Review: Lords of Uncreation, by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Synopsis

From Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Children of Time and winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, Lords of Uncreation is the final high-octane instalment in the Final Architecture space opera trilogy.

He’s found a way to end their war, but will humanity survive to see it?

Idris Telemmier has uncovered a secret that changes everything – the Architects’ greatest weakness. A shadowy cartel scrambles to turn his discovery into a weapon against these alien destroyers of worlds. But between them and victory stands self-interest. The galaxy’s great powers would rather pursue their own agendas than stand together against this shared terror.

Human and inhuman interests wrestle to control Idris’ discovery, as the galaxy erupts into a mutually destructive and self-defeating war. The other great obstacle to striking against their alien threat is Idris himself. He knows that the Architects, despite their power, are merely tools of a higher intelligence.

Deep within unspace, where time moves differently, and reality isn’t quite what it seems, their masters are the true threat. Masters who are just becoming aware of humanity’s daring – and taking steps to exterminate this annoyance forever.

My Review

I agreed, originally, to reshare my review of the audiobook for this novel, but the publisher sent me a paperback copy of the book. THANKS! I needed it for my collection. Also, thanks to Anne, of Random Things Tours, for organising this blog tour. I have, in fact, read the book. I’ve been juggling between this one, Dragon Rider, by Taran Matharu (I won an ARC in a give away), Bluebird, by Ciel Pierlot (sent to me by Angry Robot to review), and Reinventing Democracy, by David Kauders, which is a blog tour book. And writing. I’ve been a bit busy.

I like having a physical copy of the book. I can see how names are spelt and hear their voices rather than the narrator’s interpretation. Also, Olli is still my favourite character, although the sarcastic Hanni, Kit is coming in a close second.

To quote my audiobook review:

Idris is the driver of the mission, but the driver of the plot is Olli, who along with Kitt the Hanni are the remaining crew of the Vulture God, while everyone else is on the Eye buggering about in unspace. Olli, being a suspicious bint, doesn’t trust anyone, particularly the ‘pathos’ – the women of the Partheni. And she’s right to be suspicious, as she uncovers a breakaway group plotting a coup, and helping the arc-ship building cabal. A pointless war breaks out between Hugh and the Parthenon. Olli and Kitt take the ship, and an Ogdru (an aquatic species that can navigate unspace) called Junior out of it and try to save everyone.

Eventually, they end up saving the universe. Olli gains various items from the Hegemony, after she becomes heir to Unspeakable Aklu, The Razor and The Hook, as Unspeakable, head of a crime syndicate, and by the end of the novel, head of her own nation. Olli is my favourite character, and I really want a novel about her adventures as Unspeakable. Her attitude of ‘fuck it’, her willingness to try whatever she needs to do to survive and to help her friends survive, and her magic legs from the Hegemony, make her an engaging, fun character.

The story is complicated and has several parts. First the mission on the Eye, then the war, then the rescue, and finally back to the mission. The narrative uses multiple voices to tell the story – a limited 3rd person omniscience – and there is some overlap between the chapters as the same events are told by different characters and then taken forward. Since events happen across hundreds of thousands of kilometres of space, this is quite helpful. I enjoyed seeing events from multiple perspectives.

If you’ve enjoyed Adrian Tchaikovsky’s other books, you’ll probably enjoy this one. The man publishes two or three books a year, so you’ll probably always have something to read/listen to. He’s really good at space opera with relatable human (and nom-human) characters.

So that’s what I think, although, as I said, reading the text rather than listening to it gives a slightly different experience. I’m going to have to go back to my audiobook review and tidy up the spelling mistakes.

I don’t know whether it’s reading speed related, or the tactile nature of a physical book, but I take in more when reading rather than listening, so the text becomes a richer experience. Tchaikovsky is a really talented worldbuilder; actually seeing the words, I can see how he’s developed some of the cultures and languages. The Partheni language is a version of French; Colvul is obviously a contraction of Colonial Vulgar – which could be any human language, whichever was dominant when humans become a space faring and exoplanet colonising species – we’re only assuming it’s English in origin because the book is written in English. The Magdans reek of Russian – in their names and culture (it’s very 18th century boyar Russian culture inspired). I love this sort of deep worldbuilding, and it’s as important in sci fi as it is in fantasy.

I found the descriptions of the alien worlds visited, especially Olli’s trip to see ‘The Razor and The Hook’ scarified, brilliantly imaginative. That world reads as an ocean planet without the ocean in the squishy nature of the life forms, the almost sea anemone-like forest that moves, and the tech so advances it seems to be magic that lifts people up as though they were floating upwards through water.

Humans are particularly stupid, in that we’ll get worked up over things and attack a proximate cause, rather than seek the ultimate cause. And then we’ll argue over who’s going to do it, and have a strop if the ‘wrong’ people get the job. Idris’ frustrations with Hu, the Uskaro and the Partheni, as well as the Cabal controlling the Eye, because they won’t listen to him and won’t deal with the ultimate cause of the problem, won’t seek further than the obvious, is so familiar. The creatures at the centre of unspace are the ones controlling the Architects, they’re the ones trying to wipe out all life, go after them! It’s so obvious. But the Architects are big and scary and sometimes they’re in too much pain to continue fighting their masters, so they do terrible things. The slow unveiling of the truth of the situation, of the ‘humanity’ and sentience of the Architects, is well-written and really affecting. I felt sorry for the ‘monsters’. I didn’t feel sorry for their masters, who seem like pathetic little bullies hiding their insecurities behind threats. You’ll see what I mean when you get there.

Idris’ ending is the only one he could possibly have had. He could hardly have adjusted to the post-Architect galaxy, could he? His mind is so damaged from a century of fighting and not sleeping that integrating back into spacer or colonial society would have been extremely difficult; all the hero worshipping would probably distress him. His status as a hero, a saint to be remembered alongside St Xavienne, would not have been good for him. And he can finally get some rest.

Finally, I loved the political intrigue and the action. The fights and flights are well written and imaginative. The complex architecture of the Eye is a brilliant backdrop to some of the events, and the emotional depth of the conflict among the Partheni was tear inducing. Solace didn’t deserve any of the torture. I wanted to slap Mercy for being a bigot and for hurting Solace. I think that was the intended emotional response?

In summary: Excellent writing. Excellent worldbuilding and characters. Exciting plot.

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About the author

Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, has practised law and now writes full time. He’s also studied stage-fighting, perpetrated amateur dramatics and has a keen interest in entomology and table-top games.

Adrian is the author of the critically acclaimed Shadows of the Apt series, the Echoes of the Fall series and other novels, novellas and short stories. Children of Time won the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award, Children of Ruin and Shards of Earth both won the British Science Fiction Award for Best Novel and The Tiger and the Wolf won the British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel.

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