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Shards of Earth (The Final Architecture Book 1) by [Adrian Tchaikovsky]

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Adrian Tchaikovsky

Shards of Earth (The Final Architecture Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4,168 ratings

Book 1 of 2: The Final Architecture

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The Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author of Children of Time brings us an extraordinary space opera about humanity on the brink of extinction, and how one man's discovery will save or destroy us all.

The war is over. Its heroes forgotten. Until one chance discovery . . . Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade him in the war. And one of humanity's heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers. After earth was destroyed, mankind created a fighting elite to save their species, enhanced humans such as Idris. In the silence of space they could communicate, mind-to-mind, with the enemy. Then their alien aggressors, the Architects, simply disappeared—and Idris and his kind became obsolete. Now, fifty years later, Idris and his crew have discovered something strange abandoned in space. It's clearly the work of the Architects—but are they returning? And if so, why? Hunted by gangsters, cults and governments, Idris and his crew race across the galaxy hunting for answers. For they now possess something of incalculable value, that many would kill to obtain.

Print length

558 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Orbit
Publication date

August 3, 2021
File size

2333 KB
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Next 2 for you in this series See full series

Total Price: $29.98

Books In This Series (2 Books)

Complete Series

The Final Architecture

Kindle Edition

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

1
Shards of Earth (The Final Architecture Book 1)
Adrian Tchaikovsky

(4,168)

Kindle Edition

$14.99
2
Eyes of the Void (The Final Architecture Book 2)
Adrian Tchaikovsky

(613)

Kindle Edition

$14.99

Adrian Tchaikovsky
613
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $14.99
Adrian Tchaikovsky
3,341
Kindle Edition
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Adrian Tchaikovsky
9,190
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
Adrian Tchaikovsky
3,802
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
J. S. Dewes
1,961
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1 offer from $12.99
Adrian Tchaikovsky
1,730
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1 offer from $9.99

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From the Publisher

Review

Inventive, funny, and engrossing, this book lingers long after you close it.

-- "Tade Thompson, Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author, on The Doors of Eden" --This text refers to the audioCD edition.

About the Author

Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, and headed off to university in Reading to study psychology and zoology. For reasons unclear even to himself, he subsequently ended up in law. Adrian has since worked as a legal executive in both Reading and Leeds and now writes full time. He also lives in Leeds, with his wife and son. Adrian is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor. He has also trained in stage-fighting and keeps no exotic or dangerous pets of any kind - possibly excepting his son.

Sophie Aldred is a published author, narrator, and a translator of children's books and young adult books. Sophie's recordings include Permanent Rose and Forever Rose by Hilary McKay. --This text refers to the audioCD edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08HLPZY6X
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orbit (August 3, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 3, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2333 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 558 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #3,675 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #28 in Space Exploration Science Fiction eBooks
- #31 in Exploration Science Fiction
- #35 in Genetic Engineering Science Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4,168 ratings

About the author

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Adrian Tchaikovsky

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Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire before heading off to Reading to study psychology and zoology. For reasons unclear even to himself he subsequently ended up in law and has worked as a legal executive in both Reading and Leeds, where he now lives. Married, he is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor, has trained in stage-fighting, and keeps no exotic or dangerous pets of any kind, possibly excepting his son. Catch up with Adrian at www.shadowsoftheapt.com for further information about both himself and the insect-kinden, together with bonus material including short stories and artwork. Author Website: http://shadowsoftheapt.com/

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5 star		60%
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3 star		6%
2 star		1%
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Top reviews from the United States

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Ed Rybicki

Great. Terrible. Frightening. Human.

Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2021

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I had been looking forward to this - a LOT. I am recently new to Adrian Tchaikovsky, and I REALLY like his grander visions.

This does not disappoint. Galaxy-spanning, apocalyptic, space operatic - it has it all. And sassy, irreverent mechanical folk, also a differently abled human with attitude, female clone warriors, weird technology that lets you bend space, or sculpt everything from atoms to planets - I want more. And it’s coming 😁

43 people found this helpful

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NYC Reader

Superior, gripping, fun space opera

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2021

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Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit books for an advance copy in exchange for a fair review.

What a fantastic book. Highly inventive, dealing with grand themes (aliens who reshape worlds i including Earth - into intricate sculptures bereft of life), inscrutable and well-imagined alien races, and high stakes scheming fueled by bigotry and populism. Peopled with likable characters with real emotions. Conveyed in clear readable prose and great dialogue. I think Tchaikovsky is a master at dialogue; he brilliantly captures emotion and can leave the reader saddened or utterly amused with a turn of phrase.

While at its heart a familiar space opera quest story, there are enough mysteries and fascinating encounters to keep this from ever getting stale. It ends begging a sequel, which I will hasten to read.

18 people found this helpful

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James Shepard

Not up to his amazing standards

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2021

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I love the authors other books but this one fails to live up to those standards. I felt oddly disconnected from all of the main characters, mildly annoyed by the litany of secondary characters each vying for weirdest for weirds sake, and had to push through to finish. Like many such tales, there is a diverse motley crew that offers its members a secondary family, led by a captain with the leadership skills to forge a team from the oddly shaped parts. But the captain does little to demonstrate such skill, and unbelievably, the team sticks together and works just fine when he leaves: no captain, conflict between its members, and none with the rich emotional skills to forge strong relationships with everyone, yet it works? Cue the eye roll.

15 people found this helpful

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HungryCats

Better Every Book

Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2021

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Not much to say, other than Adrian Tchaikovsky's get better with each that he writes. It's not as if his earlier work isn't very good- it is. However, with each book he writes, his ability to create real characters that the reader desperately cares about, plots and pacing that force the reader to push themselves to finish the book as quickly as possible grows to a significant degree. At this time, the only thing I want is to find those books of his that I've not yet read and read them immediately. If you haven't read this book, don't delay. Buy and start right NOW.

13 people found this helpful

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Jeffrey Nichols

Hard to put down

Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2021

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My favorite kind of book. Long, rambling, full of action and new ideas. I liked the crew a lot - reminded me of The Expanse.

14 people found this helpful

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Theo

Excellent yarn by an author who only gets better

Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2021

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Adrian Tchaikovsky's start to a new trilogy is an excellent read and also a testament to his improving prowess as an author. The characters are interesting and have depth along with the same failings we all have, including the aliens who truly original. The story has a good plot and the author isn't afraid of killing off central characters and manages to get some witty banter in between the hectic action. The story's pace is excellent and there is never a dull moment. Can't wait for the next books in the series.

11 people found this helpful

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Herbert Schaltegger

Grand, Rousing Start of a New Space Opera Classic

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2021

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Tchaikovsky has proven himself adept at deep, Big Idea-level world-building with his past novels. Whether explaining the intelligences and societies of hyper-evolved terran arachnids creating a new world light years from home, or explaining a fracturing multi-verse filled with alternate Earths colliding and clashing with one another, there has never been any doubt about the depths and power of his concepts and the ability to explain them in thoughtful and intriguing ways.

With Shards of Earth, the author has taken these prior story telling tools he has honed so well and wrapped them up in a rousing space opera tale of galactic civilizations facing an existential threat. The cast of characters is wide and while some are better defined and explored than others, each person in the story feels real, like an individual with their own history, motivations and goals, and their conflicts also feel real and personal even in the face of the over-arching threat facing the galaxy.

As the first of a planed trilogy, the book ends at a satisfying point in the story, the stage set for the next book. There is still plenty left to explore in this galactic “world” the author has created - additional alien cultures mentioned in passing and barely discussed, the mysterious ancient originators and the artifacts left scattered thinly across the inhabited worlds of the galaxy, and of course, what’s driving the Architects in their waves of destruction.

I can’t wait.

7 people found this helpful

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Roman S

Verbose without the need

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2021

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I really enjoy Adrian’s writing and reread Walking to Aldebaran five times by now. This new book is the exact opposite. I just think the editor did not have the guts to cut out 25% of useless fluff.

12 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Preach

Another masterpiece

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 7, 2021

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I read a lot and I cannot leave a book unfinished which sometimes leaves me in a desert of hum drum novels, then an oasis appears and I start a book that I yearn to have the time to read when I am not reading it. Iain m Banks left a void when he passed. Tchaikovsky fills that void

His world building is imaginative and never seems to revisit itself. Paired with his story telling that somehow manages to maintain a cracking pace throughout while still managing to draw the reader into the characters in all their flawed glory.

I am so glad this is the beginning of a trilogy but it stands alone. The antagonists are an unstoppable force and instead of glossing over the faster than light travel it is embraced and expounded on until it is an integral part of the story and becomes one of a dozen reasons to turn the page.

It takes me back to the golden age of sci fi where every story was groundbreaking.

Unmissable, both the novel and the author

43 people found this helpful

Andrew

Terrible audio adaption

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 8, 2021

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Huge fan of all of the authors previous SF, which I found engaging, thought provoking, and sophisticated. This book is good but like so much SF his depiction of many of the aliens is a bit juvenile. It really annoys me when SF universes are filled with species all of which are able to operate in the same atmospheric, gravitational etc environment as humans. IMO on a par with star treks alien depictions of humans with something stuck on their forehead. A TV show has an excuse. It in a book it is just lazy.

Having said that it is better than most SF out there and a good read.

I would advise you avoid the audio book version. Whoever directed the reader to overact and put on comedy accents for most of the characters deserves to be shot! The reader also had an irritating habit of putting the stress in sentences in the completely wrong place. IIt was a relief when characters died so I wouldn’t have to listen to their stupid voices any more. I will certainly be listening to a sample of any audio book before I buy in future

16 people found this helpful

Djgos

Disappointing 3.5*

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2021

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I am a HUGE fan of Adrian's - I have read numerous sci-fi and fantasy authors and he's taken over as my favourite from Ian Banks and equals K.J.Parker in those genres respectively.

In this book Adrian is perhaps a victim of his own success. Yes it is a good space opera and the characters are good, but overall it feels flat compared to his previous books. Though the last couple have also disappointed me, feeling like they were dashed out to fill in time.

It's as if he has move too far from what makes him great, his use of the unusual, the quirky - animal intelligence in Dogs of War, Children of Time/Eden - humans with animal characteristics in The Apt series, homunculi in Pretty Little Things - I could go on. He's best when weaving his stories around something tangible, something earthly. Here he relies on the ethereal, in fuzzy notions of galactic ghouls.

Perhaps it deserves a 4* rating but nah, that just doesn't feel right, so it's a 3.5.

8 people found this helpful

M. D. Tomkinson

Suffers by comparison

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 22, 2021

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I like this author. Some of his earlier books have been though provoking and well written.

However, this space opera suffers badly by comparison to a good Hamilton who sets the current benchmark on this type of story arc.

It must be difficult when building a new universe for a large trilogy but I found that the constant introduction of capitalised characters, planets, ships etc was very wearing. The constant scrape they found themselves in and pages of fighting were pretty juvenile. All a bit modern Doctor Who.

Certainly not his best. Whether it improves (or is worth bothering with) as Volume 2 appears will depend on the reader.

Personally not sure.

6 people found this helpful

F. M. Havicon

A tough one to finish, way too many fight scenes

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 19, 2022

Verified Purchase

Getting hard these days to find new science fiction that rewards the effort of reading it. A.T. is a better writer than most, certainly far superior to the bosh that comes out of America at the moment, where small groups of talentless authors band together for mutual support, writing each other's reviews. His sci-fi is better than his fantasy, flawed by clichés, his characters involving, his science firm and accessible. However he blethers a bit, dips into writing styles that get in the way of enjoying the story. Not much story in this one, sadly, it's all recycled tried and tested huge-vision space opera, and half way through you lose count of the number of fights and battles. The writing at least is uncomplicated, he has resisted imposing a rigid style, used in many of his recent novellas. A slow novel to get into because he throws it all at you in the first few pages, and that's too much to absorb. And after that it just hits max speed. Looks like the author is trying hard to keep pace with all the other dubiously untalented space opera writers out there. It’s a shame because he can do so much better than them. He should be the one setting the pace for them.

This was a tough one to finish, my interest just couldn't be maintained towards the end.

3 people found this helpful

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