Children of Memory
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- Create Date：2022-12-03 06:57:18
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Adrian Tchaikovsky
- ISBN：0316466409
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Summary
The modern classic of space opera that began with Children of Time continues in this extraordinary novel of humanity's battle for survival on a terraformed planet。
Earth failed。 In a desperate bid to escape， the spaceship Enkidu and its captain， Heorest Holt， carried its precious human cargo to a potential new paradise。 Generations later， this fragile colony has managed to survive， eking out a hardy existence。 Yet life is tough， and much technological knowledge has been lost。
Then strangers appear。 They possess unparalleled knowledge and thrilling technology – and they've arrived from another world to help humanity’s colonies。 But not all is as it seems， and the price of the strangers' help may be the colony itself。
Children of Memory by Arthur C。 Clarke Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky is a far-reaching space opera spanning generations， species and galaxies。
Earth failed。 In a desperate bid to escape， the spaceship Enkidu and its captain， Heorest Holt， carried its precious human cargo to a potential new paradise。 Generations later， this fragile colony has managed to survive， eking out a hardy existence。 Yet life is tough， and much technological knowledge has been lost。
Then strangers appear。 They possess unparalleled knowledge and thrilling technology – and they've arrived from another world to help humanity’s colonies。 But not all is as it seems， and the price of the strangers' help may be the colony itself。
Children of Memory by Arthur C。 Clarke Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky is a far-reaching space opera spanning generations， species and galaxies。
Reviews
Trystyn
，
It was okay。 The majority of the book felt like something out of the 'psychological' genre where the narrators/perspective can't be trusted， and I really don't like that。 Beyond that， it's pushing beyond science fiction and into science fantasy。 I'm pretty lenient in that regard， but I think it's getting a bit too ridiculous。 It was still an okay maybe even good book， but not for me。 It was okay。 The majority of the book felt like something out of the 'psychological' genre where the narrators/perspective can't be trusted， and I really don't like that。 Beyond that， it's pushing beyond science fiction and into science fantasy。 I'm pretty lenient in that regard， but I think it's getting a bit too ridiculous。 It was still an okay maybe even good book， but not for me。 。。。more
Dale
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Is Adrian Tchaikovsky evolving into a higher being through the medium of writing his fictions？ Does he consciously utilise the process to such an ‘end’？
Ken Alba
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Really it's probably 4 stars because it's an imperfect novel - the main plot didn't grab me as thoroughly as some of the others in this series - but there's enough here， in terms of prose and in terms of interest， to warrant all five。 Really it's probably 4 stars because it's an imperfect novel - the main plot didn't grab me as thoroughly as some of the others in this series - but there's enough here， in terms of prose and in terms of interest， to warrant all five。 。。。more
Jess
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I re-read Children of Time and Children of Ruin before reading this， but this installment would work well as a stand-alone。 I found I really engaged with the characters of Children of Memory a lot more than in the previous book - I especially loved Gothli and Gethli， finding their chapters both intriguing and fun to read。 I was also much more drawn in to the plot。 Overall， this is a thought-provoking installment in the Children of Time series， that still manages to be emotionally touching。 I've I re-read Children of Time and Children of Ruin before reading this， but this installment would work well as a stand-alone。 I found I really engaged with the characters of Children of Memory a lot more than in the previous book - I especially loved Gothli and Gethli， finding their chapters both intriguing and fun to read。 I was also much more drawn in to the plot。 Overall， this is a thought-provoking installment in the Children of Time series， that still manages to be emotionally touching。 I've loved how different each book in this series is， and can't wait to see where Tchaikovsky goes next， if the series continues。Thanks to Orbit and Edelweiss for the ARC。 4。5 rounded up to 5。 。。。more
Liam White
，
I find the philosophical questions in this novel interesting。 But I think it functions poorly as a novel。 It's so different in style from the previous novels and the discontinuity is jarring。 It is extremely hard to follow and a massive slog。 Honestly I don't think it is worth reading。 I was looking for more spiders etc not a treatise on consciousness I find the philosophical questions in this novel interesting。 But I think it functions poorly as a novel。 It's so different in style from the previous novels and the discontinuity is jarring。 It is extremely hard to follow and a massive slog。 Honestly I don't think it is worth reading。 I was looking for more spiders etc not a treatise on consciousness 。。。more
Justin Preston
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So there are going to be more right Adrian？ That ending was hard on my soul。。 Almost was a 3 star due to the middle being a little iffy but in the end it all came together nicely！ Top teir sci-fi！。
Joe Hainstock
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Sadly this is a big miss。 I love the first two books in this series， a perfect combination of going on an adventure and interesting philosophical musings。 Both thrilling and nuanced。 Children Of Memory feels more like a spinoff fan fiction than a continuation of the series， failing to develop the wider narrative in any meaningful way。 This would be perfectly fine if the story here supported its own weight， but that isn't the case either。 It is a frustrating， slow and obtuse work at odds with the Sadly this is a big miss。 I love the first two books in this series， a perfect combination of going on an adventure and interesting philosophical musings。 Both thrilling and nuanced。 Children Of Memory feels more like a spinoff fan fiction than a continuation of the series， failing to develop the wider narrative in any meaningful way。 This would be perfectly fine if the story here supported its own weight， but that isn't the case either。 It is a frustrating， slow and obtuse work at odds with the page-turning qualities of the previous two books。 The central mystery holds no real interest and whilst the final reveal perks things up a little bit， it is still a long walk for a short drink of water。 Feels rather empty from start to finish。 。。。more
Charles
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A disappointing mess。I have a lot of thoughts on this book and this series as a whole so I'll keep it brief。- Tchaikovsky is a lot better in writing short interconnected mini-stories than he is at writing longer narratives。 When he tries writing a single connected narrative he ends up repeating himself and dragging his feet。 It was apparent in Children of Ruin， and a bit in the ending of Time。 But it's very apparent in this one。- The parasitic being that took over the characters of both this and A disappointing mess。I have a lot of thoughts on this book and this series as a whole so I'll keep it brief。- Tchaikovsky is a lot better in writing short interconnected mini-stories than he is at writing longer narratives。 When he tries writing a single connected narrative he ends up repeating himself and dragging his feet。 It was apparent in Children of Ruin， and a bit in the ending of Time。 But it's very apparent in this one。- The parasitic being that took over the characters of both this and the previous book also took over the series' story。 What used to be a story about the evolution of societies over long timescales became the musings of an existential sludge monster。- This should've being its own self contained story。 Not only because the introduction of supreme alien intelligences ruins the very "scrappy" feeling of the Children of Time universe， but also because it doesn't benefit from being set in that universe。 The sentient spiders， octopuses， and even the newly introduced sentient ravens don't actually add much。These are my major complaints writ small， but other than that the prose is still good。I hope one day to read a true sequel to Children of Time but so far the series has been going further away from what I liked about it。 A shame。 。。。more
GrimMandarin
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Whew。 Like。。。whew！
KD
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A strange and confusing book， in many ways the opposite of its predecessors， darker， and with significant weaknesses - and yet， mesmerising and thought provoking; a book that will still haunt me and that I would recommend， if you approach it with different expectations。To start off: Counter to expectations raised， this is not a book about corvid sentience or intelligence。 Corvids do appear， but there is little focus on how their minds work， and what is said is not plausible or satisfactory - e。g A strange and confusing book， in many ways the opposite of its predecessors， darker， and with significant weaknesses - and yet， mesmerising and thought provoking; a book that will still haunt me and that I would recommend， if you approach it with different expectations。To start off: Counter to expectations raised， this is not a book about corvid sentience or intelligence。 Corvids do appear， but there is little focus on how their minds work， and what is said is not plausible or satisfactory - e。g。 nearly all characters， the corvids themselves included， doubt corvid sentience， despite them clearly having it， the related musings on sentience fall below what is currently discussed in science and philosophy， and despite the vast amount of science on bird intelligence one could have drawn on， they never get a distinct culture or approach。Instead， the main focus is on a horribly familiar human society; there are also side plots framing the narrative focussing on simulated minds， and the role of mimicry and hive minds for intelligence。 Fragmentations of identity， guilt， hopelessness and madness characterise many of the minds we interact with。 For the vast majority of the book， it is difficult to tell what is real or to make sense of the situation - we have nightmares and hallucinations blending into reality， realities unmasked as simulations， simulations developing their own claim to reality， unreliable narrators， memories implanted， skips in time and between alternate paths， future events affecting past ones， all not as an error on the authors part， but as an intentional strategy for building a world whose members feel trapped and confused in loops。 This narrative structure is appropriate and effective， because this book traces the descent of a community into ignorance， madness， fragmentation and superstition， and the girls trapped in the resulting cycle of poverty， gas-lighting and discrimination。This again， is in strong contrast to the first book of this series: I had loved the inspiring and exciting feeling of a space faring spider civilisation being formed from its most basic beginnings， and the very biologically plausible exploration of a how a non-human minds path to such a thing would differ drastically from the path humans took。 Basically， the first book was speculative SciFi， progress oriented and inspired by solid biology。But this third book traces the opposite path: the core story is that of a space-faring human society falling down to a primitive level， all the way to their extinction。 Tech， biological minds and exploration play very little role。 Instead， the book is more reminscient of a side plot in the first novel， where we watched the technological and societal decline of an arch ship。 I hadn’t enjoyed that subplot; but the execution in this new book is much better。While there are stories framing it and to a degree negating it， this is the core story: A breaking arch ship filled with refugees in cold sleep just about manages to reach a planet which they had reason to believe to be terraformed into a paradise。 It is not; the terraforming had only reached a semi-bearable weather and starting atmosphere when it was abandoned。 There is an atmosphere they can breathe， albeit barely; they are chronically oxygen deprived。 All that exists are single cell algae in the oceans， there is no food， and no timber for shelter from the unbearably hot summers， horribly cold winters， and most of all， brutal storms between the two。 They also never find any metal ores or fossil fuels to bootstrap to an industrial era。 There isn’t even working soil - for lack of organic matter to break down， and lack of any bacteria， dooming them to be stuck in the shackles of a permanent struggle for subsistence。 The oceans seem most mysterious and promising （what happens to the algae when it dies？）， but prove utterly inhospitable due to brutal， severe and errativ tides; they ultimately seed them with giant fish， and no predators， so you end up suspecting monsters in the deep depleting the ocean and leaving a wasteland - possibly another reason everyone breaks， because oxygen falls further。 The tech they bring is utterly insufficient for the challenge， and the main scientist who might have made do died in coldsleep。The settlers manage to carve out an existence and ecosystem。 It contains so few members and so little diversity that it is utterly fragile， and hence does not survive the changes mutations naturally bring。 The ecosystem members cannot be controlled and evolve to meet the empty niches， of which there are many， nearly all terribly harmful to the humans involved。 Simultaneously， their tech is failing。 They lack materials， time， tools and know-how to fix things， and are basically all in a constant state of sleep deprivation， cobbling together things from stripped parts fixed over and over。 Everyone waits for things to get better， but progress is slow， and ultimately， they have used up the one time boost their tech has given them and things are still unstable and bad， and it is unclear if they will ever be able to fix them。 Everyone is consumed with the everyday emergencies， neglecting things of crucial importance that do not strictly need to be done today - e。g。 noone gets round to transcribing their knowledge files from a digital to a more stable medium， hence likely losing thousands of years of human knowledge - and noone even notices， because noone ever gets around to trying to access it anymore， because thinking of earth is so depressing and anyhow， they do not have time for unproductive intellectual pursuits， that is how bad it is。And at this point， people are so sick of waiting for the time when it will be okay to do so that they start having children， and that is the nail in the coffin。 The children can barely be fed; it is now impossible to get the people on the ship - mostly hard workers， motivators， innovators， people with critical skills - down， because they cannot feed them; they also keep prioritising the failing 3D printers and tractors over fixing the space shuttle， until it becomes increasingly clear that the thousands of people in coldsleep above the planet， have been abandoned to die up there of neglect。 This haunts everyone; the ship can be seen passing over each night， and people feel watched and judged。 What with the urgent need of harvesting， nobody has time to found a school for the longest time， and by the time they do， they are already so reliant on child labour that the children barely attend it。 The children experience angry， worried， busy parents， a lack of future， and get no education instilling crucial knowledge， the scientific method or moral values; it is a society that has no patience for dreams， or for art。 Within a few generations， the adults are barely literate。 Their society lacks diversity in every way: The gene pool is extremely limited， and inbreeding becomes a significant problem。 We view this society from the perspective of a young girl， and a female teacher （a covert alien） who is trying to help her， and is regarded with suspicion by the locals as an unusual women and outsider; she is part of an outsider group with several people acting outside of ascribed gender norms or societal roles。 The perspective is well chosen and heart breaking， and drives home how much potential the little girl has， and how it is entirely wasted。 She is an incredibly well crafted heroine - you effectively get to meet the child she could have been， brave， curious， clever， imaginative， loyal - in contrast with who she is doomed to be。 We also get a perspective on how terrifying it is to be an unusual human in a highly conservative society - be that an educated or strong women， or a quiet and sensitive man。 The very act of dreaming of something better or innovating or wanting to do something that does not have immediate use makes them suspect; the whole society has developed a crabs in buckets mentality。 Without ever making it an explicit focus， it is a very feminist book， and a book on the dire effects of poverty。 It strikes home that people living and dying in slums， and people finding cures to cancer in wealthy nations， are both humans taken from the same pool， but with their possibilities， minds and behaviour drastically changed by circumstance; the people faring space and those unable to even feed themselves are the same people， a few generations removed。The outsiders battle with the question of what to do to help these people， without assimilating their culture entirely - how to respect who they are， without leaving them to suffer and die。 Ultimately， this question is never resolved。Because sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic， and because these are very superstitious people who are subconsciously expecting external judgement， they interpret the hints they get of the aliens in a manner of dark magic。 There is a belief in a witch in the woods， of creepy outsiders raiding their place at night - interwoven with the suspicion that these outsiders are of their own people， and judgement upon them。 This approach is surprisingly interesting to read， giving a novel perspective at technology， but also on the role superstitions play in society， and what they can reveal。The human society becomes increasingly xenophobic and paranoid; the failing of the colony is blamed on dark magic and outside interventions and inner betrayal， and instead of attempting to fix their ecosystem and technology and society， they turn on each other， and especially on any weird people。 Ultimately， the people with the most knowledge who wish to change things and help get lynched - reminiscient of women living alone being subjected to fatal witch trials， or jews drowned for supposedly poisoning the wells。 Societal order breaks down， and they all starve。It is a book that asks many interesting questions and raises a lot of threats and suffering， but ultimately has no answers。 The aliens do not want to replicate the actions of white colonists utterly destroying Africa under the guise of bringing civilisation; but they cannot figure out what to do instead， and letting everyone die is clearly not a better alternative。 I kept being confused at the fact that they never attempt to include the human settlers in this debate， and see what kind of help they want - for all that the aliens want to respect this human culture， they seem to lack a respect for their agency and ability to make their own choices。 You also cannot help but wonder what the humans might have done differently for their society not to fail。 The book seems to imply that their failure was inevitable， practically fated destiny， and once a certain degree of scarcity has been reached， this seems plausile; once you are that poor， there are no options。 But one still wonders if different priorities could have made a difference。 E。g。 you get the strong impression that women’s rights and education would have prevented this whole mess; it is the lack of birth control and the superstition that ultimately does everyone in。 If they had waited to have children until they could actually school them and fed them without putting them to labour， it might have been fine。It also made me worry about the author。 A book on inexorable decline and such severe identity crisis and guilt is very unlike his prior work。 It is extremely well done， and shows him conquering a new genre that is in many ways timely and relevant and intriguing - but it is quite a departure。It makes me want to bring him on a grounding walk in the forest。 I hope he is okay。 。。。more
calum steele
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a good readI must admit I preferred the first two books more but children of memory is still a solid read with a relatively unexpected twist at the end
Pamela Usai
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A fantastic addition to the universe that was started by Children of Time and continued by Children of Universe， Children of Memory continues to explore the unintended and in some cases profound consequences of humanity’s escape to the stars。 The continuity of characters and the Children universe makes jumping into Children of Memory like starting another adventure with friends， and in typical Tchaikovsky style， the writing is well paced and engaging。 The third book continues the philosophical e A fantastic addition to the universe that was started by Children of Time and continued by Children of Universe， Children of Memory continues to explore the unintended and in some cases profound consequences of humanity’s escape to the stars。 The continuity of characters and the Children universe makes jumping into Children of Memory like starting another adventure with friends， and in typical Tchaikovsky style， the writing is well paced and engaging。 The third book continues the philosophical exploration of how higher intelligence could evolve in different species with the introduction of a bird-species whose intelligence （or is it？） evolved as a cooperative exercise requiring two birds to form a complete consciousness。 As in his other books， the story in Children of Memory is told through a rotating set of characters and their unique perspectives， as they watch the planet of Imir inexorably march towards failure。 Nothing prepares the reader however for the revelations that take place only at the very end of the book， which were both stunning and in some cases heartwrenching。 Another excellent story by an incredible author。 Highly recommended - but read the first two books first！Thank you Book Break UK， Tor Books and Adrian Tchaikovsky for this proof in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Peter Baran
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Sadly， the third of Tchaikovsky's "Children Of Time" series is the weakest。 The first one was a real crossover hit， its juxtaposition of dying humanity with the accelerated growth of a sentient spider species really worked， particularly with its last act rapprochement between the two。 The second book Children Of Ruin initially appeared to repeat the trick with Octopuses， but then also a shifted into non-earthling species by considering a microscopic species， a sort of hive mind virus， that could Sadly， the third of Tchaikovsky's "Children Of Time" series is the weakest。 The first one was a real crossover hit， its juxtaposition of dying humanity with the accelerated growth of a sentient spider species really worked， particularly with its last act rapprochement between the two。 The second book Children Of Ruin initially appeared to repeat the trick with Octopuses， but then also a shifted into non-earthling species by considering a microscopic species， a sort of hive mind virus， that could take over other beings。 That had a broad enough canvas to play with， but also tipped nicely into horror - mainly the tiny species' excitement for assimilation is said to be "going on an adventure"。 Children Of Memory again looks at adding a new type of sentience， but in its conversation between the species of the previous book and an attempt at something extremely alien falls apart。The main problem I had was with its structure。 Like previous books， it flip-flopped between two distinct time streams。 However， because the "present" time stream appears to involve what seems to be time loops and characters that potentially should be dead， the mystery in the story gets a little lost。 And whilst I don't need huge stakes for a book to work， here the stakes were increasingly unclear。 There is still plenty of good stuff here， Tchaikovsky's new earth creature with sentience is crows and he plays an interesting philosophical game to see whether or not the uplifted birds are truly sentient or just mimicing （and what that difference might mean）。 But the central storyline just didn't hang together for me。 I could see the poignancy he was aiming at， and it is worth reminding readers that this is a universe full of death， but the way he discusses the idea of monolithic memory made flesh didn't hang together。 。。。more
Joe Crow
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I regret that I have but five stars to give to this book。 Comrade Tchaikovsky takes the simulationist thesis out behind the woodshed and gives it a nice warm cup of cocoa and some comfy mittens to the back of the head。 Also， sentient supergenius corvids who insist that not only aren’t they actually sentient， but that nobody else is either。 So there。
Halima （Starlight_and_blooms）
，
‘Children of Memory’ by Adrian Tchaikovsky- the unmissable follow-up space opera to the highly acclaimed Children of Time and Children of Ruin。This gripping and immersive book continues to stretch the imagination， evoking curiosity and amazement。 At first this series can come across complex/ esoteric but that’s what I love about Adrian Tchaikovsky writing - utterly unique and exceptional。 A fellow reader said “the synopsis or description does not do the book justice”and I completely agree。 It’s ‘Children of Memory’ by Adrian Tchaikovsky- the unmissable follow-up space opera to the highly acclaimed Children of Time and Children of Ruin。This gripping and immersive book continues to stretch the imagination， evoking curiosity and amazement。 At first this series can come across complex/ esoteric but that’s what I love about Adrian Tchaikovsky writing - utterly unique and exceptional。 A fellow reader said “the synopsis or description does not do the book justice”and I completely agree。 It’s such a riveting space opera - an absolute masterpiece that has left me utterly wowed！ If you are in the mood for a stunning， applaudable and mind-blowing sci-fi read， then this series is for you！ Thank you so much @aptshadow & Stephen at @BlackCrow_PR @panmacmillan @UKTor for having me on the book tour and for my advanced readers copy and audiobook。 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 。。。more
Bradley
，
This one offered up some pretty great SFnal surprises。 From the start， I had some suspicions that this would be something like a culture-shock kind of novel in a poor human colony world meeting the long list of truly fascinating alien （ish） races that were serendipitously uplifted in the previous Children of Time novels。 （All fantastic， clever， philosophical， and well-explored。）This one， however， takes a right turn to the others。 My expectations had to swerve and were nicely pummeled by Tchaikov This one offered up some pretty great SFnal surprises。 From the start， I had some suspicions that this would be something like a culture-shock kind of novel in a poor human colony world meeting the long list of truly fascinating alien （ish） races that were serendipitously uplifted in the previous Children of Time novels。 （All fantastic， clever， philosophical， and well-explored。）This one， however， takes a right turn to the others。 My expectations had to swerve and were nicely pummeled by Tchaikovsky。 Now， as for the new alien race we get to explore， it's a classic Sentience problem with some great Corvids， as conducted by an actual AI， with lots of opinions carried by a slime mold， octopus， spiders， and some human memories。 :） I mean。。。 to say I'm intrigued is to say very little at all。That being said， the author continues a dialogue with older SF but writes it in a great modern way with lots of attention to detail and description。 I still say this series is a must-read for any fan of SF。That twist。。。 whew。 。。。more
Trish
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Oh my （book-）gods！ This is my favorite in the series （so far， I should add， since I'm hoping for more installments）。After the arachnids， octopuses and slime mold we now get 。。。 humans！ *lol* Of course， we are on another planet where another colony ship arrived a long time ago and humans settled。 Many generations later， the settlers are still trying to survive the planet's harsh ecosystem。 The problem is that the tech at their disposal is breaking down and conditions get worse and worse。 Moreover Oh my （book-）gods！ This is my favorite in the series （so far， I should add， since I'm hoping for more installments）。After the arachnids， octopuses and slime mold we now get 。。。 humans！ *lol* Of course， we are on another planet where another colony ship arrived a long time ago and humans settled。 Many generations later， the settlers are still trying to survive the planet's harsh ecosystem。 The problem is that the tech at their disposal is breaking down and conditions get worse and worse。 Moreover， they start getting concerned about strangers with knowledge and tech they shouldn't have。 And yes， of course， it's our favorite gang of galactic explorers: Kern （or the AI with her personality）， the spider Portia， Paul （one of the octopuses） and now also Miranda （the slime intelligence）。But something else is going on in the colony。 And it's not just that the humans' problems seem to be triggering a stark rise in anger / suspicion / willingness to use violence。I can honestly say that the thing I loved most about this third installment were the （view spoiler）[birds （hide spoiler）]。 I should have known from the book's title that the next uplifted intelligence would be （view spoiler）[birds / corvids （hide spoiler）]。 Surprisingly， I also loved the exploration of the human colony though！ I liked following along their day-to-day life， their hardships and struggles and seeing how my species is doing so many years after we probably killed off ourselves back home。Maybe the other two books would have already felt this way if I had known Brin's Uplift books back then。 I didn't but do now。 And yes， this book's atmosphere very much reminded me of the sense of wonder， exploration and （self-）discovery of those books。 In short: I loved it from the first to the last page。Without wanting to show off， I have to say， that I had guessed at one of the twists about halfway through the book。 The hints here and there， my brain going "does not compute"， and knowing Tchaikovsky 。。。 That， in no way， marred my enjoyment of the tale and how it came together though！ Not least because there were other twists and turns and yet more things to puzzle about。The writing， as ever， is top notch。 It's intricate， fast-paced， very smart， and sucks you right in。I think I remember someone telling me this will be a trilogy， making this the finale。 However， I'm definitely hoping there will be more installments， maybe even a journey back to Earth to see what has happened to our home planet， what life formed there after humans finally had gone extinct （yes， I'm convinced we did NOT make it）。 Though I trust the author that no matter where he takes us， we'll have one hell of a time。 So yeah， more please！ 。。。more
Runalong
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A stunning new entry into this series that has a fascinating mystery to solve on a colony planet but then asks huge questions about what is life。Just excellent SF that makes you stop， think and look at the world differently Full review - https://www。runalongtheshelves。net/bl。。。 A stunning new entry into this series that has a fascinating mystery to solve on a colony planet but then asks huge questions about what is life。Just excellent SF that makes you stop， think and look at the world differently Full review - https://www。runalongtheshelves。net/bl。。。 。。。more
Vivienne
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My thanks to Pan Macmillan/Tor for an eARC and to Macmillan Audio U。K。 for a review copy of the unabridged audiobook edition， both via NetGalley， of ‘Children of Memory’ by Adrian Tchaikovsky。 The audiobook is narrated by Mel Hudson。This is the third book in his award winning epic space opera series， the Children of Time。 Tchaikovsky opens with a very handy ‘What Has Gone Before’ followed by a Dramatis Personae。 I so appreciated it as it set the scene for what was to come and helped me keep trac My thanks to Pan Macmillan/Tor for an eARC and to Macmillan Audio U。K。 for a review copy of the unabridged audiobook edition， both via NetGalley， of ‘Children of Memory’ by Adrian Tchaikovsky。 The audiobook is narrated by Mel Hudson。This is the third book in his award winning epic space opera series， the Children of Time。 Tchaikovsky opens with a very handy ‘What Has Gone Before’ followed by a Dramatis Personae。 I so appreciated it as it set the scene for what was to come and helped me keep track of who was who。Given the epic nature of the plot it is quite hard to adequately summarise。 In brief terms: following the failure of Earth， a number of arkships were sent out to establish new colonies。 The spaceship Enkidu， captained by Heorest Holt， has arrived with its precious human cargo at a suitable planet， named Imir。 Generations later a fragile colony has managed to survive on Imir。 Yet life is tough and much technological knowledge has been lost。Strangers arrive on Imir in possession of knowledge and new technology。 In actuality they have come from the stars seeking to assist humanity’s lost colonies。 They have to keep a low profile as the colonists live in fear of unknown enemies。 I won’t say more in order to avoid spoilers though I will say the situation become quite complicated and eventually dangerous。An important point of contact for the newcomers among the colonists is an imaginative child， named Liff。 She serves as one of the point of view characters。 Other points of view are provided by new as well as recurring characters from the earlier books including humans， aliens and AI。I didn’t think I could love this series more until I met Gothi and Gethli， members of an alien species of crows - the Corvids。 These join the series other alien species of evolved Portiid spiders and octopi。 Adrian Tchaikovsky is my favourite writer of modern science fiction。 His world （or rather galaxy） building is breathtaking， his themes complex and thought provoking， his characters well realised and always relatable。 Alongside the science and adventure there is always a degree of wit。 With respect to the audiobook， British actor Mel Hudson has been the narrator for all three of the Children of Time audiobooks。 Her reading was excellent as she moved seamlessly between its various characters bringing them and the tale of the colony on Imir vividly to life。Overall， I highly recommend ‘Children of Memory’ along with the previous two in this outstanding science fiction series。 。。。more
Steven
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We're going on an adventure expedition！The third book in Adrian's uplift series didn't quite go in the direction I thought it would。 In fact， I couldn't stop thinking of this as 'Book 2。5'， an adventure on the periphery of the previous novels。 So， some of my disappointment stems from this fact。 Or， opinion， rather， because I am well aware that I cannot fault the story for simply not being the story I was hoping for。Putting that aside， the book itself is yet another wonderful Sci-Fi narrative fro We're going on an adventure expedition！The third book in Adrian's uplift series didn't quite go in the direction I thought it would。 In fact， I couldn't stop thinking of this as 'Book 2。5'， an adventure on the periphery of the previous novels。 So， some of my disappointment stems from this fact。 Or， opinion， rather， because I am well aware that I cannot fault the story for simply not being the story I was hoping for。Putting that aside， the book itself is yet another wonderful Sci-Fi narrative from Adrian Tchaikovsky。 I read it cover-to-cover in 6 hours on the first day of release。 The mystery involved was a strong one， and compelled me to keep reading。 Unfortunately， the resolution didn't quite hit me the way the two previous novels did。 There's a nagging feeling I had that the conclusion of Children of Ruin 'promised' an expanding universe yet it seemed like we were being constrained in this one。There was occasional repetition in the narrative， that while important to the story， still sometimes balanced delicately on the edge between impactful and annoying。However， there was still that philosophy， that moral quandary， that introspective lesson at the heart of all of Adrian's works。 I cannot deny the story seems to mirror Children of Ruin the way itself mirrored Children of Memory。Do I want another？ Hmm。 I suppose I do， but only if we fulfill the true potential at the end of Children of Ruin that I am quite hopeful for。 。。。more
Laura
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This is the 3rd book in the ‘Children of time’ series， I liked the first two books in this series but I wasn’t blown away by them。 However， there was something stirring within me， a hunger that was not yet satisfied and that hunger led me to picking up this installment which is in fact， very different to the first two books。 The story is more emotional and deeper than the first two and I felt the author was showing us a different side to his writing - which I really liked！ There are new characte This is the 3rd book in the ‘Children of time’ series， I liked the first two books in this series but I wasn’t blown away by them。 However， there was something stirring within me， a hunger that was not yet satisfied and that hunger led me to picking up this installment which is in fact， very different to the first two books。 The story is more emotional and deeper than the first two and I felt the author was showing us a different side to his writing - which I really liked！ There are new characters in this one who worked well with the original characters。 All well written， unique personalities and all bringing something new and special to the story。 I found myself taking a break between chapters to think about what had occurred and what it could all mean， this is something I didn’t get from the first two books。 I loved the way this was written and I love how the author has the ability to plant ideas in your mind and allow you， the reader， to make up your own mind about certain things。 I really want to say more about this book， it took me on an amazing journey and left me wanting more！ I would definitely recommend picking this one up！ 。。。more
Matthew John Stenner
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ExtraordinaryThis is a very thought provoking and tragic read， one of the best I have read。 It's hard to say I enjoyed it （although I did） and it will be a while until I read it again but it is one of those rare intense and complex books that will occupy your mind for days after。 ExtraordinaryThis is a very thought provoking and tragic read， one of the best I have read。 It's hard to say I enjoyed it （although I did） and it will be a while until I read it again but it is one of those rare intense and complex books that will occupy your mind for days after。 。。。more
The Word Whisperer
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To be completely honesy， I've struggled to write this review。 I don't think I have the words to express how immense this book is。 This is a perfectly fitting end to the trilogy， wrapping the interlocking stories perfectly。 The twists and turns， the skipping through time， all has the required disorienting effect， leaving you guessing right to the end。 It transports you to a world that encompasses you， and simultaneously makes you feel very small in the universal scheme of things。 I must have said To be completely honesy， I've struggled to write this review。 I don't think I have the words to express how immense this book is。 This is a perfectly fitting end to the trilogy， wrapping the interlocking stories perfectly。 The twists and turns， the skipping through time， all has the required disorienting effect， leaving you guessing right to the end。 It transports you to a world that encompasses you， and simultaneously makes you feel very small in the universal scheme of things。 I must have said 'wow' at least a dozen times， and finished the book with a satisfaction I haven't experienced with a book in a long time。 Tchaikovsky fans will not be disappointed。 5*" 。。。more
Kevin Guertin
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Wow。 Outstanding！ This book is vastly different than the other two。 I was frustrated with most of it and was sure I would be rating it 2 stars， maybe 3， even though the writing style was amazing， but the last hundred pages blew my mind。Take all these 5 stars， Adrian， and go buy something nice with 'em。 Wow。 Outstanding！ This book is vastly different than the other two。 I was frustrated with most of it and was sure I would be rating it 2 stars， maybe 3， even though the writing style was amazing， but the last hundred pages blew my mind。Take all these 5 stars， Adrian， and go buy something nice with 'em。 。。。more
Helen French
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Children of Memory is another accomplished entrant into Tchaikovsky's Children of Time series - though I highly recommend NOT reading this unless you have read the prior two books。Here we are reminded of Earth's failure as we spend some time with scientists on an ark ship， heading towards a planet they hope has been terraformed to support human life。 Generations later， we see there's a colony barely holding onto life， yet living all the same。 A young girl， Liff， becomes our main viewpoint charac Children of Memory is another accomplished entrant into Tchaikovsky's Children of Time series - though I highly recommend NOT reading this unless you have read the prior two books。Here we are reminded of Earth's failure as we spend some time with scientists on an ark ship， heading towards a planet they hope has been terraformed to support human life。 Generations later， we see there's a colony barely holding onto life， yet living all the same。 A young girl， Liff， becomes our main viewpoint character， planet-side。 Elsewhere， some of our spider， Humans and octopi friends from previous books get drawn into the story - and start asking questions about what they see。。。This is an interesting， occasionally confusing （by design， so persevere） read， and as always with Tchaikovsky， the kind of SF that really likes to make you think。Plus， it has crows！ Intelligent - probably？ - crows！In this series， I do sometimes find myself wishing for a more hopeful interpretation of what might happen to the fleeing humans from Earth， but nonetheless， the ending was hopeful in its own way （myself hoping all of that was vague enough to not be a spoiler）。Tchaikovsky is one of my favourite SF writers of today， so I'd be delighted if there were any more 'Children of' books to come！ 。。。more
Sifa Poulton
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3。5 starsCHILDREN OF MEMORY is the third book in a series that， in a nutshell， is "people tried to terraform， it didn't go as they expected and now， centuries on， more people are coming to the planet and have to deal with the botched terraform。" Where CHILDREN OF TIME is about spiders and CHILDREN OF RUIN octopuses， this book is a little less obvious。 There are crows， but also （it appears） humans just trying to eek it out on a planet that is not meant for them。I really liked the focus on the de 3。5 starsCHILDREN OF MEMORY is the third book in a series that， in a nutshell， is "people tried to terraform， it didn't go as they expected and now， centuries on， more people are coming to the planet and have to deal with the botched terraform。" Where CHILDREN OF TIME is about spiders and CHILDREN OF RUIN octopuses， this book is a little less obvious。 There are crows， but also （it appears） humans just trying to eek it out on a planet that is not meant for them。I really liked the focus on the declining colony， the idea that they'd come all this way to escape this same thing but then it happened。 Lots of small things stacking up and propagating。 It gave the book a chance to explore "us vs them" mentality that comes from fear in an ultimately unhelpful attempt to survive by retreating inwards。Like other books in this series， CHILDREN OF MEMORY takes place over several time frames。 There were two main ones， so far as I could tell， and then a few "much further back/explanation" time frames。 I was able to keep it all straight until about halfway through， when some events happened and seeming inconsistencies cropping up that completely threw me。 At this point， I did entertain DNF'ing after completely failing to understand a section。 However， I had a suspicion about what was causing it all， so I simply assumed that was true as it let me at least feel like I wasn't entirely lost， and kept reading。 （I was correct in the end。）I'm glad I did keep going （I like feeling vindicated in my guesses） but I also wish I hadn't had to make that choice， that the transition when the "things are odd here" becomes really obvious， had been eased in a bit。 I felt at that point like I must have missed something very big。The book begins with a brief recap of the previous books， introducing the main characters， which was very helpful for following who was who and the references to events that had come before。 。。。more
Johan Haneveld
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9 So， let get this out of the way。 No， this is not quite as good as the previous two books in the series。 But that was a very high bar to clear， wasn't it？ Compared to much of contemporary science fiction this is still head and shoulders ahead of the competition， combining an adventurous plot filled with complex， lively characters， with genuine scientifical and philosophical speculation， combined with great descriptions of other worlds and a non obtrusive writing style that still conveys every m 9 So， let get this out of the way。 No， this is not quite as good as the previous two books in the series。 But that was a very high bar to clear， wasn't it？ Compared to much of contemporary science fiction this is still head and shoulders ahead of the competition， combining an adventurous plot filled with complex， lively characters， with genuine scientifical and philosophical speculation， combined with great descriptions of other worlds and a non obtrusive writing style that still conveys every mood the author goes for - from bickering birds， to starving colonists， to high minded AI's。 To me Tchaikovsky is the best SF-author currently active and even though the idea's in Cixin Liu's work are more grandiose， the character work of Tchaikvosky and his worldbuilding gives him in edge in my estimation。 The main part this can't live up to its predecessors is the high expectations built up by the previous volumes - after the surprises and revelations in those two it would be hard for any idea to not fall short。 And if Tchaikovsky had simply have his protagonists arrive at another planet with earth derived intelligences - which is wat most readers were expecting - it would have felt like repetition anyway。 But still this is a fitting next part in this series。 After all， it truly is not about the ways different earth creatures could develop intelligence， be it by uplift viruses or on their own， it is about the meeting of sentiences - not sentient species， but sentiences， ways of experiencing or not experiencing different forms of sentience。 Every book has the protagonists encouter sentiences vastly different than their own。 The initial consequence of this interaction is fear。 In the first book the human protagonists could not see the spiders as intelligent， sentient creatures， which lead to conflict。 It was fear of the unknown that held them back。 In the second book the fear was more about being absorbed by another intelligence， losing your own self and being taken over by something 'other'。 A different kind of horror。 In this third book there's an existential fear raising its head: the question if we are really sentient， or mechanisms that react with sentience while not being sentient at all。 What if our brains simulate sentience mechanically - because our seperate brain cells are not sentient - and we really don't matter at all？ I must applaud the thought Tchaikovsky put in these concepts。 He is not content with covering this subject from just one angle。 Here he has a society of crowlike birds that only behave like sentient beings in duo's - are they just great problem solvers， or can they think？ （and yes， people looking for the 'story of a whole planet in a nutshell'-theme that Tchaikovsky does so well will not be disappointed at all）。 Also there's Miranda - really a collective alien creature from Nod inhabiting a vatgrown human body and simulating the personality of someone it has copied in its memory - is she really 'Miranda'， or is she fooling herself？ And then there's the source of mysterious signals on Imir。But these are not horror novels， even though there's a lot of tense situations， a bit of body horror and gore and the feeling small in confrontation with a large uncaring universe of cosmic horror - as Tchaikovsky has the different sentiences always find ways to connect， to recognize each other despite the different ways of viewing the world， to recognize each other as Human。 Here too， where the concept of sentience itself seems to be in question - Tchaikovsky argues for empathy and connection over cold analysis。 I think that he manages to keep a candle of humanism burning in a the hard sci fi genre that often turns into cynical， pessimistic screeds on the utter irrelevance of personhood。 As I don't want to spoil this for people who have already read the first two books in this series and new readers are advised to start with 'Children of Time'， I will let you discover the surprises of this book for your own （what Tchaikovsky does with the structure and the experience of time in here is really good as well）。 I will end by noting I look forward to anything Tchaikovsky chooses to write in this setting after this。 The world is opened up even more in this book and there is more to be explored。 Let's go on an adventure！ 。。。more
Emily Churchill
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I love the expanded world in this setting and the melting pot of exploration the various species have formed together to explore the galaxy， and to me this is one of the strongest parts of this book despite really being background only。 The main narrative takes place on the colony of Landfall where things seem to be heading in a worrying direction for the human colonists， until the exploration crew arrive and things start to change。I found the middle part of the book to be somewhat frustrating a I love the expanded world in this setting and the melting pot of exploration the various species have formed together to explore the galaxy， and to me this is one of the strongest parts of this book despite really being background only。 The main narrative takes place on the colony of Landfall where things seem to be heading in a worrying direction for the human colonists， until the exploration crew arrive and things start to change。I found the middle part of the book to be somewhat frustrating and repeating itself， although looking back once finished this did help the overall arc of the story， but I'm not sure it would be particularly enjoyable on a second reading。 I did find it ended very quickly， and would have liked to see some more of the consequences of what happened on Imri but that is clearly not the story being told here。 I enjoyed the various timelines and flashbacks and changes of PoV and the Corvids were a particular favourite of mine and fit in well with the other species explored in CoT and CoR。 In a lot of scifi， aliens can seem like reflavoured humans whereas these books explore other possibilites。 It reminds me in some ways of a less bleak Blindsight - with questions about sentience but answered in a more optimistic way。 Overall I think this is a good entry into the established universe of this series and goes in a different direction to the previous two books where a species is Uplifted。 There are a lot of questions being asked in this book about sentience and consciousness， some may feel it takes an easy route out but I found it to be satisfying and more fulfilling than the bleak， pessimistic takes other works take。This book was kindly provided on Netgalley for an honest review。 。。。more
Jared Besse
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Thanks to the publisher for an early copy for review！Over the past few years， I’ve read through many of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s books。 I’ve been slowly reading through his fantasy epic， the Shadows of the Apt all year。 But what first got me into his books was Children of Time。 Still my favorite sci-fi book of all time， I’ve been anticipating this third book in the series ever since it was announced。While I enjoyed the second in the series， Children of Ruin， I found it a bit too similar to the first Thanks to the publisher for an early copy for review！Over the past few years， I’ve read through many of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s books。 I’ve been slowly reading through his fantasy epic， the Shadows of the Apt all year。 But what first got me into his books was Children of Time。 Still my favorite sci-fi book of all time， I’ve been anticipating this third book in the series ever since it was announced。While I enjoyed the second in the series， Children of Ruin， I found it a bit too similar to the first book and it didn’t grab me the way the first one did。I’m happy to announce that Children of Memory exceeded my expectations and was a wild ride from the front to back。 It may not be perfect， but it is a great science fiction novel with signature Tchaikovsky creativity all wrapped in a great philosophical question。The story opens with another colony ship looking for terraformed worlds in hope of a new life – just like in the first novel。 However， on the discovered planet， Imir， life is hard， and it takes every bit of strength to even grow the most basics of food。 We follow a young girl Liff who lives in the colony and dreams of meeting witches and having fairy tale adventures。 Eventually she interacts with new strangers from who have come from out-of-town farms including her school teacher Miranda。In another timeline， we loosely pick up threads from Children of Ruin。 A new space ship with a crew of Portia， Paul， Fabian， newcomer Miranda and the ever present AI， Averna Kern， has set out in search of other planets which could contain life。 They discover Imir and discuss how they should proceed in intervening at a failing colony。What proceeds from there would be too much of a spoiler to say much more。 The plot bounces all over the place in both time and location while the story is slowly unveiled。 Many parts of the novel can be confusing as you’re introduced to new information that doesn’t seem to fit with what has been previously said。 Thankfully， the third act brings everything together with many interesting twists and developments。What I can talk about are the characters。 Most of the focus is split between Liff and member of the space crew， Miranda。 Miranda is a Human （capital H） that has been integrated into the Nod hive mind conciseness （see Children of Ruin）。 Her arc is the standout of the book and watching her struggle between her Human instincts and her Nodian desire to explore by consuming is fascinating to watch unfold。Liff on the other hand， experiences the world in a much more primitive state。 Seeing her interact with the more sci-fi moments and visualizing them as fairy tale stories is a great use of character perspective。 It’s very reminiscent of Tchaikovsky’s Elder Race， which if you haven’t read， I highly recommend。 Seeing the distinctions between Liff and Miranda and how they experience the world is a highlight of the first half of the novel。 Eventually， as their paths cross， the relationship built between them leads to some poignant and emotional moments。Now， this wouldn’t be a Children book without a new human-like animal uplift species。 While we’ve seen Spiders and Octopuses， Memory introduces us to Covids， or Raven like birds who may or may not just be talented mimickers。 The two Corvids we follow in Memory are Gothi and Gethli and they make up the third POV for the novel。 Their dialogue is particularly memorable and the new dynamic they bring to the worldbuilding is very enjoyable。The last character I’ll highlight is Averna Kern。 The scientist turned AI continues to be a fascinating character who gets a bit more development this novel。 And her story leads us to what lies at the heart of Children of Memory。（Minor spoliers for the themes and end of book elements follow so if that puts you off， skip to the end）。 Much of this book is focused on a complicated philosophical question: what does it mean to be sentient？ We have several different perspectives and approaches to this question throughout the book， but it all circles around to this thought。 It’s a thought that has stuck with me after reading and I look forward to discussions about it。However， that does lead me to a few issues I had with this book。 Much of the philosophy and twists are towards the end of the novel。 Some of the reveals that occur in the back half make the preceding pages feel like a bit of a waste。 Now， I enjoyed reading through the whole book， but in hindsight， they became a little less necessary。Along the same lines， much of this novel is confusing when it comes to plot and its structure。 While this is eventually explained in full， it leads to a bit of a frustrating reading experience at times where I was turning back to earlier pages to see if I missed something when I hadn’t。These are minor complaints for me， but I can see how some could find this more frustrating and tarnish the experience。At the end of the day， the best Tchaikovsky books feature moments of creativity in worldbuilding， interesting character moments， and are all wrapped in an interesting thought experiment。 Children of Memory has all that and more。 If you’re a Tchaikovsky fan， I highly recommend picking this one up when it comes out early next year。 。。。more
Dawn
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I'll admit it， "Children of Memory" had me confused for a large part of the book and then things started to click in my brain and。。。 Whoa！ What a brilliant concept！ I love Adrian Tchaikovsky's writing， and I always know I'm in for an interesting read when I pick up one of his books。 So far， the "Children of Time" series has failed to disappoint。。。 Can we have at least 3 more books， please？My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my ow I'll admit it， "Children of Memory" had me confused for a large part of the book and then things started to click in my brain and。。。 Whoa！ What a brilliant concept！ I love Adrian Tchaikovsky's writing， and I always know I'm in for an interesting read when I pick up one of his books。 So far， the "Children of Time" series has failed to disappoint。。。 Can we have at least 3 more books， please？My thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley。 This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own， unbiased， opinion。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Children of Memory
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Children of Memory&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Children of Memory&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0