Shards of Earth

This book was so hard to read at start, you know with the whole space saga where you have to learn the names and types of characters, along with which species they belong to (Forget Contact, this is when we already meet and greet (and fight) with some aliens around). However, it gets easier and enjoyable as you go. The story unfolds interestingly although there were some heavy dialogues that I wish I could just skip. In a universe when alien entity called The Architect (that is the size of a moon) came and destroyed the world (for fun, I suppose?), humans and aliens alike find a way to defend themselves against these big bad bois. Our protagonists, the (space)crew of Vulture God, a salvage ship for hire have to fight against a multitude of conspiracies between humans and alien alike. I could see that this is just the first book of the Architect trilogy, so it should be fun, but I hope the second book will be more readable than the first one

Ahhh I loved this so much. The writing wasn’t perfect - the first quarter in particular could have used an editor - but it was otherwise just brilliant. This author’s worldbuilding is some of the best I’ve read in sci fi. And this one was almost hopeful, in a dark way (at least compared to the ‘Children of Time’ series) - engaging characters, found family (that pretends to hate each other), a disabled character for the ages, and for once I didn’t mind a hint of romance in sci fi, since it was believable and not overdone. Great stuff and I’m moving straight onto book 2, since the library had it!

It feels like Adrian Tchaikovsky has a direct line to my brain. His stuff is always intellectually stimulating and he always has a great story as well. Normally he doesn't hit that strongly emotionally, but he's been getting better at it with Doors of Eden and this book. I'm a sucker for inconceivable alien entities so most of his books are a real treat for me. There is some stuff in the middle that is great worldbuilding but doesn't really go anywhere (or at least isn't really resolved in this book). That said, I'd still highly recommend Shards of Earth!

An overlong space saga with too much fighting and too much use of the word “gravitic” (as in the ship’s gravitic drive and a gravitic force). Some interesting post-earth politics and posturing as the crew of the Vulture learn to trust each other (or not) to bring critical information about humanity’s nemesis, The Architects, to light.

This is the kind of science fiction I like: great big ideas, BDOs*, a varied intergalactic culture, and special hero/heroes in the middle of it all. Well done, Mr. Tchaikovsky, well done. Again. *Big Dumb Objects

After some attempts, this is the first space opera I found worth reading this year.

The author managed to create an incredible universe for this trilogy. I found the intrigue around those Architects very gripping. So I knew I was going to appreciate were the story was going.

However, I found this book a bit too slow paced for my taste lol. Towards the middle of the book I found my interest drifting and getting more detached from the characters. And we spend imo too much time speculating if the Architects were truly back or not before having some good actions but then it fitted the political climate of this universe. Everyone wary of everyone lol.

So I pushed and I found the last quarter was the part were the story really started to pick up so I have high expectations for book 2 tbh lol.

Overall, very good book would recommend despite my personal taste regarding pacing.

Thank you to The Write Reads and the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! I make no secret that I’m more of a fantasy fan than an science fiction fan, but sci-fi has always held a special place in my heart and imagination. I think my tend to go more towards fantasy is that, sometimes, my brain is just not up to all the science inherent in the genre! So I caught myself over the years steering away from sci-fi and, for some reason, especially space operas. But, having recently read a few space operas that I absolutely loved, and knowing that Adrian Tchaikovsky is a rather renowned science fiction writer, I thought “Why not?” and signed up for this tour. (Not gonna lie, that gorgeous cover may have had something to do with it, as well!) Well, not only did I find myself engaged in a fast-paced and thrilling story, but I stumbled across one of my absolutely favorite tropes: found family! We follow quite a cast of characters in this story, but our main focus is Idris and Solace, two war veterans who are thrown back together years after the war has ended. Idris and Solace were both part of the force that “defeated” an entity known as the Architect: a massive alien ship that floated about the galaxy, rearranging planets on a molecular level into, basically, space art and leaving millions dead in it’s wake. The galaxy has known relative peace for years, but, when Idris and the crew he has made a home with discover a vessel that has been “Architected”, everything changes. Y’all, this book was incredible! Though it had a bit of a slow start introducing the science of this universe, the action picks up fairly quickly and, once it does, the pace is breathtaking. I found myself tearing through this not small book in record time because I just need to know how it was going to end! I loved the author’s writing style, as well. He has a tone to his writing that perfectly matched my sarcastic sense of humor, lol. And he also has a way of delivering emotional scenes that pack a wallop. Which, ya know, I appreciate in my novels. My favorite aspect of this story, however, has to be the found family element. The crew of the Vulture God captured my heart and I would fight for them! It was such an incredible part of the tale that added an extra something to this beautifully crafted story. Also, the casual LGBTQIA+ representation was much appreciated! And we have a prominent disabled character, as well! Just… the science and the action were fantastically executed, but the characters are the true heart of this story. Final thoughts: This was a wonderfully crafted and engaging start to a new epic science fiction series! Though it started off a bit slow and could be a bit of a technical slog at the beginning, it soon ramped up into a fast-paced, heart-pounding space adventure that kept me on the edge of my seat! The plot was fantastic and the world-building was great, but where this story truly shined was in its characters. If you enjoy your space opera with a side of beautifully written found family, then I think you would love Shards of Earth!