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Shards of Earth

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( 31,721 ratings, 2,787 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a gripping sci-fi adventure set in a universe where humanity is on the brink of annihilation. After Earth is destroyed, survivors face a colossal alien threat known as the Architects. Centred on a skilled, telepathically-enhanced pilot who uncovers a cosmic mystery, the story explores themes of identity, survival, and the resilience of the human spirit amidst interstellar warfare.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy epic space opera with intricate world-building, a richly imagined universe, and intense action. Fans of character-driven stories featuring diverse crews facing galaxy-spanning threats will find themselves drawn into its gripping narrative. If you like compelling stories that weave together exploration, intriguing political dynamics, and existential challenges, this adventure promises to keep you enthralled.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

A thrilling far-future space adventure from this Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author. If you loved Children of Time, this will be the perfect next read.

The war is over. Its heroes forgotten. Until one chance discovery . . .

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

From the author of the thrilling science-fiction epic Children of Time, winner of the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award.

"One of the most interesting and accomplished writers in speculative fiction" - Christopher Paolini

Shards of Earth is the first high-octane instalment in the Final Architecture trilogy.

The war is over. Its heroes forgotten. Until one chance discovery . . .

Idris has neither aged nor slept since they remade his mind in the war. And one of humanity's heroes now scrapes by on a freelance salvage vessel, to avoid the attention of greater powers.

Eighty years ago, Earth was destroyed by an alien enemy. Many escaped, but millions more died. So mankind created enhanced humans Β­such as Idris - who could communicate mind-to-mind with our aggressors. Then these 'Architects' simply disappeared and Idris and his kind became obsolete.

Now, Idris and his crew have something strange, abandoned in space. It's clearly the work of the Architects - but are they really returning? And if so, why? Hunted by gangsters, cults and governments, Idris and his crew race across the galaxy as they search for answers. For they now possess something of incalculable value, and many would kill to obtain it.

Praise for Adrian Tchaikovsky:

"Enthralling, epic, immersive and hugely intelligent" - Stephen Baxter on Shards of Earth

"He writes incredibly enjoyable sci-fi, full of life and ideas" - Patrick Ness

"Brilliant science fiction" - James McAvoy on Children of Time

Series: The Final Architecture

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  • Eyes of the Void
    From the author of the thrilling science-fiction epic Children of Time, which won the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award. Eyes of the Void is the second high-octane instalment in Adrian Tchaikovsky's Final Architecture space opera trilogy. 'One of the most interesting and accomplished writers in speculative fiction' - Christopher Paolini What waits in the shadows as we fight our greatest...
    Paperback
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  • Lords of Uncreation
    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....
    Paperback
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  • Shards of Earth
    From the author of the thrilling science-fiction epic Children of Time, winner of the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award. "One of the most interesting and accomplished writers in speculative fiction" - Christopher Paolini Shards of Earth is the first high-octane instalment in the Final Architecture trilogy. The war is over. Its heroes forgotten. Until one chance discovery . . ....
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Lords of Uncreation
    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....
    Hardback
    Sold Out

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky is commended for its captivating and intelligent space opera narrative. It is praised for its imaginative world-building, thoughtful character exploration, and gripping storytelling that captivates readers. Reviewers regard it as an enthralling mix of thrilling space battles and deep, speculative ideas, considering it a standout work in the genre.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529051902

Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 17 March 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Tor

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 39.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 404g

Pages: 576

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. 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. The Tiger and the Wolf won the British Fantasy Award for Best Fantasy Novel - and Children of Time won the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. This was in the award's thirtieth anniversary year.

Also by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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  • Children of Ruin
    Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky continues the gripping saga begun in the award-winning Children of Time. In this thrilling sequel, Tchaikovsky crafts a compelling tale of exploration, discovery, and the haunting legacy of our past. Millennia before the events of Children of Time, ambitious human scientists embarked on a terraforming venture, transforming distant planets into new homes for Earth's...
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  • Children of Memory
    From the award-winning master of sci-fi Adrian Tchaikovsky, Children of Memory is the unmissable follow-up space opera to the highly acclaimed Children of Time and Children of Ruin. They dreamed of a new home. They woke to a nightmare. On Imir, Captain Holt founded a new colony on an empty world. In the process, he created hope and a new...
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  • Lords of Uncreation
    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....
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  • Service Model
    Task List Item No. 1 - Become self-aware . . . A witty tale of robotic murder, rebellion and belonging from the master of science fiction, Adrian Tchaikovsky - perfect for fans of Douglas Adams. Meet CharlesT, the latest in robot servant technology. Programmed to undertake the most menial household chores, Charles is loyal, efficient and logical to a fault....
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  • House of Open Wounds
    Behind the front lines of a crusade to scour the world of magic, the crew of a field hospital confront the horrors of war. A companion novel to Adrian Tchaikovsky’s award-winning fantasy novel City of Last Chances. City-by-city, kingdom-by-kingdom, the Palleseen have sworn to bring Perfection and Correctness to an imperfect world. As their legions scour the world of superstition...
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  • Bee Speaker
    From the Arthur C. Clarke award winner, Adrian Tchaikovsky, comes the third instalment of the DOGS OF WAR science fiction series, a future where genetically engineered β€œBioforms” have inherited not the Earth, but the Solar System. The end of the world has been and gone. There was no one great natural disaster, no all-consuming world war, no catastrophic pandemic. Only...
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  • Eyes of the Void
    From the author of the thrilling science-fiction epic Children of Time, which won the prestigious Arthur C. Clarke Award. Eyes of the Void is the second high-octane instalment in Adrian Tchaikovsky's Final Architecture space opera trilogy. 'One of the most interesting and accomplished writers in speculative fiction' - Christopher Paolini What waits in the shadows as we fight our greatest...
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  • Days of Shattered Faith
    Welcome to Alkhalend, Jewel of the Waters, capital of Usmai, greatest of the Successor States, inheritor to the necromantic dominion that was the Moeribandi Empire and tomorrow’s frontline in the Palleseen’s relentless march to bring Perfection and Correctness to an imperfect world. Loret is fresh off the boat, and just in time. As Cohort-Invigilator of Correct Appreciation, Outreach department, she’s...
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  • Spiderlight
    The path to victory will only be seen through a spider's eyes... Spiderlight is an exhilarating fantasy quest from Arthur C. Clarke Award-winner Adrian Tchaikovsky, the author of Children of Time, Guns of the Dawn and the Shadows of the Apt series. The Church of Armes of the Light has battled the forces of Darkness for as long as anyone...
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  • Made Things
    Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Made Things is a dark yet whimsical fantasy tale full of magic, half-mages and puppet companions. Making friends could mean the differencebetween ruin and great reward . . . Welcome to Fountains Parish – a cesspit of trade and crime, where ambition curls up to die and desperation grows on its cobbled streets like mould on...
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  • Children of Time
    Humanity is overrated. Children of Time the tenth anniversary edition. This paperback edition features an exclusive short story 'Bearable'. Adrian Tchaikovsky's critically acclaimed novel Children of Time is the epic story of humanity's battle for survival on a terraformed planet. Winner of the 30th anniversary Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Novel. Who will inherit this new Earth? The last...
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