Children of Memory

By: Adrian Tchaikovsky

Narrated by: Mel Hudson

Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

The modern classic of space opera that began with Children of Time continues in this extraordinary novel of humanity's battle for survival on a terraformed planet.

Earth failed. In a desperate bid to escape, the spaceship Enkidu and its captain, Heorest Holt, carried its precious human cargo to a potential new paradise. Generations later, this fragile colony has managed to survive, eking out a hardy existence. Yet life is tough, and much technological knowledge has been lost.

Then strangers appear. They possess unparalleled knowledge and thrilling technology–and they've arrived from another world to help humanity’s colonies. But not all is as it seems, and the price of the strangers' help may be the colony itself.

Children of Memory by Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky is a far-reaching space opera spanning generations, species and galaxies.

©2023 Adrian Tchaikovsky (P)2023 Orbit

first!

I've been waiting for MONTHS to hear Mel read this! an absolutely stellar installment to the series!

edit, post listen: Phenomenal. Buy this book.

Won me at the end

A big bodied story, but emotionally lean until the end. AT’s reflections on sentience are profound and well-worth the reader’s time. I share his progressive view that inclusiveness is the only defensible position on the question of who is valuable, who is full-status, so I welcomed those conversations. And I deeply enjoyed the idea of a “whole is greater than the sum if its parts” self-aware, Gaia-like intelligence. It sure beats the dualistic belief at the cold heart of Western philosophy, and this conclusion oddly enough bears a resemblance to Woody Allen ‘s a midsummer sex comedy (see for yourself!). I got lost more than once in the first half and had to keep rehearing chapters, but that always helped. (The reader, by the way, is wonderful.) Even though I *sort of* anticipated the ending, it still got me. Theoretically, Children of Memory is the most original and acrobatic of the trilogy, and I can’t wait to listen to it again next year.

Take the ride and stay with it until the end

I wasn't sold on the book for the first 60%, and I loved Children of Time. There were some great new elements but the story structure is purposely wibbly wobbly and it's not always easy to follow in audio format. Characters are not as compelling as CoT but hey, that's one of the best scifi books ever written so very little is going to live up to it. The last part of this book makes the entire journey worthwhile, and proves that Adrian is one of the top scifi writers working today, or ever really. Mel Hudson crushes the narration as always and I hope to see her narrate a hundred more books soon.

Outstanding

I have eagerly devoured every book in this incredible series, each a marvelous continuance with new and astonishingly inventive paths. I love the characters, the science, the satisfying resolutions satiate, and yet open new doors where this story can continue. I’ll be there when it does. The narrator is absolutely perfect.

Decent book in the series

Personally I found the first two books better. This book was very confusing to follow. When the plot became clear it was decent but not as poignant as the earlier books. Still a fun read and I’d recommend it.

Chapter 12.1 explains why you are confused…

The whole story is written in the perception of non- linear time. You are constantly trying to figure out what is going on and when you think you understand, it then starts another interaction at a different point in time. Very hard to follow until 12.1. They should have started out with chapter 12.1 then following the story would have been less confusing.

Mind games

I was hoping to get a HUMAN colony story. This was more of a fractured mind with time jumps. I didn’t like the jumping around without context or explanation. The reading has to figure everything out with little information. Three books in I thought it would be a straightforward storyline. I wanted to like it, but it’s not the story I was looking for. The underlying premise is humanity will fall. I can’t believe that for one second if you look at human history.

Fascinating but..

Man I think reading would have been a lot easier. It was very confusing for me to listen to, and even had to restart because I was confused that maybe I had missed something, in the end it all makes sense and is completely fascinating buttttt I was still pretty confused while listening. Paper might be better.

Truly profound

This story is the reason I read sci-fi novels. I’ve consumed thousands of stories over the years. I know every trope and plot device like old friends. It takes something truly special to excite me. This book did just that. This author is one of the greats. And this book is near the top of his catalog, maybe his best.

Excellent Science fiction story telling

I didn't want this book to finish because it was too good.

The story without a doubt is better than the first two. The story behind just like the first two books but as you progress to the middle, it does get confusing because that's the point! You're like what's going on... but when it hits you, you're going to love it.

The narrator does an amazing job again. I'd put them up there as good as Ray Porter. Distinctive character voices , and does a good job at setting the mood of the scene through narration, which is so crucial for this story. Especially the sense of dread. my goodness that was good.