Adrian Tchaikovsky's epic space opera tells the story of humanity following the earth being shattered by the unknown Architects. No one knows why they came, why they reshaped the earth but they know the results.
Tchaikovsky tells the story from a multi-point of view story. building up characters throughout the book.
This is a vast and expansive book and Tchaikovsky builds a rich and detailed universe. In addition to that Adrian Tchaikovsky adds political wranglings with alien species and other aspects of space life.
At times, I found this difficult to read, especially with a large amount of information at the beginning, although I ended up enjoying the book

Thank you to NetGalley and BlackCrow books for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was initially drawn to this book as I want to read more sci-fi. This certainly delivered on the sci-fi elements. It's a very heavy space opera, with a lot of different worlds, characters, and ships to get your head around (thankfully there is a glossary!!)

This book throws you into the action quite early on, and there is a lot to get to grips with. We follow multiple perspectives, which is something I really like in books, so this worked for me. There were the really fun elements of travelling from one world to another and hopping through time, but I do think that this could at times be quite jarring and often took me out of the story a bit. I had to keep going back to remind myself, who was who, which world and which ship.

Further into the second half of the book, I found there started to be rather unnecessary swearing (something which I don't much enjoy in books) so this brought it down for me.

The ending was intriguing, but sadly, I didn't enjoy enough of this to want to continue the series. I'd say this is definitely one for experienced sci-fi readers.

3.5 - 4 Stars.

Tchaikovsky is one of my 'will read anything written by them' authors, but I already know that I'll have to read this one a second time, and I'm hoping that I might even be able to give it 4 or 5 stars the second time around.

I didn't quite click with Shards of Earth, and I'm not sure if it's because I wasn't 100% in the mood for science fiction or if I just wasn't in the right frame of mind. I failed to emotionally connect to this book in the way I usually do with Tchaikovsky's characters.

I requested this book because 'ancient enemy' and 'old artefacts' are two of my favourite science fiction tropes. Then the cover, of course, I'm always a bit shallow.

Shards of Earth opens with a bang: Space. A invulnerable enemy. A war.

As usual, two of the major themes in Tchaikovsky's Shards of Earth are prejudice and conflict amongst different factions, and the need to come together and work together in order to defeat the current problem.

Tchaikovsky is great at both developing diverse and interesting characters as well as entire worlds and species. Idris is old, and he's tired because he doesn't sleep. Once crucial as an asset during the war, he's now a navigator. Solace is my favourite character in this book. She's basically a space Amazon. The entire crew is made up of interesting characters, but don't get too attached...

Despite its length, Shards of Earth is an addictive and easy read, well, easy once the groundwork is laid. The world is rather difficult to navigate at first, but the pacing is on point and before you know it, the pages are beginning to fly by.

Overall, Shards of Earth is a beautiful space opera with a meticulously detailed world filled with Tchaikovsky's vast imagination. The writing is straightforward, and the characters are a group to root for. I recommend it to every space opera fan.

I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by The Write Reads. Special thanks to Tor for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars rounded up!

This is my first book by Adrian Tchaikovsky and it most certainly won’t be my last! This has me questioning whether I’ve ever really read a space opera before and as such, I feel like I have nothing to compare it to because it was simply EPIC in every way! My mind was blown by the incredibly vast world-building, the fantastic characters and the gripping plot. It admittedly took me a little time to get into it as we dive straight into what seems to be the middle of a story, not to mention having to wrap my head around the complex science and technology jargon, but once I became more comfortable with the terms and got used to the writing, I was HOOKED! I will say this is definitely more of a slow burn though it does pick up towards the middle/end but it's one helluva ride! I feel like anything I say will not do this book justice but maybe by the end of my rambling review I’ll have piqued your interest enough for you to want to give this one a try 😉

The world-building is probably one of the most intricate in sci-fi that I’ve read—granted I don’t read much adult sci-fi, but it was still much wow. It’s vast and complex and the author gives us a lot of information*, which you'd think would be difficult to keep track of but there was no info-dumping and you learn about everything gradually as the plot progresses. Tchaikovsky did such an incredible job of bringing to life this “after earth” world in the vastness of space, that it’s easy to imagine the countless planets and colonies, the numerous alien species and their individual cultures, societal norms, languages and advanced technologies. As I let my imagination run with the descriptions I was simultaneously boggled and fascinated by the images conjured up for these alien species! 😂 Unsurprisingly though, politics and bureaucracy still suck and humans remain incredibly intolerant of others (alien and human alike), even in futuristic space worlds. 🙈

*If ever you do feel overwhelmed by what you’re reading, never fear because Tchaikovsky has provided an in-depth glossary with the terms, species, planets, warships, etc., and a brilliantly detailed timeline from the start of space exploration to the present period at the back of the book!

Aside from the mind-wowing world-building, I was extremely delighted to get to know the ragtag bunch of misfits that made up the Vulture God’s crew, and I ended up loving every single one of them! One or two took time to get used to but they were such realistic and relatable characters with entertainingly distinct voices and personalities, and that alongside the “found-family” vibes is what really got me invested in this story! Also, I loved the dry sarcasm that is liberally sprinkled throughout the story—I honestly didn’t expect to be laughing out loud at certain times but the light banter was much needed and appreciated after the many dire situations our crew found themselves in.

In addition to the crew, we also meet a fairly large cast of recurring players through four main perspectives from Solace, Idris, Kris and Havaer. They provided a great range of views that enriched the story from both within and without the crew; that said, I’m really looking forward to seeing how the other crew members will be further developed over the course of the series because I’d really love to learn more about them! Out of all the characters I found myself connecting the most with Idris and Solace. It was so easy to empathize with what they’ve been through—honestly I just wanted to protect Idris at all costs. 🥺 I became so invested in their journey(s) that I was literally shouting at my Kindle and tearing up just a *tiny bit* with the bittersweet feels by the end. The Architects were also really interesting adversaries and I’m really curious to learn more about them especially after what Idris discovers near the end. I had a random (and very exciting?!) theory pop into my head while I was reading the glossary and I can’t wait to see if maybe I’m right (though I’ll likely be horribly wrong haha)! 😂

Needless to say, I am totally invested, friends! As someone who doesn’t read much adult sci-fi, this was definitely a step out of my comfort zone but I cannot wait for the next instalment in this epic space opera saga. I did struggle with visualizing some of the more technical/science stuff at times but it wasn’t as confusing as I thought it’d be (this is what usually deters me from reading more adult sci-fi). so I’m really glad I gave this book a chance as I loved it! This smol but beautiful crew have wormed their way into my heart and I’m so keen to learn where the story takes them next, especially since that ending sets things up nicely for even more wild and exciting adventures through unspace and beyond!

This was my first book by Tchaikovsky, which is kind of incredible to think about since so many of his books have ended up on my TBR. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this book, but I had high expectations because of how many people love his books.

I really liked the cast of characters that we followed and I don’t think that I can choose a favorite because they’re all just so interesting! This is a ragtag group of spacers who stumble onto a major discovery that will change humanity forever, and I loved how real they all felt. The idea of the Architects is also incredibly interesting, and I always found myself hungry for more information about them.

I will say that it took me quite a long time to become invested in the characters and the story because there is a lot of setup in the beginning and so it was pretty slow at first. Once I reached about 30%, I started to feel more invested, and by 50% I was flying through the rest of the book just to see what happened next! I’m glad that I stuck through the slower beginning because I think it was worth it in the end. I didn’t realize until I reached the end that there is actually a glossary in the back, so if you’re struggling through the beginning, make sure to check the glossary!

The variety of aliens and even humans in this story were incredible, and at times it was tough to keep them all straight because there were so many on the fringes of the story, but once I got it all straight in my head it was so fun to learn about them all! Adding to that, each race had political entities that most of the time don’t get along, and some are even on the brink of war themselves. Even faced with the possibility of the world destroying Architects returning, they continue to bicker and argue amongst themselves, and it was fun watching the crew navigate all the politics.

I loved the battles and how Idris navigated through unspace and the farther into the book you get, the more of these scenes there are which was great. The ending was also really satisfying, I liked that it wasn’t a cliffhanger but enough to make you want to know what was going to happen next.

There was one slang term that I didn’t really like and I don’t think it needed to be included because it didn’t add anything to the story. Solace is part of a genetically engineered race of women, and they come across some hostile men who dislike her for who she is and call her a dyke, which I don’t think was necessary.

I also did struggle a bit with some of the writing and the formatting. Sometimes a paragraph would start and I wasn’t sure if we were in the past or on the current day, and there were a lot of strange formatting that made it difficult at times to read. With this being an unfinished copy, I know that there will be changes made to those things but it did effect my enjoyment just slightly because of the difficulties that I had getting around some of them, but if you read a finished copy I doubt you would have those same issues.

To summarize, I did overall like this book. I gave it a final rating of 3.75, with one star being removed because it took me so long to become invested in the book and there were times at the beginning where I just didn’t want to pick it up because it felt so slow. I also removed .25 because of the difficulty I had with some of the formatting and writing.

Overall, I do think that I’ll continue this series at some point when the next book comes out, and I will be checking out more of this authors works!

Humanity has left Earth, reaching for the stars, making new homes and allies among the beings they meet. But when they discover the Architects, they find a race so vast they are beyond human comprehension, and humans are too insignificant to notice. The Architects move through the universe, changing the shape of the objects they come into contact with, ships, moons, planets, with little thought for the indigenous lifeforms they are destroying in the process. As a desperate last attempt at survival, humanity sends Intermediates, men and women with psychic abilities, on battleships with genetically bred female warriors as a final stand. Against all odds, they succeed.
Idris Telemmier is one of the few Ints who survived that war. His skills are so highly sought after that some will resort to kidnap to possess him. So, he eeks out a living on the edges of civilisation, piloting a deep space salvage ship where he can hide from civilisation. He just wants to be left alone, and it's the one thing he won't get because somewhere out in the black of space, the Architects are coming back.
The Shards of Earth is the first in a new trilogy by Adrian Tchaikovsky, and if the other two continue in the same vein as this, then it will be an epic masterpiece. We start in the final battle between an alliance of beings and the Architects because the Architects are indiscriminate about what they reshape to their liking. I was immediately struck by how insignificant humanity is. For all its achievements, the exploration, pacts with other races, advances in science and technology against the Architects, it's all meaningless. We are so tiny compared to the Architects; they don't even see us. It's a humbling start and packs a punch.
The story is told in four parts; Solace, who is an engineered warrior to defend humanities colonies, Idris a free Int who is always on the verge of a breakdown and incapable of sleep; Kris, Idris's lawyer, who saves him from being used for his abilities, and Havaer who works for the Intervention Board as something between a policeman and a spy. The four threads weave together to give us a story about the failures of treating people like objects.
Solace is kept in cold storage until there is a war she is needed for. She doesn't question this because her purpose is to protect the colonies. On the other hand, Idris rebels against being used in the same way. He is a person with free will, so he will choose when and where he uses his intermediary skills, much to the dismay of the Board of Human Interests and criminals alike. Although he is a person, Idris is considered a valuable asset, worth going to war over. Yet, when he warns people of the things he senses in space, that the Architects are coming back, he is not believed. He shows that for all humanity's advancement into the stars, they are still petty.
I also enjoyed Havaer as a character. He follows Idris and Solace on their misadventures through space, always a few steps behind. When he eventually catches up to them, he demonstrates he is unlike everyone else. When Havaer has Idris on his ship and can use the other man, he lets Idris go, treating him like a person capable of making his own decisions. In a story about using people as objects, Havaer is an example of what respect looks like. He also provides a deeper context to events. While Idris is terrified the Architects are coming back, Havaer has a less emotive view on things which hints at the truth behind the return of the Architects.
I am always in awe of the scope of Tchaikovsky's imagination. His cast is so varied and yet so realistic, they are immediately accessible. The Hivers were my favourite, colonies of insects living in artificial bodies they adapt for their purpose. They mimic humanity to make humans feel more at ease despite being significantly greater in intellect. Again, another example of how we are not as great as we think we are, but there is something about humanity the Hivers believe is worthwhile.
As the first book in a trilogy, it gives the reader enough answers to satisfy for that book and plenty of questions, so we want more. The Shards of Earth is a high-speed whodunnit in space with a varied cast and excellent world-building. My only complaint is how long I will have to wait for the next book.

I’ve started writing my reviews as I read, instead of how I used to do it, which was after I’d finished everything. I think it gives a slightly different perspective on things. So this review is in chronological order of reading the book…

There are also some mild spoilers below, but there’s no major plot points and I’ve kept them to a minimum!

At first, Shards of Earth is very sci-fi-esque in that the beginning is heavy as you begin to learn this world, it’s various alien species, it’s political arrangements, hell, even physics. So for the first few days, I was picking this book up, reading a few pages and putting it down because I was struggling to dedicate the brain power to it to make sense of everything.

About 10% in and we’re Introduced to Solace and Idris. Solace is a woman from a powerful female-only warrior society who desperately want an “intermediary” to ensure that not only are they the strongest, they have the ability to enter and navigate “unspace”. “Unspace” isn’t typically easily navigated as most humans don’t do well in it when awake, most sleep during it to avoid possible madness, comas etc. Intermediaries are specifically genetically engineered to be able to handle unspace, and there’s a hint of much more.

Idris is one of these Intermediaries that Solace crossed paths with years ago during the defence of a planet from the “Architects”. Idris was a key weapon in the defence, and the Architects vanished for 40 years. Therefore, Idris was no longer a weapon and now just a navigator on a salvage ship.

Solace had been in cryo (stasis?) for a while, but has now been woken and tasked with getting an Intermediary for her warrior… family? She’s looking for Idris…

Which is why I’m glad I stuck with this. I could see the beginnings of a great story with amazing characters. This is the first space opera I’ve read in a while that’s gone really whacky with xeno-biology, where the descriptions sound so strange I’m struggling to even form an image of them. And I love that. They’re not all bipedal with just an extra couple of fins or feathers or whatever else. The aliens are really alien. And there’s a range of how they govern. There’s hiveminds, hegemonies and every other sort of political/leading class you could think of. Makes a change and reminds me of Stellaris.

I don’t want to post serious spoilers… but don’t get too attached to the characters because you never know what could happen quite unexpectedly. One thing I did discover from this, however, is that Tchaikovsky is a master at the action sequences. Reading Solace fight in her suped-up armour against a symbiotic alien who repairs damage almost instantly was something else. It had great cadence and rhythm, with lots of tension and action, as well as lulls where you think you can catch your breath for a second before all hells breaks loose all over again.

Much like any heavy space opera, Shards of Earth takes a little bit to cement itself in your brain. A lot of aliens, a large cast of characters, ship names and more. Once it’s there though, what a ride. Every page of this book was such a joy to read, from the space battles, to the urgent yet deliberate piercing of metaphysical minds. The book from start to finish was a delightful ride with plenty of world-spanning tension but also small personal relationships that explores the importance of friendship and crew.

And, of course, The Architects. They are such an amazing and unknowable antagonist, right up until the very end. They’ve got an incredible and terrifying power and no apparent reason as to why, other than to make art, but it all begins to make sense and leads neatly into an outcry for the next book. And I’m excited for more.

3.5*

I have several of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s books on my ever growing TBR and haven’t been able to commit to a series yet, so I was very excited for the opportunity to get an arc of book one, Shards of Earth, of his new trilogy The Final Architects.

I must first admit I find it a lot easier to absorb myself in fantasy worlds than sci-fi. That said, Tchaikovsky has created a wonderful universe fill with a interesting array of races, worlds, and political views. The Architects are also a thing of marvel when you paint a picture of them in your imagination.

Early on in Shards of Earth you meet multiple key characters, are treated to an epic battle, and informed of multiple races and politics, all without overwhelming you. Tchaikovsky writes beautifully and paints vivid pictures of the worlds you travel too and the races we meet. I also really liked the characters early, I care about them, which is important to me.

Characters brings me to my reason for giving this 3.5* and not higher. By the end, I didn’t really care about them any more than I did early on. My feelings and emotions to the characters just didn’t grow. I feel like we only scratched the surface of each character. Idris so the most progression for me, late on he took a step forward and accepted responsibilities. But other character didn’t grow enough for me to really care about them.

However, am I interested in book 2? Sure I am. As I said Tchaikovsky writes brilliantly, the universe is great, the races are unique, and the politics are interesting. So too is what we find out about the architects later in Shards of Earth. I’ve ordered the limited edition of Shards of Earth, and if you are a Sci-fi fan then this is definitely recommended.

Synopsis: Earth has been destroyed eighty years ago by a Moon large being. They are called "Architects" because they don't just crush planets but turn them inside out to wondrous, horrific forms as depicted in the cover. Earth hasn't been the only planet, and weapons just don't stop the Architects. 

Then, a wonder happened, when one enhanced human called "Intermediaries" was able to communicate mind-to-mind to the aggressor. The Architects simply disappeared.

The story follows Idris, working as a pilot among the crew of  the Vulture God. As an Intermediary, he has the special ability to navigate through unspace, whereas every other space ship has to follow the safe paths of the Throughways. Errors in an unpiloted course would leave such a ship in unmapped space and stay there for decades, unless rescued by vessels like the Vulture God. Such an adventurous and unlucky ship is the Gamin. The Vulture God was commissioned by the Colonial Heritage Foundation to salvage the Gamin as an important historical artefact. 

But then, everything changed when they found the Gamin in a condition which only an Architect could have caused, turned inside out. Have the Architects returned?

Their employer wants to cover up the ugly truth, no one should see the shaped Gamin. At a nearby space station, they hide both ships inside of a huge transportation container. 

They're on shore leave when both, their ship and the Gamin gets stolen. The crew starts on a reckless chase, using unspace shortcuts, fighting near-undestroyable foes, hunting from planet to planet and get ever more involved in a conspiracy that reaches ever deeper. 

Review: This start of a series began slowly but developed speed soon enough and ended full pace. Tchaikovsky just knows how to develop a series, and here he invests in a longer running Space Opera that fans just have to love. Colonized humans, a split off independent population of female clones, and several alien races like Hiveners with bodies consisting of hundreds of insects, all of them seeking for control over space, fighting back the Architects, working together as crew of the Gamin. 

The author brings fresh air to the Space Opera zoo, avoiding some of the well-plodded paths of the subgenre. I just loved how different some of the races acted. They weren't just there to be marvelled at by the reader, but enriched the setting of the high-octane plot through the galaxy. 

The novel had its intimate moments, spreading suspense, fear, love, and mourning over its many pages. Some of the crew members don't see the end of the first volume in the series, and I had to share some tears over the loss of them. 

I'm glad that the author found back to former strength after a couple of less strong works, and I can highly recommend this doorstopper of a start of a Space Opera series. Given Tchaikovsky's proven dedication, the series will soon see the next volume, and I'm already longing for it.

An epic space opera!

I have been wanting to read more sci-fi in 2021, so I was incredibly excited when I received an arc of Shards of Earth. As some of you might know, I mostly read and focus on Fantasy literature. I haven’t really figured out if the Sci-Fi genre is for me. Tchaikovsky is well-known for his epic space operas, so I was interested in seeing what all the hype is about.

Shards of Earth is the first book in Tchaikovsky’s new series The Final Architects. Shards of Earth is an epic space opera, featuring multiple races of aliens, several different habitable planes, complex cultures and politics, advanced technology, and action-filled starship battles! Shards of Earth starts 50 years after the Earth was destroyed by the architects. Architects are massive creatures that travel through space to reshape or destroy entire worlds. The Architects threatened to wipe out humanity, but then just suddenly disappeared but. Now 50 years later, there is undeniable proof that they might return.

I finally understand why Tchaikovsky is such a popular Sci-Fi author. Tchaikovsky’s ability to create a vast and complex universe is quite astonishing. Shards of Earth has everything a sci-fi reader wants in a space opera. Shards of Earth is set in a universe with fleshed out history, religion, politics and technology, making the story feel believable.

Furthermore, Tchaikovsky ponders ‘what would happen to humanity if we were forced to leave our planet forever?' Shards of Earth tells the story of how humans left the earth, and how humanity was scattered across the whole universe. Tchaikovsky also demonstrates the massive cultural challenges in working with different alien species, in trying to conquer and defeat the ruthless architects.

Unfortunately, I did struggle a lot with reading this book, and this mostly due to my personal preference and experience with the Sci-Fi genre. Shards of Earth feels like it is written to avid fans of the sci-fi genre. I wasn’t prepared for such a complex story, where the reader is introduced to countless new species, planets and scientific terms, such as unspace. The complexity of the story did overwhelm me at times. I feel like I need to reread this book, to truly appreciate what Tchaikovsky has crafted in this book. Fortunately, there is a glossary and a timeline at the back of the book, to help readers keep track of all the names and terminology.

My main criticism is the first 20%. The introduction to this story is incredibly dense, with way too much information for my taste. I do worry that the ‘information dumps’ at the beginning will discourage a lot of readers. The story does pick up after the first 20% and becomes much more character and plot-focused.

In conclusion, Shards of Earth is an impressive space opera with epic world-building, high stakes and an intriguing plot. I absolutely do think that Sci-Fi readers will love this book, but unfortunately, it was not for me. The complexity and the dense introduction did overwhelm me, making it difficult for me to get fully invested in this story. However, I will still give this book a high rating, since I can appreciate that this is a well-written story. If you are a fan of Space Operas then I can highly recommend picking up this book.

3.5 / 5 stars

A special thanks to UK Tor and NetGalley for an arc of this book.

Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky is an exciting new SciFi adventure that kept me on the edge of my seat as a motley spaceship crew battles the reshaper of worlds known as The Architects.

What I Loved

As a toe-in-the-water SciFi reader, I‘ve never run across the idea of unspace. This concept intrigued me and caused my imagination to jump leaps and bounds, imagining all the possible implications. It is a layer of space utilized for faster travel, but the pathway is dangerous and mind-bending, so much so that most crew members typically sleep through it. The reality or unreality of it is that complicated.

I also loved the different factions/beings in the story. Solace, the Parthenon, is probably my most favorite, followed closely by Olli. I loved Ollie’s wit and spunk, and though imagining the type of creature she is alludes my ability to visualize the unknown, her sarcasm made me chuckle on more than one occasion. Solace, though, as a faction of the human race, was a being with which I could more identify. She reminded me of a space-age Amazonian, like Wonder Woman. I love Wonder Woman, and I also love Solace. She is a warrior who can take on large groups of beings and come out of the fray unscathed. She is also a protector, and her relationship with Idris – as his protector/bodyguard is heart-warming and completely relatable.

The book is quite cumbersome, being over 500 pages of new words, ideas, beings, and places that my mind and imagination had to work overtime to understand in a way that allowed me to appreciate the story and all its nuances. It took me much longer than usual to read as the complexities slowed my reading for the first quarter to half of the story. Still, once I had a firm grasp of what I needed to imagine, the pages just flew by, and the story took me on an incredible journey that I will not soon forget.

Even though this is the first book in a series, I also loved that it ends with a soft conclusion that let me know this leg of the journey was done. Tomorrow will be the start of a new adventure – maybe related, maybe not, but potentially with the same characters that I grew to love throughout this story.

To Read or Not to Read

If you love a good SciFi adventure story and are open to expanding your imagination, this is the perfect novel for you. You will, as I did, marvel at the new worlds and beings with the opened mouth awe of a child seeing fireworks for the first time.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor, and NetGalley for providing this eARC as part of a blog tour with The Write Reads in exchange for an honest review.

In the war, Earth was destroyed and turned inside out by an alien enemy known as the Architects. To combat this foe, man created mentally enhanced humans called Intermediaries, and they, Idris amongst them, were successful in forming a mental link and communicating with the Architects, driving them away. With the war seemingly over, Idris wanted nothing more to do with the humans who now forcibly create Intermediaries for commercial purposes and bind them to contracts. Forty years later, Idris tries to keep a low profile as the pilot of the Vulture God, a salvage vessel that takes on missions in deep space, perfect for his particular talents. When he and his crew stumble upon the remains of a ship that looks exactly like the work of the Architects. Before they can dwell on the magnitude of what they’ve found, the crew has become the center of attention and target for everyone, from governments to gangsters, because they now possess an artifact that if genuine, is beyond price if the enemy truly is returning.

This was my first time reading a book by Adrian Tchaikovsky and I had pretty high expectations after seeing all the great reviews for both this book and the author’s other series. Shards of Earth certainly did not disappoint! Sci-fi novels set in space are a more recent favourite of mine, and this is the first non-YA book of the genre I’ve read. The world-building in this book is truly worthy of praise – I was extremely impressed at how much thought has been put into it, from the history of the planets, to the intricacies of the many species, the various battles we see in flashbacks and even the many factions – governments and otherwise that have a stake in the ongoing political struggles. This level of rich detail and the grand adventure feel is something I’ve come to expect more of epic fantasy novels, which is why this book stood out to me and I’d really enjoy seeing more world-building of this calibre in sci-fi novels too.

The plot itself was fantastic and while it was a little hard to follow initially while the groundwork was being laid, once the action started it never stopped. One thing followed another and I read most of the book with bated breath wondering what the next twist was and how trustworthy any character the crew ran into would turn out to be. I loved the crew of the Vulture God and how despite being from different species and cultures, they were such a tight-knit group and it was so easy to root for these characters. Idris in particular was a very interesting character. He has been so modified and enhanced that his abilities put him far beyond mankind, yet his thought processes and dialogue are so undoubtedly human. I’m still very curious about the Architects, what they are exactly, where they come from and their real purpose for attacking any planets with life. This book leaves a lot of unanswered questions from this aspect and I’m excited to know more.

Shards of Earth is not a quick read, regardless of its fast moving plot, but the effort is well worth it. Overall, this was an amazing start to a new series and I can’t wait to see what happens after that explosive ending and all the revelations that came with it. I’m also hoping to check out the other series by this author really soon. This was a thoroughly enjoyable, well written read and one I would highly recommend!

This book is absolutely full of ideas. Almost too many you might say, since the opening third or so throws you right in at the deep end and you kind of have to push through it trusting that it will come good. Which it does, mostly.

The story is another take on the popular “ragtag crew in a beatup old ship” subgenre that seems more and more popular these days (see also: Becky Chambers and Gareth L Powell, plus this old TV show about an insect or something), but this has a grander and much more cosmic scope than most in that area. The whole plot is only just beginning to come into view at the end of this first volume but it’s already clear the stakes are going to be about as high as they can get. In the meantime, we have some inventive and intriguing alien races, plenty of gripping tautly described action and some lead characters who are, if not exactly likeable, then well crafted and believable. It starts slow, but by the time we get to the climax things are racing along - it took me about a week to get through the first half, and then twenty four hours for the second.

My only real criticisms are that the opening stretch of the book is too much of a slog, and that it feels a bit…woolly? Some of the wanderings and travels in this one are a bit overlong and pointless, and I feel that some tightening up and cutting of 50 pages or so could have worked wonders for the pacing. Regardless, it’s a very promising start to a series, with some great ideas that I’m looking forward to learning more about in the next volumes. Probably a 3.5 but I'll round up to a 4 on the promise that the rest of the series builds on these foundations.

The World:
Oh my goodness! The world of this book is so incredibly immense that I'm not sure I could say everything I want to say about it!

First of all... the planets. The planets of this book are so cool. There are so many of them and there's no way I could mention or describe them all or even spell their names! However, what I loved about the planets was the way that they are built, aesthetically. The description of these worlds is so incredible that it was so easy for me to imagine myself on their surface, or flying above them. I'm in awe of just how detailed Tchaikovsky's world building is.

The main thing I loved about this world was Space itself (and Unspace). I loved how much of this book actually just took place in the blackness of deep space, of the space between worlds and the space called Unspace which is really the space between spaces (wow that felt like a line from Doctor Who!). So often I've seen space just being used as a tool to travel between worlds, but in this book it really was a world in itself. The main characters in this book live their lives on ships, travelling through the blackness on jobs and I loved just how much detail and character came out of a place that is usually so void in sci-fi stories.

The Characters:
There are a lot of characters in this book and just as many perspectives. Having so many perspectives was really interesting and super engaging because it allows you to see all the different ideas and points of view in the galaxy. What I really loved about this cast of characters is just how different they all were both in their looks, their languages and their quirks. They are all very individual and clearly well thought out. Also... there weren't all humanoid! (which is the one thing that normally bugs me about sci-fi novels). Even the characters who are humanoid aren't really... human (at least as we understand human). For this review, however, I'm only going to talk about two of the characters. Really, the main ones:

Solace:
Solace is probably the character I enjoyed reading about the most, both from her perspective and from the perspective of other characters. She is a member of a genetically modified super human female race that are kind of like the Valkyries from mythology. At the beginning of the story she is very much the dutiful super soldier, sent on her mission to collect an asset for her people (Idris). However, she changes and grows so much over the story and it was her story arc that I enjoyed the most in this book.

Idris:
Idris is really the main character of Shards of Earth. He is the one that the blurb is focused on. As the blurb explains, he is a kind of a modified human character. He went through a process that changed his mind and allowed him to communicate with the nemesis of this book The Architects, and stop the first war. Now he is a spacer... somebody who works with a crew on jobs in space, and his ability as an Intermediary (one of these special mind humans) allows him to travel in Unspace while awake. I really enjoyed Idris' story. He carries a lot of weight from the war, but we don't get to know everything about him from the beginning. He's a character that we slowly peel the layers from as the book progresses.

The Plot:
The basics of the plot is this... there was a war with these aliens called The Architects before the book began. These aliens rip planets and ships to pieces and seem to remake them into new structures (hence Architects). Idris was an Intermediary who helped end the war and is now living his life in space with an awesome mishmash crew of awesomeness. But now... the Architects may have returned.

It sounds pretty basic on the surface, and the thread of that story travels throughout the whole book, but there is so much more to the plot than this. What I really enjoyed about the plot was just how character driven it is. There are so many political structures and even a kind of mafia in this book and they all clash and interact in a way that is confusingly brilliant and completely mind twisting that at times it was hard to keep up.

However, the greatest character driven part of this book was the crew that Idris is a part of. They are a crew that feels so genuine and real that I could imagine them in front of me at times when they were having conversations. Their decisions, their choices, their arguments and their moments of compromise and working together are what really drives this story. I especially loved one of the characters Olli. She is a character who would (if this book were set in the real world) not be able bodied and this often brings her into conflict with Solace who is genetically engineered to be stronger and more warrior like than a normal human. Their interactions together are usually hostile, but what Tchaikovsky does really well is make their interactions both a discussion about what it means to be 'human' (so to speak), but also a way to develop the plot as they learn to set aside their differences (if not their dislikes for each other) and work together. The crew's journey, beyond the Architect plot line, is definitely the best thing about this novel and was really what kept me wanting to turn the pages.

Why It Was a 4-Star Read for Me:
This book was really good! It's probably the most detailed sci-fi book I have ever read and that was really one of the things that drew me to it in the first place. I love military sci-fi stories, especially when they include epic space battles. The only thing that I didn't love was how much was introduced sometimes without a whole lot of description. I would sometimes find myself only being able to picture a character or certain species a few chapters after meeting them which sometimes made those few chapters a bit confusing.

Overall though this is an incredible sci-fi story and it is clear to me now why Tchaikovsky is such a well loved writer. I definitely want to continue on with this series and check out his other books!</p>

Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky is the first installment in his new science-fiction series, The Final Architects. This is the first book by Adrian Tchaikovsky I’ve read, although I do have one of his fantasy books sitting on my shelf to be read. It’s also the first science fiction book I’ve read in a long time that was this complex. So I’m not sure how much is genre convention or choice of the author.

The story starts off with a lot of exposition about the history of the galaxy, the relevant factions, and the Architect. I think I was a hundred pages in when the exposition lessened. If you don’t like books with a slow start, this one might not be for you. But is it worth pushing through? I’d say yes.

The author is setting the stage, but it’s not a simple set design. Imagine the grand operas of old, with elaborate set pieces with intricate details, gorgeous costumes, poetic lines, and bombastic orchestral music. The composition is one that either fails fantastically or soars the skies in success. For Shards of Earth, it’s definitely the latter.

The cast is incredible, a wonderful mix of human and non-human species. Medvig and Trine are my favourites among them. And I’m still curious about the Architects. It’s hard for me to imagine them and their size. The world-building (and destruction) is gritty, dangerous. and full of intrigue. It’s hard to know who your true allies are beyond the crew of your ship. It’s a wonder so many people have survived, to be honest.

what I liked most is the action-packed middle and ending. Once you’re familiar with the universe as it is, then all of hell breaks loose. No more time for chit-chat, you have to run. You have to fight. As slow as the first bit of the book was, so fast-paced is the second half. And for some reason, this pacing works. In some books, a slow start means I’ll lose interest, but there happened just enough to keep me interested. Then the fast-paced ending, where sometimes it was so fast you couldn’t speed-read through it. The climax kept on climbing higher and higher, and it didn’t fail. Mastering this kind of pacing isn’t easy and shows Adrian Tchaikovsky is a great writer.

I give Shards of the Earth four stars, as a novice science fiction reader, but I’m sure a lot of science fiction fans will enjoy this even more than I did.

Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Shards of Earth takes us on an action packed journey through a universe threatened by the return of a worlds-ending threat. It’s a universe where Earth is a distant memory and humanity is scattered across many planets and systems. War with the Architects ended some forty years in the past, and since then no Architects have been seen. But the threat of their return thrusts the crew of the Vulture God and it’s Intermediary pilot Idris Telemmier into a struggle with competing forces all trying to understand, get ahead of, or profit from this new threat.

This is a fantastic read, and it’s a testament to how well it’s written that even at over 500 pages it goes quickly. The characters in the book are well developed and the action-driven plot goes through several twists leading to the final satisfying conclusion. Yet, as is fitting for the first in a series of books, it leaves you wanting more.

There is a lot to this book and it’s impossible to summarize it all in this review. Here are highlights of just some of the “world building” in which the action unfolds:

The main events chronicled in the book take place in the year “123 After”. Some two hundred and thirty years before, the alien Castigar race came upon space probes from Earth and became humanity’s first alien contact. The Castigars introduced humanity to the Throughways, paths through unspace that allow for travel across the wider universe. With their help, humans established colonies on many planets and systems, and came in contact with other intelligent species.

In the Year 0, an Architect (a being the size of our Moon) came out of unspace near Earth and, as Architects do, it transformed Earth into a bizarre massive sculpture, destroying all life on the planet in the process. More attacks by Architects occur on other settled planets as humanity and their alien allies seek to find ways to combat this threat. Through all of this, the Architects themselves remain mysterious foes, as they have made no attempt at contact, and no threats or demands.

No way of contacting them is found until, after many years and multiple planet losses, the “Intermediary Program” ultimately results in humans who are surgically and chemically altered to become empaths capable of contacting the Architects. Their abilities are modeled on those of “Saint Xavienne” Torino, a woman for whom this empathic ability comes naturally. The Intermediaries Xavienne Torino and Idris Telemmier finally establish contact with an Architect threatening the planet Far Lux, at which point the Architects realize that their work has resulted in the loss of many lives, and they withdraw back into unspace.

Beyond their abilities to communicate with the Architects, the Intermediaries are unique among humans in that they can endure the impacts of travel through unspace, which can have life altering psychological impacts. The Intermediary Program continues after the withdrawal of the Architects, creating unspace pilots. Others aboard ships traveling in unspace must go into stasis so as not to be psychologically damaged.

Now, in 123 After, Idris Telemmier (who for some reason related to his Intermediary experience has not aged since the War) is the pilot aboard the salvage ship Vulture God. When their ship is dispatched to collect the missing vessel Oumaru, the crew find it destroyed, with the distinctive sculptural pattern of an Architect attack. Are the Architects returning? Where will they strike next? Now the action really begins...

I rate Shards of Earth 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I really liked this book, and was glad I read it. If you are looking for your next fantasy / space opera, one you can really sink your teeth into, this one is well worth your time. I recommend it.

NOTE: This is an ARC (advanced reader copy) Review. I received a free copy of this ebook in exchange for a fair review. The release date for Shards of Earth is May 27th.

Shards of Earth is the latest sci-fi novel from Adrian Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky has written epic fantasy, and some of the best high-concept science fiction of recent years. I’ve been a fan of his work for years, and I tell you what: I went into this space opera with high expectations, and this one did not disappoint.

This is a post-war universe. A universe defined by a conflict which shattered worlds. Literally. Mysterious forces, seemingly beyond the ken of man, the enormous creatures known as Architects, appear above the skies of populated worlds, and render them into exotic, incomprehensible art. Of course, nobody survives the process. But this isn’t the story of war with the architects. This is the story of a world built on the ruins, Of a humanity whose home is shattered rock and outgassing air, which has rebuilt itself over several generations, whose scattered refugees are now living in (relative) peace. Of course, being people, they’re also busy running up factions, and politics, and internecine feuds. Not only between themselves, but with everyone else as well - from the Hivers, a self-aware nanite swarm, to the inscrutable mollusc Empire which circles the fringes of humanity, and tries to assimilate their worlds through persuasion and koans.Humanity is trying to come to terms with its own trauma, in a universe where it is not the dominant power, and where what is known is vastly smaller than whatever is at the edges of the map. The sense of scale, of vacuum as a vast, unknowable deep, held together by thin lines of force, accessible to a scattered few, the scope of the galaxy is wondrous and terrifying.


Into this uncaring universe step a ship full of miscreants and vagabonds. Perhaps the most central is Idris, the result of military experiments in the war generations ago, who can navigate his ship between the stars. Idris struggles with past trauma, the experiences which shaped him into a weapon, and the experience of war against the Architects. He’s a person on the edge, trying to get through each day, trying to find meaning and connection in a universe which is slowly forgetting the old heroes.


And then there’s Solace, a genetically engineered super soldier, a myrmidon who was decanted for war. Where Idris has lived the future, Solace has missed it, put on ice by her sister-warrior culture, to be brought back into the fight at need. Solace is dislocated, out of time, building new alliances and a new future with every word.


These two veterans, in and out of time, are embedded in a ship that skims the edge of the known, digging up salvage and secrets in equal measure. Their Captain is a voluble figure who thinks of himself as a father; they have a lawyer on board who is as much at home in a duelling circle as a courtroom, their engineer is ensconced in a life support system which also happens to be a giant scorpion combat exoskeleton. And those are the humans. I won’t even get into the aliens, but rest assured they’re a weird and wonderful bunch.The crew is a diverse, squabbling, complex organism filled with old and new grudges and quiet affections alongside public joys. It’s a ship filled with organic histories, where sense and story are heard in the quiet spaces between the words.


Which is all to say, the characterisation is top-notch. The people seem like people, in all their glory and horror, apes reaching for the stairs with one hand, flinging faeces with the other. The aliens, the non-humans, are strange and wonderful in different ways, which suggest perspectives just out of reach. And those aliens are people too. People we don’t really know, or understand a lot of the time, but still people themselves. And each is coming off the page, fully realised and whole.


The story? Well, I won’t spoil it. There are enough turns here for...a twisty-turny thing. There were moments when I turned the page in surprise, needing to see where a sudden revelation left the story. This is a soaring adventure, a found family investigating deep mysteries, with social relationships that give the fast-paced action a heart and depth. This is a fun story, a clever story, with some big questions woven through the narrative. The characters are intriguing and feel real; the universe is vast, filled with mystery and the scintillating shimmer of hidden treasure among the scattered remnants of ruined worlds. And the story is smart, and funny, and emotionally affecting, and has the kind of drive and energy which leaves you reading page after page late into the night - or early into the morning.


This is, in sum, a great space opera, and a joy to read. And you should read it!

Shards of Earth is the first book by Adrian Tchaikovsky that I’ve read, and it felt so good to be back in a science fiction world after drifting away from the genre for so long. This book made me feel so excited to read more sci-fi books this year.

Tchaikovsky is a well-known name in the SFF genre. You can feel his confidence in his ability to write space operas seep into his work. He’s also unafraid to put his characters through hell and kill them off, there were a few surprises in there that I didn’t see coming.

The highlight of this book was unspace. Sci-fi readers will be familiar with jumps through space, but where do they go during those jumps? Tchaikovsky introduces unspace, a dark, shadowy void where only you exist. It’s recommended to enter a pod and sleep during those jumps because when you wake, you might not be the only creature in the dark. This concept felt so unique and eerie and was the shining feature of this book. It felt as though Tchaikovsky brought a little bit of fantasy into space to create something fresh and exciting, capturing both the claustrophobic and dangerous potential for life in space.

The opening scenes were amazing. While we follow a large cast, this book mainly focuses on two main characters, Solace and Idris, former soldiers and lovers who fought against the Architects. The Architects are an enemy that no one knows anything about. It makes them all the more sinister. How do you fight something so unfathomable?

While war is at the heart of this book, a constant, looming threat, there was also a strong theme of freedom. How to obtain it, what it means and what do to with it. How do you achieve peace after the horrors of a war that is not quite over?

The beginning and ending were very entertaining, but I found myself confused in the middle at various points when the plot slowed down. The world building is heavy but detailed (there’s also a glossary at the end which was helpful! ) but the pacing is more world/plot based than character based, which, on occasion, meant that were were just told a meeting or event happened, rather than seeing the characters in those situations. Being a character driven reader, that jarred me out of the narrative occasionally. That’s just down to personal preference.

Overall, Shards of Earth was a nice introduction into what to expect from Tchaikovsky, an author I will read more of in the future. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a plot driven, science-fiction with themes of war, mystery and found family.

Divine Architects or Space Truckers Fight Back!

It’s hard to know exactly where to place Shards of Earth. Is it serious science fiction or rip-roaring space opera? A lot of both, I think. There is a febrile imagination at work here, filled with familiar creations and much that is new, combined with an often manic narrative of chase and fight.

The Architects, enormous virtually indestructible entities the size of Earth’s Moon, appear from nowhere, systematically destroy and refashion inhabited planets, exterminating their populations in a wholly disinterested manner. Humanity in alliance with alien races mount a powerful but ineffectual defence, until the chance discovery of human Intermediaries, men and women who somehow can psychically enter and reveal themselves to the minds of the Architects, and who consequently achieve the withdrawal of this irresistible force from known space.

After the Architect War, the Intermediaries have value in their ability to navigate spaceships through the shortcuts of Un-Space, and their small numbers and vulnerability leave them open to abuse and exploitation. One of the few survivors from the war, Idris, has become the pilot of a clapped-out space salvage ship, in order to keep a low profile. He has not slept in the sixty years since the war ended and reacts badly to attempts to capture him and make use of his skills and talents. Sought out by a cadre of genetically bred warrior women, The Parthenon, by human powers, by alien criminals and thugs, he and his crew manage to keep one step ahead of the opposition while discovering unsettling new truths about the nature of the Architects, before their eventual violent return.

Tchaikovsky happily references Frank Herbert, H P Lovecraft, Ian M Banks, Star Wars, and his own earlier space novels in a frantic, frenetic, masterful tour-de-force.

Inicio de trilogía por parte del prolífico autor británico. Una historia con una escala temporal enorme que abarca numerosos planetas, razas y amenazas. Cuenta con un inicio que requiere algo de esfuerzo para situarse dada la gran cantidad de nombres, lugares y seres humanos y no humanos que hacen aparición. Una vez asentados, la historia nos sitúa frente a una amenaza global: los Arquitectos. Unos seres alienígenas que arrasan toda vida en otros planetas del universo. Entender sus mecanismos y cómo su amenaza afecta a los seres de este mundo es una de las claves del libro. Una novela con acción, política, conspiraciones, y otros muchos aspectos que hacen de ella otra gran obra de Tchaikovsky.

✅ Los Arquitectos son unos enemigos que van a dar mucha guerra. Una especie de Galactus cuya amenaza promete grandes dosis de emoción.

✅ La novela tiene un gran ritmo. Tchaikovsky sigue mejorando si cabe y esta novela apenas tiene páginas sobrantes. Todo se aprovecha.

✅ Los temas que trata durante la novela, con referencias claras a nuestro presente y gran especulación sobre nuestro futuro.

❌ El primer tercio de novela no es fácil. Muchos personajes, años y razas que ya forman parte de un universo al que acabamos de llegar y con los que familiarizarse. Es frecuente tener que revisar glosario para entender diferentes relaciones.