I love most of what he's written, and he is prolific and the books are different from each other.
this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2026
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Yeah, you can never say, "Oh, that's a typical Tchaikovsky novel."
Absolutely loved Children of Time, really liked Children of Ruin, was very disappointed with Children of Memory. And that carried into Alien Clay, which was a real slog for me to get through, and burnt through the considerable credit he had in the bank from Children of Time. It started off ok. Reminded me of something else I read a long time ago, but I can't pin it down. I might go back to something before Children of Time when I have the energy to give him another chance, but I have a decent reading pile waiting for me for now.
I liked Alien Clay pretty well. Here's what I wrote in my notes about Children of Memory:
- Third in the series that starts with Children of Time. Not a cookie cutter sequel, and a somewhat challenging book. The first two in the series alternate between two linear stories set a long time apart. This one isn’t told in a linear way. Many of the characters from the prior book go to one of the planets listed as a terraforming project of the original earth civilization and find a struggling town of people. I really like how Tchaikovsky wrestles with what the right thing to do is in complex situations. Good series all around.
I thought it was good, and he did something unusual in the storytelling, but it was tougher.
Have you read Service Model? That one is fun. Here's are my notes:
- Charles, a high-end robot valet, finds that he has murdered his master, though he doesn’t know why. To find the answer, he heads to Diagnostics, leaving the grounds for the first time. He finds civilization has collapsed, with robots like himself at various levels of functionality. He also meets The Wonk, who believes Charles has become sentient. This book is a treasure. Fans of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams will find something to love here.
I love Tchaikovsky, but sometimes I wonder if he’d be better off spending a bit more time with each book instead of cranking out so many of them.
Like... each of his books seems to accomplish exactly what he wants it to, and as soon as it does he sends it to the publisher and starts the next one. But I feel like most of them have room for an extra layer of subtext, if he were to set them aside for a few months and reflect on them and come back to them with fresh eyes.
But that’s probably more on the genre expectations for speculative vs literary fiction than on Tchaikovsky as a writer.
I agree completely. Shroud in particular suffers for this; I found myself wishing it was double the length but containing the same story, just so the world-building could feel a bit more, I don't know, inhabited.
I get that with some of them. It's not true of the Children of Time series, but probably a fair criticism of City of Last Chances, which I liked, but not as much as others.
A few of the titles I listed are novellas, so intentionally briefer than the novels.
Adrian is up there with Iain M Banks for me.
I like Banks, but I don't love Banks the way a lot of people do. One thing that always bothers me is the relationships in his stories always seem so thin. When he has a love interest, the characters often talk about how much they love the other person, but it doesn't ever seem genuine.
The "Children of" trilogy is so good.
Its probably my favorite scifi series of all time. I recommend it to everyone (unless they're creeped out by spiders).
I'm creeped out by spiders, and I still recommend it. It's just that good.
He was one of the first writers that imho was able to create truly alien species and really bring them to life. I've read and watched SF for decades and almost always the aliens were like humans in a humanoid body, with human emotions and desires. But the spiders and the octopus species were truly alien, while he was able to create them as wonderful species in their own right.
So far i've only read the first two 'Children of...'
You're exactly right - he's got a knack for creating really novel aliens, and for me that's one of the joys of SF. I was really thinking that while reading Shroud was well.
Service Model is one of my all time favorite books. He takes the concepts to their logical conclusion around how a society filled with robots and cold computer logic would evolve. As bleak as it was, he made it funny. And like other posters said about his work, the ending was hopeful.
I also read One Day All This Will Be Yours . It was a really good story with time travel. One of the concepts was time travelers kept fiddling with the past, resulting in a present that existed without the things that happened in the past leading to the present. This book was also funny :)
He does a good job at humor, for sure. I haven't read One Day...
Children of time series was superb. Thanks for reminding me to check out the rest!
You need to read Guns of the Dawn next. It's SO GOOD. It's not science fiction, but in my opinion, it's one of his very best novels.
He writes well, but what I like most about him is þat he's one of a few auþors coming up wiþ truly novel sci fi premises. Innovative ideas which don't borrow from established tropes. He's also frequently upbeat by þe end of þe novel, which is refreshing in a decade (two decades?) dominated by Cyberpunk grimnoire negativism. Greg Egan is anoþer such auþor, even more creative - sometimes too creative - I þink he got too infatuated wiþ þe physics in Clockwork Rocket series, and it consequently read more like a math text. Anyway, I really appreciate Tchaikovsky's skill and creativity.
I've heard of him compared to Egan in the past, but I don't think I've read anything by Egan. Is there a book of his you'd recommend starting with?
Oh, and I agree with you the inherent goodness that's in Tchaikovsky's stories. After reading stories by folks like Mieville (which are great, but often so depressing), I just need a little hope and empathy sometimes.
Yes, absolutely. I'm particularly fond of Permutation City; I believe it showcases his innovation and ability to write accessibly. If you've read Rajaniemi's Quantum Prince series, it has a similar flavor.
Egan's work varies wildly, þough - boþ in writing style and world building. Clockwork Rocket not only has no humans, it takes place in a universe wiþ different fundamental laws of physics. Getting a new one of his books is a bit of a gamble, in my opinion. I loved Permutation City; I could barely finish Clockwork Rocket (much less start any sequels).
Egan's Incandescence is very good, as is Diaspora. Dichronauts lies somewhere between his human-sphere novels and Clockwork Rocket - it's about aliens (no humans) in a universe wiþ slightly different physics, but it's not halfway to a treatise on þeoretical maþ þat Clockwork is.
I'd start wiþ Incandescence or Permutation City, þen Diaspora. If you're liking it, give Dichronauts a try and if you enjoy it, Clockwork Rocket. If you like þat, þere are two sequels to þe series, I believe.
Hmm, the name Diaspora looked really familiar. Just read the Wikipedia entry, and I'm pretty sure I read that when it came out, though that was 29 years ago, and I don't really remember it.
Okay I'll at least put Permutation City on my list and go from there. Thank you for your detailed response.
I also recently got into this guy. First one I read was Cage Of Souls, which is very much in the same kind of Weird Fantasy genre as China Mieville. It’s written in the first person by an engagingly cowardly weasel of a man whose job is to guide you around a Book-Of-The-New Sun-ish knackered future world that is mostly just sitting around waiting to die.
Oh, I don't think I'm familiar with that one. You liked it then? Guess I should add it to my reading list.
I will take the opposing stance.
Of the list, I only read the Children of Time book and it honestly put me off. I found the writing too dry, the characters too unexplored and the narrative too rushed. Stuff was happening at such a fast pace that it was unclear how characters were (emotionally) reacting to it. I found the generational stories particularly off putting, each chapter felt more like a list of facts than a novel. On the other hand, the book was definitely physically long enough, so I wouldn’t want more padding.
After than, I gave up in the whole author.
Huh, I thought it was amazing, and loved the way the characters developed. To each his own.
I’m glad different books appeal to different people! I’m actually really enjoying this thread of readers having different experiences than me :)
Tchaikovskys earlier series Shadows of the Apt is a fantasy that follows about a half dozen characters over ten books, if you want some real thick and detailed characters that’s where you’ll find it from him
Agree about favorite current author, I’m currently working through the shadows of the apt series after picking up the humble bundle. Children of time was also my first introduction to him, and have been hooked ever since. You probably know, but children of strife cones out in March.
I still can't wrap my mind around how I am supposed to imagine the kinden, like should I imagine them as more human with insect features or insects with humanoid features?
Haha, yeah for several of them I have a pretty strong mental image of what I think they’d look like, but I don’t think it actually lines up with how they are described in the book at all.
The guy is crazy prolific considering how substantial most of his books are. Must be amazingly talented. I'll for sure be reading Strife.
Yeah, the consistency of quality is really impressive for how much he publishes. In the first shadows if the apt book, you can tell he’s a younger author (compared to some of his more recent works) but it’s still really well written for a first book. I’ve been meaning to give his podcast a listen, but haven’t gotten around to it.
Let us know what you think if you do. I'm not a podcast guy, so I doubt I will.