Children of Time

4.75 out of 5 stars

More often than not, I'm left feeling that a book with a cool/intriguing concept fails to properly deliver on said concept. Children of Time is an exception to this trend. I was blown away by how masterfully Tchaikovsky executes this evolutionary tale.

I was immediately hooked on the story, which builds and builds as a spider species on an alien planet evolves across millennia, while the last remnants of the human race exist in a sort of suspended stagnation just trying to survive in deep space. The narrative is told in a very straightforward way, with propulsive pacing and a tremendous amount of momentum. It's engrossing from start to finish with few lulls along the way. It easily joins the ranks of my favorite science fiction novels. Read this!

“Why should we be made thus, to improve and improve, unless it is to aspire?”