Lords of Uncreation (The Final Architecture, 3)

Product Information

The Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author of Children of Time brings us the third and finalnovel in an extraordinary space opera trilogy about humanity on the brink of extinction, and how one man's discovery will save or destroy us all. 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. Which we do, for the second half of the book, and I had a great deal of trouble putting the book down. Can we talk about how freaking amazing all these alien species and cultures and worlds and just NEW imaginings this book inspires? Reading this series is like stumbling across the joy of reading all over again; opening up every possibility. I love that even through the last book in the series you are still getting MORE glimpse of new and exciting things.

Deep within Unspace, where time moves very differently, and what passes for reality is not quite what it seems. The Masters of the Architects, the Originators, are the real danger. They are just becoming aware of all planet-residing species of humanity and the threat it poses to their grand scheme. And are taking steps to eradicate this infestation, this annoyance forever. I found the first half of the book rather slow, to be honest. It was mostly focused on squabbles among the assorted human and human-adjacent factions. There wasn’t anything wrong with it; it just wasn’t what I wanted. Yes yes, the nobles from Magda are bastards, there are competing factions within the Hugh, let’s just get on with the Architects, please. I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is scheduled to be published on May 2, 2023 in the US. ** Finally, humanity has found a way to repel an Architect. Maybe even two. And what happens? Betrayal. ARGH!

About this book

Massive world-building effort. Loved the concept of the Eye. Crux was also a fascinating place to be. Human and inhuman interests wrestle to control Idris’ discovery, as the galaxy erupts into a mutually destructive and self-defeating war. The other great obstacle to striking against their alien threat is Idris himself. He knows that the Architects, despite their power, are merely tools of a higher intelligence. That “tedious round of politics and violence” occupies much of the novel and reveals how crazily committed to power through war the rest of the world seems to be. Even when facing imminent destruction at the hands of the Architects, a couple of factions of humans decide it is time to strike their enemies, even though they need all the firepower and transport spaceships they can get to save as much of humanity and other species as possible. So they fight their battles, and these are captured quite well in fast-paced action sequences. For Idris, barely aware of anything going on in the real world, that’s all a distraction. But this intricate set of enmities, wild characters and their ongoing battles threaten to weaken humanity at its most vulnerable time. vislabāk man patika ieskats Hegemonijas civilizācijā. No malas šķiet, ka kults kurā visi pielūdz austerveidīgus radījumus, kuriem pati ideja par kustību šķiet ķecerība. Viņas sūtņi izskatās pēc klaunu bara, kas brīvi interpretē savu saimnieku teikto. Bet Hegemonijas tehnoloģija un birokrātija ir tik attīstīta, ka neviens viņiem neko nevar padarīt. Un ja vēl spēlē iesaistās Aklu the Unspeakable (the Razor and the Hook) par kura nozīmi Hegemonijā var tikai minēt, tad lietas, kļūst pavisam dīvainas. The Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author of Children of Time brings us the third and final novel in an extraordinary space opera trilogy about humanity on the brink of extinction, and how one man's discovery will save or destroy us all.

She even is a bitter person at the reunion at the end because her friends are more successful than her. Which is a fine characteristic in theory that I would appreciate but seems to come out of nowhere and is part of this weird attempt to make her more of a main character than she is. This would have worked if there had been *any* use of her legal and diplomatic skills, but she is just... there, but not really there or important or relevant to any of the story. It is here in the Eye that the Ints – among them, Idris – have been hooked up to machinery that carefully records physical life signs as they delve into unspace. Idris is supposed to be guiding the rest of the Ints and feeding data to the scientists. Mostly, he is off on his own, trying to find where the Architects live in unspace so that he can begin to understand the power that directs them to kill.Human and inhuman interests wrestle to control Idris’ discovery, as the galaxy erupts into a mutually destructive and self-defeating war. Deep within unspace, where time moves differently, and reality isn’t quite what it seems, their masters are the true threat. Masters who are just becoming aware of humanity’s daring – and taking steps to exterminate this annoyance forever. Perhaps it is time for the author to commission an artist or illustrator to sit down and put all the characters within this superb trilogy in print in one form or another. Some of the protagonists in the novels make the mind boggle, and it is incredibly problematic to picture them in the mind's eye. I am not complaining; I am just making a polite suggestion. Tchaikovsky manages to have the incredible task of saving the universe as you know it by more or less regular persons (some human, some not — and even the Unspeakable Aklu, the Razor and the Hook) seem not as ridiculous as it should be, and that’s quite a feat to accomplish. The matters of existential threat and plain human petty power trips are nicely balanced, as are space battles and genuine human (and nonhuman) moments. And he concludes all the storylines in a way that I didn’t quite anticipate, and it works quite well — since at its heart it’s not a story about winning or losing, but about the power of understanding and empathy and bonds between us. I mean the action sequences were literally out of this world! And the dialogues are amazing. You really know the characters by the end of it and you can't let them go! I love Idris and Ollie and Solace and Kris and Kit and all of them really. It felt like I was a part of their crew

The characterizations were so brilliant, I found myself caring for, well, everyone (positively and negatively) to an immeasurable degree. Plus, the worldbuilding was cranked up to 11, too! No, I have no idea how the author keeps pulling it off but he does. I can't adequately and sufficiently sing his praise, honestly. Tchaikovsky again shineswith hissuspensefulsecond Final Architecture space opera (after Shards of Earth)....Tchaikovsky’s intelligent worldbuilding captures the essence of classic space opera, with an intricate plot that whisks readers along on a humorous, sometimes convoluted, but always memorable adventure. Series fans will be eager for more."— Publishers Weeklyon Eyes of the Void Stephen Case (28 Feb 2022). "Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky". Strange Horizons . Retrieved 7 Sep 2022. Patiesu prieku sagādāja tas, ka autors stāstu bija izstrādājis jau no pirmās grāmatas (vismaz tāds iespaids radās) un tādēļ neviena grāmata nešķita atrauta no pārējām. Pasaule ir izveidota perfekti, palīdz arī tas, ka notikumi tiek apskatīti tieši tik daudz cik vajadzīgs grāmatai, neieslīgstot pārmērīgās detaļās. Arī zinātniskās detaļas stāstam ir līmenī, nav nekādu iekšēju pretrunu un uz beigām pazūd arī maģijas piegarša, jo viss top atklāts.

Featured Reviews

Some people say journey before destination, but I love a good ending – it makes you reflect better on the series as a whole. In this case, Lords of Uncreation is a near perfect ending to the Final Architecture trilogy, let down only a little by the first half. Idris Telemmier, one of the last surviving Ints from the first war with the Architects, is a key to this endeavour, but he has his own plans. His modified brain allows him to reach out and touch the mind of an Architect, and he knows that what they do to the planets they destroy is forced upon them, that they are simply slaves to some greater master. Since no one else seems to think it worth trying to find these masters, Idris is scouring Unspace for them in secret. But though this complex research is being supported by factions of multiple species and would benefit the entire universe, there are still those who will see it all burn to regain power and control of the generation ships and research station. As frustrating as it was, it’s depressingly realistic to see politicians and oligarchs causing conflict and sacrificing the majority just for the sake of keeping their status. Also, to my mind, the confrontation at the end felt a bit too abstract, and the solution just a bit underwhelming compared to the all encompasing threat of the Architects. I am afraid Tchaikovsky bit off just a bit more than he could chew here. Human and inhuman interests wrestle to control Idris’ discovery, as the galaxy erupts into a mutually destructive and self-defeating war. The other great obstacle to striking against their alien threat is Idris himself. He knows that the Architects, despite their power, are merely tools of a higher intelligence. This is a series that I got in on pretty early and have read each book in the year of its release. The reason for that is because it's really freakin good. I've read quite a bit of Tchaikovsky including Children of Time, Children of Ruin, Children of Memory, and 5 books of The Shadows of The Apt. On the strength of this last book in The Final Architecture I think this is my favorite series of his and this is my favorite sci fi book of his that I've read.