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inverarityThe finale of the Final Architecture trilogy.
Orbit, 2023, 608 pages
Adrian Tchaikovsky writes epic fantasies, he writes space operas, he writes short fantasy stories, and they're all good. Even his most mediocre books are really good. The second book in the Final Architecture trilogy was mostly just fine, but fine is pretty good. And Lords of Uncreation wraps up the trilogy with universe-saving hijinks and a more quirky and endearing crew than anything George Lucas or Joss Whedon ever created.
The story so far: "Architects," moon-sized sentient planet-destroying doomsday machines have been carving their way across the universe for eons, and hundreds of years ago, destroyed Earth, driving humanity out into space as refugees. Now humans are coexisting with a variety of other alien races while trying to survive against the onslaught of the Architects. In the previous two volumes, Idris Telemmier a human "intermediary" who can pilot ships through Unspace, discovered that the Architects are merely unwilling servants of some other power, and as he tried to persuade the rest of the stubborn, soggin' galaxy to try to make contact and find a peaceful solution, he got abducted by multiple interested parties, all of whom are fighting at various cross-purposes while the Architects continue their rampage.
Idris is the most sympathetic character in the series, a weak and spineless peacenik who stubbornly sticks to his principles, but he's not the most interesting. Olli, the bad-tempered cybernetic cripple, Kit, the hivemind with knife-sharp dry humor, Solace, the anime waifu genetically engineered warrior woman, and Kris, the knife-wielding space lawyer, are back, as are the Essiel, a technologically-superior race of space mollusks, the main character of which is the Unspeakable Aklu, a sort of Luciferian designated Bad Guy figure in Hegemonic society who has taken a liking to Olli. The Parthenon, Solace's people, undergo a coup. The Hue and the rest of the humanity can't get together and cooperate to try to, you know, save the universe. Our main cast is running around trying to convince people to actually care about the genocidal world-destroying space gods while humanity (and its all-too-human-like alien friends and rivals) goes on being people.
It seemed like Tchaikovsky was stretching a little more with the verbiage here, trying to wax poetic with both interpersonal and social observations and description of ineffable cosmic forces. This book probably could have been tightened a bit; the middle dragged. But it was still great.
The climax is epic, in the way that the climax of a grand space opera about saving the universe had better be. I loved this series, and it has maybe slightly edged out the Children of Time series as my favorite Tchaikovsky space opera, though Children of Time is still my favorite book of his. Alas, it's far too intelligent and complex to make it to the screen, though I'd dearly love to see someone try.
Also by Adrian Tchaikovsky: My reviews of Children of Time, Children of Ruin, Children of Memory, Empire in Black and Gold, Dragonfly Falling, Blood of the Mantis, Salute the Dark, The Scarab Path, The Sea Watch, Heirs of the Blade, The Expert System's Brother, The Expert System's Champion,Made Things, Shards of Earth, and Eyes of the Void.
My complete list of book reviews.
Orbit, 2023, 608 pages
Lords of Uncreation is the final high-octane installment in Adrian Tchaikovsky's Final Architecture space opera trilogy.
Adrian Tchaikovsky writes epic fantasies, he writes space operas, he writes short fantasy stories, and they're all good. Even his most mediocre books are really good. The second book in the Final Architecture trilogy was mostly just fine, but fine is pretty good. And Lords of Uncreation wraps up the trilogy with universe-saving hijinks and a more quirky and endearing crew than anything George Lucas or Joss Whedon ever created.
The story so far: "Architects," moon-sized sentient planet-destroying doomsday machines have been carving their way across the universe for eons, and hundreds of years ago, destroyed Earth, driving humanity out into space as refugees. Now humans are coexisting with a variety of other alien races while trying to survive against the onslaught of the Architects. In the previous two volumes, Idris Telemmier a human "intermediary" who can pilot ships through Unspace, discovered that the Architects are merely unwilling servants of some other power, and as he tried to persuade the rest of the stubborn, soggin' galaxy to try to make contact and find a peaceful solution, he got abducted by multiple interested parties, all of whom are fighting at various cross-purposes while the Architects continue their rampage.
Idris is the most sympathetic character in the series, a weak and spineless peacenik who stubbornly sticks to his principles, but he's not the most interesting. Olli, the bad-tempered cybernetic cripple, Kit, the hivemind with knife-sharp dry humor, Solace, the anime waifu genetically engineered warrior woman, and Kris, the knife-wielding space lawyer, are back, as are the Essiel, a technologically-superior race of space mollusks, the main character of which is the Unspeakable Aklu, a sort of Luciferian designated Bad Guy figure in Hegemonic society who has taken a liking to Olli. The Parthenon, Solace's people, undergo a coup. The Hue and the rest of the humanity can't get together and cooperate to try to, you know, save the universe. Our main cast is running around trying to convince people to actually care about the genocidal world-destroying space gods while humanity (and its all-too-human-like alien friends and rivals) goes on being people.
It seemed like Tchaikovsky was stretching a little more with the verbiage here, trying to wax poetic with both interpersonal and social observations and description of ineffable cosmic forces. This book probably could have been tightened a bit; the middle dragged. But it was still great.
The climax is epic, in the way that the climax of a grand space opera about saving the universe had better be. I loved this series, and it has maybe slightly edged out the Children of Time series as my favorite Tchaikovsky space opera, though Children of Time is still my favorite book of his. Alas, it's far too intelligent and complex to make it to the screen, though I'd dearly love to see someone try.
Also by Adrian Tchaikovsky: My reviews of Children of Time, Children of Ruin, Children of Memory, Empire in Black and Gold, Dragonfly Falling, Blood of the Mantis, Salute the Dark, The Scarab Path, The Sea Watch, Heirs of the Blade, The Expert System's Brother, The Expert System's Champion,Made Things, Shards of Earth, and Eyes of the Void.
My complete list of book reviews.
