Review: Shards of Earth

Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In this book's defence, I recently read Leviathan Wakes which was everything I wanted in a sci-fi novel, so I probably went into this with higher expectations than normal.

Unfortunately, it meant it was slower and more confusing than I hoped, though I still really enjoyed the story overall.

The concept is big, and considers the return of an alien species so large it once remade Earth into a work of art. Unfortunately, the art of this creature renders all life dead. Bye-bye, Earth. But these Architects disappeared, leaving the galaxy in peace ... until now.

So yeah. BIG themes. Also, lots of aliens. It was rather hard to visualise them all, to be honest, which does make it harder to connect to the characters. The story is rather ambitious, and I'm honestly not sure why I expected anything less from someone as well known as Tchaikovsky. I blame James S.A. Corey. It made everything a little more jumbled than I'd have preferred, though I was still able to follow along okay.

It's quite a rambling story, and at the start there doesn't seem to be a lot of purpose. We kind of just follow this crew through space as they bounce from one issue to another. There wasn't any notable mystery driving the story, and I think that's part of why it felt slower to me. I was happy enough riding along with the crew, but it would have been nice to have some guesses at the final destination.

The writing is good, though, and gives a decent blend of science, themes and characters. I did get to know and love the characters, and ultimately I became invested in their mission(s). I did pause a little about halfway through but I never resisted going back to it.

This was my first book by this author, and I already have the second waiting. I'll probably pause for a little before continuing on with this story, but I would like to see it through, I think. Might not venture into Tchaikovsky again for a while though. It's definitely heavy.

A decent read for the science lovers, with enough character commitment to appeal to those who prefer a more action-driven story. It didn't blow me away as I'd hoped, but I still really enjoyed it.

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