---
product_id: 111035545
title: "Children of Time"
price: "£17.04"
currency: GBP
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/111035545-children-of-time
store_origin: GB
region: United Kingdom
---

# Children of Time

**Price:** £17.04
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** Children of Time
- **How much does it cost?** £17.04 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/111035545-children-of-time)

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## Description

Adrian Tchaikovsky's Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning novel Children of Time is the epic story of humanity's battle for survival on a terraformed planet. The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age -- a world terraformed and prepared for human life. But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind's worst nightmare. Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?

Review: Arachnids & Empathy - Children of Time is an incredible epic spanning thousands of years, tracking two concurrent storylines: the desperate remnants of humanity searching for a new home on a terraformed world, and the unintended evolution of a spider species on that very planet. SPOILER ALERT: Detailed thoughts and plot points follow below. This was a solid 5 star read for me, primarily because of how Tchaikovsky handles the "monsters." The way he describes the spiders - the Portiids - is done with such genuine affection and care. It would have been easy to make them grotesque, calculating beats, but instead, you find yourself rooting for them. I actually learned a quite a bit about spider anatomy along the way (I had no idea what "book lungs" were before this). The religious evolution of the spiders was arguably the most brilliant part of the book. Watching a primitive species turn a relatively insignificant event - the mathematical signal from the satellite probe - into the foundation of their theology was fascinating. Character-wise, the human side had its highlights too. Lain’s romantic relationship was perfectly written; it captured her pragmatic character but remained very sweet. The detail of her holding onto Holston’s named ship suit after all that time was a touching anchor in a story that spans millennia. I also have to mention Chapter 4.1. It felt like a total reimagining of the specific dread of being a preteen in the early internet era, exposed to violent footage of war in the Middle East -only here, it’s space footage and astronaut explorers. It hit a very specific, visceral note for me. I did have a few minor gripes, though they didn't ruin the experience: * I found the first chapter confusing and a bit hard to buy into. I’m not sure I believe a corporation would fund such a massive experiment and virus research just to create fancy monkey slave labor. * The author really likes the word "abortive." Overall, a masterclass in world building with empathy at the hearth of that world.
Review: Interesting plot. A lot of psychology and inner thoughts and feelings. - I am currently reviewing a selection of highly-regarded Hard Science Fiction novels, including "Project Hail Mary," "Bobiverse," and "Children of Time." I've observed that "Children of Time" shares a thematic similarity with "Bobiverse" due to its focus on an AI probe, specifically Kern. However, Kern's character lacks the comedic elements present in Bob. This particular work offers a very serious exploration of space exploration and terraforming, though it features less emphasis on detailed physics or hard science compared to the other titles. It proves to be an engaging read for those who appreciate extensive world-buildinge. I would not categorize this as Hard Science Fiction; it leans more towards a fantasy aesthetic. Focusing a lot on philosophy, psychology instead of physics or engineering. The narrative itself is quite compelling, blending elements reminiscent of "Planet of the Apes," the "Upload" series, and "Bobiverse." My primary reservation concerns the climax, which I found to be underwhelming. Despite excellent build-up to the scenario, its execution felt like an afterthought, with minimal reaction or commentary. The conclusion also appeared somewhat rushed. I believe the book's length of 600 pages was unnecessary, as it contained a considerable amount of repetitive phrasing. Nevertheless, I am currently engaged with the second book in the series, which, after 230 pages, has demonstrated a more action-oriented approach.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #2,723 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #5 in Exploration Science Fiction #13 in Hard Science Fiction (Books) #78 in Space Operas |
| Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 49,861 Reviews |

## Images

![Children of Time - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81pfmx9MgnL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Arachnids & Empathy
*by B***R on January 23, 2026*

Children of Time is an incredible epic spanning thousands of years, tracking two concurrent storylines: the desperate remnants of humanity searching for a new home on a terraformed world, and the unintended evolution of a spider species on that very planet. SPOILER ALERT: Detailed thoughts and plot points follow below. This was a solid 5 star read for me, primarily because of how Tchaikovsky handles the "monsters." The way he describes the spiders - the Portiids - is done with such genuine affection and care. It would have been easy to make them grotesque, calculating beats, but instead, you find yourself rooting for them. I actually learned a quite a bit about spider anatomy along the way (I had no idea what "book lungs" were before this). The religious evolution of the spiders was arguably the most brilliant part of the book. Watching a primitive species turn a relatively insignificant event - the mathematical signal from the satellite probe - into the foundation of their theology was fascinating. Character-wise, the human side had its highlights too. Lain’s romantic relationship was perfectly written; it captured her pragmatic character but remained very sweet. The detail of her holding onto Holston’s named ship suit after all that time was a touching anchor in a story that spans millennia. I also have to mention Chapter 4.1. It felt like a total reimagining of the specific dread of being a preteen in the early internet era, exposed to violent footage of war in the Middle East -only here, it’s space footage and astronaut explorers. It hit a very specific, visceral note for me. I did have a few minor gripes, though they didn't ruin the experience: * I found the first chapter confusing and a bit hard to buy into. I’m not sure I believe a corporation would fund such a massive experiment and virus research just to create fancy monkey slave labor. * The author really likes the word "abortive." Overall, a masterclass in world building with empathy at the hearth of that world.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Interesting plot. A lot of psychology and inner thoughts and feelings.
*by M***3 on February 14, 2026*

I am currently reviewing a selection of highly-regarded Hard Science Fiction novels, including "Project Hail Mary," "Bobiverse," and "Children of Time." I've observed that "Children of Time" shares a thematic similarity with "Bobiverse" due to its focus on an AI probe, specifically Kern. However, Kern's character lacks the comedic elements present in Bob. This particular work offers a very serious exploration of space exploration and terraforming, though it features less emphasis on detailed physics or hard science compared to the other titles. It proves to be an engaging read for those who appreciate extensive world-buildinge. I would not categorize this as Hard Science Fiction; it leans more towards a fantasy aesthetic. Focusing a lot on philosophy, psychology instead of physics or engineering. The narrative itself is quite compelling, blending elements reminiscent of "Planet of the Apes," the "Upload" series, and "Bobiverse." My primary reservation concerns the climax, which I found to be underwhelming. Despite excellent build-up to the scenario, its execution felt like an afterthought, with minimal reaction or commentary. The conclusion also appeared somewhat rushed. I believe the book's length of 600 pages was unnecessary, as it contained a considerable amount of repetitive phrasing. Nevertheless, I am currently engaged with the second book in the series, which, after 230 pages, has demonstrated a more action-oriented approach.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fantastic Book!
*by G***D on January 16, 2023*

If we encountered intelligent life on another planet, would we even be able to recognize it as such? This question is really the driving force of the book. This book explores a lot of big ideas and concepts, but that question is the one that is at the center of it all. The book follows two story threads that happen over the course of thousands of years; a dying race floating through space, trying to find a new home, and another race rising into intelligence on a planet that was not originally meant for them. It tells this millennia spanning story through a series of connected vignettes that time jump with almost every chapter. If you're looking for a very character driven story, this is not the book for you. The characters are well done, but they are not necessarily what the book is about. This book is about bigger things, things that can only be explored over the course of vast amounts of time. And it is masterfully written. The prose was a little heavy for me at first, but a few chapters in I was hooked, and already beginning to love the prose. This is definitely the kind of book that will leave you severely disappointed if you go in with the wrong expectations as to what kind of book it's going to be. If you're going into it expecting some big space opera full of interesting and very compelling characters, you will be disappointed. Judging this book according to what kind of book it's meant to be, I would say it succeeds on almost every level. SPOILERS: it got me to see a race of spiders as more than "the other" for goodness sake! And society and technological development of the spiders was extremely well executed, as well as very imaginative yet grounded in complete believability -- a hard balance to maintain. It's a bit long, but I believe that length is very necessary for properly telling the story and exploring those concepts that it puts forth. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves great sci-fi that spans huge lengths of time and is very much about exploring certain questions, not necessarily about a group of characters doing stuff.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Children of Time (Children of Time, 1)
- Children of Ruin (Children of Time, 2)
- Children of Memory (Children of Time, 3)

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*Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom*
*Store origin: GB*
*Last updated: 2026-05-17*