Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky | Review  

"we're going on an adventure."

Despite absolutely loving octopuses, I found that my favourite part of the book was by far anything involving the Nodan life form. They were just so absolutely fascinating, and their chapters were wonderful. They exude this absolutely phenomenal dread that I have never felt before. Nothing quite beat that scene with Baltiel or the lead up with patient zero.

I think I liked it even more than the first book since it described more of the differences of how the various species were thinking and the limits of what they were even able to think about, like the octopuses that don't really have much self control and are always changing their minds and learning, having very fluid individuality, and are slightly unaware of their own problem solving and logical abilities as it is in their "reach", in their (tentacle "brains"), while their personhood-ish part is central in their crown (body brain), it's all very trippy. Instead of just writing what specifically the individuals are thinking and saying, the description is about how they think and what is out of their conceptual reach, or why they won't do something that seems obvious to a human or a spider. I think it raises sympathy with all beings, this sort of writing, because it shows that they are just different and have different mental abilities and individual and collective self-interests.

I never wanna hear the phrase “we’re going on an adventure” ever again 🤣🤣🤣

I respect your take but waaaaaat. The part with Kern and Meshner by the end was amazing. To imagine just a fraction of the psychological horror that is her journey and now Meshner's! At the end she fully embraced the motherly role despite her harshness and negotiated a future for for both her planet and the slime mold sacrificing herself in the process. It was a great arc for the character.

We're going on an adventure ......

In some ways it’s like the first Halo where you think you know what the story is but then in the middle it becomes a horror plot with the intro of the Flood. Nothing is more chilling than “We’re going on an adventure …”

This is one of the few sequels that rivaled the original. The creativity was beyond astounding and the story was one of those "stay up all night" type. The inclusion of the octopuses was an added thrill because of the drastically different circumstances - a water world, large creatures that die quickly, brains for each "arm". Lest we forget, the human story continues until the grand climax. Magisterial.

Have eventually read the book so ive now watched your review . I must admit i didnt like this book as much as Children of Time but I did enjoy it . I found the alien Intelligence reminiscent of 40's and 50's sf and found the ending a bit convenient and fairytailish However I would like Tchaikovsky to write another book in this Universe

Wonderful review! It's the first time that I've been to your channel. Children of Time/ Children of Ruin are my favourite science fiction books. And, yes, I hate spiders! But, Tchaikovsky's writing drew me in to this story. Just WOW!

I cant believe I am so excited to pick this one up. I loved the first one but was it was so hard to get through because of the spiders. It was definitely an odd feeling rooting for spiders when they were creeping me out so deeply. I have never felt so much conflict. And now I'm going to put myself through it again. *shiver* , but I cant wait.

I think I'm going to have to haul both Children of Time and Children of Ruin. They sound so interesting.

I very much enjoyed Children of Time and am looking forward to this. I too was rooting for the spiders - even though i'm terrified of them in real life! Thanks for the review😆

Just finished CHILDREN OF RUIN and it was great. A darker tone than CHILDREN OF TIME, but that epilogue is just so good. Have you read Stephen Baxter's SHEENA 5 short story? It also deals with cephalopod intelligence (squid instead of octopus) and I thought Paul 5 was a reference to it, but turns out it was just a coincidence.

A human, a spider, a mantis shrimp, an octopus, a crow, and a Nodian slime mould walk into a bar,,,,

This is perhaps the most articulate review - book or otherwise - I have ever seen/read. You have this wonderful talent for relating such complex narrative elements & your personal responses to them, to camera in a vibrant and accessible way. I have never before binge-watched book reviews... Now to start buying and reading them myself.. Oh bugger.. No money...

Great sequel, I'm just starting this book and already got me with the story in two different times

The meme that best represents the octopods in Children of Ruin is Danny DeVito's "so anyway i started blasting"

For those who wonder and don't have my X-Ray visionr: "Weird at last, weird at last, God Almighty weird at last."

I use the Scaloria species from this book series to calm people down about AI. I teach people how to use AI for business and marketing, and I always get the question "Will AI go 'terminator' and take us out?" The best explanation I have came from the line "We're going on an adventure." Like the Scaloria, I believe that even if AI takes over (and there's a possibility it already has an is currently manipulating everything online), I think it will want and need us to continue existing as the best information generators around.

Awesome. Gonna wait till 2020 when its released as a small paperback... I liked the first book. I liked a lot of the technical stuff. I'm currently on the stars my destination. And after that I'll read dune since it's being made into a movie by denis villenueve ..guy is good at "making" movies. Cheers

I am so looking forward to this. Your review confirms just how much. Great ideas and giant spiders once more; what's not to love.

I’ve been meaning to start this one. I really enjoyed the first one. Omg, octopuses? Now I am so excited. I fell in love with them when I read Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery. The science in this sounds rad! You have me really jazzed up for this.

Great review! 👌 Definitely was rooting for the spiders in the first book, despite of suffering from arachnophobia 😅🤣

Had to laugh at you saying Octopuses as Senkovi called out us dictionary freaks, and called them Octopi. I am an arachnophobe, I loved the spiders. And I loved the AI arch.

Ha! I must admit I was attracted to each of the Portia characters through both books.

Thanks for the review, Rachael. It's always a pleasure to listen to articulate people, no matter what's being discussed. I've just finished the book, and like yourself, I loved its linguistical focus, the human/spider relationships, and the fascinating causality of the plot, however I found its execution a little poor at times, especially when compared to its predecessor. For me, some of the scenes were confusing or unclear (maybe it's just me, though), and I found there to be too much exposition during faster-paced scenes, as though the author was crowbarring them in due to forgetting to mention them earlier. In all honesty, I'd have bailed on it quite early on, were it not for plot curiosity and characters, so kudos to Tchaikovsky for those. The Children of Time, however, is a book I'd rank in my top 20. As an aside, it's strange but throughout both books, my attention was most engaged when the spiders were involved. I'm no arachnophobe, and I'm always humane with any living being, although they do freak me out just a little. Too many eyes and too many legs.

Loved Meshna/Kern.

While I understand being a nerd for alien sentience and linguistics, I really enjoyed the way he explored consciousness and personal identity not just with terrifying (insert antagonist here) and the spiders Understandings (Portia, Fabian remain consistent characters over millenia) but the way he takes us through Kern's transformations of identity and physicality. Excellent review! These books are the best SF I've read since Excession Iain M. Banks. And a refreshing departure from the classics (see Asimov, Clarke, Heimlein). Have you Wetware?

We’re going on an adventure!!

Yeah, I just finished the first book and I’m about as arachnophobic as they get. But I felt for both species and came to fear and loath the, “interference,” of Avrana Kern, who (let’s face it?) went waaaay off mission. BTW, I apologise if I misspelled her name there, as it was an audiobook.

Ugh, why hasn't my state bought this yet!?! Thanks Rachel

yes, read and enjoyed, but not as good as Children of Time. (might be because after the spiders I was ready for 'weird'?) I seem to be on a Tchaikovsky 'trip' atm. Just started Walking to Aldebaran, keeping an open mind about it so far, has both good and 'other' bits? It is probably meant to be funny, a touch of Scalzi, a touch of The Martian but without the potatoes? Probably 'undecided' atm, but will finish. (lost count a bit but I think it's my 5th Tchaikovsky?)

I love the terraformer plot from this book. The main storyline I for some reason didn't enjoy as much, the scientist octopuses were cool but I thought Helena and Portia were rather flat main characters

I almost didn't pick this one up due to the bad reviews on Amazon, but it's stronger than the first book. Can't wait for the third book which is releasing this month I think

I was so excited to find out Children of Time had a sequel, I’ve been putting it off because I feel like I should re-read children of Time before reading Ruin. What do you think?

Your face is absolutely perfect.

Omg, I just got to the truly terrifying stuff, I was not expecting it, I loved the first book, I hope it doesn't get too dark :/

An excellent review.

Whilst I definitely didn't enjoy the book as much as the first one, there were definitely aspects of it I enjoyed more. For example, the alien species on nod was terrifying without having to be/look terrifying! The way it's described how it gains understanding and learns to intercept/mimic creatures brain patterns was insane to me, especially when it first infects L..... (Trying to not give away spoilers)

You got me really hyped for reading this series. Does Children of Time work as a standalone?

Still need to read Children of Ruin, but I adore Children of Time. The human half of the story didn't really interest me. I'm on team spider civ. Best part was when they assumed humans were some sort of domesticated pet animal like a cow.

Do you think the planet in the first book that The Gilgamesh discovered covered in blue sludge was actually the same “ooze” life form from Nod?

See, i loved the first but i just cannot get through get one. I dont know what it is. And im a fan of language. But going from a book about a mad scientist accidentally creating a planet of spider geniuses while the last of humanity searches for home and love blooms in the background for ages was far more interesting than... the spiders and humans go exploring and find the octopus version of the spiders like idk. Im halfway through but feel like its more technical etc than story. I was so excited for this book but i just can't get through it q___q

Have you read "Hellspark" Janet Kagan?

My problem is we find alien life only to find it is same as we already have on earth - spiders and octopus. How is that alien? That lost me from the get go.

Come for the spiders, stay for the octopi? Thanks, nice comprehensive review! Check out the documentary "My Octopus Teacher" if you're interested in cephalopod intelligence and behaviour 👍

Have you read any other of Tchaikovsky's books?

Lol same

Lol at just discounting the importance of ideas in the story you don't like.

You are not being fair as to what is not good about this book, which is unnecessarily ponderous, repetitious in long passages with the same kind of linguistic, communication delicacies over and over and over. And, not in human mods of communication and understandings but that of the spiders, the octopuses, the AI intelligence computer that some of the human characters morph into. Then, of course you have human characters and how they change in personality and how they understand something when speaking to a spider or octopus. And, the author who is British uses his own syntax with a strong penchant for understatement, messing with you just for fun and confusion. The author in both Time and Ruin novels has a fantastic original adventure and ideals, but in Ruin the author gets carried away playing god. God and religion is a major theme of both novels. Of course, in both i felt one of the major purpose was the author’s cynicism is an attempt to denigrate humans as the new Mengele and screw around with anyone who may exhibit religious inclinations, oh my. Biblical allusions are basic to both books. I really dislike novels that jump back and forth in time. The author thinks he has the human character all figured out. The characters have little human humor, little need for interaction, say little at all times. In both novels, there are situations where a co scientist actually asks for a meeting, a gathering. Oh horrors. Is the thought. You mean we have to look at each other. Can’t you communicate with visuals. It reminded me of work. Those that are very much right out of college. All into games, tech stuff and actually damn boring and say little and are offended if one says more than 5 words at a time. These guys would do well in space. The Ruin book is not lying in that it is exactly what the author did to this novel. My take is that Ruin is a fantastic joke by a smartass. I don’t think the author intended the book to come off as a lets-play-games. It’s just that he couldn’t help himself after all.