Children of Memory
{4/5} “Heorest Holt was forced to admit that nobody had thought it through properly back on Earth, because you couldn’t have, not really. Not being as ignorant as they had been of what was waiting out among the stars. And a lot of people had desperately bought into the idea of pre-prepared Edens because what else would convince you to get on a ship bound on a multi-thousand year trip into oblivion?”
Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky, published in 2022
The ship Enkidu barely makes it to Imir, and the humans onboard discover that terraforming isn’t complete. They can breathe, but there are no edible plans or animals. Decades later, the descendants of the people who landed are eking out a life. Miranda, who looks like a human but is not, from a more technologically advanced society, arrives to study the settlement.
This is the sequel to Children of Ruin.
Tchaikovsky revisits the theme from Elder Race — what happens when members of an advanced-technology society meet up with members of a society who have less. There are certainly some interesting ideas, but the story itself didn’t grab me as much as his other novels.
I liked some of the book, but there was a fair amount that wasn’t as satisfying as I wanted it to be.
It’s about different kinds of life, and doing the best for your friends.
One more quotation: “Liff might be only twenty-six, still on the edge of childhood, but she can see exactly what was going on. And she knows nobody will say anything, just as her parents won’t say anything. Because, right now, if you stand up then you’re the nail and men like Molder have hammers.”
I’ve read 5 books by Tchaikovsky. I previously reviewed Elder Race.