects are moon-sized entities that have destroyed entire civilizations in the past brutally and without mercy。 It's almost a sick and twisted game to them as they obliterate and then go into hiding for a time， only to emerge decades later randomly to repeat the process。 So getting to feel that tension of a potential attack made this read a lot more dramatic than the first book， Shards of Earth。 Would it happen？ Would it not？ And if it did， how would those aligned against the Architects respond？ Another thing that I love about Tchaikovsky's books， and this one is no different， is that he always injects a central mystery into his stories that make you want to keep turning those pages to discover if that mystery ever gets revealed。 And the awesome thing about this series is he gives you TWO mysteries for the price of one。 The first being the Originators， an elder civilization that has since disappeared but has left mysterious ruins and artifacts scattered across the universe in their wake。 The thought is that some Originators may possibly still exist somewhere， and scholars/scientists have been studying their abandoned settlements in an effort to get more answers。 The second mystery involves the enigma known as unspace， which is the underlying nothing beneath the universe。 A part of space that allows for travel across light years in just mere moments， but at what cost？ And there are those who after journeying through unspace have come out somewhat changed。 The reasons for which we are dying to understand。 So yes， these tantalizing mysteries are a huge part of this story， besides the political and societal maneuvering that take place between the characters。 These elements combined take this SF story to very lofty heights indeed。EYES OF THE VOID was just the type of sequel that I had hoped it would be。 The stakes have been raised considerably， alliances are being formed， enemies are making themselves known， and the epic battle on the horizon promises to be legendary。 I'm happy to say that Adrian Tchaikovsky has written another stellar space opera tale that will delight anyone who loves their science fiction smart， tech-heavy， and full of exciting adventure。 I don't know how I'm going to pass the time waiting for book three， but if it is anything like these first two books in the series， it will be more than well worth it。Preorder your copy now because you are not going to want to miss this one。 And definitely read the first book in this series， Shards of Earth if you haven't yet because that one is a beautiful introduction to this story。 This is space opera the way it should be told。 Big ideas， mysterious civilizations， cool alien technology， characters who think and act in ways that surprise， and the ingredient that matters most - it's just downright fun to read。 I have visions of this being made into a blockbuster film or TV series someday and I really hope I get the chance to see it。 If you are a fan of Iain M。 Banks， Peter F。 Hamilton， and Gareth L。 Powell， then this will be right up your alley for sure。 。。。more
Matthew Burris
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Big fun sci-fi。 Will recommend。 I’d happy read a spin-off book about practically any character in this。
Brittany Sauls
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Eyes of the Void picks up where Shards of Earth left off， （with a quick recap🙌） and has more of everything I loved about the first novel。 My moon sized architects are back and the only defenses against them no longer work。 Idris and the crew of the Vulture God are scrambling to find a way to stop them。 Eyes of the Void is action packed and full of factions of mysterious aliens and humans in an uneasy alliance to save the universe。 It answers some questions from the first while leaving plenty in Eyes of the Void picks up where Shards of Earth left off， （with a quick recap🙌） and has more of everything I loved about the first novel。 My moon sized architects are back and the only defenses against them no longer work。 Idris and the crew of the Vulture God are scrambling to find a way to stop them。 Eyes of the Void is action packed and full of factions of mysterious aliens and humans in an uneasy alliance to save the universe。 It answers some questions from the first while leaving plenty in the air for the finale。 Luckily Tchaikovsky writes at Brandon Sanderson speeds so we won't have to suffer long。 。。。more
Dawn
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If "Shards of Earth" floated your spaceship， "Eyes of the Void" will have it fueled up and soaring off into outer space！ The story expands brilliantly in this second book of "The Final Architecture" trilogy， and I'm comfortable enough with the concept now that I'm starting to speculate on where this could all end。 Brilliantly written。 Brilliant characters。 A story to keep you up past bedtime， and thinking about it when you're not actually reading。 My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalle If "Shards of Earth" floated your spaceship， "Eyes of the Void" will have it fueled up and soaring off into outer space！ The story expands brilliantly in this second book of "The Final Architecture" trilogy， and I'm comfortable enough with the concept now that I'm starting to speculate on where this could all end。 Brilliantly written。 Brilliant characters。 A story to keep you up past bedtime， and thinking about it when you're not actually reading。 My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own， unbiased， opinion。 。。。more
Michelle
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Pub date: May 2022Awesome second book in this series with the Vulture God crew！ We find out more about the Originator ruins and how far the Architects will go。 There are several big action scenes， and in the last what Idris finds out in unspace changes everything！ I loved Idris and Solace in the last book and in this one Kris was my favorite， with her sneaky lawyerly ways！ This is a fabulous series with its great characters， space adventures， and subtle humor， and one I highly recommend！
Jewels
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I did not realise this was part of a series when I requested it。 I managed to finish the book as a standalone - picking up threads here and there - but I definitely struggled at times and definitely felt I was missing something。 Now going to read the first part of the series and then read this again。The story itself is an exciting voyage through space and time - full of complex alien tech， species， inter-species rivalry， espionage and some rather fabulous baddies。Recommended for hardcore scifi f I did not realise this was part of a series when I requested it。 I managed to finish the book as a standalone - picking up threads here and there - but I definitely struggled at times and definitely felt I was missing something。 Now going to read the first part of the series and then read this again。The story itself is an exciting voyage through space and time - full of complex alien tech， species， inter-species rivalry， espionage and some rather fabulous baddies。Recommended for hardcore scifi fans - but read the first book before you attempt this one！My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC。 All opinions my own。 。。。more
Dan
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When people talk about things being widescreen， this is what they mean。 This book careers between several planets and solar systems， stuff gets blown up all over the place， brilliantly original aliens do horrible things， different factions of humanity vie for galactic supremacy in the face of existential threat， there's something nasty in the woodshed of space-time， and our heroes are right in the middle of it all。 Shards Of Earth was terrific fun， and this maintains that。 It's high concept， hig When people talk about things being widescreen， this is what they mean。 This book careers between several planets and solar systems， stuff gets blown up all over the place， brilliantly original aliens do horrible things， different factions of humanity vie for galactic supremacy in the face of existential threat， there's something nasty in the woodshed of space-time， and our heroes are right in the middle of it all。 Shards Of Earth was terrific fun， and this maintains that。 It's high concept， high energy， high fun space opera， and roll on the next part。 。。。more
Cathy
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Netgalley just rejected my request for this。 Sigh。 There is no rhyme or reason to when Tor accepts my requests and when they do not。 I guess I will wait for the audiobook and use an audible credit。 The audio of Shards of Earth was very good！ Netgalley just rejected my request for this。 Sigh。 There is no rhyme or reason to when Tor accepts my requests and when they do not。 I guess I will wait for the audiobook and use an audible credit。 The audio of Shards of Earth was very good！ 。。。more
Alex Sarll
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The second instalment of the absurdly prolific Tchaikovsky's current space opera series， though like more space opera than you might expect， it comes with a strong undercurrent of cosmic horror。 From the off， part of the beauty of this setting is how neatly the usual SF cheats tie together， so the faster than light drives and the shields both derive from the same central idea – and now， it turns out， so do the implacable， enormous Architects who are once more fatally reshaping inhabited planets， The second instalment of the absurdly prolific Tchaikovsky's current space opera series， though like more space opera than you might expect， it comes with a strong undercurrent of cosmic horror。 From the off， part of the beauty of this setting is how neatly the usual SF cheats tie together， so the faster than light drives and the shields both derive from the same central idea – and now， it turns out， so do the implacable， enormous Architects who are once more fatally reshaping inhabited planets， and the Originator relics which until recently were almost the only way to stop them， but which no longer seem to do the trick。 Obviously， with a third book to come， we don't get all the answers yet， and it would be profoundly unsporting of me to give away all we do get here， but for me it perfectly fulfilled the middle book remit of moving things along， escalating， answering some questions while posing more， without ever feeling like it was cheating or our attention had been unfairly misdirected。Not that the attraction is only in the cosmic structure; this isn't the Asimov school of SF， where the ideas might be interesting but the characters are cardboard。 The worlds are depicted with that Star Wars， Alien， Expanse awareness of how grotty space travel could be， especially when species are having to desert their planets in a hurry。 Hence the spacer bar where "Rotary drones wobbled overhead delivering drinks that they only spilled half of。 You could get drunk in Skaggerak just sitting around with your head tilted up and your mouth open。" Sometimes it threatens to tip into the parodically grim: "a veiny gas giant like an infected testicle crawling up the horizon of Hismin's Moon and leaving precious little of the sky free of its malign radiance。" But there's enough life and humour to the leads to pull back from that brink， even in the face of Armageddon。And that Armageddon。。。well， since the Event， I've been very reluctant to read anything with certain plausible ends of the world。 Plagues are out， and likewise global warming， so that recent sunken world Cat Valente is getting skipped for the foreseeable， and I'd be steering clear of Neal Stephenson's latest even if his last one hadn't been such a misfire。 Ruddy great aliens doing macrame with planets， though？ That's fine。 Except that what becomes increasingly clear this time out is that Tchaikovsky is doing one of them there metaphors which people who don't read much science fiction are always so surprised to find in science fiction。 This is most obvious in the central section set on the planet Arc Pallator， which is definitely， visibly and quite imminently doomed， but whose inhabitants are desperately trying to put a brave face on the matter， while the various visiting factions get distracted from the little matter of impending planetary catastrophe in favour of pointless pissing contests and jockeying for short-term advantage。 Meanwhile， certain vested interests are wondering if this might not be the ideal time to roll back the clock and redraw the boundaries of who counts as a person。 None of this is mere allegory， mind; Tchaikovksy isn't Chris Chibnall or some litfic goon trying to write about the climate， he's a proper writer， so all of this also still works on the level of alien spaceships unveiling cool secret weapons as they engage in spectacular battles， forge desperate alliances， and generally press all the classic space opera buttons。Moving through these pyrotechnics， our leads。 Idris， the almost comically hangdog saviour of humanity， wishing he didn't have to do it all over again， determined that any new Intermediaries he creates should be volunteers like he was， not the convicts who've been used since – but what does consent mean in a militarised clone society？ Or indeed， when the alternative is extinction？ Solace， one of said clones， uneasily promoted from frontline Angel Of Punching You In The Face to officer and agent。 Foul-mouthed Olli， and the gradations of affection which can be detected in what at first sight just looks like being awful to everyone all the time。 And knife-wielding lawyer Kris， whose plot during the finale could very easily have felt like a distraction from the massive showdown over the worst planet in the galaxy， but really didn't， because knife-wielding lawyer Kris is amazing。 At the end of the book， lots of stuff has blown up in entirely satisfactory fashion， thought-provoking themes of absence and loss have been prodded at， and everything is nicely set for the grand finale。 Which， knowing Tchaikovsky's work-rate， he probably dashed off last Thursday lunchtime， but for which the exigencies of publishing mean the rest of us will have to wait a year or so， during which time he'll have three other books out。（Netgalley ARC） 。。。more
Graculus
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After picking up the first book of this series （ Shards of Earth） courtesy of my local library， and enjoying it quite a lot， I was pleased to find book 2 turn up as an option on Netgalley， even if I worried about the whole 'difficult middle book' situation that often happens。 In the end， I still enjoyed Eyes of the Void but it did struggle with pacing and I found myself skimming at times， of which more later。The basic premise of the trilogy is that both humanity and the alien species they've After picking up the first book of this series （ Shards of Earth） courtesy of my local library， and enjoying it quite a lot， I was pleased to find book 2 turn up as an option on Netgalley， even if I worried about the whole 'difficult middle book' situation that often happens。 In the end， I still enjoyed Eyes of the Void but it did struggle with pacing and I found myself skimming at times， of which more later。The basic premise of the trilogy is that both humanity and the alien species they've encountered are under threat from another alien lifeform， this one that nobody can communicate with and with a particular mission - the Architects job is reclaiming things left behind by another long-extinct alien civilisation， regardless of how many lives it costs。 Back before the start of the books， two of the main characters had survived the Architects' previous visit， with one of them （Idris） using the way his brain had been altered by chemicals and surgery for the purpose of touching 'unspace' to make contact。 That uniqueness makes Idris much sought after， by people who either want to own him （pretty much literally） or those who want to duplicate what was done to him， neither of which choices really works for him。 In this book， after finding himself a bunch of friends in a battered spaceship in the previous volume， Idris agrees to help see if it's even possible to make more people like him without the high death toll all previous programmes had resulted in。 Unfortunately， when the plot requires Idris to be separated from his friends， that's when （for me， anyway） the pacing starts to break down and the book drags - finding himself literally isolated from the rest of his world with yet another bunch of people who want to make use of his unique abilities but none of whom I give a crap about， things definitely started to become less interesting for me and there was a bit of skimming。 All in all， still an enjoyable read with a lot going on but the third book remains on my library/Netgalley list rather than being something I'd fork out cash for - I reserve that for books I know I'll want to re-read and this just doesn't quite hit the spot for me。 I received a free copy of this book from the publisher， via Netgalley。 This is my honest review of the book in question。 。。。more
Leigh
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Review to follow nearer publishing date。
John Derek
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Eyes of the Void is the second book in the Final Architecture space opera trilogy and is the follow up to the brilliant Shards of Earth。 There are some useful initial pages to start the book off。 Beginning with a brief synopsis or prologue of the story so far。 There is also a comprehensive list of characters， which is extremely useful if it has been a while since you read Shards of Earth。The novel employs multiple narrators， but the author has titled the pages so you can easily distinguish them Eyes of the Void is the second book in the Final Architecture space opera trilogy and is the follow up to the brilliant Shards of Earth。 There are some useful initial pages to start the book off。 Beginning with a brief synopsis or prologue of the story so far。 There is also a comprehensive list of characters， which is extremely useful if it has been a while since you read Shards of Earth。The novel employs multiple narrators， but the author has titled the pages so you can easily distinguish them apart， so there is no confusion on that score。 This is helpful when flitting from one setting to another because it can get a little complicated。Adrian Tchaikovsky weaves complex yet totally enthralling storylines。 Descriptive writing always goes above and beyond the norm。 The fight scenes are dramatic and colourful。 Whether they are bar-room brawls or epic space battles， the author has a knack for the creative。 Which does tend to mean things can get a bit bloody at times， so be warned。The author has created enduring heroes with the crew of the Vulture God。 As characters， this disparate bunch are all as chalk to cheese。 Idris， Solace and Co are a great team， even if they occasionally rub each other up the wrong way。Eyes of the Void does not have as much of the political machinations， that Shards of Earth had。 Which left the narrative open to a lot more thrills and spills。 There was still plenty of politics and in-house fighting going on。 It bought Havear Mundy， an agent of Hugh， into a more prominent role in the narrative。There are some intriguing newcomers in the form of the Naeromathi。 Locust type creatures， past enemies of humankind now on a mission to take down the Architect。 Apparently， with or without help or permission from the Essiel or the Hegemony。Of the blood and thunder， there is an abundance。 Survival of the fittest does not even enter into the equation， where the Architects are concerned。 The ebb and flow of the action feel almost relentless。There are times when humour permeates the narrative。 It is usually sarcasm or a snide remark from a Vulture God crew member。 But it does tend to break the tension and has been known to cause a bit of a dust-up。 There is a touch of colourful language， but it is only here and there and hardly excessive。 （Unless I am just getting immune to it。）If you enjoyed Shards of Earth， I am pretty sure once picked up， you will not be able to put the Eyes of the Void down。 It is a real page-turner from start to finish。I enjoyed Eyes of the Void immensely and I highly recommend it。 It is just going to be a long and agonising wait for thrilling intense conclusion to the trilogy。Thank you， NetGalley and Pan Macmillan & Tor， for the ARC。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Eyes of the Void
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Eyes of the Void&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Eyes of the Void&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0