I have said in the past that I used to think I didn’t like Adrian Tchaikovsky’s books. I mean, I was told that I SHOULD like them since I’m a big fan of Peter F. Hamilton’s space opera doorstoppers. But when I tried to read one of his books a few years ago I rage-quit it like 12% of the way through. (I don’t remember exactly why now. Maybe I should try it again?)
But then when his novella Elder Race was nominated for a Hugo, I read it and enjoyed it. I also read Ogres when it was nominated, and it wasn’t half bad. I enjoyed Service Model when the publisher and NetGalley gave me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. My main complaints were too many pop culture references and some incoherent worldbuilding. His other big novel from that year, Alien Clay, really didn’t do much for me. I hated the protagonist and felt it was dreary.
So I was optimistic when I got a copy of Children of Strife from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. It is as far a you can get from being a standalone - it is his fourth book in his series about uplifted spiders and cephalopods in the distant future living in harmony with the last dregs of humanity. I really enjoyed the first book in the series. I can remember being genuinely surprised at the way the first book ended and how humanity ended up surviving. The second and third books were enjoyable, but not nearly as engrossing. The more remnants of humanity that are found amongst the stars, the more unlikely the entire story seems to feel.
I liked this book better than book 3, but not nearly as much as book 1.
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