#UltimateBlogTour and Mini Book Review: Shards Of Earth, by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

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Publisher: Tor

Length: 592 Pages

Publishing: 27^th May 2021

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HLPZY6X

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55437088-shards-of-earth

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Synopsis:

This high-stakes space-based adventure will be perfect for those who loved Children of Time, also by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

The war is over. Its heroes forgotten. Until one chance discovery . . .

Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade his mind in the war. And one of humanity’s heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers.

Eighty years ago, Earth was destroyed by an alien enemy. Many escaped, but millions more died. So mankind created enhanced humans ­such as Idris – who could communicate mind-to-mind with our aggressors. Then these ‘Architects’ simply disappeared and Idris and his kind became obsolete.

Now, Idris and his crew have something strange, abandoned in space. It’s clearly the work of the Architects – but are they really returning? And if so, why? Hunted by gangsters, cults and governments, Idris and his crew race across the galaxy as they search for answers. For they now possess something of incalculable value, and many would kill to obtain it.

Praise for Adrian Tchaikovsky:

‘Brilliant science fiction’ – James McAvoy on Children of Time

‘Full of sparkling, speculative invention’ – Stephen Baxter on The Doors of Eden

Shards of Earth is the first thrilling instalment in the Final Architecture trilogy – by the Arthur C. Clarke award-winning novelist Adrian Tchaikovsky.

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Review:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Shards Of Earth, by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a compelling and engaging sci-fi full of mystery, action and intrigue.

So a big thankyou to TheWriteReads for a spot on the tour for this very anticipated book! This book was so interesting and unique, I enjoyed every second of it. This book is the start of the Final Architecture trilogy and kicks off with the end of the war and the effects of it decades later.

Firstly, the prose flows easily, despite the heavy sci-fi nature of the story, it is easy to read and engage with. Tchaikovsky manages to balance the heavy information we need with compelling writing to make it easy to absorb without feeling heavy or slow. We learn about the world and the war through different people, groups and perspectives and it works wonderfully to help move the story along. We also get multiple narrative perspectives that work well with the story, and gives us insight into all the different types of people, aliens and entities that exist in this war wrecked world.

The actual plot is compelling and full of action. While we get to see the end of the war, the majority of the book takes place decades later and focuses on Idris and Solace. Idris is an Int, a person crafted and moulded to fight the Architects by mentally connecting with them. Solace was meant to be an protector, a warrior, the last line of defence in the war. Idris hasn’t aged or slept and Solace has been on ice, that is until she is sent to re-recruit Idris back to her side – however, Idris is finally free and wants nothing more than to stay with his ragtag crew on their salvage vessel. That is until the two and the crew come across something suggesting the Architects are back.

The Architects are incredibly interesting, I loved the idea behind their form of attack. Upon finding this evidence the plot really kicks off and we get the ragtag crew full of diverse characters fighting their way across different planets. I loved all the crew members and the different groups they had to fight through over the course of the story. While the architects are the main looming threat of villain of the book, Tchaikovsky does an excellent job at showing how war creates different social divisions and loyalties and how they all come to conflict in war ruined systems. I really enjoyed watching the team go up against different factions, extremists and thieves all while trying to unravel the truth behind the architects return.

The characters were engaging from start to finish, diverse in nature, ability and species they were all rich and well fleshed out creating an interesting team that you easily connect with and root for. The inclusivity was natural and I really liked how disability was not seen as a setback (though we do get the story tackling some more serious issues surrounding disability and genetics, this is done well). I loved the dialogue and relationships between them all, and how these changed and grew over the course of the book.

Finally, I loved the plot, characters and concept behind this book and the ending sets up wonderfully for a second installment. By the end of the book I was on the edge of my seat, excited and anxious to know what would happen next.

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About the Author

(from http://shadowsoftheapt.com/about-the-author)

Adrian Tchaikovsky is the author of the acclaimed Shadows of the Apt fantasy series, from the first volume, Empire In Black and Gold in 2008 to the final book, Seal of the Worm, in 2014, with a new series and a standalone science fiction novel scheduled for 2015. He has been nominated for the David Gemmell Legend Award and a British Fantasy Society Award. In civilian life he is a lawyer, gamer and amateur entomologist.

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*Thank you to #Negalley, #Tor, and TheWriteReads for an eARC and spot on the tour in echange for an honest review!*

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