LORDS OF UNCREATION - Adrian Tchaikovsky


 I've done it again.  I've picked up the third book in a trilogy without having read the previous books in the series.  Sometimes it doesn't matter too much but in this case I think it was probably vital to have the background of the previous books.

Not only am I coming in at the end of a trilogy, I've never read anything by Adrian Tchaikovsky before, but I'd been wanting to something of his and this came up.

Decades ago the earth was destroyed in a war with a race referred to as The Architects.  In order to avoid the annihilation of all human-kind, a group of elite, enhanced humans were created to be the heroes in humanity's war.

One such created hero is Idris Telemmier. He could probably have statues made of him for his work but instead he finds himself on a salvage ship with an oddball crew. Even so, Idris has come upon a massive secret which could bring about the downfall of the otherwise seemingly invincible Architects. But when word gets out that he has this knowledge there are forces, some from within, that want this knowledge for themselves. Idris has to juggle the possible fate of humanity with what is morally 'right' and 'wrong.'

I felt lost through much of the book. The relationships between the people, specifically those aboard the ship with Idris, was very clearly a close-knit relationship, given their familiarity with one another, but I felt like the new kid in school watching all the cliques but not fitting in with any of them. It looked like a lot of fun but I wasn't allowed to be a part of it.

The first 2/3rds of the book was mostly interactions among the friends and cohorts which did help a little with getting to know people, but it still felt like this was more a reunion for those who knew and loved these characters.

The action of the book picks up in the last third of the novel and it was definitely exciting. This was everything you would expect in a 200 page space opera - action, high stakes (the fate of all humanity!), gods brought down to size by the best humanity has to offer.  It's just too bad there's 400 pages before we get to the grit of the story.

I truly believe that my concerns with the book stem from the fact that this is the end of a story and not a stand-alone novel. But since this was the book I was provided to read and review, I can only do so as a stand-alone.

Looking for a good book? Lords of Uncreation by Adrian Tchaikovsky is the final book in an epic space opera, but unless you've read the previous two books you might feel left out.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

2-1/2 stars

* * * * * *

Lords of Uncreation

author: Adrian Tchaikovsky

series: The Final Architecture #3

publisher: Orbit

ISBN: 9781668628102

hardcover, 608 pages

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

VINYL RESTING PLACE - Olivia Blacke

Image
 Juni Jessup and her two sister, Tansy and Maggie, have gone into business together in their hometown of Cedar River, Texas, opening a combination record store and coffee shop. Vinyl LPs are making a comeback after all, despite critics thinking the medium was dead.  But speaking of 'dead' ... finding a dead body in the supply closet just as they are looking to have a grand opening is not part of the plan.  Juni's life gets more complicated when their uncle, Calvin, already a suspect in the murder, disappears. And the police officer leading the investigation is Juni's EX-boyfriend (who passive-aggressively keeps putting himself back into her life). Convinced that her uncle would never murder anyone, Juni sets out to prove his innocence - which isn't easy since he's making himself look guilty - because Calvin is family and family is EVERYthing to Juni. As readers of my blog know, I'm not a big fan of most cozy mysteries, but the setting caught my eye and my in...
Read more

THE WALLED CITY - Ryan Graudin

Image
  Jin and her sister, Mei Yee, were taken and sold and then sent to the lawless Walled City to serve as prostitutes or slaves to anyone willing to pay. Jin managed to escape her captivity, but not the Walled City and she now lurks about, disguised as a boy and is trying to track down the brothel where her sister is still captive. Jin will work odd delivery jobs to earn a small bit of money and hopefully have a legitimate means of coming in contact with her sister's captors.  This is how she meets up with Dai, a mysterious boy who has somehow managed to avoid running with any of the gangs in the city but he seems to have his own unusual connections, which Jon could desperately use if she has any hope of finding Mei Yee. But Dai has his own desperate needs.  The story is told from the different perspectives of each character and we do bounce around quite a bit as the chapters are generally short. This never bothered me, which is slightly unusual as often I find this techni...
Read more

THE RAVEN THIEF - Gigi Pandian

Image
 With Tempest Raj now a member of the company, Secret Staircase Construction (a company who, as their title suggests, builds mystery-themed, secret rooms inside homes) has finished their first job. Their client now wants to celebrate to kick off her new beginning - new home and new life now that she's divorced from her cheating ex-husband, famous mystery author Corbin Colt. First up, a mock séance to remove any trace of Corbin from the property, led by Tempest's friend, Sanjay.   But during that séance, while all those gathered sat in a dark room holding hands, Corbin's dead body crashes the party, falling across the table in front of everyone. There were eight people in the room, and they were all holding hands, but all the evidence points to one of them being the murderer.  Suspicions point to Ash, Tempest's grandfather, because he was the only one with Corbin's blood on him. Of course, as a doctor, he was also the only one who checked on the body - ...
Read more