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.
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.
Reviews-
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Starred review from June 14, 2021
Tchaikovsky (Children of Time) launches his Final Architecture series with a dazzlingly suspenseful space opera. A colossal, sentient entity known as an Architect rips Earth apart into a flower shape. As the remnants of humanity flee to colonize other planets, Idris Telemmier is genetically manipulated into an Intermediary supersoldier, capable of reaching his mind out to the Architects. His encounter with the Architects causes them to realize humans are sentient, after which they abruptly vanish. Nearly a century later, Idris, who has not slept or aged since, joins the tight-knit crew of salvage ship Vulture God, craving anonymity among their ranks. After the crew comes across a derelict ship torn into a familiar flower shape, signaling the possibility that the Architects have returned, the discovery creates political opportunity for various factions: the alien Essiel, who protect the worlds under their control; Earth’s Council of Human Interests; the alien-hating human Nativists; and the women warriors known as the Parthenon. Now Partheni Solace joins Idris’s crew to search the colonized worlds for hints to the Architects’ motives. But Solace’s true mission is to convince Idris to share the Intermediary technology with the Parthenon. Tchaikovsky’s intricately constructed world is vast yet sturdy enough to cradle inventive science, unique aliens, and complex political machinations. With a mix of lively fight scenes, friendly banter, and high-stakes intrigue, this is space opera at its best. Agent: Simon Kavanagh, Mic Cheetham Agency. -
July 1, 2021
In this first installment of a new trilogy, award-winning sf author Tchaikovsky (Children of Ruin, 2019) introduces not just a new cast of characters, but an entirely new universe. Set in the far future, after the destruction of Earth, it tells the story of Idris, a surgically enhanced starship navigator, and Solace, a member of a genetically-modified caste of warrior women, who come together to unlock the secrets of a mysterious artifact--perhaps something left behind by the aliens who destroyed Earth--that others would kill to possess. Like Alastair Reynolds, Tchaikovsky writes space opera on a grand scale, creating a massive, complex, vividly realized future environment (the book comes with a timeline of future history, a glossary of key terms, and lists of key characters, planets, alien species, and vessels). The danger of making the story too complicated and the future setting too elaborate is quite real, but the author isn't exactly a rookie, here, and he guides the reader through this endlessly intriguing universe with a rock-steady sure hand. Fans of space opera should leave the book in breathless anticipation of the second installment in the trilogy.COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Sophie Aldred narrates an intriguing new series about humanity in the aftermath of a war with an alien species. After the destruction of Earth, enhanced humans were engineered to combat the Architects until their sudden disappearance. The discovery of a technology abandoned in space kicks off a race to find out what happened to the Architects while avoiding utter destruction. Aldred juggles a large and varied cast with strong attention to unique tones, inflections, and accents. The story is dense and lays the groundwork for future books; Aldred shoulders the narrative with aplomb. A promising start to a new series coupled with an engaging narration makes this a must-listen for sci-fi fans. J.M.M. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
