Shards of Earth is a beautifully sculpted (and yes that is an intentional pun for those who have read it) piece of science fiction which manages to blend the technical depth of ‘hard’ science fiction with the character driven fast space of space opera. I will say from the outset that this is an excellent piece of science fiction which is well worth a read. It was however a book I picked up from my local library with no small degree of trepidation. You see, I have read a book by Adrian Tchaikovsky before, Children of Time, and I did not really enjoy it. Technically I appreciated the skill in the writing but it was not really what I was after and I struggled to really link to any of the characters. I had heard good things about Shards so I gave it a go. I do not regret that decision.
So shards is set in a distant future where humanity has reached the stars, encountered alien life and has managed not to destroy itself in a civil war. That is unusual in most scifi as there is usually a backstory of human internal conflict but that is a welcome absence here. The story starts with the revelation that Earth has been destroyed, well turned into a sculpture by an alien race called the Architects. This race have since disappeared following humanity creating the Intermediaries who by a means of empathy, telepathy and science were able to somehow make the architects leave. Post was humanity is riven by post war issues with the a natavist humans (pro human all the way), the devotees of the Essiel (an alien empire which is able to protect worlds from the architects), a myriad of smaller factions all squabbling and scheming. Finally we have the all female, lab grown warriors of the Partheni (who are totally not a version of the warhammer 40k sisters of battle; please Games Workshop don’t sue). Against this backdrop we have the crew of the Vulture God who discover that the architects may not be as gone as people believe and end up on the run from pretty much everyone.
I am deliberately excluding a lot from the above because I would not want to spoil such a good book for someone. There is a lot more going on here but the above is the high points as it were.
So why is this book so good? Well the first is the setting. The decision to start with Earth essentially a footnote is a bold one. Not many authors take the chance as it is much easier to use saving Earth as the narrative but here the war in that sense is over. Earth is a dead husk nothing more and that bold choice is both refreshing and interesting. It forces over narratives to the fore and stops an easy copy out. Greg Bear and Walter John Williams have both done similar things and it is always nice to see the change. In addition to this is the fact that the world feels lived in; it feels real and alive. Events take place before the characters arrive, carry on around them and then continue after they leave. There is no sense of the characters having to do absolutely everything as people go about their own jobs and do it. The story itself is, I have to say, fairly sci-fi generic with alien races threatening humanity etc etc but there are enough little twists to keep things fresh. Where Shards really shines is in its characters and their interactions. Idris and Solace receive the most focus but the other members of the Vulture God all get a respectable amount of page time and growth. For me though the character of Solace does the real heavy lifting in making this book accessible. I joked earlier about the sister of battle call backs but she is an extremely accessible character. Despite being a vat grown super soldier she displays very relatable issues and feelings. She is conflicted about her own role and place in life, she has doubts and fears. She has an image of what her own people represent but is repeatedly confronted with differing views and fuel to her own inner doubts. She is a brilliant piece of character building which, when coupled with the excellent pacing make this book a genuine pleasure to read.
Negatives? Well I have to say the ending felt a little abrupt and on occasions it became a little hard to follow when things went quite metaphysical. I also found a typo but beyond that this was pretty much a perfect piece of science fiction. I enjoyed it so much that I have already checked Book Two out of the local library and have my Friday night sorted.
I rarely make such overt recommendations as I know my tastes can be quite unique; but this book is an exception to my own rules. It is damned good and if you do not read it then you will be causing yourself to miss out on something brilliant.
Roll 3's to hit 