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thewyrdwritere · 3 years

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The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky My rating: 4 of 5 stars I remember summer holidays in Cornwall spent obsessing over finding the Beast of Bodmin, alas I never did spot it. But what if the Beast was real? And what if the Beast was in fact something far stranger than an overlarge cat? That is pretty much the starting point of Adrian Tchaikovsky's The Doors of Eden a creatively world bending sci-fi thriller. Mal and Lee are two intrepid cryptid obsessives investigating a mysterious sighting on a farm in Bodmin, there they find the six brothers a stone circle that strangely only contains three brothers (stones). On the moors things go strange, snow fall in July strange and suddenly there are six brothers. Lee finds herself alone with only disturbing memories of a monstrous figure and Mal has seemingly vanished into the ether. Four years later Lee still grieving and still alone takes a phone call, the voice on the other end will change everything. Mal's shocking reappearance coincides with the attempted kidnapping of a prominent Trans Dr by far-right goons, an event that draws in the Home Office home security forces (MI5), a dodgy private security asset and decidedly strange foreign agents that are not quite as Human as they appear. Dr Kay Amal Khan a genius mathematician seems to hold knowledge that everyone wants, yet as these disparate forces and parties collide around her events get very weird very fast, as the cracks between worlds grow. I really like Tchaikovsky's sci-fi! The duology Children of Time and Children of Ruin, were both filled with fascinating ideas, hard science and social commentary creatively disguised by the use of anthropomorphic animals. Whilst not narratively related The Doors of Eden makes use of the same formula. Tchaikovsky starts chapters with some zoological what if, fascinating speculative essays succinctly detailing how different life forms could rise to sentience on alternate Earths. If, like me, you find evolution fascinating then these chapters are a real scientific treat. There's a whole kaleidoscope of earth life from the Ediacaran period to the Anthropocene on show that Tchaikovsky creatively develops and evolves to civilization levels. It's kind of brilliant really. Best of all it doesn't overshadowed or distract from narrative, in fact they play an integral part, so best to pay attention! The narrative is well handled having elements of noir mixed with hard sci-fi, the zoological speculation pairs well with a more elaborate take on the many earths, parallel universe type of scientific theories. The jargon and technical explanations sprouted by characters seem legit, at times very reminiscent of the techy expositions of Dr Who or Star Trek where a punchy deliverey helps dialogue sound plausible enough to keep the audience engaged. The narrative is cleverly told from the perspective of the outsiders, the characters who are without the knowledge of just what is going on. As these characters collide and become embroiled in each other’s lives they bring the reader along with them. The 'out-side' perspective is an effective way of managing the story, slowly revealing the mysteries and leading to some epic world bending moments for them as characters and us as readers. Beneath the noir and the sci-fi though is a subtle message of progressive ideals and something of a critique of the supposed culture war. The main conflict of the narrative is driven by the old school ultra-capitalist Denton Rove, who has his own nefarious self-interest at heart pitted against well everyone and everything else, but most of all diversity….and in a book about parallel Earths that’s a lot of diversity….Rove is the epitome of old school conservative values, pettily referring to the Trans Khan as him or Khurram (the previous male identity) just to show that he can. Rove is a total jerk and a rather pantomime fascist but it does lead to a rather surreal and totally non-subtle critique of anti-trans ideology. When the antagonist is hamming it up in his rat king airship lair (literally a rat king airship lair!!) surrounded by black clad Rat people Stormtroopers it's not hard to deduce what side you should be on. Characterization is also deftly handled. The lesbian couple Mal and Lee, two outsiders, Dr Who fans and cryptid obsessives with a fine line in pop culture references, form the emotional core of the story. Mal lost to another Earth when given the chance reconnects with Lee drawing her into a perilous journey where they will truly find their place, each other and cement their love. Hot on their heels is the pairing of Julian 'Jules' Sabreur an emotional dependent not quite James Bond MI5 agent and his 'work wife' analyst Alison Matchell. Their supposedly platonic working relationship, Jules is married, Alison divorced for being a workaholic, is subtly exposed as holding deeper more romantic yearnings that are revealed in the pressures of saving the world. But really who hasn't flown dangerously close to the flame of a work wife/husband….. Jules is particularly well drawn, far and away from the clichéd machismo of spy craft, dependent on Alison's shrewd and gifted analysis both professionally and personally but never himself coming across as actually lacking agency. They make a good team relaying on each other for support in a will they won't they cliché that is imaginatively resolved in a progressively modern way. Jules and Alison's arc felt like something of a gender role reversal, the old delineated sterotypes of masculine/feminine gender roles growing into something more interestingly modern. Even Lucas the right hand muscle, former military, now dodgy private security to Denton Rove finds time for some introspection and character growth away from the standard brainless thuggery of the henchman role. As the characters become more embroiled in each other’s affairs the sci-fi action gets a bit more spectacular and a bit weirder as an existential threat to the many parallel Earths materializes. As friend and foe pool resources the twisty hard science theories help to keep the plot twisting and turning right up to the mind bending finale. The Zoological speculation and hard science is balanced well with a thrilling plot and good characterization all wrapped around a progressive modern social commentary promoting diversity and unity. I really enjoyed The Doors of Eden it is bursting with fascinating science and adventure that takes me back to a magical childhood chasing monsters. View all my reviews

#books #book review #review #honest review #booksbooksbooks #science ficition #sci-fi #bookstagram #reading #bookworm #evolution

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spaceandsorcerysblog · 4 years

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THE DOORS OF EDEN, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I received this novel from Pan McMillan through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review: my thanks to both of them for this opportunity.

This book was one hell of a rollercoaster ride, indeed: there is something to be said about starting a novel with little or no idea, or expectations, about what you’re going to find, and it’s like embarking on a journey into a strange land, not knowing…

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#Publisher Submission #Reviews #Science Fiction

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wordsofapaige · 4 years

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The Doors of Eden - Honest Book Review

The Doors of Eden completely blew me away with its incredible world-building and stunning story. Thank you to @JamieLeeNardone and @UKTor for the review copy! Read my full review here as to why I loved it so much:

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ★★★★ (4/5)

Review:

So somehow this was my first ever Adrian Tchaikovsky book. I have no idea how I’ve managed this, but I can guarantee you that it won’t be the last. This book is an incredible feat of world-building, multiple times over. It is insanely well researched, as he takes us through different evolutionary…

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#Adrian Tchaikovsky #arc #The Doors of Eden #Tor Books

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Top New Science Fiction Books in September 2020

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Looking for space opera or alternate Earths? Here are some of the science fiction books we’re most excited about and/or are currently consuming…

Join the Den of Geek Book Club!

Top New Science Fiction Books September 2020

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

Type: Novel Publisher: William Morrow Release date: Sept. 22

Den of Geek says: This next-level meta take on superheroes looks witty and biting. But what really makes it stand out is the character’s predicament: she’s a laid-off henchman going from bad job to worse, struggling with her own moral code along the way.

Publisher’s summary: Anna does boring things for terrible people because even criminals need office help and she needs a job. Working for a monster lurking beneath the surface of the world isn’t glamorous. But is it really worse than working for an oil conglomerate or an insurance company? In this economy?

As a temp, she’s just a cog in the machine. But when she finally gets a promising assignment, everything goes very wrong, and an encounter with the so-called “hero” leaves her badly injured. And, to her horror, compared to the other bodies strewn about, she’s the lucky one.

So, of course, then she gets laid off.

With no money and no mobility, with only her anger and internet research acumen, she discovers her suffering at the hands of a hero is far from unique. When people start listening to the story that her data tells, she realizes she might not be as powerless as she thinks.

Because the key to everything is data: knowing how to collate it, how to manipulate it, and how to weaponize it. By tallying up the human cost these caped forces of nature wreak upon the world, she discovers that the line between good and evil is mostly marketing. And with social media and viral videos, she can control that appearance.

It’s not too long before she’s employed once more, this time by one of the worst villains on earth. As she becomes an increasingly valuable lieutenant, she might just save the world.

A sharp, witty, modern debut, Hench explores the individual cost of justice through a fascinating mix of Millennial office politics, heroism measured through data science, body horror, and a profound misunderstanding of quantum mechanics.

Buy Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots on Amazon.

Divergence (The Foreigner Universe) by C.J. Cherryh

Type: Novel Publisher: DAW Release date: Sept. 8

Den of Geek says: Why, you might rightly ask, would we recommend #21 in a series? This is because C.J. Cherryh is a master at what she does: slow, meticulous space opera with engaging characters and a transporting sense of completeness to its world of diplomatic clashes between humans and aliens. Really, we recommend you start at #1, Foreigner, if you haven’t read the series before. And if you have, this September is a real occasion. Publisher’s summary: The overthrow of the atevi head of state, Tabini-aiji, and the several moves of enemies even since his restoration, have prompted major changes in the Assassins’ Guild, which has since worked to root out its seditious elements—a clandestine group they call the Shadow Guild. With the Assassins now rid of internal corruption, with the birth of Tabini’s second child, and with the appointment of an heir, stability seems to have returned to the atevi world. Humans and atevi share the space station in peaceful cooperation, humans and atevi share the planet as they have for centuries, and the humans’ island enclave is preparing to welcome 5000 human refugees from a remote station now dismantled, and to do that in unprecedented cooperation with the atevi mainland.

In general Bren Cameron, Tabini-aiji’s personal representative, returning home to the atevi capital after securing that critical agreement, was ready to take a well-earned rest—until Tabini’s grandmother claimed his services on a train trip to the smallest, most remote and least significant of the provinces, snowy Hasjuran—a move concerning which Tabini-aiji gave Bren a private instruction: protect her. Advise her.

Advise her—perhaps. As for protection, she has a trainload of high-level Guild. But since the aiji-dowager has also invited a dangerously independent young warlord, Machigi, and a young man who may be the heir to Ajuri, a key northern province—the natural question is why the dowager is taking this ill-assorted pair to Hasjuran and what on this earth she may be up to.

With a Shadow Guild attack on the train station, it has become clear that others have questions, too. Hasjuran, on its mountain height, overlooks the Marid, a district that is part of the atevi nation only in name—a district in which Machigi is one major player, and where the Shadow Guild retains a major stronghold.

Protect her? Ilisidi is hellbent on settling scores with the Shadow Guild, and her reasons for this trip and this company now become clear. One human diplomat and his own bodyguard suddenly seem a very small force to defend her from what she is setting in motion.

Buy Divergence by C.J. Cherryh on Amazon.

An Unnatural Life by Erin K. Wagner

Type: Novella Publisher: Tor Release date: Sept. 15

Den of Geek says: Putting a robot on trial is an old concept in science fiction: just look at Star Trek. This novella looks like an entry in the contemporary conversation with this pleasingly retro concept. Publisher’s summary: The cybernetic organism known as 812-3 is in prison, convicted of murdering a human worker but he claims that he did not do it. With the evidence stacked against him, his lawyer, Aiya Ritsehrer, must determine grounds for an appeal and uncover the true facts of the case.

But with artificial life-forms having only recently been awarded legal rights on Earth, the military complex on Europa is resistant to the implementation of these same rights on the Jovian moon.

Aiya must battle against her own prejudices and that of her new paymasters, to secure a fair trial for her charge, while navigating her own interpersonal drama, before it’s too late.

Buy An Unnatural Life by Erin K. Wagner on Amazon.

Top New Science Fiction Books August 2020

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Type: Novel Publisher: Tor Release date: Aug. 4

Den of Geek says: Muir’s necromancers in space have gained an enthusiastic following for their irreverent tone and wild gothic magic.

Publisher’s summary: She answered the Emperor’s call.

She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.

In victory, her world has turned to ash.

After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth, a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman’s shoulders.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath ― but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.

Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor’s Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?

Buy Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir on Amazon.

The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Type: Novel Publisher: Orbit Release date: Aug. 18

Den of Geek says: Portal fantasy of a sort, backed by hard science fiction from the author of the award-winning Children of Time, this novel looks inventive, rigorous, and adventurous.

Publisher’s summary: They thought we were safe. They were wrong.

Four years ago, two girls went looking for monsters on Bodmin Moor. Only one came back.

Lee thought she’d lost Mal, but now she’s miraculously returned. But what happened that day on the moors? And where has she been all this time? Mal’s reappearance hasn’t gone unnoticed by MI5 officers either, and Lee isn’t the only one with questions.

Julian Sabreur is investigating an attack on top physicist Kay Amal Khan. This leads Julian to clash with agents of an unknown power – and they may or may not be human. His only clue is grainy footage, showing a woman who supposedly died on Bodmin Moor.

Dr Khan’s research was theoretical; then she found cracks between our world and parallel Earths. Now these cracks are widening, revealing extraordinary creatures. And as the doors crash open, anything could come through.

Buy The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky on Amazon.

Seven Devils by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May

Type: Novel Publisher: DAW Release date: Aug. 4

Den of Geek says: This ensemble cast space opera fits nicely into the “Expanse” model of adventure stories with enough political detail and blood to make you feel like you could walk into the far-future world. An early review calls it “epic, if occasionally bumpy.”

Publisher’s summary: When Eris faked her death, she thought she had left her old life as the heir to the galaxy’s most ruthless empire behind. But her recruitment by the Novantaen Resistance, an organization opposed to the empire’s voracious expansion, throws her right back into the fray.

Eris has been assigned a new mission: to infiltrate a spaceship ferrying deadly cargo and return the intelligence gathered to the Resistance. But her partner for the mission, mechanic and hotshot pilot Cloelia, bears an old grudge against Eris, making an already difficult infiltration even more complicated.

When they find the ship, they discover more than they bargained for: three fugitives with firsthand knowledge of the corrupt empire’s inner workings.

Together, these women possess the knowledge and capabilities to bring the empire to its knees. But the clock is ticking: the new heir to the empire plans to disrupt a peace summit with the only remaining alien empire, ensuring the empire’s continued expansion. If they can find a way to stop him, they will save the galaxy. If they can’t, millions may die.

Buy Seven Devils by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May on Amazon.

Top New Science Fiction Books July 2020

The Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott

Type: Novel Publisher: Tor Books Release date: July 7

Den of Geek says: Kate Elliott’s long career in fantasy has proven her a master of world-building. It has a heck of a tagline: “female Alexander the Great in space.” This series promises strong science fiction action.

Publisher’s summary: Princess Sun has finally come of age.

Growing up in the shadow of her mother, Eirene, has been no easy task. The legendary queen-marshal did what everyone thought impossible: expel the invaders and build Chaonia into a magnificent republic, one to be respected―and feared.

But the cutthroat ambassador corps and conniving noble houses have never ceased to scheme―and they have plans that need Sun to be removed as heir, or better yet, dead.

To survive, the princess must rely on her wits and companions: her biggest rival, her secret lover, and a dangerous prisoner of war.

Take the brilliance and cunning courage of Princess Leia―add in a dazzling futuristic setting where pop culture and propaganda are one and the same―and hold on tight:

Buy The Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott on Amazon.

Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis

Type: Novel Publisher: St Martin’s Press Release date: July 21

Den of Geek says: Lindsay Ellis is known primarily as a YouTube pop culture critic. She excels at explaining why pop culture works or doesn’t work, as well as adding context to day’s top headlines. Her first book sounds like a mix between Arrival and The X-Files, set in the early 2000s.

Publisher’s summary: The alternate history first contact adventure Axiom’s End is an extraordinary debut from Hugo finalist and video essayist Lindsay Ellis.

Truth is a human right.

It’s fall 2007. A well-timed leak has revealed that the US government might have engaged in first contact. Cora Sabino is doing everything she can to avoid the whole mess, since the force driving the controversy is her whistleblower father. Even though Cora hasn’t spoken to him in years, his celebrity has caught the attention of the press, the Internet, the paparazzi, and the government―and with him in hiding, that attention is on her. She neither knows nor cares whether her father’s leaks are a hoax, and wants nothing to do with him―until she learns just how deeply entrenched her family is in the cover-up, and that an extraterrestrial presence has been on Earth for decades.

Realizing the extent to which both she and the public have been lied to, she sets out to gather as much information as she can, and finds that the best way for her to uncover the truth is not as a whistleblower, but as an intermediary. The alien presence has been completely uncommunicative until she convinces one of them that she can act as their interpreter, becoming the first and only human vessel of communication. Their otherworldly connection will change everything she thought she knew about being human―and could unleash a force more sinister than she ever imagined.

Buy Axiom’s End by Lindsay Ellis on Amazon.

The Relentless Moon (Lady Astronauts) by Mary Robinette Kowal

Type: Novel Publisher: Tor Books Release date: July 14

Den of Geek says: The Lady Astronaut series tackles sexism (lots and lots of sexism) in an alternate world where the space race is hurried along by the arrival of a meteor strike. It has gained a lot of fans for its determined characters and convincing alternate history.

Publisher’s summary: The Earth is coming to the boiling point as the climate disaster of the Meteor strike becomes more and more clear, but the political situation is already overheated. Riots and sabotage plague the space program. The IAC’s goal of getting as many people as possible off Earth before it becomes uninhabitable is being threatened.

Elma York is on her way to Mars, but the Moon colony is still being established. Her friend and fellow Lady Astronaut Nicole Wargin is thrilled to be one of those pioneer settlers, using her considerable flight and political skills to keep the program on track. But she is less happy that her husband, the Governor of Kansas, is considering a run for President.

Buy The Relentless Moon by Mary Robinette Kowal on Amazon.

The post Top New Science Fiction Books in September 2020 appeared first on Den of Geek.

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dude1818 · 1 year

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I read the first half of The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky while flying home today. It's pretty decent so far, but absolutely not what I was expecting

The blurb on the back goes something like "two girls go cryptid hunting in the woods, and they find something unexplainable. Only one of them makes it back. Four years later, she gets a phone call from the girl who went missing..."

I was expecting some sort of reverse isekai, exploring what that's like for the party who didn't go to Narnia. Instead, it goes full many-worlds/EEAAO on you, except the timeline splits are back in the fucking Cambrian explosion and hotdog fingers is the nearest verse

Actually, you know what it is? It's exactly the latter half of His Dark Materials, but only the spy-vs-spy stuff in "our" universe and none of the "children killing god through the power of kindness" stuff. The walls between the worlds are growing thin and reality is going to crumble, and it takes a kooky scientist from our world to work with aliens to stop it, and there's a period of self-discovery while living amongst a village of nonhumanoid aliens

Also the two girls from the blurb are established as a lesbian couple on like page two, which I feel I should point out in a Tumblr review

#The doors of Eden #fantasy books #lgbt books

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robertnolanvirginiabeach · 4 years

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The Doors of Eden review: A gripping alternative biology tech-thriller

Adrian Tchaikovsky's latest novel The Doors of Eden rewrites Earth's evolutionary history, with highlights including fish that upload their minds to supercomputers and cats that rule over primates from New Scientist - Technology https://www.newscientist.com/article/2235357-the-doors-of-eden-review-a-gripping-alternative-biology-tech-thriller/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=technology via IFTTT

#New Scientist - Technology

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jaymiejess · 4 years

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loopstagirl · 3 years

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#icymi #books #review #book review #the doors of eden #the doors of eden review #adrian tchaikovsky #adrian tchaikovsky review #the doors of eden by adrian tchaikovsky #the doors of eden by adrian tchaikovsky review #book blog #book blogger #original writing #loopstagirl

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Top New Science Fiction Books in August 2020

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Looking for space opera or alternate Earths? Here are some of the science fiction books we’re most excited about and/or are currently consuming…

Join the Den of Geek Book Club!

Top New Science Fiction Books August 2020

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Type: Novel Publisher: Tor Release date: Aug. 4

Den of Geek says: Muir’s necromancers in space have gained an enthusiastic following for their irreverent tone and wild gothic magic.

Publisher’s summary: She answered the Emperor’s call.

She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.

In victory, her world has turned to ash.

Buy Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir.

The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Type: Novel Publisher: Orbit Release date: Aug. 18

Den of Geek says: Portal fantasy of a sort, backed by hard science fiction from the author of the award-winning Children of Time, this novel looks inventive, rigorous, and adventurous.

Publisher’s summary: They thought we were safe. They were wrong.

Four years ago, two girls went looking for monsters on Bodmin Moor. Only one came back.

Buy The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Seven Devils by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May

Type: Novel Publisher: DAW Release date: Aug. 4

When they find the ship, they discover more than they bargained for: three fugitives with firsthand knowledge of the corrupt empire’s inner workings.

Buy Seven Devils by Laura Lam and Elizabeth May