Children of Strife by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Author : Adrian Tchaikovsky

Book : Children of Strife

/ Science Fiction /

/ Children of Time Book 4 /

Publication date : March 17, 2026

---

Blurb:

From the award-winning master of sci-fi Adrian Tchaikovsky, Children of Strife is the unmissable follow-up space opera to the highly acclaimed Children of Time, Children of Ruin and Children of Memory.

In this epic adventure, we visit a far-future after earth fell, where ark ships had hunted for a new home. They sought lost worlds terraformed in earth’s forgotten past. We follow a ship crewed by maverick humans, spiders and a spectacularly punchy mantis shrimp captain as they rediscover one such world, and an ark.

Then human crewmate Alis wakes to discover that she, her captain and the ship’s intelligence are the only ones left on their ship. But what happened to those who left to explore the ark . . . and the world below?

Children of Strife is the extraordinary next volume set in the Children of Time universe, featuring epic adventure, first contact and the nature of intelligence among the stars.

My thoughts:

Every Adrian Tchaikovsky book I dive into is an absolute feast for the imagination, and Children of Strife is no exception to that rule.

A complex combination of moral questions and dilemmas, interwoven with science, in an unforgiving fight for survival where playing God leads to dire consequences.

An absolute masterclass in building a story that develops over time and across multiple generations, presenting all the key points and problems flawlessly.

In the last instalment, we tackle again the results of the terraforming projects and all the questions that were left.

We have a familiar character returning to the scene in the face of the ship's AI assistant, Kern, and her presence brought a really nice balance to the chaos.

Alis - a scientist plagued with nightmares that feel almost like they are predicting events and tie beautifully with everything happening around them.

And of course it won't be an Adrian Tchaikovsky book if there isn't an amazing non-human character that grabs your attention and doesn't let go.

I absolutely loved the part-mantis, part-shrimp, violent, grumpy captain Cato, and his character arc and story just hooked me in.

The story's vibe was so anxiety-inducing and suffocating at times that it shows how immersed and invested you get without even realising it.

Although the book can be read without having your toes dipped into the previous books, I wholeheartedly suggest going through them first because the depth of this spacious story is so much more fulfilling knowing the past.

Loved this book and always a fan of Adrian Tchaikovsky.