Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky - A Review

Initial Impression and Reading Experience

Adrian Tchaikovsky's "Children of Time" won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for good reason – it tackles one of sci-fi's toughest challenges: creating a truly alien perspective that actually works. This novel doesn't just imagine different worlds; it imagines fundamentally different ways of experiencing reality.

The story follows two parallel narratives. On one side, we have the last remnants of humanity aboard a generation ship, fleeing a dying Earth in search of a new home. On the other, we watch spiders evolve into an intelligent civilization after being accidentally uplifted by a science experiment gone sideways. These two stories are on a collision course that pays off in a big way.

What makes this book stand out is how Tchaikovsky handles the spider perspective. These aren't just humans in spider suits – they think, communicate, and build society in genuinely spider-like ways. They use vibrations and chemicals to communicate, see through multiple simple eyes, and develop technologies that make sense for creatures with their biology. Yet somehow, we end up understanding and even rooting for them as they develop their own sciences, religions, and eventually, civilization.

The human storyline provides a familiar counterpoint – the struggles of a generation ship with dwindling resources, social tensions, and desperate hope. By showing both perspectives side by side, Tchaikovsky invites us to question what makes intelligence recognizable and what kinds of minds we can connect with.

Why Valmoran Chronicles Readers Might Enjoy This Book

Both "Children of Time" and "The Valmoran Chronicles" explore the power of different perspectives. In TVC, eight POV characters show us different angles on the same universe and events. Tchaikovsky takes this idea further by asking readers to understand a completely non-human consciousness.

The key difference is in the type of perspective shifts. TVC moves between characters who, despite their differences, share certain basics of consciousness and biology. "Children of Time" creates a truly alien mindset that challenges readers in different ways. It's like TVC's approach to perspective dialed up to eleven.

Readers who appreciate how TVC builds a complex picture by combining different character viewpoints will find "Children of Time" does something similar but more extreme. The full meaning of the story emerges only when you hold both the human and spider narratives in your mind simultaneously.

The exploration of differing perspectives in both works serves a similar purpose – to show how limited our understanding can be when we only see things one way. Just as TVC readers piece together galactic politics and ancient mysteries by synthesizing multiple character viewpoints, "Children of Time" asks us to bridge an even wider gap between species.

For fans of sci-fi that pushes boundaries while still delivering an engaging story, "Children of Time" offers a unique take on perspective that will appeal to readers who enjoy TVC's kaleidoscopic approach to storytelling.