Shards of Earth Book Review

Shards of Earth Adrian Tchaikovsky Book Review

Straight at the beginning of this review, I've got to say thank you to Ellen and Orbit Books. By the way, Orbit is absolutely killing it with so many incredible releases, amazing authors, and incredible covers of books. 

The reveals and everything is just so exciting that I want to read almost every single book that Orbit is releasing. That's a really cool thing. Honestly, there are a few publishing houses that I keep an eye on regularly, and Orbit is quickly rising to the very top of that list. 

Every person I’ve interacted with from Orbit has been incredibly kind and welcoming to the book community, which is absolutely cool. So, thank you for giving me the opportunity to get an early copy of this book to read and review. That is why I'm able to talk about it extensively today.

*Shards of Earth* is the first entry in the *Final Architect* series, and it is a space opera in every sense of the word. Everything I'm about to say plot-wise is going to sound massive and expansive in scope, which might seem overwhelming, but that’s what space operas are—so welcome! 

While there is a large cast in this novel, two characters are at the forefront. We've got Myrmidon Executor Solace, who is among this elite class of warrior women known as the Partheni. Then we've got Idris Tellemier, a genetically modified human. 

He is an intermediary, and I think they’ve even hardwired his brain so he can do a few things. One of his main abilities is piloting spaceships across the far reaches of space, through a place called "unspace." He can stay awake and alert, piloting ships in a way other humans or even AIs can't match. Also, intermediaries like Idris can be used as a weapon against moon-sized aliens known as the Architects.

Fifty years ago, Earth was destroyed by the Architects. There wasn't a war—Earth had a brief warning, and then the planet was completely warped into a beautiful flower-like structure. Everything was demolished. 

Solace and Idris became friends and saved the day. Now, 50 years later, they meet again aboard the *Vulture God*, a ship that scavenges wreckage for profit. When they come across a ship warped and turned into a flower, like Earth was, the big question arises: Have the Architects returned?

That’s the question that sets this novel in motion, leading to an absolutely epic and massive space opera.

Believe it or not, this is my first Tchaikovsky novel. I’m not proud of that. I’ve heard great things about his sci-fi, but I just hadn’t gotten around to reading it. After reading this one, I understand why people love him. 

He's an exceptional sci-fi writer, but I can’t overstate how dense this book is. Thankfully, the back of the book contains a list of common terms, character descriptions, alien species, and worlds, which helped me out a lot. However, this is one of those books where you’ll probably need to read with a finger in the back pages to flip between the story and the glossary.

If you're not a fan of back-and-forth reading, you should know that going in. It's going to take some work. But if you’re willing to do that work, you'll find some of the richest world-building in recent sci-fi literature. 

Tchaikovsky presents a plurality of alien species that truly feel alien. Often in sci-fi, we get aliens that are just human 2.0—just another version of us. But Tchaikovsky’s aliens are much more unique. 

For example, there’s a species called the Hivers, which are made up of cyborg roaches. They become more eccentric the further they are from their hive. They can break apart and reassemble, which is a very cool concept. That’s just one example of Tchaikovsky’s creativity in alien species design.

There's also a variety of human characters who aren't all "normal" anymore, adding to the sense of diversity and complexity in this universe. In addition to the characters, the world-building is expansive, with each new world, ship, or governmental entity adding layers to the story. It's galaxies-building at its finest.

This first book feels like it’s setting up the foundation for an expansive series. If Tchaikovsky can deliver on what this first book promises in future installments, the *Final Architect* series might become one of the greats. 

If I were to break it down, I would rank the three main elements of this book as follows: World-building is at the top. It’s deep, detailed, and immersive. Character design comes close behind, with unique, multi-dimensional characters.

Storytelling, while good, takes a bit of a back seat to the world-building. My hope is that, with the foundation laid in this first book, we’ll get more meaningful, emotionally-driven stories in future installments.

I ended up giving *Shards of Earth* a solid 4 out of 5 stars. I would have preferred a little less world-building and more focus on storytelling, but for fans of chunky sci-fi like *Leviathan Wakes*, this could be a new favorite.

What did you think of *Shards of Earth*? Let me know in the comments below. Also, what's your favorite alien species in any kind of sci-fi? Let me know that as well!

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