Adrian Tchaikovsky's *Children of Memory* (2022; but published in the US on January 31, 2023) is the third science fiction novel in a series that started with *Children of Time* (2015), and continued with *Children of Ruin* (2019). The books are concerned with different varieties of sentience and intelligence. The background scenario for this far-future series is that human beings on Earth set forth with an ambitious project to terraform planets across the galaxy, but that the project and never completed. The terraforming project involves creating a livable climate, and stocking the planet with a diverse enough range of Earth organisms to create a functioning ecology. After this, either the planet can be inhabited by human beings, or else the world is seeded with a plasmid that provokes genetic mutations to raise another species to human-level intelligence. But due to troubles on Earth, the plan is never quite realized. In *Children of Memory*, instead of uplifting nonhuman primates, the plasmid creates a species of intelligent Portia spiders. The novel traces the stages of the spiders' rise to civilization, and considers how their mentality might be different from a human one due to the intrinsic biological differences between the species. In *Children of Ruin*, octopuses on a water world are boosted to human-level intelligence; again, the novel explores how such a cephalopod intelligence would be different from either a primate or an arachnid one. In addition, in the second novel, the human beings, spiders, and octopuses also encounter an alien lifeform that is something like a parasitic slime mold. The slime mold assimilates, stores, and remembers the mentality and the experiences of any other living species that it encounters. This is at first a danger to the other sentient species: the slime mold transforms all the mindful entities that it encounters into more versions of itself. But eventually, this behavior is changed from a predatory, parasitic lifestyle into one of symbiotic mutualism. The slime mold craves novelty and new experiences; eventually it realizes (or is persuaded) that it can get more of these if it does not assimilate other organisms, but rather coexists alongside them and shares their experiences.

[WARNING: WHAT FOLLOWS CONTAINS SPOILERS] *Children of Memory* introduces an additional uplifted species: Corvids (the exact species is not specified; they seem to be a crow and raven hybrid). The Corvids do not get the plasmid that the spiders and octopuses got in the previous volumes; rather, they evolve greater intelligence on a partly-terraformed planet where they have become the dominant species. Once again, Corvid intelligence is qualitatively different than that of human beings and other species in the previous novels. The Corvids are able to speak, but their intellectual activity happens, not in individual birds, but only in pairs. One member of a pair gathers information, parses patterns in the information, and especially notices instances of novelty. The other member of the pair in effect collates this information and strategizes ways to act upon it. Neither of the pair can do much on its own; but in conjunction, the pairs are able to analyze large reams of data and operate complex technology. Whether they are capable of originality (as opposed to noticing and moblizing novelties that they discover in their environment) is uncertain. The Corvids deny that they are sentient; the actual situation seems to be that sentience inheres in their combined operations, but does not quite exist in either of their brains taken separately. In certain ways, the Corvids in the novel remind me of current AI inventions such as ChatGPT; they emit sentences that are insightful, and quote bits and fragments of human discourse and culture in ways that are entirely apt; but (as with our current level of AI) it is not certain that they actually "understand" what they are doing and saying (of course this depends in part on how we define understanding). *Children of Memory* is powerful in the way that it raises questions of this sort -- ones that are very much apropos in the actual world in terms of the powers and effects of the latest AI -- but rejects simplistic pro- and con- answers alike, and instead shows us the difficulty and range of such questions. At one point the Corvids remark that "we know that we don't think," and suggests that other organisms' self-attribution of sentience is nothing more than "a simulation." But of course, how can you know you do not think without thinking this? and what is the distinction between a powerful simulation and that which it is simulating? None of these questions have obvious answers; the novel gives a better account of their complexity than the other, more straightforward arguments about them have done. (Which is, as far as I am concerned, another example of the speculative heft of science fiction; the questions are posed in such a manner that they resist philosophical resolution, but continue to resonate in their difficulty).

The dilemma of the Corvids and their degree (or not) of sentience is encased within a much broader story or unsuccessful terraforming, or of the mismatch between human organisms and their re-created environment. The novel mostly takes place on and around a planet that has been only incompletely terraformed; thousands of years later, a generation starship containing thousands of human beings in cryonic suspension arrives with the mission to found a new society on this planet. The attempt is tragically unsuccessful, for a number of reasons. I don't want to give away all the plot twists here, so I will just say that the novel envisions a series of interactions between Earth-born colonists and their descendants and an unforgiving environment that only includes a limited number of transplanted Earth species, as well as these baseline humans' interactions with the various transformed species (including but not limited to human beings who have themselves been boosted by their encounters with the other intelligent species and with the advanced technologies arising from their encounters), and also with an even more powerful technology left behind by an unknown alien species. There are multiple levels of simulation and speculation, as well as even more complex and self-reflexive levels of both intelligence and sentience (with the relation between these never becoming entirely certain). There is a lot here that deserves unpacking at much greater length than I am capable of, after writing this brief review from just one reading. The entire *Children* series, and this third volume in particular, exemplifies how science fictional fabulation, at its best, can lead us to reflect upon vital issues in ways that simplistic pro- and con- arguments are unable to do.

A good read, though I believe I preferred the first two more in comparison, the third installment is one I enjoyed still.

I found myself thinking this was rather interesting at first but then that WA only at the first part of the book. Another good story but rather confusing for me. I don't know if others would be entertained or confused when reading this book. Everything makes sense at the end sort of but also while reading this story I was thinking did this story need to be told in the first place. I can't say I would recommend this book to just anyone but probably for those who like a more cerebral type of plot and story. Children of Time and Children of Ruin were enjoyable reads for me but sadly Children of Memory was not.

This book was okay - an unfortunate step down from Children of Ruin and Children of Time. It just felt like the plot and the characters in this one were less inspired...I still enjoyed it, but I think I would have been okay if I hadn't read it.

6.5/10

I love the themes that are presented in this. It's such a great series all around. The way Tchaikovsky blends the philosophy and science together into the story is so well done.

The characters are all distinct and fleshed out, the world's are so dynamically written, and the overall story of the trilogy is so originally.

Tchaikovsky always make me feel dumb in the best way. I always want to know more, read more, and research more when I read his books.

Tchaikovsky certainly has career momentum. I liked all the books in this series, and most others that read it will too. This is a good addition. It will easily garner high ratings (and has already done so). Recommended.

I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!

Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Memory is the latest and very welcome addition to the Children of Time series.

Picking up after the events of Book #2 Children of Ruin, Children of Memory follows a similar outline to previous books in the series. There are worlds that were in the process of being terraformed that our Kern supported crew will encounter, some of them visited by human ark ships fleeing a dying Earth. Series stalwarts remain, Kern is still the super AI, and spiders named Portia and Fabian.

Where this book differs, is we learn about two separate worlds that had experienced change by humans. As well as integrating the "present" central crew of squid, Human, Portiid and Nodian becoming involved in the plot much sooner, than the usual back and forth through time. The narrative plays out less hard science fiction and more fantastical, truly playing with the structure of time.

It is also a much sadder story, all about making the best that you can with what is available in the name of survival. As stated a few times throughout the book "Sometimes the friends you met along the road were within you all along."

A welcome addition to a strong series that still has many more planets to explore.

Children of Memory takes a different path than the previous two novels to give us a new perspective on the meaning of sentience. This time around we meet an early settler colony on the partially terraformed world of Imir. But as time goes on, not all is as it seems.

Children of Memory is the 3rd book in the Children series an this may possibly be my favorite of the three. Events from Children of Time and Children of Ruin come into play so I do suggest reading those two before this one. (I have heard people suggest they can skip Children of Time for Ruin because of the fear or dislike of spiders).

Children of Memory takes place mostly on the planet Imir and we follow a society that is on the collapse with not enough resources to support the inhabitants. Children of Time did dive into some fantasy tropes that I found to be interesting and reminded me of my favorite parts of the movie "The Village". We follow multiple perspectives with the book with the people on Imir as well as the characters from the previous books who made the voyage over as they continue to explore the universe for life. Self Identity is a topic with this book which I think plays a part with the "Memory" as it deals with experiences a person will go through and how those experiences make a person who they are now.

The story was very satisfying for me and I hope there are more entries in this series. Adrian Tchaikovsky loves his animals and I find it interesting how he can introduce new ones(I loved the pair in this one) and build on what he's already introduced with the two previous entries. I plan on reading more Adrian Tchaikovsky in 2023!

Thank you Orbit Books and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC!

Excellent addition to the series. Tchaikovsky eschews the typical formula (animal species + virus and the results of their evolution). Instead, there's a terraformed planet struggling to survive and a mystery at its core that unravels as the book carries on.

Not my favorite of the three, but still a worthwhile read, and damn, is that a teaser for another sequel?!?!?! Sign me up.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tchaikovsky could have just done a similar thing as the last two books with a new alien race and a tiny variation but here he gets weird with it and plays with the concepts of Time (and the Children of...?), Memory, and makes this a surprisingly h(H)uman-centric novel. It's clear he really challenged both himself and the reader which makes for an engaging read, but not often easy. There's also a bit more fantasy elements in this sci-fi and it's not as science based as it was in the previous books.

His writing here is some of his best, prose-wise. There's some great passages and allusions to other works as well as themes that work on multiple levels, but it's also challenging being in the middle of the book and sometimes you feel like you missed something or are confused when it's intentional.

I can see this being a divisive entry in the series, but I personally loved it, although I can see some readers being frustrated with it, seems like a good idea to put this as the third entry to a trilogy for the readers that are already invested in this series and willing to "go on an adventure".

I am very happy to say that he's one of my favorite authors who has astounding productivity and throughput. Highly recommend this series and he's an author that I drop everything to read a new one of his books and have my mind expanded.

Adrian Tchaikovsky is an absolute master! Only he could create this fantastic universe of adventure, aliens, and inventions.
A must buy!!!

The children of time series is my favorite I've read this year, and this third instalment did not disappoint at all.
This is an amazing sci-fi novel with a story that stands on its own, sprinkled with the characters we've grown to love throughout the previous books - the Humans, the overambitious AI, the Portiid spiders, the Octopi, the sentient slime... - with a few new beings thrown into the mix, for novelty's sake (which I absolutely loved, by the way!)

At its core, this is a story about identity and what it is to be a sentient being - to be an individual yet part of a bigger whole, and to wonder - am I real ? Do I think ? Do I exist ?
10/10 will recommend - this book is definitely ending up underneath the Christmas tree for a couple of my friends (and for me!). To paraphrase a ~lovely~ character from the previous book - "we're going on an adventure!"

Children of Memory by Adrian Tchaikovsky(Children of Time#3)-Off we go on another adventure with time, species, and interactions that try to describe our destiny. Tchaikovsky can do it all! I loved the first book, Children of Time. The second book was more difficult for me to get through but worth the effort. In this one Tchaikovsky pulls the rug out from under us and sends us on a miraculous journey. Don't miss it! Thanks to NetGalley for the fantastic ARC and thanks to Adrian for doing it again!

Wow!! That is how you close a trilogy! Best science-fiction author of the moment and he will get its place along the great of the great!

This series is how I discovered Adrian Tchaikovsky and hold a special place in my heart because of that. As with the others, this one delivers an experience different from most other sci-fi I read because it’s slower pacing and tone demand attention and focus. There’s times when I may not be able to get into that, but it doesn’t influence my rating because the story always pays off for it in the end. If you’ve loved the rest of the series, I believe you’ll love this one too. If you’ve somehow found this one and not read the others, there is some catch-up to fill in some gaps, but I would recommend reading the other two first. I put it 4.5 because the plot on this one was a bit harder to follow for a while. It’s explained though!

Note: ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for honest review.
4.5 rounded to 5 stars

Adrian Tchaikovsky is an absolute master! Only he could create this fantastic universe of adventure, aliens, and inventions.

To enjoy Children of Memory, it's probably best that you read Children of Ruin and Children of Time. Both are absolutely superb and are necessary to the backstory for the adventure you experience when reading this book. There is plenty of review and synopsis, so this COULD be read as a stand alone but not my recommendation. Why would you keep yourself from enjoying those two unbelievable books anyway?

We continue in the vein of a space opera with many of the same characters. This book takes place well after other planets discussed in previous books have been discovered and settled. Many of our same favorite characters follow the trajectory of an Earth Ark to determine whether any other settlements were successfully created in the galaxy. What they find, is social commentary at it's best. The theorizing on what makes a being sentient alone is worth the price of this book.

I loved this book and hope another is soon to follow. If you love other worlds, galaxies far away, or just hope someday to have intelligent conversation with your pets and pests, Children of Memory is for you! #Orbit #Orbitbooks

Children of Memory is the final leg of the trilogy, but don’t let that dissuade you from grabbing it. This science fiction posits a universe with terraformed worlds out there, a failing earth, and arks of civilization journeying to establish colonies on the terraformed worlds. One such ark reaches its destination but the survivors feel guilt because the colony was never able to support more than a handful and there are thousands still in orbit waiting to be unfrozen. Those that made it seemingly have a tough hardscrabble agrarian life. But there are other evolved species out there filled with curiosity who are watching the colony develop and are hidden in plain sight despite a real existence as octopuses and spiders and the like. There’s also a colonist girl Laff who sees her grandfather’s ghost and chases it into the woods some 200 years after the shuttle landing.

The trick that Tchaikovsky plays is that the real story is not the colonists, but the alien brings watching them. And it is through them that he brings us to philosophical questions about what it means to be sentient and what it means to be real rather than artificial.

There are points where the story is quite confusing as the threads begin to separate, but hang in there. It will all come together in the end and make you think and wonder.

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)

By now, I just accept the fact that Adrian Tchaikovsky can write about anything in SFF and do it brilliantly. Children of Memory, which follows the award-winning Children of Time and Children of Ruin, continues this great saga of human evolution and species uplift in multiple star systems. There is a moving and exciting story at its core, deeply engaging drama testing the limits of reality and identity, and a good encapsulated background of the earlier stories in case you haven’t read the previous books. But there is also a surfeit of intellectual discussion that keeps postponing a final reveal, and, for the first time in my experience of this author’s work, that reveal is a bit disappointing, even though it works in its own way. I can’t really discuss what happens in this novel without some spoiler-ish elements, so proceed at your own risk.

Children of Memory starts by drawing together three strands of the narrative. First, we’re with the core crew of the Enkidu, a huge ship with thousands of sleep-suspended humans aboard. It has escaped from a dying Earth and is heading for a new home where preliminary terraforming is supposed to have prepared a new human world. But there are problems. The Enkidu has breakdowns and multiple repairs, several crew members have been maimed or killed on the approach to Imir, and many of the human cargo have died and been jettisoned. Then the planet Imir isn’t what they were expecting, as drones reveal a poorly developed surface with only microbes and lichen on the land and plankton in the oceans, though the air is breathable. With hard work, Imir may be able to support a small settlement but not the many thousands of humans suspended in sleep.

We first see the result of settlement years later through the eyes of a young girl named Liff. She is twenty-six Imiri years old, and that translates to about twelve in Earth years. She lives with her parents on a farm at the edge of the town called Landfall near the forest of trees the settlers succeeded in planting. It’s a hard life, and some towns-folk have been blaming mysterious “others” for crop failures and breakdowns. The forest has become a forbidding zone where groups of Seccers or Watchers, imagined enemies whom no one has even seen, may be lurking. One evening, Liff sees her grandfather, Heorest Holt, who was the captain of the Enkidu, disappear into the woods. She is convinced he has gone to find a Witch, as she calls a powerful figure who, Liff imagines, lives there in a cave. It becomes her mission to enter that forest, find the Witch and get her grandfather back.

.........
But there are strange things about Liff’s experience. She claims to have seen her grandfather Heorest Holt, even though he died two hundred years earlier. Sometimes we see her in scenes with her parents, sometimes her parents are dead and she’s living with her harsh uncle, sometimes she is in the midst of meetings of the town’s founders, including Holt, as they discuss what to do about community problems. Sometimes, Liff goes in search of the Witch, sometimes that figure comes to seek her out. In each of these shifting scenes, we are drawn more and more deeply into mysteries of memory, time and reality.

............
Just as the other books in this series end on a positive note of the continuing journeys through space to find new life, so does Children of Memory. But this story makes it so clear how difficult the search is and how rare it will be to find that subtle variance of chemistry that enables a new form of existence to detach itself from the void. Tchaikovsky is always trying something new and meaningful, and while this book may not be completely successful, it offers a powerful and thought-provoking experience.