Children of Ruin (Children of Time, #2)

The sequel to Children of Time carries on with the same tone and atmosphere, building out the time-, space-, and biology-spanning ideas established in the first volume. This is Big Idea scifi, but with the well-crafted characters that are often the weak point of such works.

The world building in both Children books is superb. It succeeds in providing the narrative tools to establish continuity across vast stretches of time and distance. And that continuity creates a very compelling story that grapples with ideas of communication and collaboration among truly alien species. All anchored by relatable characters seeking solutions to Life-altering encounters. And sometimes finding them.

Highly recommended!

Like Children of Time, Children of Ruin is one of the best, most solidly science fiction books out there. The first half of Children of Ruin was just as good as Children of Time, however, as it got into the second half I found it less convincing, and not quite as compelling. Still a great read.