Shards of Earth

I guess I'm fully on board with Tchaikovsky now. I loved the Children of Time series, and while the setting and structure are totally different I loved this one too. I particularly liked how the deep, fundamental differences in world views and values between the characters weren't brushed away but instead became the basis for character growth. And I also loved how the nature of consciousness is important in this novel, even though it's not quite as fundamental as the Children of Time books. Can't wait to read the rest.

The start of this book really dragged. I had to put in effort to keep all the people and terms and politics in order. At about pg 130-ish, I started to forget I was reading and could fall into the story itself.

I don't think this book has the same deeply worked characterization as Tchaikovsky's other works. This is much more plot-driven, and it took a lot of groundwork laid for the plot to pop off. But, when it did, it was good.

There were a few times when I was a little irritated at author-withholding that felt manipulative or inserted later to explain a small hole. I think those explanations should have been worked in much earlier to make them more seamless and not give the feel of manufactured tension.

Still really liked it, though, so I'll be getting the next one in the series.