Children of Ruin

By: Adrian Tchaikovsky

Narrated by: Mel Hudson

It has been waiting through the ages. Now it's time . . .

‘Asimov or Clarke might have written this’ – Stephen Baxter, co-author of The Long Earth

A scout ship discovers a human outpost lying derelict in space – and a planet better left unexplored. Set in the same universe as Children of Time, this is a thrilling narrative from the award-winning Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Thousands of years ago, Earth’s terraforming program took to the stars. On the world they called Nod, scientists discovered alien life – but it was their mission to overwrite it with the memory of Earth. Then humanity’s great empire fell, and the program’s decisions were lost to time.

Aeons later, humanity and its new spider allies detected fragmentary radio signals between the stars. They dispatched an exploration vessel, hoping to find cousins from old Earth.

But those ancient terraformers awoke something on Nod. Something better left undisturbed.

And it has been waiting for them.

‘Books like this are why we read science fiction’ – Ian McDonald, author of the Luna series

Children of Ruin follows Adrian Tchaikovsky's extraordinary Children of Time, winner of the Arthur C. Clarke award. It is set in the same universe, with new characters and an original narrative.

Praise for the series:

‘Entertaining, smart, surprising and unexpectedly human’ – Patrick Ness, author of A Monster Calls

‘Brilliant science fiction and far-out world-building’ – James McAvoy

‘A fabulous sense of scale that only someone as talented as Adrian Tchaikovsky can pull off’ – Peter F. Hamilton, author of Exodus: The Archimedes Engine

©2019 Macmillan Publishers International Ltd (P)2019 Macmillan Digital Audio

Critic reviews

All underpinned by great ideas. And it is crisply modern - but with the sensibility of classic science fiction. Asimov or Clarke might have written this (Stephen Baxter, author of Proxima)

You know you’re in for a ride. . . This book thoroughly engaged me. Children of Ruin is a humdinger of a book I enjoyed immensely (Neal Asher, author of the Polity series)

Magnificent. This is the big stuff – the really big stuff. Rich in wisdom and Humanity (note the 'H'), with a Stapledonian sweep and grandeur . . . Books like this are why we read science-fiction (Ian McDonald, author of Desolation Road)

Breathtaking scope and vision. Adrian Tchaikovsky is one of our finest writers (Gareth Powell, author of Stars and Bones)

Wonderful – big, thinky SF that feels classic without being mired in the past, absolutely crammed with fun ideas . . . Anyone who likes sweeping, evolutionary-scale stories will love this (Django Wexler, author of How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying)

I couldn’t put it down. There is an effortless quality to Adrian’s writing and you’ve clearly got another winner on your hands (James Oswald, author of the Inspector McLean series)

A refreshing new take on post-dystopia civilizations, with the smartest evolutionary world-building you’ll ever read (Peter F. Hamilton, author of Exodus: The Archimedes Engine, on Children of Time)

Brilliant science fiction and far-out world-building (James McAvoy on Children of Time)

Children of Time is a joy from start to finish. Entertaining, smart, surprising and unexpectedly human (Patrick Ness, author of A Monster Calls and the Chaos Walking series, on Children of Time)

This is superior stuff, tackling big themes – gods, messiahs, artificial intelligence, alienness – with brio (Financial Times on Children of Time)

The novel’s clever interrogation of the usual narrative of planetary conquest, and its thoughtful depiction of two alien civilisations attempting to understand each other, is an exemplar of classic widescreen science fiction (New Scientist on Children of Time)

Essential science fiction, a book not to be missed (SFBook on Children of Time )

One the best Sci-fi reads I have ever encountered

This series of books is perhaps one of the best I have ever found. Very creative, original and it makes you feel like there are some scientific basis behind the whole plot. I’m bad at doing reviews but I have to say this is the best I have found in a long time.Both, children of time and Children of ruin are some of the best sci-fi out there!
I also think the performance is amazing. Very well done. Completes the whole experience!

Exceptional sequel

Defies tropes and tired plot lines. Fantastic unfolding of backstory throughout the book, developed characters with motivation, tension and problems to solve. The development of conflicts between species and their positional viewpoint is exceptional.

I loved this novel even more than the first of the series.

It will be hard to find...

It will be hard to find a more imaginative well written, well performed audio book

VERY detailed. This is the Sci Fi for us real fan

It takes real talent to create a believable tale of space venturing spiders. I've enjoyed both of these so much.

It’s just as good, if not better

I didn’t think it possible, but this sequel is almost as good as the first - maybe even better. I love the storyline, the telling of the story, the characters, and everything. These are the two best books in my library. Love, love, love this book! Oh, and any new books should be read by Mel Hudson - she’s the best!

fantastic!

This is a great follow up to the first book. Highly recommend you get this if you enjoyed the Children of time.

Rather unique

Ticked all my boxes is in a very novel way. Narrator grows on you as well.

Soooo good

It started as a boring book… but. Stay with it. Two hours into the book it begins to unfold.. majestic

Book 2- very good, but...

So, book 1 (no spoilers), really stepped off into an unexpected realm of Sci-fi, this is a continuation... and is more complicated than the first, but the shock factor cork popped in book 1. Don't get me wrong, it's very good, especially if you are into super techy SF. This is HI-SCI-FI !!

Literally the best story ever

Listen to this book. You will leave it with such a feeling of hope and optimism. You owe this to yourself.