Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky

About

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky is a science fiction novel that explores the intersection of technology and evolution. The story begins with Dr. Avrana Kern's ambitious project to terraform a planet, known as Kern's World, using a nanovirus to accelerate the evolution of primates. However, the plan is sabotaged, and the virus instead infects spiders, leading to their rapid evolution into intelligent beings. Over millennia, these spiders develop complex societies, technologies, and cultures, while humanity faces its own existential crises back on Earth. As Earth's last survivors journey to Kern's World aboard the generation ship Gilgamesh, they encounter the evolved spider civilization. The novel contrasts the spiders' advancement with humanity's regression into strife and barbarism. Ultimately, the two species must navigate their differences and find a path forward together. The book explores themes of evolution, power, and communication, offering a compelling narrative that challenges anthropocentric perspectives. Children of Time won the 2016 Arthur C. Clarke Award and is part of a series that continues with Children of Ruin and Children of Memory.