The Expert System's Brother

Big props to Adrian Tchiakovsky for some really imaginative SF! I agree with some of the other reviewers that this was maybe not among his best works, but it was still pretty decent. It was pretty interesting to see how he worked out this particular world. It reminded me somehow of the feeling I got from some of the ST:TOS episodes. I particularly liked the contrast between the native life-forms on the planet and the humans. Good stuff. Note on the audio: I think the narrator may have been Australian?? His inflection was a little unusual to me at first, but I got used to it and it was fine. Listened to it in one afternoon.

Kinda heavy-handed. It also feels like a re-tread of ideas Tchaikovsky fleshed out more thoroughly in his other books. Not bad, but knowing that he can navigate these topics in detail and with care - this book comes off as underwhelming.

Interesting and good world building but I didn't feel engaged with it. Maybe it was the reader? Not sure. My least favorite of Tchaikovsky so far, but still glad I read it