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the_pale_woman 's review for:
Children of Memory
by Adrian Tchaikovsky
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
I have mixed feelings here.
There is so much about this universe that is intriguing and undeniably creative. To put it simply, the series explores sentience. It's different forms, its evolution, and from different perspectives. It's a great concept. Children of Time did this best. It wasn't just an exploration of ideas but a fully formed story that had me invested in the characters/personas as well as the plot and concept. The second book, Childern of Ruin, was a solid sequel. It leans more heavily into the horror genre and really adds a lot to the variables into the universe.
Children of Memory tries to capture the same vibe as the first two books. I think it missed the mark. The idea is there, but the execution seems rushed. The "stages" (parts of the story and history that periodically get broken down for you) really pulled me out of the narrative. Like a rush of bland information that keeps circling in on itself. Regardless of the purpose, the text felt repetitive. Towards the end, the narrative further degrades and just feels purposely convoluted. Add on top of that some povs that are definitely at the bottom of the childern of time character tier list and you have my disappointment.
However, while I'm disappointed, it didn't ruin the first two books in this series for me. It didn't even feel like the end of a trilogy. I'm not sure if it's even supposed to be. I would welcome another book in this series, but I would hope he would spend more time and effort on it than he did on this one.
There is so much about this universe that is intriguing and undeniably creative. To put it simply, the series explores sentience. It's different forms, its evolution, and from different perspectives. It's a great concept. Children of Time did this best. It wasn't just an exploration of ideas but a fully formed story that had me invested in the characters/personas as well as the plot and concept. The second book, Childern of Ruin, was a solid sequel. It leans more heavily into the horror genre and really adds a lot to the variables into the universe.
Children of Memory tries to capture the same vibe as the first two books. I think it missed the mark. The idea is there, but the execution seems rushed. The "stages" (parts of the story and history that periodically get broken down for you) really pulled me out of the narrative. Like a rush of bland information that keeps circling in on itself. Regardless of the purpose, the text felt repetitive. Towards the end, the narrative further degrades and just feels purposely convoluted. Add on top of that some povs that are definitely at the bottom of the childern of time character tier list and you have my disappointment.
However, while I'm disappointed, it didn't ruin the first two books in this series for me. It didn't even feel like the end of a trilogy. I'm not sure if it's even supposed to be. I would welcome another book in this series, but I would hope he would spend more time and effort on it than he did on this one.